The lighter ruby colored 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition is a pretty, perfumed and forward wine that makes the most of the vintage. Offering up lots of raspberry, black raspberry, strawberry and hints of garrigue, it's all about pretty, supple, sexy fruit. Drink this medium-bodied beauty in its first 5-6 years of life.

A step up on the richness scale from the les Premices, the 2013 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition (80% Grenache and 20% Syrah) has impressive amounts of black cherry and strawberry fruit, white pepper, incense and violets. This medium-bodied, ultra-pure, elegant, yet mid-weight Chateauneuf du Pape has lots to love, but will need drinking in its first 5-7 years of life.

More serious than the Premices, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition has additional structure and depth, with classic red and black fruits, leather, bouquet garni and spice aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, nicely concentrated and layered, it has the house purity and texture while staying firmly grounded in the Southern Rh?ne.

Along the same lines, the smoking good 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition is a blend of 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre, from 50-to-80-year-old vines, with the Grenache and Mourvedre aged all in concrete and the Syrah in 2-to-6-year-old barrels. Knockout stuff, with sweet black currants, cassis, licorice, pepper and wild herbs, this full-bodied, supple and seamlessly textured beauty will drink nicely through 2021. Drink now-2021. This is a terrific lineup of wines by the brother and sister team of Marie and Francois Giraud. Their 2011s are certainly near the top of the vintage, with the 2012s looking just as good. In addition to releasing stunning reds, this estate always produces a terrific white. Marie produced three red Chateauneufs in 2012, with no Les Gallimardes due to the tiny quantity. During my tasting, Marie commented on the rain in late September and the difficulty in deciding when to pick. Opting to wait until after the rain for the majority of their plots, this spread the harvest out over five weeks as opposed to the normal two weeks. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565

The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition (made from the same blend as the 2011) is incredibly rich, concentrated and complex. The best value in their portfolio, it offers a dark plum/purple color along with copious notes of garrigue, pepper, licorice, black raspberries and kirsch. A super, full-bodied Chateauneuf with terrific purity and palate presence, it can be enjoyed over the next 15+ years. This estate has acquitted itself impressively over the last 5-6 years. It first caught my attention with its brilliant 2007s, which were followed by strong efforts in 2009 and now their finest wines to date, the 2010s. Domaine Giraud is an old estate that has been reinvigorated by the enthusiasm of a younger generation, especially Marie Giraud. They own just over 40 acres in various Chateauneuf du Pape terroirs. The 2011 vintage was successful for Domaine Giraud, as evidenced by the following three wines. Without a doubt the 2010s are the greatest wines made to date by Francois and Marie Giraud. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565