Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf du Pape, 1998

Beaurenard is a gem that often gets overlooked in discussions about the great wines of Chateauneuf du Pape. And some have argued that 1998 may be the estate's best of all time. It is aging very well and may have more positive development to come.

Wow! This wine, at 27 years of age, just shouts freshness. Cherries, black and red, as well as strawberries, blue plums spice and pepper. More acid and more tannin than the Vieux Donjon but still with a savory/sweet Chateaueuf profile. This has much to recommend it, and two of us rated it as Wine of the Day until we went back for a second go at the Vieux Donjon. In terms of aging, 1998 was a controversial Southern Rhone vintage (too ripe for some critics), but these are two wines that have aged admirably.