first things first, who can guess the grape varietal in the last photo?

this wine is the post which was intended for this morning about the wine from last night. of course, the delay has given me an opportunity to retaste the wine after 24 hours of exposure to air. i have discussed wines from this producer already; their portfolio in the southern rhone is quite broad. i have tasted most of the wines they make. as the photo's hint, this is a chateauneuf du pape. how does a cdp come into the price range? this wine was a special purchase by the pennsylvania lcb and thus was on sale for about half of the stated price. we bought 3 cases, after this bottle is done the remainder go into the cellar to rest for several years.

unlike the "grand wines" from this producer which have a strong contribution from mouvedre, grenache predominates in this wine with a healthy dose of mouvedre and syrah. as with any "second" or "third" wine, it is unfair to compare this wine with its more robust brethern. this is a 2004 wine. of note, based upon my search today it is no longer available (8300 cases made). but given that the subsequent 3 vintages were exceptional, the producer's primary wines from those vintages were outstanding, and the economy has tanked, it is a safe bet that if you see one of these later vintages at a good price that it will be an excellent bargain. this is a reliable producer.

the wine is dark ruby and almost inky. the nose has tar, chocolate, and cherries. in the mouth the fruit is quite forward with red cherries, dark chocolate, herbs, and tar. the finish has a hint of smoke with well balanced tannin- although the smokiness is not as prominent as in many cdp's. when tasted the next day the fruitiness has softened and smoke, chocolate, and garrique have come forward. based upon nearly 2 years of tasting this wine, i think it is getting ready to undergo a radical transformation from a very good effort to something quite special. a couple of quiet years in the cellar should allow this wine to develop a more sublime character.

this is perrin et fils 2004 chateauneuf du pape les sinards. again, this wine is not available but illustrates my point from several posts ago: this is a reliable producer who has made a good mid-range wine during a quirky vintage. this wine, like all of the wines from perrin et fils, is a safe bet. the other wines from perrin are the various chateau beaucastel offerings including coudoulet de beaucastel, perrin et fils, and vielle ferme. this is an exceptional range of very good to excellent wines, just beware of wine shop and restaurant mark-ups.

for those of you who are not fans of the southern rhone relief is in sight, tonight i am tasting another palcb special purchase which is offered at a ridiculously low price. sorry, no more hints because i want to get some before it sells out.