2017 Domaine De Ferrand Chateauneuf Du Pape

Sale $49.99 net

95 pts Jeb Dunnuck

There is something uniquely exotic about this wine that always captivates me. Wild lavender, thyme flowers, intense kirsch liquer... hmmm... No doubt it will improve with age, but I have a feeling I won't be able to resist popping one this winter.

Owner Philippe Bravay works his magic with 45-115 year-old vines from the north edge of the appellation. He takes a minimalist approach in the cellar, forgoing any barrel aging and filtering of the wine. As he says, "“I do not use barriques because I want the wine of my vines and not a technical élevage which loses the origins of the wine." The result is just downright sexy. For me, Ferrand has an aromatic profile unique among Chateauneuf... it's just incredible! The best part is the (still) quite reasonable price. 

"The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape checks in as 90% Grenache and the rest 3% each of Mourvèdre, Syrah and Bourboulenc, with a splash of Cinsault, brought up all in tank. It has a deep, layered, powerful yet elegant style as well as notes of black raspberries, crushed violets, blueberries, ground pepper, and earth. With a rounded, sexy texture, no hard edges, fine tannins, and a beautiful finish, it's a fabulous wine in the vintage.

I also have these other gems from importer Peter Weygandt arriving... more info on them another email... I really love the Ferrand!

2017 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf Du Pape $56.99 net - 95 pts Jeb Dunnuck  - The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape is an awesome wine from Laurent, and while it shows the sunny, ripe, sexy style of the vintage, it never loses the elegance and purity that’s the hallmark of Charvin. Lots of kirsch, graphite, dried flowers, garrigue, and ample minerality flow to a medium to full-bodied, silky, incredibly well-balanced red that has a stacked mid-palate, building tannins, and a great finish. Give bottles 4-5 years of bottle age and it will cruise over the following two decades.

2017 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf Du Pape “ Cuvee Imperiale” $68.99 net - 96 pts Jeb Dunnuck / 96 pts Wine Advocate - The 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvee Imperiale kicks the intensity up a notch and offers rocking notes of black cherries, garrigue, ground pepper, and incense. More expansive, full-bodied, concentrated, and pure, it's a brilliant, brilliant wine that stays tight and compact at the moment yet has beautiful concentration, present tannins, and a great finish. It has everything, but it needs 4-5 years or bottle age.

2017 Domaine Raymond Usseglio & Fils Chateauneuf Du Pape "Cuvee Girard" $41.99 net – 94 pts Wine Advocate / 93 pts Jeb Dunnuck – “A special cuvée made for American importer Peter Weygandt, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard includes a bit more old-vine Grenache, and it shows in the wine's increased elegance. It's more floral than the regular bottling, with scents of tea and roses, but it's also darker and richer, with black cherry fruit, a velvety mouthfeel and a long, layered finish.”