2021 Château Simian Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Les Clefs de Caladas’

70% Grenache Noir, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, 5% Cinsault, 5% Mourvedre; all estate grown on 70-year old vines and Demeter-certified biodynamic. Hand harvested, fermented with native yeasts in concrete. Aged 18 months in only 8% new French oak.  14.5% alcohol. 1,500 cases made. This is a CdP of restraint and elegance rather than power. Behind its delicate garnet color, this great wine expresses spicy aromas of cloves, wild pepper, bay leaf, and licorice mixed with notes of , fresh, ripe strawberry, blackberry, plum and cherry. Medium-full bodied and very fresh, with smooth tannins and fantastic balance.  Founded in 1920 in the small village of Piolenc, just north of Orange, this began when Madeleine Ladret of Ch. Simian married grower Yves Serguier. Their grandchildren Florian and Marion now run the estate with their son, Jean-Pierre.