Decanterberry Tales - A Willamette Valley Wine Blog - chateauneuf-du-pape tag

Domaine du Galet des Papes, Chateauneuf du Pape, 2005

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 04:30:58 GMT

So here we are on inauguration night. We made a really nice dinner. We had some friend over. So what to drink? As a kick-in-the-butt-on-the-way out to Bush we drank French! And after some champagne, this was our first bottle of red.

Our friends just love Chateauneuf du Pape, and are usually adept at finding lovely bottles. Though, I have to say that I can't remember many bad bottles of the stuff. And this one was particularly good.

The nose was just full of spice. Cinnamon at first, then nutmeg, then clove. Super spicy! Under that was some red cherry. Elizabeth immediately tasted green apple and carob. I got red cherry and raisin. And later, the taste slowly got spicier: pepper and then cayenne. There was also some citrus of some kind (though we drank it right away). And just for an instance, here and there, there was vanilla. But unlike American or Spanish oaking, this was sort of illusive, and really nice. Just enough to tease (and please). But the taste and finish kept changing and evolving over the time we drank it. There was also something vegetable in there too. Rhubarb? Carrot? Fennel? We couldn't tell exactly, but we all agreed it was there. The finish went back to the cherry and spice, but also had manure and peat.

This was really tasty!

Cost:

Rating: 8.5

Perrin, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Les Sinards, 2005

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:23:51 GMT

We were in Destin, Florida of all places for Thanksgiving. Denise's brother and his family are living there. Yeah, it's the Florida panhandle, but it does have that green water and white sand beaches. Quite lovely.

We ended up at Chan's Wine World, apparently the best place to buy wine there. They had a decent selection of wines, especially French and Californian. To my chagrin, there was only a couple Oregon Pinot Noirs. But then, I had to buy one -- A to Z, 2006 -- and it wasn't as good as it is here in Portland. Seriously. Maybe the travel wasn't so good for that bottle.

Anyway, we bought this Chateauneuf-du-Pape to have with the Turkey feast. Denise has been a fan of Perrin for a long time. We bought a case of their 2000 'Reserve' Cotes du Rhone a number of years ago (a really decent CdR for about $10). Anyway, Perrin is apparently going well, and they make a number of wines now -- including a Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The card next to the price claimed it scored 91 with Robert Parker. So it has to be good, right? Maybe.

The nose was very nice: red cherry, pepper, vegetable, oregano. And then later, the nose had vanilla, nutmeg, and strawberry. The taste was predominantly red cherry, pomegranate, green bean, and was earthy. Later there was raisin too. The finish was raisin, some branches and stems, pomegranate, and that green apple pucker (really dry).

Bottomline: I can't say that we liked this so much. No, it wasn't bad. I'm not saying that. Denise wanted to like it, and said it was "flirty". But compared to other CndPs, it wasn't all-that. And especially for the price -- next time I'll grab something else. Even Denise had to agree. Bummer.

Cost:

Rating: 7.5

Domaine Bressy-Masson, Rasteau, Cotes du Rhone Villages, 2007

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:06:50 GMT

Here's another recommendation from Liner and Elsen (local wine shop). Apparently, this is pretty much a Chateauneuf-du-Pape white. But since just down the road, it's not technically within the appellation, it can't be labeled as such. So a Chateauneuf-du-Pape without the cost was the idea.

And I have to say this was really enjoyable. The nose was pear, herby: basil, and a hint of spearmint. The taste was a tart lemon, and pear. The finish brings that basil back along with the lemon. And that finish keeps getting more tart as it goes long (it doesn't begin tart). It has a good mouthfeel: not too thick, and not too thin (about a 2% milk equivalent).

Denise liked it, despite that it's a white (she doesn't usually like the whites). She said it smelled like a smelly sock (but in a good way, apparently). We drank this with our friends Patrick and Signe. And Signe really likes white on a hot day (though usually drinking strictly dry Rieslings); she really liked this one.

Cost:

Raiting: 7.5

Domaine des Relagnes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2004

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:06:07 GMT

The nose was mossy, black cherry, dirt (earthy), currant, fir (animal), rock, thyme, and lavendar (yeah, there was a lot to smell in that glass!). The taste was almost sweet -- very cherry. Red cherry. There was also moss and potting soil. The finish had short hints of mineral, and quickly went back to red cherry -- which lingered on and on.

Cost:

Rating: 8.0