Château de Manissy Châteauneauf-du-Pape Terres Blanches 2019

A unique Chateauneuf-du-Pape! The deep forest-berry nose with pronounced graphite and black-leaf tea character is followed by a remarkably cool and tense palate. Impressive concentration. Exciting interplay of fine tannins and minerality at the very long finish. Drink or hold.

Deep and vinous, you'll have to wait for the complexity to come with age, but this is well balanced and resonant. Has a toothsome textural dimension that gives plenty of tactile appeal in your mouth. Handles the oak well. Fermented in concrete, then half aged in concrete, the other half in new barriques.

The 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Terres Blanches is 100% Grenache, aged in a combination of new barriques and concrete tanks—half of the volume in each. From a limestone and clay terroir, it's a dark-hued wine, with aromas of blackberries, plums and menthol-tinged garrigue. Full-bodied, rich and tannic, the only question is whether it's not too extracted, as it finishes rather chewy. Give it at least a few years in the cellar and drink it over the next decade.

A step up, the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape Terres Blanches is also all Grenache but was aged in 50% new French oak, which barely shows. Lots of blackberries, cracked pepper, chalky minerality, and a hint of iron define the nose, and it’s medium to full-bodied, nicely balanced, and focused on the palate. I suspect it will be even better with 2-4 years of bottle age and should drink brilliantly over the following decade.