Vivid ruby. Deep red and dark berry aromas show good clarity and turn spicier with air. Juicy and precise on the palate, offering blackberry and cherry flavors and a hint of candied lavender. Closes with very good energy and lift, the spice and dark berry notes repeating. This wine is showing far more elegance now than it did last year.

The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape (80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre and 5% Cinsault) is another top-notch effort. The wine is aged in tank (60%), foudre (30%) and 1- to 4-year-old small barrels (10%). Sweet raspberry, black currant, and cherry fruit intermixed with licorice, lavender and tobacco leaf jump from the glass of this perfumed 2009. With outstanding ripeness, a plush, evolved mouthfeel and sweet tannins, this beauty is already complex and delicious. It should age well for 7-8 years.

The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape—a blend of 80% Grenache 10% Syrah and 5% each Cinsault and Mourvèdre aged in a combination of foudres and concrete tanks—is nearing the end of its useful life. It's bricking in hue, with still-attractive aromas of cherries and chocolate, leather and dried spices. Full-bodied, silky and a bit warm on the finish, it should be consumed over the next couple of years.