Chateauneuf-du-Pape le Pied de Baud, Domaine Santa Duc

Fabulous nose of red fruits, summer flowers and licorice. The very complex interplay of huge fine tannins and richness reminds me of Grand Cru Burgundy, but this has a southerly personality. Great velvety finish that goes on and on. Doesn't want to stop.

Bright violet. Intense raspberry and boysenberry scents show excellent clarity and take on suggestions of baking spices and candied flowers with air. Stains the palate with sweet, spice- and mineral-laced red and blue fruit preserve flavors that show very good depth as well as energy. The floral note recurs on the persistent finish, which features harmonious tannins and lingering red fruit character. - Josh Raynolds

Åbner som en let vin, kalket, elegant, næsten burgundisk, tager på i vægt i glasset, en er solid Grenache-sødme vinder frem, men det elegante udtryk bevares. Slutter med en let snert af rank bitterhed. - Niels Lillelund

Marked by aromas of resinous herbs, roses and raspberries, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Pied de Baud is an enthralling blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault from the Le Pied de Baud lieu-dit, in the south of the appellation. Raspberries, strawberries and redcurrants all make appearances, supported by crisp acids and silky, just-ripe tannins. Young Benjamin Gras is looking for tension in his wines, and this wine captures that elusive quality, lingering tautly on the mouthwatering finish. - Joe Czerwinski

Deep shimmering ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of ripe red and dark berries, baking spices and garrigue slowly pick up a smoky element as the wine stretches out. Juicy and seamless in texture, offering alluringly sweet black raspberry, spicecake and candied lavender flavors that show energetic lift and fine delineation. The floral and spice notes carry strongly through an impressively long, penetrating finish shaped by smooth, slow-building tannins. - Josh Raynolds

The 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Pied de Baud blends Grenache with about 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault. It's a bit earthier and darker fruited than the other 2017s here, plush and round in the mouth. Full-bodied yet silky, fine and elegant, it should drink well on release and for 15 years after that. - Joe Czerwinski

One of my favorite wines in the cellar, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Pied de Baud is full-bodied yet positively light, airy and elegant. Dried spices and licorice notes provide complexity to the cherry and plum fruit, wrapped together in a lovely, long, silky finish. - Joe Czerwinski

Bright ruby-red. Heady, complex scents of red and dark berry preserves, baking spices and smoked meat. Densely packed but lively, offering sappy black raspberry and bitter cherry flavors that take a sweeter turn on the back half. Shows strong, spicy thrust on the finish, which features mounting tannins and a suave floral nuance. - Josh Raynolds

Deep ruby. Ripe dark berry and licorice aromas are complicated by suggestions of smoky minerals, garrigue and lavender, and a subtle hint of peppery spices emerges with air. Juicy and deeply concentrated yet energetic as well, offering sweet blackberry, cherry cola and violet pastille flavors and a refreshing jolt of minerality. The long, sappy finish features resonating florality and velvety tannins that fold steadily into the clinging, appealingly sweet fruit. - Josh Raynolds

This has an array of darker berry and plum fruits with a brambly, lightly spicy edge, too. The palate delivers impeccably fresh, lithe and detailed tannin texture, as well as blue fruit flavors. Juicy and energetic. Long finish. Try from 2020.

The 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Pied de Baud, a blend of 80% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre and 5% Cinsault, offers compelling scents of rose petals and raspberries on the nose. While not as richly textural as some of the other cuvées, it's still a lovely, hauntingly fragrant example of Châteauneuf du Pape. Gigondas-based Yves Gras has quietly grown his holdings in Châteauneuf du Pape to six hectares, from which he's producing four separate cuvées. I'm sure it will hurt some feelings to say an outsider like Gras is producing some of the most compelling examples of Châteauneuf du Pape, but keep in mind these are generally tiny-production gems and not easy to track down - Joe Czerwinski