Grand Cru Wine Merchants

Deep ruby. Smoky raspberry and licorice aromas, with a complex array of garrigue, fresh flowers and spices building with air. Vibrant cherry and dark berry flavors are youthfully gripping and finely etched, becoming more tannic on the palate-staining finish. Very young and more brooding than the Pure; give it some cellar time. -93+pts IWC

Although shut down, closed, and backward at present, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Fiancee exhibits an inky/ruby/purple color as well as an intense black cherry, black currant, smoke, graphite, and chocolate-scented perfume. In the mouth, it is very structured, formidably tannic, and backward. This wine needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years; it should evolve for 15-20. -91+pts WA