The basic cuvee, the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition, reveals notes of sweet cherries, herbs, spice, and balsam wood. This medium-bodied offering is best consumed during its first 4-5 years of life. Burgundy wine broker Alain Corcia ventures into the southern Rhone to purchase wine which he then raises in old oak foudres and smaller barriques, and bottles them under assorted names. Some of the cuvees see 30% new oak, but Corcia’s overall philosophy is to keep the wood as a background element to the fruit, which is dominated by Grenache (60-70%) with the rest Syrah and occasionally Mourvedre. The 2006s are charming efforts displaying the vintage’s up-front, forward fruit, but not the structure, weight, or density of the 2005s. An Alain Corcia Selection, various American importers, including Premier Wines, CA; tel. (510) 237-6284, and Calvert Woodley Wines, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-4400

The basic cuvee, the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition, reveals notes of sweet cherries, herbs, spice, and balsam wood. This medium-bodied offering is best consumed during its first 4-5 years of life. Burgundy wine broker Alain Corcia ventures into the southern Rhone to purchase wine which he then raises in old oak foudres and smaller barriques, and bottles them under assorted names. Some of the cuvees see 30% new oak, but Corcia’s overall philosophy is to keep the wood as a background element to the fruit, which is dominated by Grenache (60-70%) with the rest Syrah and occasionally Mourvedre. The 2006s are charming efforts displaying the vintage’s up-front, forward fruit, but not the structure, weight, or density of the 2005s.An Alain Corcia Selection, various American importers, including Premier Wines, CA; tel. (510) 237-6284, and Calvert Woodley Wines, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-4400

The basic cuvee, the 2005 Cuvee Tradition, reveals some spicy oak in the background but is dominated by the classic loamy soil, garrigue, and kirsch liqueur notes. It is ripe, medium-bodied, with the vintage’s good underlying acidity showing well. Drink it over the next 7-8 years. These are the personal selections of Burgundy wine broker Alain Corcia. All of the wines are blends from top estates put together by Corcia, an accomplished taster as well as blender, and then aged either in foudres or in smaller barriques and bottled with very little clarification. Since he has a distribution system that directly imports from him without any middle men, prices are modest. An Alain Corcia Selection, various American importers, including Premier Wines, CA; tel. (510) 237-6284, and Calvert Woodley Wines, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-4400

The 2004 Tradition is a straightforward, sweet-and-sour cherry-scented and -flavored Chateauneuf du Pape with medium body, good acidity, and a fresh, pleasant feel to it. An Alain Corcia Selection, various American importers, including Charmer Industries, NY; tel. (718) 726-2500, Southern Wine and Spirits, CA; tel. (510) 487-3332, Premier Wines, CA; tel. (510) 237-6284, and Calvert Woodley Wines, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-4400

The 2003 Tradition seems to have dropped a lot of color since last year. It has a light to medium ruby color, tart acidity, and a pleasant, rather quickly evaporating finish.An Alain Corcia Selection, various American importers, including Charmer Industries, NY; tel. (718) 726-2500, Southern Wine and Spirits, CA; tel. (510) 487-3332, Premier Wines, CA; tel. (510) 237-6284, and Calvert Woodley Wines, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 966-4400