Châteauneuf-du-Pape

An outstanding CdP.  A blend of 60% Grenache, 25% Mourvèdre and the rest Counoise, Vaccarèse and Muscardin.  This is ripe, juicy and delicious if not the "classic" CdP in style.  Purple in color, ruby swirls.  On the nose this has boysenberries, sandalwood, char and slight floral notes.  On the palate, this is juicy with big boysenberry fruit.  There is a nice under layer of spice.  Long finish.  One of those wines that each sip tastes so good you want to have another.  It will be interesting to see this age and lose the baby fat.  Probably should last another fifteen years anyway.  Will wo

Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has cherries, slight cough syrup, some anise and spice.  Nice.  On the palate, this has a lovely juicy but velvety texture.  Cherries and cherry cough syrup with some underlying spices.  Nice finish.  Very food friendly.  This still is a bit young and another few years of cellaring will be beneficial.  If not,, give it some air now.  

This is young but wonderful.  It should improve a bit over the next couple of years.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  Great nose of black cherries, cloves, black olives and black pepper.  Lovely juicy full (glycerin) texture.  On the palate, black cherries and in a really good way, light cherry cough syrup.  Some vanilla.  Long finish.  This has plenty of depth but its hard to find layers at this young stage.  Still, it is delicious and would work with hearty foods.  Better yet, wait 3 to 5 years and drink over the next ten or so.  

This retailed for under $30 so it was a fine value.  Though the vintage was exceptional this is not a great wine, but certainly solid.  Ruby in color.  The nose has some cherries and a bit of spice.  On the palate, the cherries continue.  A bit tart and a bit light.  No tannins.  I doubt this gets better.  It should work well enough at the dinner table with most foods.  

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.  

Slightly better than a recently tasted 2006.  Purple, ruby at the rim.   Raspberries and boysenberries, with licorice, floral and spice on the nose.  A lot of complexity. Amazing texture. Lush, supple and sexy all at once. Perfectly balanced.  Tannins seem about resolved.  Long finish.  This seems to be at peak right now but should stay over the next few years depending on bottle variation.  Will work with a wide variety of food at this point, but heavier foods would be better.  

One of the great producers in the Southern Rhone and one of the few who doesn't have a super pricey luxury cuvee and so everything goes into the basic wine.  The price on new releases does hover into three digits now, but it is well worth it.  This was pop and pour and while it may have benefited from 30 minutes of air, it is drinking very well right now.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has raspberries, clay, and garrique.  On the palate, this has a beautiful texture.  Black cherry fruit layered with spice and minerals/rocks.  Complex.  Probably at or close to peak.   Will work

Such a pretty wine.  Much more on the elegant side of CdP.  Drinking at what seems to be at peak right now.  Purple with ruby swirls.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight cedar, nutmeg and other spices.  On the palate, this is soft and accessible.  Still, deep and with tight layering.  It gently unwinds in the glass.  Nice finish.  This works easily with medium and heavier foods.  Vary tasty.  Not a dominant wine, this will work better on its own than with a bunch of wines.  

Wow.  Great wine that has really opened up in the last year.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, spice, and slight floral notes (violets?).  On the palate, virtually a seamless texture.  Full bodied and full of glycerin.  Loads of black cherries and black raspberries.  Light tannins.  An underlying minerality.  Long finish.  Needs a bit bigger foods.  Just delicious.  Still has a decade or two left in it.  One of thos sips you can't stop drinking as it tastes so good.  

This has really come into its own and is drinking quite well right now.  Still youthful and not yet at peak though.  Purple in color.  The nose is bigger and excellent with cherries, violets, black olives, black raspberries, slightly meaty and spice.  On the palate, this is primary but deep.  it starts to open in the glass but still needs a few more years.  Lots of concentrated black raspberry fruit, cherries with just a bit of earth and spice.  Nice balance.  Long finish.  It needs heartier foods right now but should last for another 12 to 15 years at least.