2016 Domaine Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Brilliant ruby-red. Mineral-tinged raspberry and floral pastille aromas pick up a pungent garrigue nuance with air. Juicy, sweet and energetic on the palate, offering intense red berry and cherry liqueur and lavender flavors that spread out steadily on the back half. The mineral and floral notes repeat emphatically on the clinging finish, which is framed by smooth, fine-grained tannins.

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a classic wine from this heralded estate. Kirsch, crushed flowers, spice, and hints of peppery garrigue all flow to a full-bodied, balanced, seamless 2016 that has polished tannin, a seamless texture, and no hard edges. It's going to evolve gracefully for 15-20 years. The 2016 is a normal blend of 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and the rest Syrah and Cinsault that was partially destemmed and brought up mostly in concrete. Don’t miss this beauty. Andre Brunel has always been one of the benchmark vignerons of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and for decades now has produced an incredibly Provençal, elegant, and age-worthy style of wine. His 2016s are very much in that style and show terrific aromatics as well as balanced, seamless profiles on the palate.

I've tasted many vintages of the Brunels' wines, and 2016 looks as if it will be their best ever. The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape stood out in my blind tasting, offering incredible complexity and lightness despite being full-bodied. Roses, garrigue and dried spices accent raspberries and cherries in a wine that's concentrated and intense yet agile, with nuances galore. It's 70% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% Cinsault and will have aged 18 months (mainly in concrete) prior to bottling. Let's hope this looks just as good then.