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2012 Vintage in Chateauneuf-du-Pape is Good

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Recent annual tasting by AWA (Angeles Wine Agency) afforded me the first broad look at the 2012 vintage in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. These were all barrel samples that will start rolling out as finished wines in 3-6 months. I have to admit, I don't drink much Chateauneuf, as the wines tend to be heavy and jammy in their youth, and require IMO at least 7-10 years of age before they soften, attenuate and may ( or may not ) reveal marvelous complexity of flavor. A typical young Chateauneuf has neither the elegance nor freshness nor nuance. It's a big corpulent hairy blob. So when a vintage with some refinement, some delineation, some backbone comes along, I get excited. Two years ago when I first tasted the 2010's, my initially low expectations led to a huge positive surprise - that vintage turned out absolutely stellar. Last year, the 2011's disappointed . This year, I am pleased to say that the 2012's are a big step up from the '11's, and are not far behind the