"Dark, saturated ruby. Flamboyantly aromatic nose offers creme de mure, exotic oak spices, dark chocolate and pipe tobacco. Thick and creamy in texture, showing deeply concentrated kirsch, blackberry and baking spice flavors that saturate the palate and cling endlessly. The round, sweet tannins beautifully complement the lush fruit. A dramatic, stunning effort, but only 1,500 bottles were produced."
Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 95 pts
Go To Mordoree Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge Plume du Peintre
"Christophe Delorme believes the 125-case cuvee of 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape La Plume du Peintre will live for 50 to 100 years. When I looked at the technical analysis, I found this wine to be literally off the charts, and I have certainly never seen a wine from either the southern or northern Rhone with such incredible numbers in terms of dry extract and polyphenol levels. It is no shy wine at 16% alcohol, but it seems incredibly well-balanced although strikingly backward. It is like the concentrated essence of blackberries, scorched earth, and an almost liquefied steel and spice component. Huge and amazingly pure, with profound concentration, magnificent body, and a finish that just seems to be endless, this is the stuff of legends, but there is virtually none of it in the marketplace. Give it about 4-5 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 30+ years." 
"Inky ruby. Room-filling bouquet evokes dark cherry, boysenberry, graphite, fresh lavender and anise. Palate-staining red and dark berry liqueur flavors are uncannily fresh and precise, managing to be both hugely concentrated and strikingly fresh at once. With its echoing notes of sweet dark berry preserves and minerals, this stunning wine doesn't ever seem to finish."
"As in 2003, Delorme has produced a 1,500-bottle cuvee of the 2005 La Plume du Peintre, which is 100% Grenache, all of it from old vines on one of the famed sectors of Chateauneuf du Pape, the lieu-dit known as La Crau. Tipping the scales at 16.3% alcohol, this wine is aged two-thirds in neutral wood and tank and one-third in small barrels. It is 100% destemmed Grenache and is meant to last 30-40 years. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the 2003 and 2005 last 40-50 years. The 2005 is inky blue/purple in color with an extraordinary nose of blueberries, off-the-chart levels of polyphenols and dry extract. Tasting just like the concentrated essence of a vintage port but totally dry, this is profound stuff and probably the Chateauneuf du Pape of the vintage, but with such a minuscule production, only a few bottles will ever make it outside the domaine. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2035. Imported by Kysela Père et Fils, LTD." 
"A stunning combination of density and purity, with a nearly distilled essence of kirsch and blackberry fruit that's layered with exotic fig, graphite, licorice and spice cake notes. The long finish is full throttle, yet racy and balanced. 100 percent Grenache. Drink now through 2009. 125 cases made."
"A limited cuvee, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape La Plume du Peintre is meant to age for 40-50 years. From a specific site in one of the appellation’s most hallowed sectors (La Crau), this wine’s level of concentration, richness, extract, and harmony are almost beyond comprehension. With beautifully integrated acidity, tannin, and alcohol, it is a monster wine the likes of which are rarely seen today. The lucky few who are able to latch on to a bottle will be singing its glories fifty years from now."