Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes Clos St Jean 2023 (750ML)

Clos St Jean makes its Vieilles Vignes for the American market alone, and fewer than 1,000 cases of it. The Maurel brothers draw it from the estate’s older vines, leaning a little harder on Grenache than in their traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and they have kept the cellar on course since longtime consultant Philippe Cambie died in 2021. The 2023 is medium ruby, with black raspberry, kirsch and stewed cherry up front, cracked pepper, blood orange peel and dried garrigue herbs around the edges, and a floral lift on top. Ripe fruit sits on a silky, focused frame, with real tannin beneath the richness and a long, warm finish. Critics see it drinking from 2025 through the late 2030s. Roast leg of lamb, cassoulet, seared duck breast or a wedge of aged Comté all suit it.