2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Val de Dieu Château de Vaudieu

The 2015 Châteauneuf du Pape Val de Dieu is another serious, concentrated and incredibly layered wine from this rock star estate. Made from 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre, aged mostly in demi-muids, it has a kiss of toasty oak as well as notes of crème de cassis, toasted spiced, candied cherries and potpourri. This full-bodied, pure, elegant effort packs a ton of fruit, but like all of the wines here, is never over the top, stays balanced and graceful.

Plenty of camphor, rosemary and black olive. Full-bodied, intensely concentrated, with robust smoky oak ingrained into the fruit. The tannins are intense and grippy, and slightly drying, but they give a frame, along with the surging acidity, to the intense fruit. This is a very large-framed Châteauneuf, and very ambitious. 2019-2030.

Brilliant ruby. Sexy, intensely perfumed raspberry, boysenberry and rose pastille scents are complemented by hints of cola, rhubarb and peppery spices. Palate-staining red and blue fruit flavors show impressive power as well as vivacity thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. The floral quality comes back emphatically on a very long, sappy finish shaped by smooth tannins. This wine's urgency and power are superb, as is its balance.

This has the fleshy, pure and driven vintage profile of cassis and raspberry running right down the middle, with an amped-up finish of roasted apple wood, graphite and ganache notes providing a thumping bass line. Needs a little more time to knit fully, but that won't be a problem. Best from 2020 through 2040.-J.M.