Now the flagship of this estate, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is 75% Grenache and the rest Cinsault, Mourvedre, and a little Syrah. Sporting a deep ruby/purple hue, it offers a beautiful array of black raspberry and darker cherry fruit as well as lots of graphite, chalky minerality, Provençal garrigue, and spice. Beautiful on the palate as well, this medium to full-bodied effort has a layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel, rock-solid underlying structure and concentration, building tannins, and a gorgeous finish. It needs to be forgotten for 2-4 years (although it certainly offers incredible pleasure even today) and will keep for two decades. Tasted twice. All the wines previously under the label Domaine Saint-Préfert and Isabel Ferrando are now grouped under the Famille Isabel Ferrando label. The lineup includes two whites, a Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc and Châteauneuf Du Pape Cuvée Spéciale Vieilles Clairettes; and three reds, a classic Châteauneuf Du Pape, a 100% Grenache Châteauneuf Du Pape Colombis, and a 100% Cinsault Châteauneuf Du Pape F601. The quality remains sky high at this estate, and it’s impossible to go wrong with any of these new releases.

The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is distinctively elegant. A blend of 65% Grenache, 10% Cinsaut, 10% Mourvèdre and other permitted varieties. It presents delicate aromas of juicy red and black fruits, licorice, dried herbs, black olive tapenade and a pinch of white pepper. Plush tannins caress the medium to full-bodied palate, neatly balanced by fresh acidity.

Isabel Ferrando informed me during my visit that she planned to eliminate the Reserve Auguste Favier and Collection Charles Giraud bottlings, folding those lots and the "tradition" Saint-Prefert Châteauneuf into a single, combined wine under the Famille Isabel Ferrando label. The resulting blend she showed as the 2020 Famille Isabel Ferrando Chateauneuf du Pape is a fine effort, with layers of cola-like spice and hints of garrigue layered against a lush backdrop of cherries and raspberries. Medium to full-bodied and almost creamy in texture, it finishes long, silky and mouthwatering.