Grand Veneur Les Champauvins

As Robert Parker explained, the Grand Veneur CR Les Champauvins drinks more like a Châteauneuf du Pape than a Côtes du Rhône wine, but this is hardly surprising given where the wine comes from. The vineyards of Les Champauvins include 34 hectares classified as Côtes du Rhône, but located in the far north part of the AOC Châteauneuf du Pape with a narrow path of loose stones separating the two appellations.

In the glass a wonderful nose of red fruit, plums, spices, scrubland, and cherry liqueur emerges. On aeration, the aromas become more complex and soil and undergrowth join in. It is quite a wide wine in the mouth with silky smooth round tannins, a pleasant freshness and a long-lasting sweet finish.