The most recent get together of our regular local tavern group had a tasting theme defined very loosely as Southern Rhones--and we ended up with an interesting mix of Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas on the table. Just 3 regulars could make it, but we rustled up a fourth to make sure we kept consumption reasonable (right!).
1986 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvee Rousanne Vieilles Vignes. There are really complex and interesting layers to the bouquet of this CdP blanc—with aromas of clover honey, waxy lanolin, lemon peel, crushed river stones, botanical herbs, wet clay, star anise and pistachio nuts all taking their turns at the fore. In the mouth, it has some metallic oxidization around the edges of the tongue and overall it is a bit thinner and simpler than the nose might suggest. It has a fairly linear feel initially, with very prickly acidity covering the tongue. For a white wine, it is awfully savory in tone, with flavors of crunchy minerals, dried herbs, crunchy caramel and Off deep woods buy spray. However, as it comes up to temperature and has greater exposure to air, it turns richer and broader, filling in nicely and pulling in softer, fruitier flavors of waxy yellow apple, pear and some pistachio nut. It is rather dry throughout and never really loses the tinny edge that comes on the finish, but this is a really interesting wine with lots to offer if one has time to ponder its various facets. There were moments I thought I disliked the wine and moments I was convinced it was a great wine. Although I expected the opposite, it got better and better as the night went on, and the last few sips may have been the very best.
1999 Domaine du Pesquier Gigondas. We kicked off the reds with some wines from Gigondas. The Pesquier was the clear winner of the two and one of my favorites of the whole tasting. The nose really changes and morphs seemingly after every swirl of the glass—featuring cornerstone aromas of leather, a bit of barnyard, black cherry, dark mulling spices, dark caramel, black pepper, earth and brighter red berry notes. Later pours bring in strong notes of rare grilled meat, pan drippings, animal fur, spiced plum and a streak of wintergreen. All in all, it is a really interesting wine to smell over a few hours. In the mouth, it is easy-textured, fairly silky, medium-bodied and fairly intense. Flavors of dark cherry, savory meat, black earth, dark spices and smoke are nicely framed and interestingly layered. Flavors later turn more charming, with framboise, black cherry and Christmas spices coming to the front. Overall, I enjoyed this a great deal.
2001 Domaine du Gour de Chaule Gigondas Cuvee Tradition. On the other hand, this Gigondas was hopefully an off bottle. The first bad sign is that the very initial aromas to greet the nose include seaweed, iodine and vitamin C, joined eventually by very strong notes of nail polish remover. In the mouth, the VA notes are extremely strong, joined by some inky black currant flavors. It is deadly dry, with acrid smoke notes and brutal tannins. Dump bucket, please.
1998 Domaine Paul Autard Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Here is a very pretty CdP in a very nice drinking window right now. Lovely Provencal notes of garrigue, black olives, kirsch, graphite and coal feel like classic southern Rhone to me. In the mouth, it is gently fleshy, with a slightly sweet profile including luscious raspberry and strawberry fruit. It is a pretty wine that will have wide appeal with geeks and non-geeks alike, with its gentle acidity, open texture, light tannins and easy balance. Some tarter acidity waits until the finish to sneak in, but overall the wine feels softly sweet, effortless and friendly, with enough classicism to please most, I suspect.
2000 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Reservee. Although a bit tight at times, the nose on this 2000 Pegau has a lot going on. At various times, it offers up aromas of fine saddle leather, forest greenery, cool black currants, black cherry, dark cranberry, fireplace ash, loamy soil, tomato leaf and burnt orange peel. In the mouth, it is finely-textured and crisply-delineated. It flows beautifully, with both savory and gently sweet flavors intermingling across the palate. It feels wiry and tautly-toned rather than brawny or muscular, but there is little doubt that it has a big structure to it and will go a good long while. Right now, that structure seems to be holding on tight to the core of sexy and luxuriant fruit barely poking out below. Most of what this wine has to offer feels like it is being held in reserve—a bit more so than with other Pegau bottles of this vintage I’ve had. The tannins take a while to really make themselves heard, but they grow and grow with time and eventually coat the tongue pretty well. I don’t have to tell anybody that this is a wine with great promise, but the proof is certainly right there in the bottle.
1998 Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Without hesitation, this was the Wine of the Night for me. Talk about your classic, traditional Chateauneuf du Pape nose and flavor profile—this has got it all in spades. Everyone present agreed that this wine is a delight to drink and is certainly worth opening at this point in its evolution to see if you agree. The nose is redolent of all kinds of aged leather products, clean horse stable, dried persimmon, dried cherries, fading rose petals, garrigue, a bit of band-aid and a really sexy musky note running all through it that is hard to capture in words. I just find everything about the bouquet to be appealing to me. On the palate, the wine is gentle and medium-bodied, with a nice twangy acidity and a pleasing earthy sensibility it never strays far from. Fine herbs and spices and a sort of stemmy whole-cluster kind of accent adds to the rustic yet gentle feel of the wine. Flavors of cranberry, dried orange peel, chalk and cherry are layered and have a nice yin-yang savory-sweet pull going on. The finish is layered, yet focused and fresh. While it did not drink nearly so well on day 2, this was easily the group wine of this night (with 3 first-place and 1 second-place vote).
2000 Domaine Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The 2000 Bois de Boursan is also excellent, coming across like a tighter and more tamped-down version of the ’98. Aromatically, it features a stronger band-aid component than its brother and then throws in notes of saddle leather, loamy earth, citrus, tomato plant, framboise and just a hint of that musky funk so prominent on the ’98. It is a bit fresher in feel on the palate, with stronger, more prickly acidity to be sure. The tannins are also notably stronger, though fairly plush in texture. It is substantially red-fruited and is showing plenty of fleshiness and density right now. Still, it never feels ponderous with that acidic crunchiness running through it and it finishes really easy and a bit airy. Again, this did not hold up well in the fridge overnight, but was a lovely wine on this evening.
2003 Domaine Chante Perdrix Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Coming on the heels of the previous set of wines, this one just did not cut it. First off, the nose is a bit off-putting with strong smells of rubber inner tube and over-ripe roasted fruit to go along with a huge streak of evergreen bark, green herbs and botanicals. Also, it is too obvious and too boisterous and seems to lack class or finesse. It feels heavily-extracted in the mouth, with huge tannins and a big shot of alcoholic warmth. Maybe this will improve way down the road, but I have no short-term interest in trying this again.
1999 Eric Texier Noble Rot ‘Botrytis’. From 500 ml bottle. While I think of Texier as a Rhone producer, I believe this sweet wine is actually made from Chardonnay grapes from the Macon. It is a tawny brown/caramel color. Super-sweet aromas of apricot marmalade, spun sugar, melted caramel and baklava coating are offset by fresher guava fruit, citrus peel and herbal notes. It is warm and viscous on the palate, but with a fine freshening acidity that makes it feel less heavy than it otherwise easily could. Marmalade fruit, lime juice, orange slice, fig and golden raisin flavors deepen and lengthen the longer this is allowed to sit in the glass. Eventually, it all comes together harmoniously and leaves a very pleasing impression that is a nice way to end a fine evening.
-Michael
