Crisp black fruit and dried lavender are restrained on the nose but gain richness and ripeness on the palate of this buoyant red. It's laden with plum and cherry flavors yet silky in mouthfeel, freshened by a crush of minerality. Firm, densely packed tannins offer a noble frame and should integrate better from 2021. This wine has vast potential for aging, likely far beyond 2030. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA

Lush, opulent, ripe, deep fruits with loads of pepper, black cherry, fig and plum are all over the place. Concentrated, big and mouth filling, the wine has depth, length and staying power. The new oak used during the aging has faded into the layers of fruit. This is a very hedonistic style of wine. The wine was made with a blend of 50% old vine Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2016&wine=Domaine%20Grand%20Veneur%20Chateauneuf-du-Pape%20Les%20Origines

The 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines is 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and the rest Syrah, all brought up in 50% new oak. It offers a deep ruby/plum color to go with terrific notes of blackberries, currants, smoked earth, and spiced meats. This cuvée shows some oak, but it's beautifully interwoven with its fruit, and it has a rich, full mid-palate and a great finish. This awesome wine will benefit from short-term cellaring and keep for 15+ years.

About as sexy as they come, 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape les Origines features dark, chocolaty notes layered over plums and black cherries. Deep, rich and intense yet sleek and plush, it's a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah aged in vats (for the Grenache) and barrels (for the other varieties). It should drink well for over a decade. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. - Joe Czerwinski

Inviting, with layered flavors of boysenberry, fig and blackberry preserves forming the foundation, while melted black licorice, warm fruitcake and wood spice notes are inlaid throughout. A lingering ganache echo adds more base through the hefty finish. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Best from 2022 through 2035. 8,000 cases made, 350 cases imported. — JM