“This is the vintage of the century.” You’ve heard the claim so many times that it’s become a joke in the wine world. Let’s see, there was 1982, 1990, 2000—and that was just in red Bordeaux.

Add in all the other wine regions of the world and it soon becomes difficult to find a year that’s not a vintage of the century.

All this puffery is great for wine merchants, but confusing for consumers. And I’m just the fellow to add to the confusion with one more claim:

2007 is the vintage of the century in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the rest of France’s southern Rhône Valley, sort of. There, I said it.

The weather was perfect for ripening grapes, this in a region that’s already noted for producing ripe grapes. The results in vinous terms are outstanding: dark, succulent, bold wines, almost sweet with jammy fruit and occasional hints of chocolate along with the traditional spice and pepper. The wines are so lush and soft they could easily be mistaken for New World wines. Classicists may be a bit put off, but everyone else will be seduced. Sheer deliciousness is the hallmark here.

I’ve been tasting these ravishing wines since they first began arriving on our shores in November. More recently, I’ve tasted more than a dozen of the best 2007 Châteauneufs, blind, and realize once more what all the fuss is about. Here are my favorites:

We’ll start with the wine I scored highest overall, the 2007 Château Beaucastel ($115, but you may be able to find it around town for $100 or less). This wine is so often the finest of any vintage that I’m not surprised to say it is best, again. It’s incredibly dark and lush, with sweet and smoky notes and true complexity—the layers of flavors keep coming at you throughout its extraordinary length. Delicious as it is today, this is one that could last for a decade or two.

My second favorite wine of the tasting was the 2007 Dom. de la Cote de l’Ange “Secret de l’Ange” ($77.99). The group of 11 tasters actually scored this wine slightly higher than the Beaucastel. It’s a producer you don’t see or hear much about, but this wine was exceptional. Rich, concentrated, and sweet from both fruit and oak, it’s truly seductive. While most Châteauneufs are dominated by the Grenache grape, this version accentuates Mourvedre (a minority grape in most of these blends). The results are spectacular.

Tied for second place on my scorecard was the 2007 Roger Perrin “Reserve des Vieilles Vignes” ($48.99). Perrin is a famous name in the southern Rhône. Although another branch of the family owns Beaucastel, Roger’s wine is so good it deserves to stand on its own. Sweet and concentrated, with classic pepper/spice notes, the layers of flavor confirm the old vines heritage of the wine. Supple, showy and very long, it’s impossible to resist.

I scored the 2007 Lucien et Andre Brunel “Les Cailloux” ($49.99) just slightly behind the three wines above. This may have the most classic Châteauneuf scent and flavor of all these wines: spice, pepper, earth, smoke, plump berry fruit. And yet, it shows the character of the vintage in its richness, length and sheer sexiness.

There are two Châteauneuf producers with the curious name of Usseglio, Raymond and Pierre. I haven’t tasted the Raymond Usseglio this year, but the 2007 Pierre Usseglio ($49.99) is a stunner. The Grenache really shines here—spicy and peppery, earthy and full of berry fruit. This is one to cellar for a decade or more.

In the blind tasting we used the 2007 Chante Perdrix ($34.99) as the starter wine. We were all impressed by how good it was for the price, and it was amazing how the wines that followed were not very much better than this wine. Again, the style is classic yet touched by the richness of the vintage, and it’s about as inexpensive as you’ll find Châteauneuf-du-Pape these days, and far better than most in this price range.

How’s that for a delicious half-case of truly great wine?