2004 Domaine Du Marcoux Chateauneuf Du Pape Vielle Vignes

(91 Points) The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape (16,000 bottles) is a sexy, open-knit style of wine for the Armeniers, with a deep ruby/purple color and a big, sweet, expansive nose of blackberry and black currants with some cherry liqueur, dried herbs, smoke, and licorice. The wine is delicious to say the least, but also elegant, pure, and well-balanced. It should drink nicely for a decade or more. As I have written in the past, for well over a decade this has been a totally bio-dynamically farmed estate. One of my favorite estates and reference points for Chateauneuf du Pape is that of Sophie and Catherine Armenier. Chateauneuf du Pape, which has made such an extraordinary qualitative renaissance over the last ten to fifteen years, is one of the appellations of France that has an unusual number of women running the show and producing superb wines, and Domaine de Marcoux is certainly one of them. Wine Advocate # 169, February 2007