1993 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

My annual odyssey through Henri Bonneau maze of cellars began with an early look at the 1998 vintage, which will surely be this Chateauneuf master's greatest year since 1990. The several '98 cuvees I tasted, none of which had finished fermenting their considerable sugars, showed the roasted, confectionery fruit and unctuous, liqueur-like texture that Bonneau and his devoted clients so admire. The black raspberry, kirsch and bitter chocolate notes displayed by the young '98s are unusually vibrant for a vintage that will eventually be bottled with off-the-charts alcohol levels, and the tannic clout of the vintage should see these wines through their long elevage. Although Bonneau often waits as long as five or six years to bottle his Chateauneuf, he noted that the wines are usually racked just once a year, in February and March. At any point in the process, wines not up to Bonneau's standards may be sold off to the negoces