Both deeper and richer than the classic cuvée, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini offers a more modern profile with its cassis and blackberry fruit possessing tinges of vanilla and integrated oak. Picking up more spice, meatiness and ground herbs with time in the glass, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, fine tannin and terrific length. In short, it’s an outstanding bottle of wine that will continue to impress for another decade.