A real sleeper wine is the 2005 VdP Terre de Bussiere, which is a 70,000-bottle cuvee made mostly from Merlot. The wine is kept in barrel and actually tastes more like a Bordeaux than anything one might suspect from the surroundings of Chateauneuf du Pape. Ripe with moderate tannins and a certain rusticity, but chocolatey with black currant fruit and cherry and pain grille, this is an interesting wine that is fresh and lively. These wines do not age as well as they might suggest, so I would drink it in its exuberant first 3-4 years. Over the last decade Domaine de la Janasse has become one of the half dozen or so finest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, they also produce an impressive range of Cotes du Rhones. This was also one of the few dozen or so estates that had exceptional success in 2003, a challenging vintage but, for those who did it right, some monumental wines. Proprietor Christophe Sabon compares 2004 with 1999, but with slightly more fruit and power.Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565