Domaine Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes

Deeper, fuller, broader, and fuller-bodied than the regular bottling with greater concentration, depth, length, and I assume, much better aging potential as well, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a beauty. This is a bold wine of considerable exuberance, with impressive levels of kirsch-like fruit intermixed with some blacker fruits, ground pepper, incense, and roasted herbs. It is very full-bodied, has admirable glycerin and depth, noticeable but sweet tannin, and a 40+-second finish. This is a super Chateauneuf du Pape that should hit its peak in 2–4 years and last for 15 or more years.

Opaque ruby. Explosively perfumed nose displays a sexy array of dark fruit liqueur scents, along with cocoa, fresh lavender and vanilla. Fat, pliant blackberry and boysenberry flavors display great depth and are enlivened by zesty minerality, which carries through the long, sappy finish. Gentle tannins add grip but this is all about the fruit. Lovely stuff.

A dark, beefy style, with lots of roasted fig, coffee and chestnut notes layered with licorice root, roasted earth and currant paste. Still has some grip to shed on the finish. Shows more guts than finesse. Best from 2010 through 2020.

What do you get when you cross a Favier with a Sabon? Why, out-of-this-world Châteauneuf-du-Pape of course! The pedigree of Chante Cigale sets you up for unbelievable quality, and the wines over-deliver every time. Superb balance and deeply concentrated flavors characterize the 2005 Vieilles Vignes. New flavors emerge with every sip: lush black currant, garrigue, cracked black pepper and smoke. Drinks well now, but this one is built to last for several years. At a fraction of the cost of many comparable high-end reds, you can serve this again and again — great with lamb, braised beef, roast duck or hearty vegetarian dishes.