The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes comes from the famed La Crau lieu-dit and is 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre that was brought up mostly in tronconique tanks, with 15% in demi-muids. Killer notes of black raspberries, redcurrants, peppery herbs, and loamy earth all emerge on the nose, and this beauty hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a supple, seamless, remarkably pure mouthfeel, no hard edges, and a great finish. This cuvée always has the most tannins of all the releases and benefits from a few years in the cellar. If you love impeccably made, sexy, yet classic Châteauneuf du Pape, you should buy this.

Even better than I remember it prior to bottling, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes-90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre-boasts bold, concentrated aromas of black cherries, dark chocolate and red raspberries. It's full-bodied, rich and expansive, framed by silky tannins that ease into a long, elegant finish. Despite its size, there's a fine sense of proportion to this wine and a notable absence of alcohol-derived heat.

Precise aromas of ripe red cherry, raspberry, wild strawberry, licorice, dried herbs and cured meat introduce the 2020 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes. An expressive wine of mindboggling intensity and concentration, it is enveloped in a firm tannic structure and perfectly balanced by lively acidity. The complex finish goes on for well over a minute.

This amazing Chateauneuf has a stunning combination of opulence and concentration without any of this being in any way exaggerated. The richest red fruits you could imagine. Just a hint of warmth from alcohol at the finish, but there's an explosion of herbal aromas there, too. A cuvee of 90% grenache and 10% mourvedre. Drink or hold.