Vieux Telegraphe, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, La Crau Rouge 2015

A wine with playful, attractive character. An array of red, blue and purple fruits. Gently spicy, chalky and fragrant, it has a very supple, fleshy and layered palate with a web of fine, smooth and supple tannins. Extremely elegant and composed. A long draw on the finish. Great depth and drive. This will live super long. Try after 2020.

The flagship wine, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape, is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties. It features delicate floral scents and ample cherry and licorice aromas. Somehow, it manages to be full-bodied and almost creamy in texture but without much weight, then it ends powerfully, with a flourish of rich Mexican chocolate on the long, silky finish. It should drink well for up to 20 years.

A sunny year, but this isn't as deep in colour as some other recent vintages. Distinctly eucalyptus, fresh thyme, rosemary and liquorice. It's full-bodied but remarkably cooling and fresh on the palate. Long, with good fruit into the length and a little black tea on the finish. Rounded, spherically shaped. Remarkably good for the vintage, not excessive or overly alcoholic. Ready now, just starting to take on some interest, but the best is yet to come.

The lighter ruby colored 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes, as always, from the oldest vines of the estate on la Crau. It offers lots of kirsch and black raspberry notes, tons of salty minerality, medium to full-bodied richness and fine, fine tannin. Elegant and silky, with impressive balance, it's not the most concentrated wine from this first-rate estate, but it shines for its purity, finesse, and elegance.