A very different style of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a particularly smoky aroma - similar to unburnt charcoal - which is likely to be at least in part through reduction rather than oak. Cherry, raspberry and touches of blackcurrant form the fruit core, backed by tobacco and allspice, although it's not fat, overly generous or flowing, but tightly austere on the mid-palate and finishing grippy, with serrated, fine-grained tannins and a great, rising salinity. A wine of formidable energy, freshness and vibrancy, which is all about structure and texture, rather than fruit. Really shows a different side of Châteauneuf, placing to the fore the mineral bones that gives Châteauneuf its ageability.