I loved the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee l'Immortelle from barrel, and it didn’t disappoint from bottle! Loaded with dark fruits, roasted herbs, charcoal and mineral-like aromas and flavors, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, beautiful mid-palate density and layers of ripe tannin. It’s a rock star, age-worthy effort that will need short-term cellaring to come together.

More structured and firm, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape L’Immortelle is a blend of equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre that’s aged in oak vats. Offering up serious amounts of dark blackberry and currant styled fruits, rosemary, roasted meats, chocolate and liquid violets, this medium to full-bodied, concentrated effort has ample mid-palate depth and a blockbuster finish. Not yet bottled at the time of this tasting, it’s one of the few 2011s that will require bottle age to round into form. Drink 2016-2026. Importer: Shaw-Ross, Miramar, FL; tel. (954) 430-5036

Sadly, fewer than 125 cases were made of the magnificent 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape l’Immortelle. Made from equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah from 65+-year-old vines. It boasts an opaque inky/purple as well as incredibly rich blackberry fruit intermixed with hints of fudge, charcoal, camphor and acacia flowers in addition to sweet, well-integrated tannin. This sensational 2010 Chateauneuf is one of the great classics of the vintage. It should drink well for at least three decades. One of the largest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape, Chateau de la Gardine (which has a history dating back to the late 1600s) owns over 120 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape, where they enjoy a long track record of exceptional success. Remarkably, the Brunel family that owns this estate has been vineyard owners since 1670, acquiring La Gardine in 1945. Little has changed in the thirty years I have been covering Chateauneuf du Pape other than the fact that they have introduced a totally unsulphured cuvee, Peur Bleu, and their blockbuster l’Immortelle. The intention is to use small oak casks and make a more modern-styled wine with aging potential of three decades or more. Despite the use of their own bottle form (that varies considerably from the type of bottle used by most Chateauneuf du Pape producers), they age the l’Immortelle in a truncated oak vat and the unsulphured cuvee in 600-liter demi-muids. The 2010s are of high quality across the board. Except for the Traditional cuvees, they are long-term propositions for serious connoisseurs who have the necessary wine storage facilities to give these wines some time to come into full maturity. Importer: Shaw-Ross, Miramar, FL; tel. (954) 430-5036.

The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape l’Immortelle is a blend of equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah aged in large oak Tronconique barrels as well as stainless steel. Dense, rich, full-bodied, hugely extracted and intense, this 2009 demands 10-15 years of cellaring, and is built for 30-50 years of aging – rather remarkable for a 2009. 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.

The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape L’Immortelle is a blend of equal parts Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah aged 12-16 months in oak vats. This is a fabulous wine, but again, very little of it is made, just over 100 cases. This has the sweetest tannin of any of the four cuvees of 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape as well as an exquisite nose of spring flowers intermixed with blackberry, kirsch, licorice, camphor, and pepper. Massive concentration, full-bodied power, and a long, luscious finish suggest a wine that is the most accessible of these wines (other than the Tradition) but capable of lasting two decades as well. All four 2007s are outstanding wines. Importer: Shaw-Ross, Miramar, FL; tel. (954) 430-5036.