The Burgundian-styled 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape is drinking at point today. Possessing beautiful notes of forest floor, truffles, spice, garrigue and sweet cherry and kirsch like fruit, this beauty has notable freshness and purity, medium to full-bodied richness, fine tannin and a layered, integrated texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. There's no need to delay gratification here and I'd enjoy bottles over the coming 4-5 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

The 2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape also showed beautifully and is fully mature. Garrigue, kirsch, forest floor, and mature red and black fruits give way to a silky, elegant red that still improves with time in the glass. I don't see this getting better since it’s fully mature, so I'd opt for drinking bottles over the coming 4-5 years.

Very pretty almost delicate of medium body and medium concentration. The soft and supple tannins are sleek and easy to appreciate. It'll be hard to resist enjoying it on release with its burst of red and black fruit on the succulent finish. Drink now through 2006. 8915 cases made. –PM