14.5% abv. This is the first one opened from a box of six that I bid on at a charity auction at the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend a few years ago. The box was temporarily “lost” and then relocated. I will probably open another bottle in two or three years and then space the remaining bottles out a year or two apart.
Some viscosity. The nose suggests dark ripe fruits and Provencal herbs. On the palate I found blackberry and raspberry in a full-bodied wine with a lengthy finish. I don’t find it appallingly overripe (as some do) but it likely was an atypical, riper grapes than usual, vintage for Chateauneuf du Pape. I enjoyed it this summer and suspect I will like it even more in a few years. One evening I had it with broiled strip steak and baked potato and another evening with broiled lamb chops and au gratin potatoes.