A blend of Syrah and Grenache aged in barriques is the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Speciale, which comes from some of the estate’s oldest vines. It is an opaque purple-colored, super-concentrated, rich effort displaying lots of creme de cassis, black raspberry, licorice, graphite and truffle characteristics. This impressive, full-throttle, modern-styled wine retains enough Chateauneuf du Pape typicity to satisfy traditionalists. Consume it over the next 12-20 years. These are impressive efforts from Franck, Olivier and Guy Mousset, members of a notable family that has considerable holdings throughout the appellation. In addition to these three Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees, the Moussets occasionally produce a 100% Mourvedre offering called Grand Clos. I have always enjoyed these wines and prices tend to remain stable as well as reasonable. The style tends to be traditional with a few nods to modern winemaking. Most of the Chateauneuf du Papes are aged in cement tanks, old foudres or small old oak, with the exception being the Grand Clos, which is aged in new oak, and the Cuvee Speciale, which is Grenache and Syrah aged in a combination of old and new small oak barrels. All three 2010s performed extremely well. The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape and 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee traditionally styled efforts and the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Speciale a more modern take on wines from this area of Provence. Importer: W. J. Deutsch and Sons, Ltd., White Plains, NY; tel. (914) 251-9463