Some of the wines of the vintage, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin has a classic, textbook style, with its garrigue, white pepper, kirsch and spring flowers flowing to a medium to full-bodied, layered and sweetly fruited palate. It’s drinking at point now, and there’s no reason to delay gratification. One of the benchmark estates in the Rhone Valley, Domaine de la Janasse is run by the talented brother/sister pair of Christophe and Isabelle Sabon. Located in the northeastern portion of the region, near Courthezon, they produce an incredible range of wines, from their Vin de Pays, to their Cotes du Rones and world-class Chateauneuf du Papes, all of which are noteworthy. For this tasting, we started with the 1990s and went up through their 2007s. At this point, the ‘98s through the 2004s are all in varying degrees of full maturity, and drinking brilliantly. In addition, it’s also worth pointing out that these wines have the fruit and texture to dish out immense pleasure in their youth, so don’t be afraid to crack these new releases either. Both of the 1999s were drinking beautifully, and are up near the top of the vintage. Moving to the 2000s, I found that from this point forward, the wines started to show more freshness and vibrancy. Looking specifically at this vintage, these are still mature wines, yet they’re drinking beautifully. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Selections, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

The old vine Grenache cuvee, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin, ended up with about 15.1% alcohol, which is pretty high considering the vintage conditions. A wine of great finesse and elegance, this deep ruby/purple-colored effort has a big, sweet nose of crushed cherries, creme de cassis, raspberries, and spring flowers. The gorgeous ripeness, multi-dimensional texture, and tremendous finish all augur well for a wine that is going to be one of the longer-lived wines of the vintage, drinking well for 12-15 years. It is delicious already. Over the last decade Domaine de la Janasse has become one of the half dozen or so finest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, they also produce an impressive range of Cotes du Rhones. This was also one of the few dozen or so estates that had exceptional success in 2003, a challenging vintage but, for those who did it right, some monumental wines. Proprietor Christophe Sabon compares 2004 with 1999, but with slightly more fruit and power.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565