The limited production, 300-case cuvee of 2003 Panoplie is California’s answer to the famed Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Hommage a Jacques Perrin. A blend of 69% Mourvedre, 21% Grenache, 7% Syrah, and 3% Counoise, this inky/blue/purple-colored offering begins slowly in the glass, but after five minutes of swirling and coaxing, it roars to life, offering backward but promising notes of black truffles, creosote, blackberries, cherries, cassis, road tar, and melted licorice. Boasting a full-bodied, super-concentrated mouthfeel as well as considerable tannin, delineation, and structure, it is a wonderfully knit, personality-filled wine that was aged completely in neutral demi-muids prior to bottling. Give it another 2-3 years of bottle age, and consume it over the following 10-12+. Tel. 805-237-1231; Fax 805-237-1314