Chapoutier's 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine (100,000 bottles produced) may be outstanding. It is drinking even better from bottle than it did from cask. This wine exhibits a deep plum/garnet color, and a big, smoky nose of dried herbs, black cherry jam, plums, and licorice. There is excellent concentration, considerable quantities of spice box in the flavors, a dense, chewy mid-palate, and a long, moderately tannic finish. It can be drunk now as well as over the next 12-15 years. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900