As I stated last year, there is no Hommage a Jacques Perrin in 2006, but Beaucastel’s 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape is performing even better from bottle than it did last year. Its dense plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a big, sweet perfume of black truffles, camphor, earth, incense, new saddle leather, and loads of peppery, blackberry, and herb-infused, meaty, black cherry fruit. Deep, full-bodied, and dense, with sweet tannin, this explosively rich Chateauneuf is a stronger effort than the 2005, 2004, or 2003. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2028.

The 2003 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin has turned out even better than I thought last year. Black purple to the rim, with an extraordinary nose of smoke, camphor, blackberry, cassis, sweet cherry, white flowers, licorice, and Chinese black tea, the wine has superb richness, huge tannins, massive concentration, and a monster finish. Forget this wine for 5-8 years and drink it over the following 35 or more.

A legend of the future is the 2003 Ermitage Le Pavillon (659 cases). The equal of such stupendous examples as 1990 and 1989, the 2003 is incredibly rich as well as awesomely well-delineated and fresh. An inky/blue/purple color is followed by a subtle but impressively intense nose of barbecue smoke, creme de cassis, blueberries, blackberries, and white flowers. The wine cascades over the palate (15.8% natural alcohol) with extraordinary richness, intensity, and silkiness. This seamlessly constructed Hermitage is, analytically, high in tannin, but extremely low in acidity, with a freaky accessibility (a vintage character). Prodigiously concentrated and high in extract, it should last for a half century or longer. It will be fascinating to follow over the next several decades.

The 1990 is spectacular. When I arrived at 6:00 p.m., September 11, 2001, at Domaine Chave, I found Chave in tears and his family distraught. I had heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center, but not the subsequent collapse of both towers. Gerard Chave knows all about suicidal bombers, having served in the French military during the Algerian revolution. It took a long time to gather sufficient focus to do my tastings. However, the brilliant wines that unfolded in the cellars were, at least for several hours, a much needed antidote for pushing to the back of my mind the horror of 9-11-01.

The 1998 Hermitage rouge is a tannic, backward, large-scaled, dense ruby/purple-colored wine with high tannin, sensational extract, and formidable power and length. It needs 5-10 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2030.

The 2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape (the # 2 wine in the Wine Spectator’s annual winefest) has long been one of the most profound wines of the vintage. It somehow manages to offer the vintage’s character in power, high glycerin, and huge volume, but retains remarkable elegance and finesse that is so much in keeping with the style of Clos des Papes. The wine has a dense ruby/purple-tinged color and a wonderfully sweet nose of framboise, blackberry, and kirsch liqueur intermixed with Chinese black tea and licorice. The wine is full-bodied and voluptuous, but once past all the glycerin and beautiful, dense fruit of this full-bodied wine, there is striking purity, elegance, finesse, and surprising freshness. Still primary, it looks set to have a long life of 20-25 or more years. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2025

More of this wine may be available at a higher price.

WINE OF THE YEAR 2007 by WINE SPECTATOR This is really tight now, but it's packed with dark fig, currant, espresso, licorice and chocolate notes. Superfleshy but seriously structured, there's layer after layer of sweet spice, fruit and minerality pumping through the finish, with lots of latent depth and power. Far more backward than the 2003 and 2004 on release, but considering this typically puts on weight as it ages, it should be a monster--à la the 1990--when it reaches its peak. Best from 2009 through 2030. 7,500 cases made. –JM

The fact that there are nearly 6,500 cases of the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape, a great sleeper of the vintage, should ensure that many consumers will have the chance to taste this extraordinary effort. It is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and the rest Mourvedre, Cinsault, Muscardin, and Vaccarase, all from 70-year-old vines, aged in tank (the Grenache) and small barrels and demi-muids. Its dense plum/ruby/purple color is followed by a rich, sumptuous bouquet of crushed dried flowers, sweet black cherry and blackberry fruit, a voluptuous mouthfeel, broad, deep, concentrated flavors, and unbelievable purity, depth, richness, freshness, and vibrancy (a hallmark of this special vintage). Accessible and palate saturating, but never heavy or overbearing, this amazing wine should drink well for 15 or more years.

An amazing effort, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape eclipses what I wrote about it last year. Every time I went back to it, the wine revealed more nuances as well as greater depth. Full-bodied and powerful, it exhibits a compelling bouquet of creme de cassis, ground pepper, incense, seaweed, garrigue, and licorice. The knock-out aromatics are followed by a wine with colossal richness, a multilayered texture, no sense of heaviness, an incredibly deep, penetrating palate feel, and a finish that goes on for 50+ seconds. Philippe Bravay is one of the most modest and serious Chateauneuf du Pape vignerons, and it is a thrill to see him hit a home run in this vintage. For statisticians, it is made from 80- to 85+-year-old vines from two of the great sectors of Chateauneuf du Pape, La Gardiole and Cabrieres. It is composed of 90% Grenache and the rest Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault. Moreover, it is the quintessential traditional Chateauneuf du Pape aged 12-14 months in tank before being bottled without filtration. The dense purple-colored 2007 will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age, and last for 20-25 years. Bravo!

One of the vintage’s most compelling wines, the huge, dense purple-colored 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Vieilles Vignes offers aromas of creme de cassis, creosote, and flowers along with immense concentration, body, and tannin. The finish is reminiscent of a first-growth Bordeaux, meaning it is well-delineated and tannic. Cellar it for 4-5 years and consume it over the following two decades.