Not yet bottled when I visited the estate last summer, volumes of the 2022 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes are down by about one-third, as a parcel in La Crau that normally goes into this cuvée was wiped out by hail. Roughly 75% Grenache, 15% Mourvèdre, 5% Syrah and 5% other permitted varieties, it delivers huge waves of cherry and raspberry fruit. Full-bodied and concentrated, it shows great fruit sweetness throughout, framed by ripe, velvety tannins that finish softly dusty, without impeding the wine's considerable length. Christophe Sabon comes across as very even-keeled, with a philosophical outlook geared toward the vagaries of farming. In 2022, he explained, "The places that didn't get hail, benefited from the [August] rain." Volumes for some cuvées here were off by as much as one-third because of the hail, following a year in which late frosts were widespread, reducing production of some other cuvées. At my summer visit, hopes were high that 2023 would at last provide some volume to work with. Christophe's children are working toward taking on the mantle of the estate in the near future, with a daughter who has done vintages at Man O' War (in New Zealand) and Château Palmer and a son who was working at Miner Family (in Napa Valley).(JC)

Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieille Vignes is easily the most powerful in the lineup and has a rock star nose of ripe black cherries, melted licorice, spring flowers, and gravelly earth. It's rich, full-bodied, has ripe, integrated tannins, and a great finish.

Quite an opulent expression of Chateauneuf, with a nose of preserved cherries, spices and bitter chocolate. Powerful and highly structured on the full-bodied palate. The long, bold finish is packed with bitter chocolate, caramel and an array of spices. Excellent aging potential, but already delicious. A cuvee with a majority of grenache plus some syrah and mourvedre. Drinkable now, but best from 2025.