Domaine des Sénéchaux : Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2016

I appear to have underestimated the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape when I tasted it last year, perhaps because of its recent bottling. It's now showing more weight and richness, bold raspberry and cherry fruit alongside classic spice-box notes and a broad, expansive feel on the palate.

Focused and fresh, with a good racy edge to the mix of red and black cherry and raspberry coulis flavors. Black tea, lavender, licorice snap and graphite notes line the finish. Accessible now, but will age nicely in the medium-term. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2032. 6,000 cases made, 500 cases imported.

In this wine, complexities of forest floor, moss, licorice and sweet spice lend complexity to pristine cassis and black cherry. It's a succulent wine laden with rich black fruit and ripe, integrated tannins that murmur on the finish. Appealing already the wine should hold through 2028.

Vivid ruby. Powerful red berry preserve, floral pastille and Asian spice aromas show excellent clarity and mineral lift. Intense flavors of raspberry, cherry cola, vanilla and lavender deepen steadily as the wine opens up. The floral and red fruit notes carry strongly through a clinging, energetic finish framed by smooth, slow-building tannins.

Spicy, silky, lush, sweet and supple, the fruits show off their spicy character with little effort. This elegantly styled wine is soft, with a peppery, kirsch filled finish that keeps on going. This is the best vintage yet for Senechaux. The wine is made using mostly Grenache, with Syrah, Mourvedre, and various other allowable grape varieties.

As to the red, rocking levels of kirsch, black raspberries, toasted spices, and garrigue emerge from the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It's full-bodied, concentrated, pure and elegant, with sweet tannin, and an opulent, flamboyant style. Based largely on Grenache, with smaller amounts of Syrah and Mourvèdre, it has fine tannin, impeccable balance, and a great finish. Along with the 2010, it's the finest wine to date from this estate.