2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de Quet

A huge, monster of a wine is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Quet! This Grenache-dominated beauty offers crazy amounts of black currants, black licorice, beef blood and Provencal herbs in a thick, unctuous, full-bodied yet ethereal and seamless package. And while it carries an incredible amount of fruit and texture, it remains graceful and lively on the palate, with no hard edges, sweet, still present tannin and a huge finish. This is a tour de force in wine that has another two decades of longevity. Tasted twice.

The 2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet is a blend of 80% old vine (80+ year) Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre. I had just recently drunk through a full bottle of this and it was fun to get to taste it side by side with the ’06. Frankly, while I prefer the ’07, the two wines have more in common than not. The ’07 sports heavenly aromatics of roasted garrigue, melted licorice, flowers, and meaty notes that give way to perfectly ripe Grenache fruit. Even larger scaled on the palate than the ’06, this remains perfectly balanced, deft and almost elegant. Give these 5 or more years in the cellar and then drink over the following 15. If drinking anytime soon, give it plenty of air.

Deep ruby. Sexy, expansive aromas of red and dark berry preserves, smoky herbs, potpourri and exotic apricot; the smoky character reminds me of the northern Rhone. Mineral-driven raspberry and blackcurrant flavors are alluringly sappy and open-knit, with notes of candied flowers and fruitcake adding complexity. This very sexy wine is extremely complex right now.