2004 Chateauneuf du Pape La Cote Ronde

Dark ruby. Smoky cherry, black raspberry and chocolate on the nose, all lifted by a bright mineral tone. Round and juicy, showing deep cassis and kirsch flavors and intriguing iron and dried lavender notes. Pure flavors of dark berries and roasted plum on the long, spicy finish. Very rich and ripe but with very good balance.

A prestige cuvée. Very dark purple. Very rich and dramatic – firework impression. Lots of garrigues and savour. An attention-grabber. Fizzing with life and undercurrents with sufficient acidity. Big chunky tannins but not too rustic. This is the sort of wine that people have in mind when they think of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In Courthézon, the domaine has a new cave for 2005. (JR)

Inky ruby color. Rich and ripe, even roasted, on the nose, almost in the style of a 2003. Very dense and extracted, with strong notes of roasted coffee, chocolate syrup and plum preserves. A bit too much for me but fans of the richer, thicker style of Chateauneuf should be thrilled.