More precise and focused than the more exuberant, sexy and rounded '00, the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul is borderline perfection (I seriously considered adding a point here) and a monumental Chateauneuf du Pape that is drinking at point. Kirsch, olive tapenade, roasted meats, tobacco and assorted mature Grenache characteristics give way to a full-bodied, massively endowed, concentrated, gorgeously layered wine that's just about as good as it gets. I kept coming back to this over the evening and it got better and better with air, so while fully mature, it's not going anywhere soon.

The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de Mon Aieul (85% Grenache and equal parts Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault) tips the scales at a prodigious 15.8% alcohol. Half of the wine is aged in neutral wood foudres and the other half in tank prior to being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The sources for Mon Aieul are three vineyard parcels with vines averaging between 75 and 87 years of age. The 2001 is much more structured and backward than the 2000, 1999, or 1998. The color is a dense purple, and the bouquet offers sweet but reserved aromas of blackberries, raspberries, crushed rocks, and kirsch liqueur. It possesses superb texture, enormous body, and tremendous purity as well as overall symmetry. The tannin is high, but it is largely concealed by the wealth of fruit and extract. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 15-18. This fabulous 2001 will provide fascinating comparisons when tasted alongside the 2000, 1999, and 1998 over the next 10-15 years. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173