The best of these cuvees is the 2005 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Beaumes de Venise Paradou. Boasting good acidity as well as attractive black cherry fruit intermixed with licorice, smoke, and roasted herbs, it should drink well for 3-4 years. Everything is changing at the Jaboulet firm now that it has been sold and is under control of the Frey family, also major investors in the Billecart-Salmon Champagne, and the proprietors of Bordeaux’s Chateau La Lagune. These 2005s were sourced and blended by the Jaboulet family, and finished by the new owners. I fully expect a rise in quality across the board at this estate, and I can’t wait to see what the new owners do with their first top vintage. The following cuvees will probably be discounted heavily to make room for the newer vintages. Importer: Frederick Wildman, New York, NY; tel. (212) 355-0700