2007 Chateauneuf du Pape

One of the wines of the vintage is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape from Philippe Bravey, and I’ve drunk more than a case of this wine and have consistently rated it at the upper end of the spectrum (however, some bottles suffer from too much volatile acidity). Big, full-bodied, layered and unctuous, it has a huge nose of garrigue, black fruits, saddle leather and licorice. I absolutely love this wine and would happily drink bottles over the coming decade.

Ruby-red. Offers an exotic bouquet of fresh red berries, apricot, dark chocolate and potpourri. Very ripe in the mouth, with palate-coating red and dark berry liqueur, licorice and floral pastille flavors. Velvety tannins add shape to this big boy, which is a bit of a monolith right now. I prefer the elegance of the 2006 today but there's a lot going on here.

Bright ruby. Expressive aromas of raspberry, cherry, blood orange and dried flowers, with an undertone of zesty spices. Very fresh and incisive red fruit flavors are complemented by sweet lavender and rose pastille, and pick up a peppery nuance with air. Impressively balanced, pure wine with a strong finishing jolt of red berry skin. I underestimated this wine from barrel. (Weygandt-Metzler Importing, Unionville PA