Wine Advocate October, 2012 The monumental 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure is a candidate for perfection after several more years of bottle age. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color with extraordinary “purity,” along with notes of spring flowers, luxurious levels of black raspberry and kirsch liqueur, licorice and mulberries. Layers of flavor hit the palate with exceptional freshness and definition as well as teeth-rattling intensity and power. This extraordinary tour de force is one of the greatest wines made in the world today. It should evolve easily for 15-20+ years. I have no idea what the alcohol levels are in these cuvees, but I’m sure they are pushing 16% or more. This is a legendary wine!

The monumental 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure is a candidate for perfection after several more years of bottle age. It boasts an inky/ruby/purple color with extraordinary “purity,” along with notes of spring flowers, luxurious levels of black raspberry and kirsch liqueur, licorice and mulberries. Layers of flavor hit the palate with exceptional freshness and definition as well as teeth-rattling intensity and power. This extraordinary tour de force is one of the greatest wines made in the world today. It should evolve easily for 15-20+ years. I have no idea what the alcohol levels are in these cuvees, but I’m sure they are pushing 16% or more. This is a legendary wine! The brilliant Julien Barrot has decided to produce only two cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape from the family’s nearly 32 acres of vineyards. It is amazing what Julien has accomplished since he began working at Domaine La Barroche in deluge-plagued 2002, the year when historical floods inundated Chateauneuf du Pape on September 8 and 9. The water could not have come at a worse time since prior to that it appeared to be a superb harvest. The first great vintage produced by Barrot was 2005, and he has continued with a remarkable succession of riveting wines. One of the world’s greatest red wines is his 300 or so cases of Pure that come from a lieu-dit called Grand Pierre next to the famed Chateau Rayas. The two cuvees called Signature and Terroir are now combined into one simply called Chateauneuf du Pape (the name may change in the future). It includes an intriguing component of less than 10% 70-year-old Cinsault, which gives the wine an extraordinary fragrance as well as a delicacy that can be missing in these southern Rhone wines. The Pure is 100% Grenache from 105-year-old vines. Importer: The Sorting Table, LLC, Napa, CA; tel. (415) 491-4724

Tasted from magnum, the deep ruby-colored 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pure dazzles with intense tobacco, forest floor, melted licorice, cassis pastilles, thyme and dried flowers. Peppery nuances add more complexity. Full-bodied, rich and layered, the 2010 shows obvious potential, but it’s just not ready yet. That said, it’s a serious Pure—structured and sophisticated, finishing remarkably long and refined.

Opaque purple. An intensely perfumed nose offers a bouquet of dark fruit preserves, cherry-cola and cassis, with exotic floral and spice notes. Pliant raspberry and cherry flavors possess superb depth and alluring sweetness, with juicy acidity adding lift. Becomes spicier with air and finishes with outstanding power, breadth and smooth, harmonious tannins. Wonderfully rich and energetic.

A wine that will rival the '05 in another handful of years, the utterly profound 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Pure offers the most purity and precision of any of the cuvees, yet backs it up with incredible concentration and depth. Giving up tons of blackberry, kirsch, black cherries, pepper, ground herbs and licorice, it's impeccably balanced and manages somehow to deliver an insane amount of fruit and texture in a lively, graceful and elegant style. Grenache at its finest, give bottles 2-3 years and count yourself lucky anytime you're able to drink this elixir. It should have 20-25 years of longevity.