Easier to read than the backwards, tight Cuvee Renaissance, the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is 100% Grenache that was aged in smaller, older barrels. It is a blockbuster Grenache that's overflowing with notions of sweet cassis, blackberries, smoked herbs, garrigue and licorice. Full-bodied, sweetly fruited, voluptuous, hedonistic and unctuously textured, it's a no-holds-barred expression of old-vine Grenache to enjoy anytime over the coming decade.