The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee des Generations has come on strong since tasted last year, and is unquestionably one of the finest wines of the vintage. It is made from essentially the same blend as the Tradition, but comes from much older vines (60 to 100 years old), and is aged primarily in new oak. A dense purple color is accompanied by copious blackberry, ink, charcoal and espresso roast characteristics. Dense, full-bodied, even massive and atypically backward as well as super-concentrated for a 2009, it requires 4-5 years of cellaring, and should last for 25-30 years. A large estate of over 120 acres, Chateau de la Gardine can trace its existence back to the late 1600s. This is another of the rare domaines in Chateauneuf du Pape where virtually all of their vineyards are contiguous, located in the northwestern sector of the appellation. La Gardine has long been owned by the Brunel family who have been vineyard owners since 1670, but only acquired this property in 1945. It is one of the many estates in Chateauneuf du Pape where a woman has a major role in making the wine. In this case, it is Marie-Odile Brunel. Four cuvees are made, the major ones being their Traditional offering and their long-lived (25-30+ years) Cuvee des Generation. Over the last decade La Gardine has introduced a wine bottled without sulphur, a dangerous and risky venture, called Peur Bleu. They also produce l’Immortelle, a small cuvee (100 or so cases) made of equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah from 100% unstemmed grapes. It is meant to age 30+ years. The latter two wines are only made in the finest vintages. Importer: Shaw-Ross, Miramar, FL; tel. (954) 430-5036.