2007 Grand Veneur Chateauneuf du Pape
My first 07 CdP. Purple/ruby in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has dark cherries, black raspberries, black licorice, roasted meats and charred wood on it. Full bodied. On the palate, there is a concentrated quality at this young stage. Raspberries and black raspberries almost roasted fruit, but not quite. There is also a charred oak quality. I liked the fruit profile but did not find it youthful or vibrant. What I loved was the texture. This wine is quite lush and thick. It feels good. I will be curious how this evolves. This was $40 Ohio and compared the Cotes du Rhone Reserve from the same producer at $16 Ohio, this was not any better. Nicer texture, but not drinking as well today. I would assume this will age better over ten years. This is as much a testament to the quality of that wine as a knock on this one. 50+4+13+16+7=90
I thought this was a step above the CdR and will improve, so it was worth the extra coin to me. Your comment is a good one, though, and leads to what for me has been an obvious conclusion - buy big on '07 Cotes du Rhone. I have had several excellent examples (the Grand Veneur Reserve and Champauvins included) and keep finding new good ones. At current pricing, I expect to continue to stock up on several.