2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Fans of elegant Châteauneuf-du-Pape should definitely check out these wines, from an estate owned by Eddie Féraud, a cousin of Laurence Féraud of Domaine du Pegau. The fruit is sourced from Féraud's sandy five hectares of vines that sit atop the hill above Château de Vaudieu, near Pignan and Rayas. As Châteauneuf buffs know, this is prime real estate for producing highly aromatic, red fruit-driven wines that are often Burgundian in character, and Eddie and his son Yannick's wines are consistent exemplars of that style. While this kind of wine lends itself to early drinking, the Féraud bottles also age quite well in my experience, and on their balance rather than mass, for they're never weighty or brooding, even in hot vintages like 2009 and 2007. No new oak is used here and the fruit is entirely destemmed, unlike at Pégau, where whole clusters are the rule.

The 2012 vintage marks the debut of a new bottling for the domain, the Cuvée Raisons Bleus, which is made almost entirely from the estate's oldest Grenache vines and, as a result, attains a higher alcohol level and shows more richness than the "regular" Châteauneuf while retaining the domain's signature elegance. Prices are also very friendly here--thanks no doubt to the fact that this domain has been skating under the market's radar for years.