Clos Saint Jean Clos Saint Jean Deus Ex Machina Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 750ml

Cut from the same cloth, with perhaps a touch more structure, the 2023 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus Ex-Machina is the classic blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre that has the Grenache aged all in concrete and the Mourvèdre in barrel. Offering red and black fruits, graphite, and violets, it's full-bodied, with a pure, layered, graceful mouthfeel, and shows more mid-palate depth, richness, and length than just about every other wine in the vintage. With flawless balance and a gorgeous finish, it's approachable today yet will be even better with 4-5 years of bottle age and keep for 15+ years in cold cellars. Drink 2025-2045.

Boasts bitter plum, raspberry and black cherry reduction notes that have a lively savory, garrigue streak, while grippy-edged tar, tobacco and ganache notes pepper the finish. Muscular and dense but the cut is there, and the fruit core takes a late encore for good measure. Grenache and Mourvèdre. Best from 2025 through 2040. 500 cases made, 56 cases imported. (James Molesworth)

Lastly, the 2022 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina shows a similar profile to the Combes des Fous, yet it brings another level of tannins and concentration. Kirsch liqueur, white flowers, sandalwood, cured meats, and graphite notes all shine here, and it's full-bodied, has a deep, layered, powerful, yet weightless profile, lots of ripe tannins, and a blockbuster of a finish. This ripe, sexy, seamless, incredibly impressive beauty will compete with anything in the vintage. As usual, this cuvée is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, which is brought up in roughly 40% new demi-muids.

This sublime and distinctive Châteauneuf offers waves of complex, concentrated flavor yet never feels heavy. Sanguine tones of bacon fat, grilled herbs, tobacco and cured meat layer atop warm plum and macerated cherry. Creamy, with beautiful textural appeal that goes on and on thanks to ultrafine tannins. Shows zero rough edges, with plenty of pleasure and smoky allure. Grenache and Mourvèdre. Best from 2026 through 2040. 380 cases made, 80 cases imported.

As always, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Deus-Ex Machina (60/40 Grenache and Mourvèdre) is a more powerful, mineral-laced wine, offering a fabulous nose of cassis, blackcurrants, ground pepper, Provençal herbs, and cured meats. This full-bodied, concentrated 2020 has incredible purity of fruit, silky yet building tannins, and a great finish. It should round into form with just short-term cellaring and have two decades of longevity.

The 2023 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus Ex Machina is a head-turner. Ripe black fruits, melted licorice, garrigue and a touch of dried meat are all dialed up. A splash of menthol adds aromatic complexity and a drive of acidity. Full-bodied, round and concentrated, the bold 2023 packs flawless drive and energy all the way through to the long, complex finale.