Description
Clos du Mont-Olivet, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvée Unique”
If you’d like a one-stop master class on aromatic, meaty, old-school Châteauneuf-du-Pape, you go to Clos du Mont-Olivet. Run by generations of the Sabon family since 1932, and headquartered in a stone house that overlooks the ancient papal castle that gave the town its name, Mont-Olivet is the equivalent of a Châteauneuf winemaking museum.
2012 was a slightly more challenging, and therefore more classic vintage, in the Southern Rhône. For great, old-school producers like Thierry Sabon and his team at Mont-Olivet, this led to wines of elegance and balance, that emphasize the savory, spicy side of Grenache instead of the rich, high octane fruit. Decant briefly, serve at 60 degrees, and prepare to wonder at the delicious combination of red cherries, currants, black plums, smoked meat, black pepper, tobacco leaf, and hints of olive brine. At peak drinking age now, it will continue to impress for the next several years.
