Juicy and spicy, with lots of raspberry ganache and blueberry notes offset by hints of mulled spices, black tea and fig cake. Really picks up steam on the finish, with a racy, mouthwatering minerality. Should age beautifully. Drink now through 2025. 4,250 cases made.

As one would expect, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape is formidably tannic, backward, and in need of 5-6 years of bottle age. Its dark ruby/purple color is accompanied by classic notes of sweet cherries, roasted herbs, meat juices, forest floor, and resiny underbrush. Deep, full-bodied, backward, and serious, this is a wine for patient connoisseurs. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020+. An estate for connoisseurs with cold cellars, these traditionally made Chateauneuf du Papes rarely strut their stuff until they have been in the bottle for 5-7 years. Moreover, this is one of the few estates that has resisted the current fashion for producing old vine cuvees.