The tiny production 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape la Plume du Peintre is a monumental wine. Coming all from the La Crau lieu-dit and made from 100% Grenache aged 30% in small barrels and 70% in stainless steel tanks, it offers massive amounts of cassis, blueberry, licorice, graphite and spice, full-bodied richness, building tannin and a youthful, unevolved profile that’s hard to believe. It won’t hit maturity for another 4-5 years and will keep through 2035+. This is a singular Chateauneuf du Pape that I wish every reader could taste; unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to find in the market.

As in 2003, Delorme has produced a 1,500-bottle cuvee of the 2005 La Plume du Peintre, which is 100% Grenache, all of it from old vines on one of the famed sectors of Chateauneuf du Pape, the lieu-dit known as La Crau. Tipping the scales at 16.3% alcohol, this wine is aged two-thirds in neutral wood and tank and one-third in small barrels. It is 100% destemmed Grenache and is meant to last 30-40 years. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 2003 and 2005 last 40-50 years. The 2005 is inky blue/purple in color with an extraordinary nose of blueberries, off-the-chart levels of polyphenols and dry extract. Tasting just like the concentrated essence of a vintage port but totally dry, this is profound stuff and probably the Chateauneuf du Pape of the vintage, but with such a minuscule production, only a few bottles will ever make it outside the domaine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. This is an estate that was a no-brainer for inclusion in my recent book on the world’s greatest wine estates. With 135 acres spread throughout some of the most impressive appellations of the southern Rhone, Christophe Delorme and his brother took over this estate in the early to mid-1990s and have done nothing but produce one exquisite wine after another. Of course, the top cuvees of Chateauneuf du Pape are rare and expensive, but this is a place to find terrific Cotes du Rhones and Liracs as well. Delorme is equally adept at dry whites as well as reds, and turns out some stunning roses both under the Cotes du Rhone and Tavel appellations. Visitors to the area will be surprised to find out that Mordoree is actually in Tavel, not Chateauneuf du Pape.Importer: Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228

Dense, ripe, warm. Black fruit, meaty edge. A big wine, still in youth. Masses of ripe fruits, spice. Great length and warmth.