2015 Chateau de Saint Cosme Chateauneuf du Pape 750 ml

A New Chateauneuf du Pape Classic

Garrigue, licorice, dried herbs, striking red fruit concentration: the 2015 Château de Saint Cosme Châteauneuf-du-Pape nails an absolutely classic expression of the region, placing this bottle from the Gigondas giant among the highlights of the vintage.

“For fans of the old-school style,” raves Wine Spectator in a 94 point review, calling it “direct” and “focused.” Credit the vineyard sources—three top climats, including the legendary galet-strewn La Crau—as well as the indomitable touch of Louis Barruol, whose estate is “unquestionably one of the reference point estates in Gigondas, as well as the entire southern Rhône Valley,” says Rhône expert Jeb Dunnuck. From the fantastic 2015 vintage, this is a must-have addition to the cellar for any CdP purist.

The man behind the wine, Louis Barruol, is a 14th generation vigneron. There still exists today a part of the cellar that was built by Romans in the year 100. The Barruols know this land inside and out, and that bone-deep sense for terroir shows: Wine Spectator has hailed Louis Barruol as “The Genius of Gigondas” while declaring the winery “the reference point estate for Gigondas as well as one of the most dynamic estates in all of the Rhône Valley, south or north.” Add to that two 100-point wines in Robert Parker’s pages, and three bottles on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list (most recently in 2017), and it’s clear Château de Saint Cosme is a force to be reckoned with in the Rhône Valley.

One of his most marked successes has been in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The fruit for this wine hailed from three top climats: La Crau, the most famous vineyard in the region, renowned for producing wines of fine-boned tannic structure; Valori, whose sand and pebbles contribute finesse and perfume; and Christia, lending freshness and silken texture thanks to its clay-sand soils and north-easterly exposure. Whole cluster fermentation and indigenous yeasts preserve the classic character of Southern Rhône terroir; aging occurred for 24 months in barrels. This is a powerful, broad-shouldered Châteauneuf-du-Pape whose red cherry pleasures are just beginning to open up.