In what’s officially (in my mind) the coolest wine evv-vahh, we present the 2021 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 17^th 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 turkey this Thanksgiving. 

James Suckling: Pour yourself a glass of this and spend an hour experiencing how it opens up in stages. At first there’s an incredibly zesty and dangerously vibrant nose, but with great savory complexity. Then notes of dried cherries, candied oranges and touches of bitter chocolate emerge. And when you think it’s all done, a spicy and balsamic character unfurls. Incredible energy and purity on the very focused medium- to full-bodied palate, where the huge tannins feel astonishingly delicate. An almost endless mineral finish. A cuvee based on counoise, grenache, syrah and mourvedre with 10% white grapes, most of which are clairette and all of which are biodynamically grown. 100% whole cluster, macerated for 90 days, then aged for three years in old oak barrels. Drink or hold. 99 points