It is a lovely Chateauneuf-du-Pape, clear ruby red in color (a very sparkly kind of red) with a slight purple rim, it was very well balanced with cherry like and raspberry/red fruit flavors, fine dusty tannins which somewhat cloaked the fruit, excellent acidity, and a wine that will evolve into a very complete and balanced wine with a few years in the cellar. It is 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, and 5% Cinsault.
The back story: I recently took a part time job as a cashier at my local gas station here in northern California to help pay for my daughter's college expenses. We have a wine selection in the store because the owner of the station group is a wine grape grower in Sonoma. I've talked to the wine reps when they come in weekly, and one of them knew that I liked Chateauneuf-du-Pape. While we don't carry any in our store, he had an open bottle of the Clos de L'Oratoire des Papes in his car that he had been sampling at other shops, and he gave it to me to finish (about half the bottle), so I got to give you this little note. I personally plan to find myself a bottle to age. I liked the wine as did my wife. Jim