2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Hauts-Lieux la Vieille Julienne

Red This is beautiful, with gently steeped fig, boysenberry and blackberry fruit cruising through confidently, while light anise, black tea and incense accents weave around. The long and refined finish lets the fruit play out while a subtle chalky minerality keeps everything knit together. Best from 2020 through 2045. From France.-J.M.

Deep ruby. Spicy and energetic on the highly perfumed nose, displaying intense black raspberry and cherry scents and strong suggestions of candied lavender and smoky minerals. Supple, sweet and focused on the palate, offering deeply concentrated yet energetic red berry liqueur and cherry compote flavors that tighten up steadily with aeration. Shows excellent lift and clarity on the strikingly long, mineral-accented finish, which features lingering raspberry and floral notes and harmonious tannins. The interplay of power and finesse here is really something.

The 2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Haut Lieux comes from a higher elevation parcel and includes a decent amount of Mourvèdre. Harvest very late (this is a cooler terroir), it offers impressive notes of cassis, crushed rocked and violets. This square, structured, tannic effort has killer purity of fruit and an incredible elegance, yet needs time. Forget bottles for 4-5 years and enjoy over the following 15+. I've said it many times, but I'll say it again, there are few wines I'd rather have in my cellar, or on the table, than a Châteauneuf du Pape from Jean-Paul Daumen. The 2015s are beautiful wines and shine for their elegance and purity. They don't have the sheer wealth of material found in vintages such as 2001, 2005, 2010, or 2016, yet has incredible elegance and purity, as well as balance. Jean-Paul commented that he's never seen a vintage like 2016 and his wines are opulent and hedonistic, yet as with all the wines from this estate, has purity, elegance, and structure. They're some of the greatest wines in the vintage.

The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Les Hauts Lieux comes from a cooler, higher elevation parcel and is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre. Where the Trois Source cuvée is upfront and exuberant, this beauty offers more minerality as well as lots of ripe blackberry fruits, spice, roasted meats and hints of violets in a concentrated, backwards, tannic style. Forget bottles for 5-6 years and enjoy over the following two decades.