A gorgeous wine, brimming with gently steeped plum, blackberry and açaí berry flavors, while fruitcake, black licorice and black tea notes swirl through. The terrific graphite underpinning keeps everything moving in unison through the finish, with focus and definition.

I love the nose, there's a dusting of cocoa and a touch of kirsch to the aromas from the oak – all very well balanced and integrated. This is a powerful, concentrated and intense wine - more intense than their Tradition, but you feel the alcohol more, at least at this stage. Otherwise well balanced, with great energy, a good sense of freshness and tension.

This is a vivid and bright style without excesses with tannins that are gently grippy and give a sense of persistence to the wine. The use of oak is adept, and really helps to accentuate the ripe, bright fruits, plum, damson, raspberry juice. It has a good length of flavour and is a real joy. Made with biodynamically-grown Grenache (66%), Syrah (12%) and Mourvèdre (12%), the rest being made up of Clairette Rose, Cinsault, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Terret Noir, Picardan, Picpoul Blanc, Muscardin, Bourboulenc, Picpoul Noir, Vaccarèse, Roussanne, Picpoul Gris, Counoise and Clairette!...

The more limited-production flagship cuvée is the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Boisrenard, which is based on two-thirds Grenache, with the balance mostly Syrah and Mourvèdre. Not far off the style of the classic cuvée, only deeper and richer, it has a smoking bouquet of ripe redcurrants, smoked blueberries, roasted garrigue, ground pepper, and scorched earth. Beautifully concentrated, medium to full-bodied, with building tannins and a great finish, this is one seriously good 2018. It’s worth giving it 2-3 years of bottle age then enjoying over the following 15 years or more.