An awesome effort, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin comes from the cooler, northeast corner of the appellation and is 100% Grenache. Spring flowers, licorice, violets, crushed rock and layers of sweet Grenache fruit all flow to a full-bodied, clean, elegant 2005 that has everything in the right place. Drinking brilliantly now, it should continue to dish out loads of pleasure over the coming decade.

A 100% Grenache cuvee from sandy and clay soils, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Chaupin has a deep ruby/purple color and a sweet nose of smoked meats and game, blackberry and cassis fruit intermixed with some sweet cherry, plum, and a hint of fig. The wine boasts some charcoal notes, plenty of ocean sea breeze, and a hint of seaweed wrapper (nori) with a long, heady, stunningly rich finish. This is a beauty, but it really begs for 2-3 years of cellaring and should keep for two decades. Tasting at Janasse is fun. It is a large estate of 195 acres with 45 of them situated in Chateauneuf du Pape. Even if you weren’t obsessed with their fabulous Chateauneuf du Papes, they have a portfolio of brilliant wines from Cotes du Rhone as well as a vin de pays. Young proprietor Christophe Sabon, working with his wife and father, continues to fine-tune his winemaking skills. He is already brilliant at reds and shows increasing confidence in the quality of his white wine cuvees.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

Vibrant, red berry fruit nose. Open, soft palate. Charming strawberry and vanilla fruits.