2018 Chateauneuf du Pape

The 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed nicely, with the more charming, supple, elegant style of the vintage front and center. Giving up classic Provençal notes of kirsch liqueur, dried strawberries, flowery incense, truffle, and peppery garrigue, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness and has beautiful overall balance, silky tannins, and a great finish. It’s already upfront, complex, and drinking nicely, yet should nevertheless evolve gracefully for a solid decade. While the 2018s from this great estate are gorgeous wines that show the charming, elegant style of the vintage, the 2019s are a clear step up, and my money is on them being some of the wines of the vintage.

Now that it is in bottle, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits dark-fruit aromas of plums and blackberries, plus notes of cola, dried spices and licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, lacking a bit of richness on the mid-palate, but remaining velvety there and through the chocolate- and coffee-tinged finish.