2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Emmanuel Reynaud calls 2007 a real wine-grower's vintage, with very high quality and quantity. "It's also a great vintage for the public, by extension," he adds. "The wines are a marriage of dark fruits and spices, and they are extremely appealing even now. " His take on the 2006s is that that "they are also spicy, but without the force of the 2007s. " Reynaud is especially fond of 2007 for white wines, calling them "deep and rich but with excellent precision and finesse, which isn't easy. "

"Two thousand five is all about spice," Emmanuel Reynaud told me as we began our tasting, "while 2006 is about elegance and freshness." There's an effortless quality to Reynaud's 2005s and 2006s that I found absolutely enthralling; here is flavor impact without weight or artifice, and some of the most captivating bouquets I encountered in the entire Rhone this year. I spent sporadic moments in the dark as an electrician tried to solve some wiring problems and Reynaud crept about, attempting to help him, leaving me alone among the cobwebs, mold, damp walls and dripping ceilings. It was a distinctly Lovecraftian scene-and downright creepy for anyone with an overactive imagination. When I bumped into the electrician in the entry hallway later as he stared at some ancient, wire-encased, foot-long ceramic fuse (or whatever it was), he shook his head and said "Merde! This place is old!"