Eddie Feraud 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

What a polished, silky, modern wine, amazingly appealing now but with years of evolution ahead of it. The nose is rich with deeply stewed fruit, cigar tobacco, and an underlying note of black peppercorn. Yet despite its silky texture and sweet ripe redberry fruit on the palate, the tannins maintain a real sense of grip. This wine embodies what makes 2005 such a benchmark year: The ripeness and generosity of fruit are held in check by gorgeous acidity–a rarity in such a hot vintage.

For more reviews, check out our wine blog.