CDP Vieilles Vignes, Grand Veneur - Vignobles Alain Jaume 2016

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is up with the crème de la crème of the vintage and in the same league as the perfect 2010. Awesome notes of blackberries, crème de cassis, charred meats, licorice, and violets all soar from the glass. It's powerful, opulent, and structured, with building tannin, a huge mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish, yet it never loses its sense of purity and elegance. It's an incredible achievement from this estate. The blend is 45% Grenache, 45% Mourvèdre, and 10% Syrah, all aged in 55% new French oak.

A terrific effort, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. It's dense and rich almost beyond belief, packed with super ripe fruit that comes dangerously close to being chocolaty and fudge-like, yet it retains a sense of balance. Earth, spice and dark fruit notes linger for minutes on the long, tannic finish. Give it at least a couple of years in the cellar, and drink it over the next decade and a half. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. Drink Date 2020 - 2035

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is sensational, with notes of blackberry jam, blueberries, crushed flowers, licorice, and graphite all soaring from the glass. Deep, rich, unctuous and still structured, with masses of tannin, it's a beast of a wine, yet stays impeccably balanced, pure and clean. It's going to need 4-5 years of cellaring.