Now hitting the market, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier is more austere than the 2000, revealing notes of balsam wood, lavender, new saddle leather, ground pepper, and plum/kirsch-like fruit. Medium-bodied, with more structure and tannin, 3-4 years of cellaring will bring forth some Bonneau magic. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017. If readers want to know what Chateauneuf du Pape tasted like 100 or 200 years ago, this is it. Long live Henri Bonneau!Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173

Outstanding, the 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier is a lighter, downsized version of the Reserve des Celestins. It possesses medium to full body as well as a sweet nose of kirsch liqueur, spicy, peppery, leathery notes, and hints of prunes and plums in the background. Although less flattering and concentrated than its sibling, it is a big, bold, typically Bonneau-proportioned effort that will be drinkable between 2005-2016. Always one of the most remarkable visits, my annual pilgrimage to the top of the village of Chateauneuf du Pape for the descent into the ancient cellars of Henri Bonneau is always a challenge. First of all, the wines are spectacular, but getting Bonneau to deliver a serious response to a question is never easy. Nevertheless, he has a wicked sense of humor, and with his Provencal twang, he is not the easiest to understand, particularly when his jibes are aimed at the French bureaucracy.Bonneau was in rare form when I saw him. He was thrilled with his 2001s, 2000s, 1999s, and 1998s (as was just about everybody else in Chateauneuf du Pape). He was philosophical about the rain storms that flooded the region on September 8 and 9, 2002, saying that fate had already been kind to Chateauneuf du Pape with four great vintages in a row.As I have said before, the wines that emerge from Henri Bonneau's 15+ acres of old vine Grenache planted on the famed sector called La Crau are majestic wines of extraordinary power, richness, and longevity. At the end of our tasting, Bonneau pulled out one of his legendary old vintages, the 1955 Reserve des Celestins, and once again, I simply wrote "100 ... it doesn't get any better than this." The only question is when will Bonneau decide to bottle his wines? Everything done at chez Bonneau makes no sense to modern day oenologists. His cellars are deplorable, and the condition of his barrels (at least the outside of them) is frightful. However, it's what's inside that counts. The magic in those barrels represents the essence, the heart and soul of Chateauneuf du Pape. (Not yet released)Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173