2015 Galet du Roi Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge 750 ml

The King Stone’s Classic CdP Red

The advice on the 2015 Rhônes is practically unanimous: “This is one of those rare vintages where consumers can almost buy with abandon,” raved Wine Spectator. If you secure just one Châteauneuf-du-Pape this year, you could scarcely do better than this under-$30 stunner from Galet du Roi, hailing from a prime vineyard in Orange with soils composed of classic, heat-trapping galets, and sand. This is textbook Châteauneuf-du-Pape, classic in its aromas of lavender, garrigue, and baked earth, packed with mineral freshness and wild red fruit, offered at an unbeatable price. While your Beaucastel is aging up for the holidays, uncork this beauty to sample the 2015 vintage in all its glory. Elsewhere $35, just $24.99 per bottle—the best price in the U.S.—on Wine Access. 300 cases produced, and we secured the lion’s share for you.

The truly exceptional vintages of the Southern Rhône are few and far between. With a 97-point rating from Wine Spectator, bettered in the last 30 years only by 2010 with 98 points, the rapturously great 2015 falls squarely into this category. A number of industry experts, including importer and Master Sommelier Fran Kysela, the creator of the Galet du Roi negociant label, and Vieux Télégraphe’s Frédéric Brunier have compared 2015 to the immortal 1985, and the analogy is instructive. As then, the 2015s show deep, rich opulence buttressed by excellent structure. The dangers of overripening were avoided thanks to a wet spring that replenished water tables and cool summer nights that tempered sugar levels. As Jancis Robinson has advised: “If you have any enthusiasm at all for red Rhône, 2015 is a vintage not to be missed.”

Kysela, who has been collecting wines since the age of 15, echoed the same language. “It’s one of those rare years where all the wines—red, white, rosé—are top notch,” he told us over a bottle of this wine and roasted duck breast. “You really can’t go wrong with 2015 wines from the Southern Rhône.”

A truly textbook Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this bottle shows the influence of its soils: galets, round pebbles which help modulate temperatures in the soil, and well-draining sand, imparting elegance and subtlety to the wines. After a near-perfect spring, a scorching hot summer packed grapes with heady richness, cooled by late August rains. Dollops of Mourvèdre, Cinsault, and Syrah round out the spicy, full-bodied Grenache, making for an instant classic.