A bigger, richer, more masculine style than the la Combe des Fous, the powerhouse styled 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina is an insanely good wine that has a huge nose of roasted meats, crushed rocks, graphite, spice and black currants. It has a serious amount of tannin, but they’re still covered by a wealth of fruit, and it’s impeccably balanced and doesn’t have a hard edge anywhere. It’s killer stuff today, but like the Combe des Fous, it has an additional 10-15 years of prime drinking and will keep even longer.

This offers the heady, opulent fig, crushed plum and boysenberry fruit of the vintage, but allies it to a racy graphite and incense-infused structure. Superlong, with black tea, warm fig reduction, chocolate and roasted apple wood notes that really stretch out the finish. Great underlying acidity holds it all together. Very impressive. Best from 2010 through 2030. 616 cases made. -JM

Grenache Noir 60%, Mourvedre 40% Heady and high toned. Very sweet, but with a slightly odd wood note. Drying tannins on the finish. This seems to taste more of winemaking than of the vineyard. Too much wood influence? Very drying finish. Lacks the juicy frankness of some cuvées, although it certainly doesn’t lack ambition.

Speechless, yes, that is how I felt after my first sniff and sniff. From 60% old vine Grenache and 40% Mourvedre, this is thick, fat, rich, lush, luscious and lusty. It's also mouth filling and intense filling every nook and cranny in your mouth and on your palate. The finish remains for close to 60 seconds! I only wished I owned a few bottles of this magic elixir.