A bigger, richer wine than the Cuvee Chaupin, the 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is full-bodied, rich and silky on the palate, with classic Janasse notes of barbecue smoke, licorice, peppery herbs and smoked black fruits. I’ve been lucky enough to have multiple bottles of this recently, all of which have shown beautifully. There’s no upside, but it will continue drinking nicely through 2023.

In contrast, the darker purple-colored 1998 Janasse Vieilles Vignes is inky garnet/ruby/purple to the edge, displays classic floral-infused creme de cassis notes, with black raspberry and black berry A touch of tar, truffle, smoke, and earth are also present in this full-bodied, beautifully delineated wine, which exhibits much more definition and has lost the almost overwhelming grapiness it had in its youth. This wine is just entering its plateau of maturity, where it should last for another 10-15 years.