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Pape That Chateauneuf!
 1997 Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape, $27.99, 14% alc.: There's no real rust to the smoky garnet color of this delicious Chateauneuf as of yet, and the aromatics, while initially reticent, emerge with some air to reveal lovely plum, prune, red currant and black cherry shaded with cola, smoke, leather and even a little bacon and cedar. The flavors echo and expand beautifully on the palate, with silky tannins, a nice long finish, and more and more cola that comes out with air. This might actually get better over the next year or two, but it's drinking awfully well right now. Excellent Red Rhône mojo for the boys wearing the winged wheel on their jersey.
1998 Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape, $34.99, 14% alc.: The nose on this ruby garnet is stingy at first, but it opens more and more, showing earthy, smoky plum, prune, leather and a hint of rotten leaves (but they're really GOOD rotten leaves). The flavors echo, really jacking it up a notch with rich fruit, soft tannins, plenty of acidity and a more than decent finish. It develops some cola and saddle leather character on the palate with air, and while it's drinking well now, it should continue to improve over the next three to five years. My only complaint with this otherwise fine Chateauneuf is that it retails for more than $30.
2000 Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape, $16.95, 14% alc.: This aggressive ruby dark garnet Chateauneuf du Pape shows a good dose of garrigue, a little bit o' bacon and nice, smoky dark plum, prune, black currant and blackberry on the nose, and the flavors pick it up five - fold, with power and exuberance. With a little time in the glass, the whole thing opens even more, accentuating the smoke and garrigue, with a nice long finish. Two hours in a decanter helps to soften the substantial tannins, and no doubt, but this is no wallflower; it should be singing on its 10th birthday, and beyond. Big and bold, this is some excellent CdP, especially at this price. A fine match for a grilled haunch of beast and a 3 - 1 Red Wing victory over the
Colorado Avalanche on enemy ice.
Chateau Fortia Wines are Imported by Wines of France, Inc., Mountainside, NJ
1997 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf du Pape Les Origines, $38.99, 14% alc.: Not quite inky, the character of this deep dark garnet is dominated by chocolate, with smoky black currant, black plums and little notes of earth filling out the profile. It's velvet smooth on the palate, despite some tannins that still need to be resolved, with fairly low acidity that enhances the plush texture. This drew mixed reviews, as Kim and Shar Douglas weren't exactly wild about it. Shar found it to be "sour and a little vegetal," while Kim found it "too soft, and short on the finish; I'm not saying I don't like the wine, I'm just saying that it's a little wimpy, that's all." I found it to have good density, a nice presence and a reasonably long finish, the main detraction being the chocolate-y "international" style expressed at the expense of a more typical Chateauneuf du Pape demeanor. Not a great CdP, but an interesting one.
Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd., Winchester, VA
 1999 Saint - Benoit Chateauneuf du Pape Grande Garde, $25.99, 13.5% alc.: This ruby dark garnet gives up grudging aromatics at first, but as it continues to open, more and more smoky plum, prune, blackberry and black cherry reveal themselves, along with a lovely note of violets. No such reticence in the flavors though, as they echo and expand on the promise of the nose right from the start, with silky tannins that let the fruit shine through, and enough acidity to keep things moving along nicely. Smooth, yet fairly dense, built on a medium full to full-bodied frame, this finishes nicely, even though that's where the tannins make themselves most apparent, turning just a little earthy. Excellent CdP character here, and a very good value for the money, but then, I've never had one of these that I didn't like. And of course, it still has its best days ahead of it. A terrific match for a marvelous
Red Wings - Avalanche game, with the Wings winning in overtime, 3-2.
An Eric Solomon / European Cellars Selection; Imported by European Cellars Direct, Charlotte, NC
1996 M. Chapoutier Chateauneuf du Pape La Bernardine, $43.99, 13.5% alc.: This ruby dark garnet reminds me more of a middleweight Aussie Grenache than it does Chateauneuf du Pape, with fairly rich flavors and aromas of black cherry, plum and raspberry on a medium to medium full bodied frame. It sports moderate tannins at most, with a moderately long finish, and while it's probably close to its peak, it doesn't have much in the way of Chateauneuf du Pape character. This impresses me as a good $15-20 red, but at the price listed, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Imported by Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL
1999 Domaine Font de Michelle Chateauneuf du Pape, $33.99, 14% alc.: This smoky dark garnet shows nice flavors and aromas of prune, plum, spice, smoke and hints of cola and root beer. Shar Douglas added impressions of "olives, or maybe capers." Smooth, with moderate tannins and good acidity, this is not as intense and concentrated as many Chateauneuf du Papes, but it is quite enjoyable in its own right. A solid light - heavyweight, this continues to open and improve over a few hours. My only complaint is that it's a bit overpriced for what's in the bottle.
Imported by Robert Kacher Selections, Washington D.C.
1998 Jean Marchand Chateauneuf du Pape Clos des Pontifes, $19.99, 13.5% alc.: This smoky ruby garnet isn't showing much on the nose at first, but gradually opens to show very nice smoke, cola - root beer and saddle leather, all of which echo and expand in the flavors; after an hour and a half, some plum and prune make themselves know, showing that there is indeed some fruit to be found here. Rich, perfumed and delicious, with good acidity, mostly resolved tannins and a silky smooth mouth feel, my only complaint is that the finish could last a little longer. Still, given the price point and the other positive attributes to be found here, I was quite happy to find this little lovely; I just wish there'd been a few more bottles on the shelf.
An Alain Junguenet Selection, Imported by Wines of France, Inc., Mountainside, NJ
A Gang of Pour - Rhône Reunion
It was a reunion of the original Gang of Pour, as Lowell "The Zinfidel" Boileau,
Scott "The Geek" Tobias and Stephen "The Savant" Goodfellow (with wife
Lauren [The Shrink] and son Ari) joined
Kim and this taster for lamb burgers, Red Rhônes and Red Wings hockey (with the sound turned down to accommodate Brazilian rhythms on the sound system). The Wings skated to an exciting 1 - 1 tie with the
Phoenix Coyotes, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Here's what we thought of the wines:
1999 Domaine les Pallieres Gigondas, 14% alc.: This dark garnet never has completely lost that certain "woody" aspect that it's shown since the
first time we tasted it a few years back, but it has become less pronounced, taking a more balanced role in the greater complexity of the wine. Aromatics are shy at first, but open gradually to reveal plum, blackberry and black cherry; these follow through on the palate with added accents of chocolate, a little earth, a whiff of smoke,
some bacon fat and the woodiness mentioned previously, and "The Geek" noted a "prune-y, raisin'y thing." Smooth, rich and very harmonious, this is more in the "International" style than traditional, and yet everyone was quite pleased with it, and it should continue to improve over at least the next few years.
Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkley, CA
2000 Château de Ségriès Lirac, $13.99: Another one that we first had a few years back, this ruby dark garnet shows some dark chocolate, black fruit and a kind of peanut butter thing on the nose flavors more or less echo, as they flesh out to reveal stewed prune, plum and blackberry. Tannins are moderate and soft, with good acidity and a decent finish, and although it's not exactly rustic, it's a little rough and chunky in a good way. Scott, who brought this, found it a little disappointing, but I think that it suffered only in comparison to the previously tasted Gigondas.
1998 Coudoulet de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône, $22.99, 13.5% alc.: Another one that took a while for the nose to open up, but once it did, Kim described it as "very pretty," as this dark garnet shows somewhat leathery plum, red currant and black cherry flavors and aromas. It's a little lean, but drinking well, with moderate tannins at most, good acidity and a nice finish. Lowell described it as having a "perfect pucker," and as it opens, it gets more and more leathery. While I've always thought that this bottling is overpriced, I have to admit that this one is pretty damned good.
Imported by Vineyard Brands, Inc., Birmingham, AL
1999 E. Guigal Gigondas, 13.5% alc: This dark garnet has a meaty, slightly animal, plum, prune and saddle leather character, with some underbrush on the finish. It features a sleek, almost silky mouth feel, along with discreet tannins that should allow it to continue to develop for at least a few more years. Not a blockbuster, this has a certain claret - like quality, and like the previous selection, the leather becomes more accentuated with air. Lowell brought this, because to him,
"Gigondas is my heart to the Rhône." This was certainly his Wine of the Night, and mine as well, but in fact, all four of the wines were quite enjoyable.
Imported by Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Inc., Solvang, CA
Two from Up North
1999 Alain Graillot Crozes Hermitage "La Guirauds," $19.99, 13% alc.: Almost opaque, this deep dark garnet exudes copious aromatics of bacon and garrigue that follow through on the palate with added black currant, black plum and pepper. Though it's not too tannic to drink right now with an hour or two in a decanter, it is somewhat astringent on the finish, as is typical for a young syrah, and it has the structure to make for a very fine glass of wine indeed on its tenth birthday. Excellent Red Wings mojo!
Imported by Europvin U.S.A., Oakland, CA
1996 Marcel Juge Cornas Cuvee C, $22.99, 13% alc.: The dusty, smoky red currant and plum aromatics of this ruby garnet are accented with bacon, garrigue and earth; these all follow through on the palate where the bacon and garrigue become more pronounced. Drinking pretty well right now, it's not too tannic, and shows decent acidity, with hints of chocolate emerging with air. Not as pretty as the
'95
version, this is more in the earthy underbrush spectrum, but it's a solid Cornas nevertheless.
Imported by Kent Beverage Co., Wyoming, MI
On to Not Your
Father's Gigondas
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