There are approximately 500 cases of this wine. It is a large-scaled Chateauneuf du Pape that represents the antithesis of La Bernardine. This wine has been spectacular, and I have been a frequent buyer and consumer of this wine since the first vintage Michel Chapoutier made, 1989. From the eastern side of the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, from soils with less of the famed galets roules (the melon and football-sized boulders that cover much of the appellation), comes the Croix de Bois. The stunning 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois reveals aromas of sweet cherry liqueur intertwined with pepper, incense, and Asian spices. Spicy, with distinctive garrigue and lavender characteristics, it is a full-bodied, unctuously-textured, glorious heady, classic Chateauneuf to drink over the next 15-20 years. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900

There are approximately 500 cases of this wine. It is a large-scaled Chateauneuf du Pape that represents the antithesis of La Bernardine. This wine has been spectacular, and I have been a frequent buyer and consumer of this wine since the first vintage Michel Chapoutier made, 1989.From the eastern side of the Chateauneuf du Pape appellation, from soils with less of the famed galets roules (the melon and football-sized boulders that cover much of the appellation), comes the Croix de Bois. The stunning 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois reveals aromas of sweet cherry liqueur intertwined with pepper, incense, and Asian spices. Spicy, with distinctive garrigue and lavender characteristics, it is a full-bodied, unctuously-textured, glorious heady, classic Chateauneuf to drink over the next 15-20 years. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900