2019 Crous St Martin Hommage á I’an 1879 Chateauneuf du Pape Rhone Valley 750 ml

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking cinematic superheroes, NBA superteams, or grape varieties—every famous trio needs balance. And you’re unlikely to find a more fine-tuned three-grape blend anywhere in the wine world than in classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

Exhibit A: the 2019 Crous St. Martin Hommage à I’an 1879. From Rhône importer Harry Bosmans and winemaker Eric Bonnet, who Rhône authority Jeb Dunnuck praised for his “incredible talent,” it tempers Grenache’s juicy red fruit with 10% garrigue-tinged Syrah and the dark, earthy fruit of 10% Mourvèdre.

Striking that balance is a formidable challenge, but in Crous St. Martin, Bonnet makes it appear effortless. Decanter called this wine “gorgeously silky,” “highly impressive,” and “elegant” in their 94-point review. It hits the glass with wafting notes of blue and black fruits, herbs, violets, and lilacs—an aromatic bounty that’s intoxicating on its own. A sip reveals elegant black cherry and plum, joined by enchanting spice on a lingering finish.

The Bonnets have been growing grapes in northeast Châteauneuf-du-Pape for three generations. Robert Parker has called their Bastide Saint Dominique winery “a top-flight estate,” and Eric selected a few of the estate’s finest parcels for the Crous St. Martin label.

Their land, like much of famous Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is layered with galets roulés—large, smooth river stones that cover the vineyards. These stones retain heat from the afternoon sun and release it slowly overnight, allowing the grapes to ripen slowly, developing depth and concentration. 

Pope John XXII once claimed Châteaufneuf-du-Pape as “the Pope’s wine,” and a taste of this Crous St. Martin shows the luxuriousness that has kept the region’s wines on banquet tables for centuries.