Clos des Brusquieres, Courtil-Thibaut, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône Valley, France) 2017

 Here’s a delightful, hand-harvested Châteauneuf that won’t break the bank.  It leads with Grenache and all of its red fruit and pepper character and gets midpalate support from 10% Mourvedre and 9% Syrah that flesh up the texture and add some black fruit and savory character.  The nose entices with bright cherry and gingerbread spice up front, softening with some airtime and adding in the darker fruits.  You would never guess that the alcohol comes in at 15%, thanks to the exceptional balance and acidic structure, and the delivery of the nose elements as palate flavors isn’t supplanted by any traces of heat.  A definite overachiever at this price level.