In typically humble, old-school vigneron fashion, Gilles Gasq doesn’t splash his name in big letters across the front label of his wine. The biggest print is reserved for the appellation, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and his domaine name, La Manarine. But for those who appreciate masterful, Grenache-driven CDP, that little “Gilles Gasq et ses enfants” at the bottom looms very large: Gasq is one of Châteauneuf’s great modern-era talents, having crafted some of the most authentic and critically beloved wines in the region at the legendary Domaine Monpertuis.

After that iconic property was sold in 2013, Gasq regrouped, secured access to some of the best vineyards in the appellation, and debuted his Domaine La Manarine wines to major fanfare in 2015. Which leads me to some other (relatively) small print on the label: “Pied de Baud.” This is one of the greatest lieu-dit (named-site) vineyards in all Châteauneuf-du-Pape, situated on the famed “Plan de Dieu” (“God’s plain”) at the northern end of the AOC. Among the many famous bottlings from Pied de Baud is one of my all-time favorites—the epic, $90-per-bottle “Cuvée des Félix” from Bois de Boursan. For roughly half that price, you get Gasq’s organically grown, 100% Grenache masterpiece from the same site. We loved (and offered) the debut 2015, so the calendar was circled for the arrival of this ’16—which, as we suspected, confirms La Manarine as one of the greatest-value CDP’s on the market. Pedigree, soul, balance…this has it all!

Fermented on native yeasts in stainless steel using 50% whole grape bunches (a practice which seems to firm up and focus the structure and prevent excessive ‘sappiness’ of fruit), La Manarine’s Pied de Baud was aged in a mix of large, neutral oak demi-muids and stainless steel tanks. The wine displays a deep ruby-purple core moving to magenta at the rim, jumping from the glass with pure, unadulterated aromas of black raspberry, dark cherry, and tooth-staining mulberry fruit. Behind the plush, luxuriously dark fruit there are layers and layers of berry liqueur, Mediterranean spices, sweet licorice and blue flowers. There is also an exuberant and inexhaustible sense of energy and balance here that keeps the wine pleasing to the palate and irrepressibly delicious after many hours. Give this a 30-minute decant before serving at 60 degrees in large Bordeaux stems and you’re good to go—I peg this as a ‘near-term’ drinker that will bring loads of pleasure now and over the next 3-5 years. Pair it with the attached braised lamb recipe to highlight its herby, scrubby Mediterranean character. This is everything you could ask for in a Châteauneuf, and then some!