I bought some of these from another forumite a few days ago. I’m not sure about the theories of ‘travel shock’ or how long after delivery you should wait before busting. But as this was a reasonably youthful wine in terms of vintage I thought sod the possible ramifications!
I’m glad I did bust one after just 36 hours of delivery as it was firing on all pistons and certainly a different animal from the delicious 1999. The shot of Mediterranean scrubland blasts straight from the glass shattering into a myriad of complex fruit, spice, herb, leather and mineral suggestions. The underlying structure makes itself felt but is balanced with the pureness of fruit although this a surprisingly tannic Chateauneuf for a wine made from the 2000 vintage. A long, long finish ends this luscious experience.
Drinking beautifully right now (decant first is my recommendation) but there is another 10+ years of positive evolution to come. A beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf. 14.5%.
I have to admit ‘good’ Rhone Ranger wines are rare here in the UK.![[rofl.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/a/a7452fcd8e675af869f8da01174474a545b03944.gif "rofl"){kind=small}