2006 Paul Avril Clos des Papes CdP Rouge

Full bottle 1,425 g. Still quite a healthy crimson hue even if it is now a little see-through. Complex, even rather surly nose initially. Interesting to taste this alongside Dom Sainte-Rose's 2003 La Garrigue which is currently rather more expressive. Hugely sweet and smooth on the palate though and really rather glorious in the range of flavours it offers. Herbs and spices and, most of all, really long. (JR)

Rich and dense and multi-layered. Young with considerable unrealised potential, although there’s a hint of brown sugar and it’s actually already lovely, with a hint of cough linctus. Lots to chew on. (JR)

Pulled from my cellar (purchased on release), the 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is drinking brilliantly, and this vintage always seems to deliver. Rocking notes of kirsch, black licorice, cured meats, black olives, and garrigue all give way to a ripe, perfectly balanced, seamless effort that’s right smack dab in the middle of its prime drinking plateau. It opens up nicely with time in the glass, and while fully mature, it’s going to continue drinking great for another decade, at which point it should have a gradual decline.