CDP Vieilles Vignes, Domaine de la Janasse 2007

With an inky purple color, the wine has unctuous texture, a gorgeous nose of créme de cassis, blackberry, licorice and a touch of Provençal herbs and beef blood. It is beginning to show evolution, but the incredible texture - like a compressed skyscraper in the mouth – and its amazing ethereal qualities and lightness on its feet (despite its enormous size and richness) is something to behold. It is a masterpiece of modern-day Châteauneuf du Pape that should continue to drink well for another 20+ years.

This is awash in fruit-plum, boysenberry, fig and blackberry-allseamlessly intertwined, while hints of graphite, melted licorice,black tea and violet fill all the available space. The long finish hasgreat latent grip. Best from 2010 through 2030.

The perfect 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (tasted on four separate occasions) is composed of 85% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and the rest Mourvedre and other authorized varietals from 60- to 100+-year-old vines. The wine is aged in both tank (75%) and small oak barrels (25%). Its inky/purple color is followed by a phenomenal nose of spring flowers, creme de cassis, blackberries, boysenberries, licorice, truffles, and spice. Displaying massive body, incredible freshness, laser-like focus from the excellent acids, and a finish that goes on well past a minute, this prodigious Chateauneuf du Pape is the most extraordinary wine yet made at this estate. While accessible (as most 2007s are), ideally it needs 4-5 years of cellaring, and should keep for three decades.

The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is one of the vintage's most compelling wines. Most of the fruit for this offering comes from the estate vineyards in La Crau, and it is usually a blend of 80% Grenache (aged in tank and foudre) and the rest equal parts Syrah and Mourvedre that are kept in small barrels. Approxmiately 5,000-6,000 bottles are produced. It is hard to say whether this is the finest wine Christophe Sabon has made since taking over for his father, but what a profoundly great effort! It is an elixir of Chateauneuf du Pape with an inky/blue/purple color and an extraordinary nose of kirsch liqueur, black raspberries, licorice, truffles, graphite, and spice. The wine boasts enormous richness, incredible harmony, and a finish that lasts more than a minute. It is one of the most outrageously rich, concentrated, and perfect Chateauneuf du Papes I have ever tasted at this stage of development. It should last for 30+ years. Young Christophe Sabon, with his sister by his side and his father in the background, is doing as great a job turning out terrific wines as any vigneron in the world. With nearly 200 acres of vineyards, 45 of them old vines situated in Chateauneuf du Pape, there is enormous potential, all of it being exploited. The 1998s, 1999s, 2000s, and 2001s were all fabulous at this estate, the 2003s were slightly irregular as well as tannic, the 2005s were great, the 2006s are fabulous, and the 2007s may be the sine qua non of all his vintages. The white wines are not to be missed as they are some of the freshest, most perfumed, lively whites of Southern France. The value picks represent remarkable bargains. The bottled 2006 low end wines are all in the marketplace. While they are not quite at the level of the 2007s, there are some gorgeous choices for consumers. Janasse's 2007 Chateauneuf du Papes are outrageous, all of which performed brilliantly despite having just completed their malolactics after 11 months of fermentation. With all of the excitement over the 2007s, readers should not forget just how great Janasse's 2006s have turned out. They are performing as well as they did last year, perhaps even better.