In what’s officially (in my mind) the coolest wine evv-vahh, we present the 2020 Vin de la Solitude from Domaine de la Solitude; Chateauneuf du Pape as it once was, or, maybe, how it may be again.  The grapes are fermented as whole clusters with all the local traditional varieties co-mingled in the fermentation tank, this is an off-the-chain blend of Counoise (30%), Grenache (25%), Mourvedre (15%), Syrah (15%) and 5% each of the whites Bourboulenc, Clairette and Roussanne.  Located in the La Solitude lieu dit on the western edge of the La Crau plateau, this 17th century estate is making outstanding wines in a traditional vein, but none more special than this oddball cuvee which pays homage to Paul Martin, the first ancestor to bottle his own wine under the name Vin de la Solitude.  What’s cool about Vin de Solitude is that it’s made the way wine was made in the Rhone Valley centuries ago. Grenache was not nearly as dominant then as it is today, and that’s reflected in the blend which also, as it did then, includes white as well as red grapes. The maceration is also a lot longer (80 days!) and the aging regimen involves only larger, older oak casks.  The resulting wine is an dark, pungent and earthy blend of blueberry, mulberry, florals, exotic spices, bramble, mint chocolate, white pepper and garrigue.  It seems like it should be huge and tannic on the palate but, somehow, though very textural and silky, it seems lighter on its feet and fresher than one would expect and, though I’d stop short of using the word ‘elegant,’ it seems like it has a bit of Burgundy in its DNA!  Or, put another way, I know what’s going to be on the table alongside my holiday roast on Friday.  Oh yeah, I have ONE magnum too!