Hot Item Chapelle St. Theodoric Chateauneuf Du Pape 'la Guigasse' Best Choice [jLJRnSGr]

A join project between importer Peter Weygandt and winemaker Baptiste Grangeon of Domaine de Cristia, this estate's sole endeavor is to showcase the virtues of Grenache grown in sandy soils. Since their debut release in the 2009 vintage, Chapellet St. Theodoric has been on many Southern Rhone lovers' watchlists, and their 2020 La Guigasse bottling is in incredibly fine form.

100% Grenache from old vines grown in sand, the fermentation is done with whole clusters in older foudres. "Scents of roses, garrigue and blackberries mark the nose of the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape La Guigasse, still aging in demi-muids at the time of my visit. It's one of those special wines that manages to be full-bodied and concentrated, yet also pillowy-soft, nearly ethereal in the mouth. A bit more tannic and stern on the finish than the 2020 Le Grand Pin, it finishes long, with a lingering note of licorice." - Wine Advocate - 95-97 points