2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes

Exhibiting the vintage’s hallmark garrigue, ground pepper, spice box, earth, and leathery notes intermixed with hints of bay leaf, red currants, and cherries, the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a stylish, medium to full-bodied, spicy effort. Consume it over the next decade. Young proprietors Aime and Michel Arnaud continue to turn out forward, complex, seductive Chateauneuf du Papes. Importer: David Hinkle, North Berkeley Imports, Oakland, CA; tel. (510) 336-9880

Bright red. Rich, round and winning. Confident expression of local fruit without too many extra knobs on. Not one of the most powerful – and you could drink it relatively young – but a very classic and representative Châteauneuf, a blend of five different varieties. (JR)

Deep, youthful red. Spicy, mineral-accented cherry and dark berry aromas offer greater depth than the 2005, with an exotic tobacco quality adding interest. Concentrated and broad, offering chewy dark berry preserve flavors, firm tannins and a long, sweet finish. Altogether more rich and serious than the '05, but perhaps lacking that wine's vivacity.