Châteauneuf du Pape, 1996

Good full red. Less obviously ripe aromas of black cherry, dark berries, cocoa powder, and smoke, plus a faint medicinal nuance. More open in the mouth today than Beaucastel's '97; shows lovely sweetness and texture and very good cut and thrust. Hints of leather and game. Not quite as ripe as the '97, but finishes quite persistent, with a subtly perfumed quality. This may well be for drinking after the '97.