A beautiful, traditional cuvee from this team, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is a forward, sweetly fruited, full-bodied effort that offers lots of black cherry, blackberry, ground herbs, licorice and pepper. It's already approachable and will have 15 years of overall longevity.

The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits notes of licorice, incense, black currants, cherries and earth. Broad, rich and savory, it will benefit from 2-3 years of cellaring and keep for 15+ years. (Not yet released)Baptiste and Dominique Grangeon own a total of 32 acres of vines in the northeastern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape, so this is not a large estate by any means. However, Domaine de Cristia has produced brilliant wines in both 2009 and 2010, and the Grangeons are also responsible for the wines called Chapelle St.-Theodoric (in conjunction with importer Peter Weygandt) that are reviewed elsewhere in this report. The 2009s have turned out exceptionally well, and 2010 looks to be the estate’s finest overall vintage since 2007. Not surprisingly, the 2010s exhibit even deeper colors than the relatively dark colored 2009s, and are tighter and more tannic as well as fresher and richer.Importers: Wine Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA; tel. (800) 331-2829; Galaxy Wine Co., Portland, OR; tel. (503) 248-9493; George Molitor, Fine Vines, LLC, Melrose Park, IL; tel. (708) 343-6702; Wine Symphony, New York NY; tel. (212) 226-8283; ABC Fine Wines and Spirits, Orlando, FL; tel. (407) 851-0000