2012 Cuvée Félicien Diffonty et Fils du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape SixtineReserve

Full ruby. Pungent aromas of blackberry and cherry liqueur, with complicating notes of dark chocolate and licorice. Fleshy and smooth in texture but lively too offering tightly focused dark berry and bitter cherry flavors and a hint of black pepper. Finishes with firm grip and spiciness, the cherry and licorice notes repeating.

Vineyard soil: galets, sand, clay-limestone, chalk. Grape varieties: 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre. Dark and bright crimson. Edgy, not the sweetest wine but very intense and without any jagged corners. Old-vine produce? Lots of intensity and richness. (JR)

Looking like a decent step up over the 2011, the 2012 Cuvee du Vatican Chateauneuf du Pape is a soft, supple and textured 2012 that has nice berry fruit, spring flowers and tinges of licorice on the nose. Rounded, loaded with fruit and without a huge amount of back-end depth, it will be a delicious, early drinker. Drink 2014-2018. Run by the Diffonty family, with the wines made by Jean-Marc, Chateau Sixtine covers over 50 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape. Previously named Cuvee du Vatican, they have now split that off into a negociant label, with the estate wines released as Chateau Sixtine. In a given vintage, they can release three red Chateauneuf du Papes, the negociant Cuvee du Vatican, the second wine of the estate, the Manus Dei, and their top cuvee, Chateau Sixtine. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173