Brilliant ruby. Energetic, mineral-tinged red berry and floral pastille aromas show excellent clarity and building spiciness. Silky, sweet and powerful in the mouth, offering raspberry liqueur and lavender flavors that steadily become deeper with air. Fine-grained tannins give gentle grip to the impressively long, penetrating finish, which strongly echoes the floral and red berry notes. In a distinctly suave style, with no rough edges.

A compact style, with roasted alder and juniper notes coating the dark fig and black currant paste flavors. Shows woodsy grip through the finish, while licorice root and tobacco accents fill in liberally. A touch austere from the wood, but this is a solid effort for the vintage. Best from 2020 through 2030.

The 2014 Châteauneuf du Pape (55% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 8% Mourvèdre and the rest an assortment of permitted varieties) is a pretty, perfumed and floral effort that offers up lively notes of red cherries, mulberries, peach pit and spice. Medium-bodied, elegant and fresh, with solid balance, it should keep through 2024