2003 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Found this lost in my cellar. From an historically hot vintage, I had little hope for this wine, but opened it anyway. I was wrong again. What a lovely CdP. This is not their luxury cuvée, so perhaps that helped get the less ripe grapes, but at age 21, this bottle was excellent. Purple in color with some ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, some black raspberries, "purple" flowers, slight barnyard and spice. Medium to full bodied. Wispy tannins. lovely, juicy texture. On the palate, black cherries with depth and complexity. Good finish. The bottle got drained quickly. Still, these should probably be consumed sooner than later. It went well with pizza with black olives and veggies.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2003

2018 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2018

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$37.00USD

This is a luxury cuvee for this wine who make a few different CdP's. It is a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 20% Mourvedre. Purple in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has raspberries, black cherries, garrigue, pepper and black olives. Full Bodied. On the palate, this is drinking well now. Very concentrated notes of black cherries and black raspberries with underlying pepper and smoke. This has a long finish. It will improve over the next five to seven years but either way will drink well for the next twelve to fifteen years. Great on its own, but better with grilled

2005 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2005

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$120.00USD

This is in a great place right now (as seem to be many of the top 2005 CdP's). Garnet in color, mostly opaque and bright. The nose has black cherries, slight black raspberries, char, black pepper, nutmeg and black pepper. With air some dried flowers and roasted meats. Full bodied. Complex and layered. This is a big, "masculine" styled type of CdP. On the palate, black cherries, with layers of forest floor, spice and earth. Lively acidity. Good balance. Long finish. This bottle is at peak but should have another five to seven years at this level. Great on its own, it will be even

2003 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Vintage:

2003

Score:

Grade:

A-

Current Price:

$60.00USD

The basic Châteauneuf from this producer from a very HOT vintage. Truthfully, I was surprised to find this in the cellar and wasn't sure it would have held up. Wrong. It drank great. Perhaps not the complexity of other vintages, but lots of delicious fruit made for a very nice drink. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose offers up plums, black cherries, some spice, and a bit of black olive. Medium bodied. Tannins all resolved. Full bodied, smooth texture. On the palate, plums, cherries and black cherries with slight char. Nice finish. This needs to be consumed sooner than

2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2003

Score:

Grade:

Current Price:

$110.00USD

This was a bit of a controversial wine on release due to the hot vintage and the extracted nature of the wine. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose has black cherries, spice, and slight earthiness. On the palate, this has calmed down since release. There are nice black cherries, but it is not hot or over ripe. Plenty of depth. It has settled into adulthood quite well. Layers of fruit, earth and spice. Nice finish. It works well with grilled peppers or probably most grilled foods. It won't get better and probably should be drunk in the next five to seven years, perhaps a few

2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo, France, Rhone, Wine Review

Vintage:

2003

Score:

Grade:

A+

Just an amazing wine. This was a vintage with a lot of heat, some wines got jammy and while this is a big wine, it is definitely under control. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is complex. Lots of black cherries, black raspberries, with grilled meats, and some anise. Clean, no barnyard. The texture is amazing. A great example of a sexy wine. On the palate, loads of black cherry fruit. Depth. No hint of the 16% Alcohol. Long finish. This probably still has some room for improvement and certainly no hurry on it.

2003 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France, Rhone, Wine Review

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