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.

One of the vintage’s blockbusters is the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, with even higher alcohol (16.2%) than the 2007. It offers lovely notes of black fruits, truffle oil, roasted meats, beef blood, black raspberries, abundant kirsch, and a hint of roasted Provencal herbs. On a much faster evolutionary track than the 2007, it is a layered, multi-dimensional effort displaying a finish that lasts nearly 60 seconds. Some unresolved tannins in the finish suggest this wine should be cellared for 2-3 years, and consumed over the following two decades. I’m always interested in what sisters Sophie and Catherine Armenier are doing at this biodynamically farmed vineyard, one of my favorite estates. Not surprisingly, they have produced extraordinary wines in 2007 as well as 2006s that are nearly as good. As most vignerons do, the Armeniers attribute the greatness of the 2007 vintage to both the drought that lasted from late spring through the end of September as well as the cooler than normal temperatures that were followed by three weeks of ferocious Mistral winds in September. Without any serious heat spikes, the Mistral seemed to concentrate the grapes, with the cooler weather causing very intense aromatics.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565