($55) Red-ruby. Superripe aromas of baked plum and strawberry, gingerbread, mocha and molasses. Silky-sweet, lush and dense, with exotic flavors of spicecake, dried herbs and game. Less sappy and primary than it appeared to be from barrel a year ago, but this is impressively thick, palate-coating Chateauneuf du Pape with terrific concentration and ripeness.

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Made from 100% Grenache (60-year old vines planted in one of the region's coolest terroirs), the 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Chaupin sees no new oak, contrary to what readers may have heard elsewhere. The saturated purple/plum color is followed by a big, sweet bouquet of raspberries, black kirsch liqueur, and a hint of white flowers. Chewy and full-bodied, with slightly more structure and tannin than usual, this surprisingly elegant yet full-flavored 2001 will benefit from another 1-3 years of cellaring. The most backward and structured Chaupin made between 1998 and 2001, it could easily be mistaken for a top grand cru red Burgundy from a great vintage.

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Take a whiff of this and your nose stays glued to the glass just taking it all in: the plum, coffee, chocolate, cigar box, leather, blackberries. The sweet tannins and ripe fruit carry on to a long finish. Very complex in a totally Chateauneuf way.

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