~$25US, approx 80% Grenache, 20% Syrah, Gigondas, Southern Rhone, France.

I had fun with this one…Saw the single ‘99 sitting in a bin-end & having read great things about Barruol and the Gigondas appellation but never having the opportunity to try either, I bit. I had intended to pick up a Chateauneuf, but I couldn’t miss an opportunity to try something new.

Popped and decanted on Saturday. Had a sip and it tasted good - but the fruit, alcohol and herbiness seemed out of wack. Ended up drinking beer…Put it back in the bottle after 3-4 hrs in the decanter, recorked and threw it in the fridge.

Sunday afternoon, I took it out of the fridge and let it warm up a touch. Beautiful. The time had softened the wine considerably - to almost Pinot-Noir suppleness. Really exciting stuff coming into play. The Thyme/Sage herbal flavors really locked themselves into sweet strawberry and red cherry juice. Great acidity and medium body. Firm and lengthy finish; after all this playing around, the end-grip balanced the fruit’s fullness perfectly.

After nearly a decade, this wine was showing all kinds of beautiful, and had the cojones to go another 10 in bottle. This is a tough wine, but kinda  tough in it’s principals and resolve more than brute force or brawn.

While Chateauneuf-du-Pape is getting expensive and trendy (though always near and dear),  I’ll be buying up all the older Gigondas that I see, thank you very much. And playing with wine for a day or two can be really rewarding.

~$30US, 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, 5% Syrah, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, France
Deep crimson. Very tight on the nose and palate. WAY too young - this wine should be put away for at least 5-7 years, or opened at least 24 hours before you intend to drink it. I had this open for about 8 hours before it starting to put itself together. Red cherries, oregano, thyme, leather, and some interesting Mourvedre gameyness. A slightly unusual blend with a relatively high Cinsault component which may influence the overall taughtness.  Definitely on the elegant side of C-d-P, which I admire, but I felt that I had thrown the baby out with the bathwater opening this too soon. I think patience will be rewarded if you can sit on this one for awhile.

~$US35, 85% Grenache, remainder Mourvedre, Syrah, etc. Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, FranceLess opaque than expected, but a nice garnet hue. Killer nose that just gave and gave and gave. The kind of wine you could just sniff and be satisfied for the evening. Explosive red cherries, serious cigar box (like Cuban Bolivars in a cedar cabinet), some herbal tones of basil and fennel and anise. Rich, but not reductive or jammy. The palate showed signs of serious craftsmanship and longevity for a wine in this price range. Medium-bodied, but deeply flavorful and dry, but not tannic. While enjoyable shortly after opening, the wine still was tight after 6 hours of decanting - not tight in a bad way because the flavors were all there the whole time. The wine simple put itself together continuously organizing the tannins, fruit, herbs, wood, acidity, etc in a way that become more and more harmonious.An excellent wine all said and done - one that you might pair with a good dry-aged steak. I think you’d have to enjoy a flavor-profile that favors herbs and cedar with fruit 2nd (I do!) to really enjoy this. This definitely has a long lifespan ahead, and if I get another bottle, I’ll wait till 2010. This is one of those wines, that despite all the recent popularity and hoopla, shows me why C-d-P is so near and dear to my heart. Big thanks to the 3 Wine Guys for the heads up on this bottle.