One day I’ll drink something other than Chateauneuf!
Domaine de la Charbonniere Vieilles Vignes 1995 Chateauneuf
A recent purchase as it was priced so well at just $21 per bottle and as 1995 is about my favourite Chateauneuf vintage for drinking at the moment I bought the lot.
A very healthy ruby to the eye with no sign of bricking. It turns out that this is more of a full flavoured rustic styled, spice & tannin driven wine than a lush fruit driven one. I suspect that if there ever was a lot of fruit in its youth, it is now starting to drop out as opposed to becoming secondary. In fact this is the perfect food wine and certainly not a wine for the masses. Drink now over the next five years if you have any. 14%vol.
Chateau de la Nerthe 2000 Chateauneuf
I’ve always wanted to try a la Nerthe and I got the opportunity this weekend as uncharacteristically these days there were a couple of bottles a few days ago at TWS, and at not outrageous prices either! This was the standard bottling and priced nicely at $30 per bottle so I snapped them up.
Popped & poured, the style of these bottles (drunk the pair) is a curious one. There seems to be far less Grenache than I’m used too in Chateauneuf. It reminded me of a good, mature CdR as this lacks the structure & potential. Sure there is spice & good amounts of fruit present but there is a distinct lack of ‘ooomph’ but it certainly offers degrees of charm, warmth and mellowness! A shame as the 2000 vintage, along with 1995, are generally my ‘to drink now’ vintages. One day I shall try the Cuvee des Cadettes & hope is a little more structure & drama. Not a bad drop, just unappreciated by me! 13.5%vol
Barroche Pure 2006 Chateauneuf
What can I say about this vintage of 100% old vines Grenache other that it’s incredibly modern, has enormous concentration, is full of completely primary rounded sweet fruit, has huge tannins, some nice balancing acidity for the meaty sweetness… blah… blah… blah. In other words it’s a big sexy wine.
In fact most amazing part of the experience was the purity of its fruit (excuse the pun…). And throughout the wine remained seamless, poised and most importantly all in balance if that’s possible for such a youngster. Later it morphs showing violets, smoke, creosote, black pepper, molten liquorice and a touch of leather too underneath the multi faceted fruit. The freshness in the finish is quite incredible. Wow, I’m going to have to bust a 2005 after that but what a brilliant $45 wine. 15%vol
Clos des Papes 1995 Chateauneuf
Some here may know that my better half does not share my vinous pleasures. My ‘discovery’ was that if just give her a glass, without mention or explanation, than she generally loves what is given! The other night it was the turn of a 1995 Clos des Papes. This bottle was a beauty, still primary fruited and tannic with the usual Avril magic kick. Some secondary nuances come along and then the most perfect long memorable finish. A stunning wine with the stuffing to show whom the boss is. I adore Clos des Papes.
But what did the wife think? Well, she proclaimed this bottle to be one of the best wines she’d ever drunk! A result!
Pierre Usseglio Cuvee de mon Aieul 2000 Chateauneuf
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 different 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%.