2015 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Thierry Sabon said that unlike 2007, 2003 and even 2009, “2015 exhibits a freshness to go with the concentration.” As forward as the wines may seem at an early stage he thinks that the ‘15s will surprise people with their ability to age gracefully.” That’s because the tannins are in harmony with the ripe fruit, he said “which means that they will evolve at a similar pace as the fruit” and never really stand out, which is the case with many 2005s, for example, “where you have to wait for the tannins to back away before you see all the fruit that’s there.” Sabon’s ‘15s do hearken a bit to his ‘05s, which were among the more elegant wines of that outstanding vintage, but, then again, the style here consistently emphasizes elegance, red fruit and energy over brute strength, weight and dark fruit, even in hot vintages. Even the marquee Clos du Papet bottling, which is not made in every vintage, is a wine of finesse rather than power, and that’s especially true for the 2015, which should be a superb value in high-end Châteauneuf, by the way.