M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac red 2008

Drinking even better now than on release, and up there with the best of the vintage, the 2008 M. Chapoutier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Barbe Rac is lithe and elegant, with beautiful red fruit-driven aromas, licorice, garrigue, and minerals all emerging from the glass and developing with air. Fresh, clean, and complex, this medium-bodied 2008 has a silky, polished texture, excellent underlying structure, and plenty of length on the finish. It will continue to improve with another year or three, and drink well for a decade. Perfect with food, this is one of those off vintage purchases that you’ll look back on and pat yourself on the back for buying.