2001 Chateauneuf du Pape

Medium red. Exotic aromas of red berries, sandalwood, pepper and garrigue Dense, supple and chewy but also impressively vibrant and perfumed in the mouth, with sharply delineated flavors of pepper and spice. Almost shockingly showy and aromatic today. But the wine's slightly edgy tannins suggest that it needs at least a few years of additional bottle aging.

(tasted from foudre) Moderately saturated medium red. Perfumed, slightly exotic aromas of strawberry, raspberry, spice cake and pepper. Silky and sweet, with harmonious acids giving the red fruit and pepper flavors excellent definition. At 14.6%, this has the highest alcohol of any Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf cuvee since the 1990 Cuvee du Papet, says Thierry, but it does not come off as hot. Finishes quite suave, with plenty of broad, ripe tannins.