Laurent Charvin made a sensational Chateauneuf du Pape in 1998. Comparing the vintage to a mix of 2010 and 2009, his 1998 sports a still youthful color to go with perfumed notes of pepper, black cherries, garrigue and leather. There’s a touch of amber at the rim, and while it’s certainly mature, it’s one of the more lively, youthful wines in the vintage today. This is a beautiful wine to enjoy over the coming 4-5 years, although it will hold nicely for longer. Note, the blend is the normal 85% Grenache and 5% each of Mourvedre, Syrah and Vaccarese, not destemmed, and aged 100% in big concrete tanks.

Fully mature, Charvin’s 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beauty, with an almost Burgundian, ethereal complexity of sweet cedar, spice box, black raspberries, cherries, and garrigue. Fleshy, but at the same time remarkably elegant and pure, this wine has hit a magical point where it should last for another 5-7 years. Absolutely top-notch now.