2016 Mont Olivet Chateauneuf Du Pape 750Ml Bottle

Mont Olivet's Cuvée du Papet (the top cuvée made in small quantities) has become one of the most highly prized reds of Chateauneuf with a raft of scores over 95 and widespread lofty praise. With 100 points from Jeb Dunnuck for the 2016, and 99 points for the 2019 (and several 99’s from The Wine Advocate in recent times) the price and scarcity will enter a new phase! Crafted from old vine Grenache, the majority of which are over 60 years old but some are older than 100; this is classic pure-fruited and highly perfumed Chateauneuf made mainly in tank and large oak fuders, a style that is rare but an ageing regime that suits perfect, low-yielding fruit. Vigneron Thierry Sabon has a remarkable gift and he has beautiful old vines that he respects and nurtures. Cuvée du Papet is made to be the most deeply complex, resounding, and soulful Châteauneuf from a house whose wines all have remarkable pedigree. They're made from around 80% grenache, 10% shiraz and 10% mourvedre.

“Another best to date, the 2016 Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvee du Papet from Thierry Sabon is pure perfection in a glass. More powerful than the classic cuvee, with killer black raspberries, crushed rocks, garrigue, salty minerality, and iodine, it's deep, full-bodied, concentrated, and sexy, yet has building tannin. It's one of those iron fist in a velvet glove wines and continued to gain depth and richness every time I went back to the glass. Old-school, traditional Chateauneuf-du-Pape doesn’t get any better, and readers should beg, borrow or steal to get a hold of this. Hide bottles for 4-5 years (or more), count yourself lucky, and enjoy bottles over the following 2-3 decades.” 100 points! - Jeb Dunnuck