A 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah that spends 20 months in new oak barrels, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Juline is full-bodied and dense, with a voluminous coat of toasted oak layered over plummy fruit.

Autard's best offering this year is the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Juline, a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah aged in new barrels. Despite the heathy dose of oak, it's not overly woody, with only slight suggestions of cedar and menthol accenting notes of black cherries, cola and tapenade. Full-bodied and velvety, it finishes long, adding hints of vanilla and baking spices.

The most controversial wine in this portfolio is the 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Juline (named after Autard’s children, Jules and Pauline). Made from the same blend as La Cote Ronde, fermented in new oak and aged in the upright truncated new oak foudres, it is an internationally-styled, “l(fā)ove it or leave it” Chateauneuf du Pape. It possesses an inky purple color as well as copious graphite, blueberry, blackberry and espresso notes with chocolate overtones. It will last for 10-15 years, but if you are looking for an unoaked, naked Chateauneuf du Pape, this may not be to your liking. The 2010s all reveal deeper colors, higher acids, and more focus and precision.Represented by Russell Herman, Berkeley Heights, NJ; tel. (908) 771-9082; various American importers