One of the wines of the vintage is the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, and I still remember tasting this beauty at the domaine on release. Almost all Grenache and aged in tank, it has sensational notes of wild strawberries, raspberries, flowers, olive and Provencal garrigue all literally soaring from the glass. This gives way to a full-bodied, utterly seamless, weightless 2006 that has fabulous depth of fruit, fine tannin and a finish that just won’t quit. It’s flat out great today, but will continue knocking your socks off for another decade.

Deep red. Sexy, pinot-like red fruits and minerals on the nose, with a suave floral overtone. Lush raspberry and cherry preserve flavors are enlivened by zesty minerality and framed by silky tannins, picking up more wild garrigue and tobacco qualities on the finish. For all its flavor impact, this is remarkably light, even delicate, with superb balance and precision.

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (4,000 bottles produced) is a blend of 50% old vine Grenache and a few other grapes aged in tank, and 50% aged in barrel. It achieved 16.2% natural alcohol. The result is a full-bodied wine with fabulous concentration, a saturated dark ruby/plum color, and an ethereal black raspberry, blackberry, and blueberry-scented bouquet with notions of truffles and flowers in the background. It is exceptionally opulent, full-bodied, and deep with silky tannins and low acidity. Give it 2-3 years of bottle age, and drink it over the following two decades. This brilliant estate in the northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape is admirably run by Sophie and Catherine Armenier. They continue to fine tune the wines produced at this biodynamically farmed vineyard, and their white Chateauneuf du Pape is now one of the three or four finest of the appellation. Sadly, they only make about 4,000 bottles of this blend of 66% Roussanne and 34% Bourboulenc. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565