Sourced from 100-year-old vines in the sandy lieux-dits of Charbonnières (est), Mourre de Gaud and Pignan, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenaches de Pierre is less effusive on the nose than the other cuvées at this address, yet it still remains marked by intense black cherries and licorice notes. Aged solely in concrete, it's full-bodied, velvety-textured and luscious, even if it does show a touch of alcoholic warmth on the lingering finish. Tasted twice (once blind), with the note above reflecting the better bottle.

From centenarian Grenache vines grown on sandy soils in La Crau and Pignan, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenaches de Pierre is a perfumed beauty, redolent with hints of fennel, roses, orange zest and ripe cherries. Matured solely in concrete, there's no oak influence, just a purity of fruit expression borne on a full-bodied but nearly weightless palate. Silky and long on the finish, this tour de force should still be drinking well in a decade.

Drawn from sandy soils in the lieux-dits of La Crau and Pignan, the all-Grenache 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenaches de Pierre features wiry, herbal threads sewn into a fabric of tart cranberries and raspberries. It's full-bodied and tannic, needing a few years to loosen up. Ultimately, it should reward the patient with a complex, silken tapestry of flavors.

From the sandy soils of La Crau and Pignan, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Grenache de Pierre is a textbook example of the paradox that Grenache grown on sand can present, showing incredible concentration and power without weight. Cherry and raspberry notes pick up hints of citrus zest and briny notes on the long, silky, almost ethereal finish. This cuvée deserves to be mentioned among the top all-Grenache wines of the appellation.