CDP Les Origines, Grand Veneur - Vignobles Alain Jaume 2005

Showing fabulously well, and better than I predicted, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Origines is one of the vintage’s great successes, and still very reasonably priced for a wine of such quality. Dense saturated ruby/purple in color, it offers up a nose of melted licorice, roasted meat, tar, graphite, and oodles of blackberry and sweet cherry fruit. Quite full-bodied, with good acidity, moderate tannins, and a multi-dimensional mouthfeel, the wine has superb balance, fabulous concentration, and a long, long finish. The tannins suggest 2-3 years of bottle age would be appropriate, but the wine can be drunk now, although it should also evolve for up to two decades.

While the Vieilles Vignes bottling wasn’t made until 2006, the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Origines goes all the way back to 1998. The 2005 checks in as a blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah that saw 16 months in 55% concrete tank and 45% in smaller barrels. It’s a ripe, full-throttle effort that gives up lots of roasted herbs, pan drippings, black licorice and darker fruits on the nose. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, blockbuster styled effort that has beautiful purity, lots of texture and a sexy, hard-to-resist style. It freshens up in the glass, and while drinking nicely now, will have no problems evolving gracefully for another decade.