2008 Clos St Jean Chateauneu du Pape La Combe des Fous

Another shocker in the best sense is the 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous. As I wrote last year, this is one of the most complex and concentrated wines of the vintage. An extraordinary perfume of white chocolate, roasted Provencal herbs, lavender, licorice, black cherries and sweet black currants is followed by a broad, expansively flavored wine with a superb full-bodied texture, terrific purity and a 40+ second finish. In fact, the tannins are such that 1-2 years of bottle age may be beneficial. This 2008 should evolve for 15 years. It is almost impossible to believe that something like this could have been achieved in this vintage. Parker 94