2023 Clos des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rouge

The 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape from Clos des Papes is exquisite, wafting from the glass with a captivating bouquet of sweet red berries, iris, dark cherries, menthol, blood orange and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and textured, it’s denser than usual, with a more pronounced structure and a lovely, fleshy core of fruit. Concluding with an ethereal, saline and weightless finish, this is a strong candidate for wine of the vintage—one that should evolve with grace over the coming years to attain a likely perfect score.

Deeply coloured and quite dark in character, with damson and liquorice notes. It’s generous, full-bodied, quite spicy and fairly potent, with lovely bright, sappy acidity and very fine, soft tannins. There are some similarities with 2022 and 2020, though it’s not as punchy as 2022 nor quite as energetic as 2020. This should be very good, and will drink before both of these recent vintages. All destemmed, aged in old foudres. The estate had a good yield this year, at 25hl/ha.

Checking in at 15.7% alcohol, the 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is totally sexy. Ripe black fruits, cassis pastilles, licorice, garrigue and herbal elements are all pushed forward. Framed by smooth tannins, the full-bodied 2023 jumps at you right away. It mesmerizes with gorgeous purity of fruit, lifting freshness and ample resilience on the focused finale. I can’t wait to taste it from bottle.

Bruised apple and a ripeness of fruit on the nose. Lovely grip as well and a honeyed hit on the mid palate – honeycomb and white flowers. A lovely acidity and freshness showing grapefruit, peach and a sense of minerality. A really beautiful example. Fresh and packed full of energy and vibrancy. (AC)