Bottled just four weeks prior to my visit, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina was showing no ill effects of the process. A blend of 60% Grenache with 40% Mourvèdre, it reveals intriguing notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings, black olives, tar and licorice on the nose. It's so massive and concentrated that it's almost painful to taste yet is seductive at the same time for its rich, velvety texture and incredible length. Somehow it manages all this but appears nimble and light at the same time, easily hiding what must be considerable alcohol.

Deep bright-rimmed ruby. Primary dark berry liqueur, cherry, licorice and violet aromas are complemented by an exotic suggestion of smoky Indian spices. Broad and fleshy in the mouth, offering deeply concentrated blackberry, boysenberry and bitter cherry flavors along with sweet cola and floral pastille flourishes. Slowly becomes firmer with air and finishes with outstanding clarity, building tannins and strong, spicy persistence.

60% Grenache, 40% Mourvèdre. Cask sample. More red fruit than their Combe des Foux, and stronger oak spice influence too. It's more complex as a result, with lovely spicy notes through the finish, and great fruit purity. (RH)

More cured meats, spice, loamy soil notes, and an incredible core of kirsch and currant fruits emerge from the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus Ex Machina. Deep, incredibly concentrated, multi-dimensional and long, it reminds me of the 2007 at this same point in time. This cuvée is always a 60/40 split of Grenache and Mourvèdre, brought up in tank and new demi-muids, and in top vintages, needs 2-5 years of bottle age to really shine, yet I always also fine a certain accessibility given its balance and purity. It’s capable of lasting for two decades. The Maurel brothers, along with rock star consultant Philippe Cambie, continue to knock it out of the park in just about every vintage, and since taking over control of the estate in 2002, they’ve yet to put a foot wrong. Even in the more difficult vintages, they’re able to produce charming, balanced, delicious wine, and in top vintages, they produce some of the greatest wines on earth. As I’ve written in the past, Clos Saint Jean is at the top of their game and producing some of the most singular, hedonistic and brilliant wines in the world. Also, I was able to taste a retrospective of the white Châteauneuf-du-Pape and came away thinking that current vintages might be some of the most under-the-radar, great whites of the appellation.