The deepest colored of the trio and a true “Wow” wine, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Folie is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre that was completely destemmed and brought up 10% new barrels, with the balance in demi-muids. An insane bouquet of black cherry liqueur, blackberries, crushed rocks, and pepper garrigue gives way to a full-bodied, incredibly polished, seamless Grenache. This beauty does everything right and possesses a vibrant, sexy texture, no hard edges, and a blockbuster finish. It will most likely merit a triple-digit score in a few years and cruise for a decade or more.

The 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape la Folie is a special cuvée that has only been made three times: in 2007, 2015 and 2016. As Nicolas Boiron points out, it's a "modern style" of Châteauneuf, completely destemmed and aged in demi-muids and barriques, with a fair proportion of those barrels being new. Mocha cedar notes mark the nose at this early age, while the flavors resemble caramelized cherries and baking spices. Full-bodied, rich, creamy and undeniably plush, it's still recognizable as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, showing velvety hints of chocolate on the long finish. The assemblage is 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre. - Joe Czerwinski

A small amount of maturation in new French oak yields seamlessly integrated notes of smoke, char and caramel as well as fiery black cherry and currant in this wine.Plummy and richly concentrated, it's balanced by kicks of pepper and a firm, granitic undertone. Fine-grained, velveteen tannins are approachable already but should meld and improve through 2030. - ANNA LEE C. IIJIMA