An intoxicating perfume of dried herbs, plums, cherry jam, spice box, and steak au poivre jump from the glass of the excellent 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape. Some dry tannins in the finish may prove worrisome if they don’t melt away, but this wine has a knock-out bouquet, and very good to excellent depth and complexity. Drink it over the next 8-10 years. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

The label is fabulous, a 19th-century design that has survived. The wine is maybe less unusual, but is certainly finely made, with perfumed dusty tannins, sweet fruit and solid wood flavors. This is a wine that will certainly last for 10 years. ——R.V.(12/31/2005)—— 89