Châteauneuf-du-Pape Chimere

When was it that my friend Philippe Cambie, who left us far too soon, called me and asked if I could put him in touch with the Krankls? Of course I could. It was an exciting phone call that I had the privilege of translating, and by the end of it, everything was settled! Essentially, Philippe Cambie was to act as a consulting oenologist, working with the Maurels of Clos Saint Jean and Manfred Krankl to produce a Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a pure Mourvèdre aged in 300-liter oak barrels and bottled exclusively in magnums. You know I love Châteauneuf-du-Pape, especially those from the Maurel family (Clos Saint Jean), just as much as I love the wines of our friends, the Krankls. The grapes grow on vines that are approaching 100 years old and still deliver the very best quality. Amazing, isn't it, that such old plants are still producing!

Dark as night, the wine clings to the glass and seems to move only sluggishly, already giving away its density and weight – Chimère is not a wine for wimps, I almost wrote. Its aroma is as dark as its color: blackberries, cassis, and licorice combine to form a superbly neat perfume, marbled with the scent of dried flowers. Magnificent! The mouthfeel is indescribable. Wow, this wine has presence. It fills the palate powerfully, flows almost creamily and finishes with magnificent tannins of the highest quality. The finish is so long that it makes other wines look like jokes. This is a serious wine, an uncompromising wine that should not be opened until it is at least ten years old. Chapeau!