Châteauneuf-du-Pape

A friend of mine stopped by with a bottle.  My first reaction was that it was too young, so I was going to open an older bottle and then accidently opened this.  Glad I did.  While this will probably shut down, it was great.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is  clean with black cherry fruit along with roasted meats, smoke/char and a slight floral note.  Full bodied.  On the pallet, this is drinking great.  Delicious.  Black raspberry fruit over char.  Clean (how long has it been since this was an issue at Beaucastel?).  Nice finish.  Obviously young with silky tanni

Another great vintage in the southern Rhone valley in France.  Deep garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, black cherries, slight anise and floral notes (Violets?).  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cherries and dark cherries come thru with underlying spices and roasted herbs.  Nice texture.  Good balance.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well now and should continue to do so for the next seven to ten years.  It drinks well on its own but will work better with foods.  Ribs off the grill would be a nice choice.  

Excellent Rhone wine that is in a great place right now.  This bottle tasted much better and more mature than a bottle tasted two years ago.  That review can be found here:  https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2013-rotem-mounir-saouma-ch%C3%A2teaune...

Always one of the top Chateauneuf's and also a bit different than most due to the higher amounts of Mourvedre in the blend.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is classic Beaucastel which can be polarizing.  Black cherries, plums and a fair bit of barnyard.  Very earthy.  Full bodied.  On the palate, lots of black cherries and plums but cleaner earthiness than the nose.  Complex, deep and layered.  Long finish.  This is at peak right now if well stored.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  This drinks well on its own but will be better with food.  Braised meats or roasted ve

One of the top producers in Chateauneuf, at age 15, this is singing.  Deep garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with cherries, kirsch, licorice, slight dried flowers and spices.  Medium to full bodied.  What a great texture.  Lush yet energetic.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Lots of kirsch notes with underlying clean earthiness.  Complex and layered.  Long finish.  Sure seems just about at peak but should drink well for another ten years.  Great on its own, even better with food.  Stews or roasts would be great.  

Another new winery for me.  This was quite good.  A blend of 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvèdre.  Deep ruby in color with purple swirls.  Great nose of cherries, black cherries, floral notes, and spice.  Clean.  On the palate, this is medium bodied and quite concentrated.  Black cherries and cherries over a clean spice and earth.  Nice balance.  Good finish.  This still needs three to five years to maturity and should be good for ten after that.  It worked well with vegetarian chili.  

This performed above expectations.  It is in a really great place right now.  Purple in color with a thin ruby lip.  The nose is classic with black cherries, cherries, black olives, garrique and slight dried flowers.  This is a bit bigger than most vintages but still has that Charvin sinewy texture and energy.  It is not a big wine.  Nice black cherry fruit with a base of semi-clean earthiness.  Great balance.  Layers of depth and complexity.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This bottle seemed just about at peak but should be hears for at least another decade.  Drinks great on its own but will wo

This is still a bit on the young side but with a few hours of air, it drank well.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim.  Opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, spice, minerals, black raspberries and smoke.  On the palate, this is full bodied with a rich, lush texture.  Lots of juicy black and red raspberries with underlying pepper, and earthiness.  Good acidity.  Deep with tight layers that unwind in the glass.  Long finish.  This needs about three to five more years until peak and should drink great for ten to fifteen more after that.  It drinks great on its own and will work wel

This is drinking great and pretty much at peak.  Pop and pour, it took about 20 minutes to open and was good to go.  Purple in color with some ruby swirls with slight browning.  A bit flat and a bit shiny.  The nose is great with black cherries, spice, dried flowers, plums, minerals and slight char.  Medium bodied.  A nice backbone of acidity.  The palate has plenty of fruit left with plums and black cherries.  Underneath there is some minerality, spice and slight earthiness.  This has nice layering and complexity.  Nice finish.  Delicious.  At this stage, this works better with some food,

There is good news and bad news about this wine.  The good news is that it is one of the least expensive Chateauneuf du Papes in the marketplace.  The bad news is that in reality, there are lots of Cotes du Rhones that are better for less money.  That said, it is certainly a fine wine to drink.  It is a blend of 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 15% Cinsault, and 10% Syrah.  Deep ruby in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has tart cherries, cranberries with a bit of pepper.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the cranberries dominate with a touch of rhubarb.  One dimensional.  Easy drinking.