The blockbuster 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac shows classic garrigue notes intermixed with ground pepper, lavender, and sweet black currant and black cherry notes with hints of raspberry and olive. The wine is full-bodied has a boatload of tannin, fabulous concentration, and a finish of close to 50 seconds. This is a brilliant Barbe Rac that should be at its best between 2010 and 2025. The great terroiriste and biodynamic farmer of the northern Rhone, Michel Chapoutier, continues to display impressive talent for turning out strong wines from the southern Rhone even though his undeniably strengths are his single-vineyard wines from the north. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

The blockbuster 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac shows classic garrigue notes intermixed with ground pepper, lavender, and sweet black currant and black cherry notes with hints of raspberry and olive. The wine is full-bodied has a boatload of tannin, fabulous concentration, and a finish of close to 50 seconds. This is a brilliant Barbe Rac that should be at its best between 2010 and 2025. The great terroiriste and biodynamic farmer of the northern Rhone, Michel Chapoutier, continues to display impressive talent for turning out strong wines from the southern Rhone even though his undeniably strengths are his single-vineyard wines from the north.Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900