CDP Barbe-Rac, Maison M. Chapoutier 1998

Chapoutier's 1998 Barbe Rac is close to full maturity. It exhibits an abundance of Provencal herbs intermixed with new saddle leather, kirsch, framboise, and spice box. The intoxicatingly heady, complex aromatics are followed by a full-bodied, lush, succulent style of wine with a relatively high alcohol/glycerin content and loads of fruit. This wine is drinking terrifically well after going through an awkward stage about two to three years ago. Drink it between now and 2020.

The 1998, which comes from a parcel of Grenache vines planted in 1901 in the western sector of the appellation. A dark plum/purple color is accompanied by a smoky, kirsch, roasted meat, and saddle leather-scented bouquet. The wine took a full year to ferment dry. The result is a blockbuster, full-bodied, super-concentrated Chateauneuf du Pape with multiple nuances of spice and Christmas fruit cake, as well as a lusty, heady, alcoholic finish nicely balanced by abundant quantities of glycerin and dense, layered fruit. Don’t hesitate to drink it now as well as over the next two decades

Deeper, with a more saturated colour, and additional body, depth, and richness, the 1998 Barbe-Rac reveals less garrigue and more black raspberry, cherry, earthy, peppery fruit. While more similar than dissimilar, it is fabulously concentrated and slightly longer as well as fuller. Give it another 1-3 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 20-25 years.