The opaque saturated black/purple-colored 1996 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Prestige Felix offers a toasty vanillin and new oak-dominated bouquet, with cassis fruit and kirsch liqueur in the background. The wine is impressively built, with medium to full body, gobs of fruit, and a pure, layered, concentrated finish. The tannin is sweet, and the oak stands out only because so few Chateauneuf du Pape producers utilize new barrels. Everything is in balance, although I suspect some of Versino's critics will argue that the wine lacks typicity. However, it is unquestionably an impressively made, concentrated, outstanding wine that can be drunk now as well as over the next dozen years. Importers: J & R Selections, Mt. Pleasant, MI; tel. (517) 772-3695 and New Castle Imports, Myrtle Beach, SC; tel. (803) 497-8625