"Four 1989 Châteauneuf-du-Papes and a Gigondas"
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#1. The color was a deep garnet, with a hint of brick. The nose was quite complex, with plenty of rich, smokey leather and black fruit. Canadian Zinfan noted nuances of licorice, bacon and pinecone, while Zinchick detected some cooked molasses. The Director added a hint of olives, which was seconded by most, while Chanteuse found a touch of mushroom. The Artist described "a distant elderberry breeze." On the palate, the wine was full-bodied and still quite tannic, yet approachable. It had gobs of prune and sweet black cherry flavors, with not so subtle hints of calamata olive and raisin. The finish wasn't overly long; what did linger was an earthiness that was not unpleasant. This continued to open for hours, and was better when tasted a second time. #2. This showed a similar dark garnet, with a bit more of the brick tone than the first selection. It had a dusty plum and prune nose, with a touch of cinnamon and currants, according to the Zinfan. The Director got raw steak and a little old cigar box, while Zinchick called out oyster shell, mineral, and talcum powder. And, how in hell did Chanteuse get "grape popsicle" from this?! Like the first wine, this was still tannic; however, it seemed to have less charm to compensate. We all found the medium bodied fruit to be dry, and less generous; the Zinfan described it as "flat, gravelly, and ever so slightly drying out." Zinchick, in particular, found this to be generally unpleasant, with "a dry finish that lingers longer than you want." This taster's impressions were not so unkind, but there was no denying that it suffered in comparison with the initial bottle. The Geek wondered if it wasn't over the hill. The Bookseller said he'd finish a bottle, but wouldn't buy another. #3. This immediately elicited "mmms" from several of the attendees. It had none of the mature brick tone to it's dark garnet color, and was denser in texture than the rest of the field (The Geek described it as "velvety"; a hint that it was a different animal?) The nose had a certain opulence, with rich, flowery, perfumed black fruit and raspberry that echoed in the flavors, with added blueberry, black raspberry, and leather nuances. It was quite acidic, and richer than the first two wines. The Artist described it as having "a roomful of flavor." Surprisingly, Zinchick described this as "barnyardy, with no fruit," but hers was definitely the minority opinion. #4. The next selection had the obligatory garnet/hint of brick color, and most were struck by its gamy nose. It exuded aromas of ripe burger, leather, tobacco, and horehound candy; the gaminess subsided somewhat to reveal prunes and black cherries, sweet spice, and anise. Zinchick's first impression was "dirt," which she found unpleasant. In the mouth, this was the least tannic, so far, with a nice, silky texture. The flavors showed none of the gaminess that was so prevalent in the nose; they echoed the other aromas and may have been the most complex of the bunch. (Again, Zinchick disagreed; she found it to be flat and tired.) It was The Artist's favorite wine of the flight. However, the ripe meat aroma detracted enough for most tasters to score it lower than they otherwise might have. #5. Another brick rimmed, dark garnet colored wine, with a dirty nose that initially overpowered any fruit, and never quite subsided. Some pruned, walnut shell, and potato notes managed to poke their way through with some air. Chartreuse was reminded of furniture polish. The flavors were rather metallic, though not in a bad way. Most found them to be not as deep as the rest of the competition. Perhaps surprisingly, C.Z. found this to feature "complex, integrated fruit flavors, with a medium long finish," and scored it higher than the others. Afterwards, scores were compiled, and the Gigondas was the upset favorite in the midst of the Châteauneuf du Papes by a clear three corks. This taster found it to be the richest, most seductive of the five, and is most pleased to have another five in "the cellar." The Results |
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The Gang of Pour
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