The posts are a couple of days behind, it is Thursday and today's topic is Tuesday... The Mistral stopped blowing and today has been still, so that is my excuse. The topics coming are for this post a trip through the other side of Chateauneuf du Pape and a post which will follow on a very nice provencal rose from our trip to St Remy yesterday.
There are not words enough for Chateauneuf du Pape. We have vacationed here now for 5 consecutive years and the region enchants us. I have come to measure much of what I tasted based upon this region, and specifically upon Chateauneuf. These are wines which are good young, but given age they can become spectacular with their nuances. As we all know, there are 13 grape varieties allowed in red CdP. These red wines tend to be dark in color, have a nose of black cherries and red fruits, licorice, and leather- I find some of them peppery or smoky as well, the acids and tannins are well balanced. As they age I sense more dried fruit and leather or tobacco in many of the wines.
I am going to focus on two parts of our day: first, our visit to Clos St. Michel (which is an annual event for us) and our dinner. Sadly, as I mentioned in a prior post, La Mere Germaine has been sold and is not yet reopened. I have always viewed that as the village's center-piece restaurant. With it gone, my only reason to go into the village is to get photos or to visit; otherwise, I can entirely stay out of the old village except to pass through. That said, we had a wonderful dinner at Chateau les Fines Roches and we would highly recommend it. The ambiance is excellent, the food was well prepared, and the service was impeccible. We could not eat outdoors- which we previously had done- because of the Mistral.
Every year we visit Clos St Michel, speak with the "madame," and taste the wines. She has done a vast amount to educate us about CdP. Our cellar reflects this fact with a reasonable vertical of their wines. This year we began with the 2008 CdP Blanc (straw colored, a nose of honey, fruits, and flowers, well balanced acids and minerality, and a fine finish with a reminder of the fruit and honey). After that we tasted the 2006 CdP (dark, red fruits and black cherries, tobacco, and a bit of tannin- still young and needs to rest of a bit in the cellar). We finished with Reserve 2000 CdP which is just beginning to hit its peak. The fruits are taking on a different character with more dried fruit aromas, there is a more pronounced smokiness, and the tannins are softening; we have this in the cellar and are going to hold it for a bit longer. Madame reminded us, that for her taste, it is best to age Chateauneuf for at least 12 years. She previously had made this point to us, but unfortunately we have been drinking these wines while they are young- very good but not at their prime. We finished the tasting with their Cotes du Rhone which is designed to drink now- Camille 2009.
Clos St Michel is a reliable producer and the wines are good. We have aged them and they are predictable in how they will evolve. I strongly recommend them. They can be obtained at most "Total Wine" stores in the states. Although it is fun to drink them young, save the majority for what they become with aging.
Chateau les Fines Roches. We have had pleasant meals there previously; and when the opportunity to dine on their terrace has been present the ambiance has been impressive. Our meals were outstanding- they clearly have elevated themselves to a high level of quality. Atypically, we ordered the same meal. Amuse bouche was a miniture croc monsieur with a cheese puff. There was a wonderful gazpacho. The salad was simple but perfect. The entree was pork tenderloin wrapped in a very lean ham with polenta. Dessert was roasted figs with vanilla creme. For the wine I went with the 2005 Fines Roches. Although young, this paired with the meal perfectly. I had wanted to have the 1993 Henri Bonneau, but this was not a financial reality.
The wines from CdP are consistently excellent, and I think they improve every year. There are some producers who follow a more traditional style while others adopt a more modern taste; I absolutely see a place for each and appreciate the nuances they bring with them. Our drive-by of Beaucastel was predictably unsuccessful; they previously had told me that they would be unable to accommodate us because of the harvest. I met others who had tried to visit earlier this summer and were turned away because of inability to accommodate everyone requesting a reservation. They are on the other side of CdP which I previously had never visited.
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