The newest special cuvee (introduced in 2006) is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (50% Grenache. 40% Mourvedre. and 10% Syrah). Made from 50- to 100+-year-old vines and aged 18 months in small oak barrels. it is potentially one of the longest lived wines of the vintage. This exquisite. dense purple-colored effort reveals intense but restrained notes of cassis. kirsch. lavender. licorice. and graphite. A wine of great intensity as well as remarkable finesse and elegance. is a full-bodied Chateauneuf that will require plenty of patience. Give it 3-4 years of bottle age. and drink it over the following 25-30.

By Robert M. Parker, Jr. October 2009