All Grenache, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois comes from the Bédarrides (eastern) portion of the appellation, grown on clay soils with an overlay of galets roulés. While the nose and attack deliver open, voluminous notes of ripe cherries and raspberries, the wine seems to tighten on the full-bodied midpalate, building in structure and salinity while adding taut flavors of cranberries and orange zest framed by silky tannins. There's a lively tension in this wine, which should give it more than a decade of longevity.

Another 100% Grenache CdP, the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois hints at garrigue on the nose, then eases into a dense, compact ball of dark fruit. Concentrated and tannic, this looks as if it will need five years or more to slowly unfurl its dense layers of dark berries, black olives, licorice and tea.

At the top end of Chapoutier's Southern Rh?ne hierarchy are the two sélections parcellaires from Chateauneuf du Pape. I had a slight preference for the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois, which comes from the Bédarrides (eastern) side of the appellation, a site with galets roulés over clay, which Chapoutier says resists drought. This is a full-bodied, dense, plummy wine, but it retains ample freshness and offers loads of spicy complexity, including exotic notes like cumin and coriander that linger enticingly on the finish.

Another smoking good 2014 is the 2014 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois, which like always, is 100% Grenache that comes from a site on the eastern side of the appellation, near the village of Bédarrides. Completely destemmed and aged 16 months in concrete, it offers the expected forward, fruity style of the cuvée as well as classic notes Bing cherries, blackberries, spring flowers and hints of leather.