Review

Wine Spectator 94 points This is crammed with fruit, spice and structure, as braised fig, plum skin, cassis and anise notes wrestle with roasted apple wood, melted red licorice and tar for now. The embedded grip should carry the finish until this assimilates fully. Best from 2014 through 2024. 5,000 cases imported. –JM

Wine maker notes

The stony Plateau de la Crau, in the south-east of the appellation, where the villages of Bédarrides, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Courthézon meet. Soil and subsoil: Molasse from the Miocene epoch (1-1.5m in depth) sitting on a thick layer of clay with a high stone content, and covered by the pebble blanket of Alpine diluvium generally known as “galets roulés”. Vinification: Grapes are hand-picked, with stringent double sorting at the vine. Gentle pressing and selective destemming, followed by 25-35 days' traditional fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel and wooden vats. Pneumatic pressing, then systematic malolactic fermentation. Maturation: In vats for the first 10 months, then in foudres (50-70hl) for 12 months. Bottled unfiltered at about 22 months.