The outstanding 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Girard is a big, broad, full-throttle effort boasting a dark plum/ruby color along with peppery aromas of Provencal herbs, soy sauce, black cherry liqueur, plums, figs, and licorice. This big, concentrated Chateauneuf is both a hedonistic and intellectual turn on. Readers should note that the Cuvee Girard is an unfiltered Chateauneuf du Pape selected only for the American marketplace. When given the opportunity to taste it side by side with the filtered cuvee produced for the rest of the world, I have rated the unfiltered offering 1-3 points higher. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Importer: Peter Weygandt, Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA; tel. (610) 486-0800