The 2016 Gigondas Les Souteyrades checks in as 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre that was brought up all in foudre. It is another powerful, concentrated, awesome wine that has slightly more exotic notes of black raspberries, crushed flowers, spice, and sappy garrigue. I almost always find a citrus note in this cuvee, which is full-bodied, opulent and mouthfilling on the palate, yet always stays graceful and lively.

A blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre grown on north-facing gray clays, the 2016 Gigondas les Souteyrades has closed down since bottling and now looks was if it will need short-term cellaring to bounce back. It's full-bodied, rich and tannic, with peppery notes accenting the intense raspberry and stone fruit flavors that come to the fore on the finish, always a good sign for the future. Tasted twice, with consistent notes.

Lurid violet. Sexy, spice- and mineral-accented red fruit liqueur and potpourri aromas are complemented by a strong topnote of exotic spices. Juicy, palate-staining Chambord, cherry preserve, spicecake and lavender pastille flavors deepen with air while maintaining energy. Closes extremely long and sweet, with resonating spiciness, smooth, slow-building tannins and an emphatic echo of sappy red fruit.

Even among a lineup of fantastic peers in a fantastic vintage, this bottling of Les Souteyrades is a stunner. It's intensely rich, bursting with mulberry and cherry flavors, yet not brawny or dense. Finessed and fine in texture, it's marked by soft, chalky tannins and bright, sunny acidity. The finish is long, offering lingering hints of crushed earth and garrigue. A treat to savor now–2030.