Mature, but in no danger of fading anytime soon, the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape la Reserve Secrete easily combines hints of roasted meat, cured leather, black cherries and licorice on the nose. Full-bodied, supple and lush in feel, it finishes long, with echoes of dark fruit and spice. Delicious.

The opaque purple-hued, deep, full-bodied, splendidly concentrated, dense 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Secrete possesses high tannin and extract. Despite the use of two-thirds small barrels for aging, it is a classic, broodingly backward, enormously endowed effort. This is a wine for the patient connoisseur/collector. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2030. Readers would be hard-pressed to find a better portfolio of 2006 Chateauneuf du Papes than this one produced by the Lancon family at Domaine de la Solitude. This historic Chateauneuf du Pape estate went through a period of mediocrity, but recently, spectacular wines have been created from their sensational old vine holdings throughout the appellation. There are now four cuvees, with the regular Chateauneuf du Pape a blend of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Cinsault, and the balance Mourvedre, aged 80% in tank and 20% in barrel. The Cuvee Barberini is composed of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah aged in tank (65%) and small barrels (35%). As for the Reserve Secrete, it is 65% Grenache and 35% Syrah aged in small barrels (60%) and tank (40%). The newest offering, the Cornelia Constanza, is 100% Grenache aged in tank (95%) and barrel (5%). All of the fruit emerges from the estate’s large holdings of red wines in one of the most favored and renowned sectors of Chateauneuf du Pape – La Crau.Importer: David Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (213) 483-5900