2020 Chapelle St. Theodoric, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Guigasse

On this visit, I slightly preferred the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Guigasse to the Le Grand Pin. Also 100% whole-cluster Grenache, it's much the same, but maybe a bit less floral and a bit more concentrated. Roses, herbal tea, blackberries and black cherries appear on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is supple and almost airy in feel yet with intense, lingering flavors. Just terrific stuff.

Aged for two years in demi-muids, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Guigasse comes in at 15% alcohol. An expressive single varietal Grenache, it bursts from the glass with fragrant aromas of rose petal, raspberry, forest strawberry, dried herbs, mint and a dash of white pepper. Full-bodied, concentrated and framed by plush tannins, it is impeccably well balanced by lively acids before a strikingly complex finish.