2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Collection Charles Giraud

(60% grenache and 40% mourvedre) Bright ruby. Youthfully brooding aromas of blackcurrant, licorice and cured meat. Weighty dark fruit flavors stain the palate, firmed by dusty tannins. The polar opposite of the Auguste Favier, showing strong finishing notes of bitter cherry and dark chocolate. This needs some cellaring.

Much more backward, austere, and leaner, with higher tannin and an incredible earthiness (almost an essence of truffle) is the kirsch-laden, tannic 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Charles Giraud. This is more of a long-term prospect compared to the other wines in the portfolio, and seemed closed but with outstanding potential the day I tasted it. Buyers of this wine should have some degree of patience and hold it for 2-3 years, then drink it over the following 15+. Ever since winemaker Isabel Ferrando released her fabulous 2003s, this superb estate has become one of my favorite estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. Located in the Serres quarter of the appellation, where the football-sized rocks are especially noticeable, all one has to do is taste the 2003 Charles Giraud from Saint-Prefert to realize what exceptional heights can be reached. There are three cuvees, all of them particularly brilliant in 2007. If you haven’t discovered Saint-Prefert and the brilliant winemaker Isabel Ferrando, it’s about time! Importer: Daniel Johnnes Wines, New York, NY; tel. (212) 625-2505

Dark crimson. Pretty animal verging on brett on the nose. Very opulent at first and then a bit pinched on the palate. Not harmonious. Not a whole. May get there eventually but there seems to be a lack of juice in this Isabel Ferrando wine at the moment. 60:40 Grenache: Mourvèdre. (JR)