Another rich, sexy red from this estate is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini, which checks in as 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre brought up in a mix of new barrels and stainless steel. It possesses overflowing notes of blackberries, black currants, sweet oak, licorice and roasted Provencal garrigue. Full-bodied, ripe and incredibly textured and seamless, this is a big blockbuster beauty that dishes out tons of pleasure today and will keep for another decade.

The most internationally-styled effort is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Barberini, a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre. The Grenache was aged in tank, and the Syrah and Mourvedre spend time in small barrels. It boasts a dense purple color as well as notes of toasty oak, graphite, blackberries, and lavender. Locked and loaded, intense, and full-bodied with mouth-searing levels of tannin and extract, this is undeniably a vin de garde that needs 3-4 years of bottle age; it should keep for two decades or more. Brothers Michel and Jean Lancon have one of the appellation’s oldest estates, and as indicated in the fabulous new book on Chateauneuf du Pape by Harry Karis, Domaine de la Solitude first estate bottled their wine in 1815! Quality was fabulous in the sixties and early seventies, then dropped off until about a decade ago. Over the last ten years, these wines have gone from strength to strength, and are now some of the finest of the appellation. They are made in distinctively different styles with the regular cuvee and the Cornelia Constanza very classic interpretations of Chateauneuf du Pape, and the Cuvee Barberini and Reserve Secrete more modern-styled efforts. Essentially, there is something for everyone from Domaine de la Solitude. This large, 100-acre property is one of the few Chateauneuf du Pape estates whose vineyard is situated in one particular sector, the lieu-dit called La Solitude. This was my first look at the 2007s as the estate generally refuses to show unbottled barrel samples, which I totally respect. The proprietors stated that no Cornelia Constanza or Reserve Secrete would be produced in 2008.Importer: David Shiverick, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (213) 483-5900