Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Friday, October 13, 2006
I would like to introduce you to another French blend, this one containing 13 different grapes. This comes from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of the Rhone Valley. These wines have an earthy quality to them and are more rustic than a Bordeaux. The main grapes are Syrah and Grenache followed by Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Muscardin, Cournoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan and Vaccarese. When you open a bottle you can definitely tell you have an interesting wine just by the bouquet. You can smell the black cherry and spice which also come thru on the taste. These wines are full bodied with a ton of finish that lingers on your tongue. The plump fruit starts the wine off but quickly changes to a more robust and layered flavor. This is one of the reasons I love French wines, they take the time to craft a great bottle, blending 2-3 and up to 13 different grapes. I still love my varietals but blends make for good conversation.
The bottle here is from Barton & Guetier, a large producer of wines from all over France. You can find this particular Chateuneuf-du-Pape at any wine store but look for smaller producers.
http://www.barton-guestier.com/english/accueil/index.htm
Posted by mardenhill 10/13/2006 10:29:00 PM
Labels: Wine
2 Comments:
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12:03 PM
When are you going to do a review of the cat wine?3:57 PMI am kj's aunt and was following links from her now dead blog. (Yeah, I know, but I'm home with a cold and bored) Anyway -- I was IN Chateau Neuf de Pape this summer and this has become one of my favorites, too. I've had very good California wines but after ten days of good French stuff I've been spoiled.
