Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape 2020

Beguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth, singed tobacco and garrigue accents. Offers breadth and depth with a seamless feel, capped by a subtle mineral edge that lingers lengthily amid the beautiful fruit. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2024 through 2040. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported.—J.M

Tasted recently and as remarkable as ever, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Clos des Papes, derived from a Mediterranean summer without excess or hydric stress, wafts from the glass with superb aromas of dark berries, violet, lilac, dark cherries and crushed flowers. Full-bodied, seamless and layered, it has a fleshy, enveloping core of fruit framed by velvety, filigreed tannins, concluding with a long, ethereal finish. A deeply identity-driven Clos des Papes of remarkable overall precision, it stands as one of the summits of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in this vintage.