Bosquet des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Tradition, 2010

This is the reason to buy old-school Châteauneuf: a 2010 Cuvée Tradition that has now had the long cellar time its makers had in mind. Bosquet des Papes builds its reds as vins de garde. In the domaine's own words they reach their peak from the sixth or seventh year and keep 10 to 15 years, sometimes longer. Emmanuel Boiron founded the estate, and Nicolas Boiron and his wife Jeanne-Claire run it today. They still age their Grenache-based wines in old foudres and demi-muids, not the glossy new barrels that took over much of the region. The Tradition is the heart of the house, blended from 40 parcels across the appellation with vines averaging 45 to 50 years old. Those vines grow in clay-limestone strewn with rounded pebbles that soak up the day's heat and give it back at night. One fun fact: for years the estate sold its wine as Clos Chantemerle before renaming itself Bosquet des Papes, "the pope's grove," in 1966. If you want to taste how classic Châteauneuf grows up, this is the bottle to open.