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*Offsite events are contracted to and coordinated by a 3rd party, and are in no way affiliated with Chambers Street Wines.
These wines come from our friend T, who had a very simple answer when I asked why he was selling: “I have too much wine!” He started drinking Chateauneuf-du-Pape when he was fairly new to wine (not to date him, but that was a long time ago, and he now has a lot of tasting and drinking experience!). He immediately liked the wines because they were accessible, distinctive, and identifiable, and just plain delicious. He loves the various expressions of Chateauneuf that reflect the terroir and the style of the producer – what he describes as either red fruit (strawberry and raspberry), or dark fruit (plum, dark berries); for him the best Chateauneuf has distinctive “garrigue” aromas and flavors – the evocative French word for the wild landscape of Provence, redolent of herbs and stone. T is a good cook, and he thinks Chateauneuf is an ideal wintery wine, great with stews and braises, “amazing with lamb and Provencal herbs.”
As is true for many places, T notes changes in Chateauneuf from the days when he fell in love with the wines. While he thinks there are some good producers who continue to make wines in a balanced and elegant style (Brunel, Charvin, Clos du Mont Olivet, Marcoux, Pegau, Vieux Telegraphe, for example), he’s not a fan of the super-ripe, super-rich wines that have been very influenced by the taste of certain wine critics. With the exception of Bonneau Celestins and Beaucastel’s Hommage a Jacques Perrin, he characterized the 100 point super-cuvees as “revolting – not wine to drink with anything.” T doesn’t like obtrusive oak in wine, and he feels the new trophy wines are way over-oaked (and so are a lot of the lower-level cuvees). The question in Baltimore, home town to both T and RP (RP in winespeak means: Robert Parker), is not how good the wine tastes, but “what’s Parker’s score?” But fundamentally T thinks the wines are still very good despite the bad rap they get from some quarters just because Parker loves Chateauneuf. Here I blush… but when I read recently about a sushi dinner that RP reported on, I was amazed that he chose Chateauneuf for the evening…
T likes many of the vintages on offer here – particularly the less structured, somewhat cooler years (in his book, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2000, 2006) that give what he feels are wines that express the best of Chateauneuf. He finds that after the first 2-3 years the wines shut-down somewhat (although Grenache, the primary grape in all of the wines, is always more generous in that regard than some other varieties). After another 5-6 years the wines emerge again in their mature phase when they are the most complex and expressive; the good wines continue to shine for many years. That means that these wines are now in their prime. They should make for great drinking! Jamie Wolff
Brunel - Les Cailloux 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire
Centenaires: Grenache 80%, Syrah 10%, Mourvedre 10%, from vines 30-100 years old; aged in a combination of large old barrels, and 1-3 year old barriques. Bottled unfiltered.
Brunel - Les Cailloux 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire
Centenaires: Grenache 80%, Syrah 10%, Mourvedre 10%, from vines 30-100 years old; aged in a combination of large old barrels, and 1-3 year old barriques. Bottled unfiltered.
Charvin 2000 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
8.2 hectare of vines; only one bottling is produced: Grenache 85%, Syrah 5%, Mourvedre 5%, Vaccarese 5%; aged for 18 months in concrete, and bottled unfiltered.
Charvin 2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
8.2 hectare of vines; only one bottling is produced: Grenache 85%, Syrah 5%, Mourvedre 5%, Vaccarese 5%; aged for 18 months in concrete, and bottled unfiltered.
Ferrand 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
5.5 hectares of vines, one bottling produced: Grenache 90%, with 10% Syrah, Mourvedre, and Cinsault; aged 12-14 months in concrete and stainless steel, bottled unfiltered.
Grand Veneur 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Origines
Origines: Grenache 50%, Mourvedre 30%, Syrah 20%, from 65+ year old vines; aged in new barriques and bottled after a light filtration.
Grand Veneur 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape
14.5 hectares of vines. Chateauneuf is Grenache 70%, Syrah 20%, Mourvedre 10%, aged 12 months in barriques, and bottled with a light filtration.
Grand Veneur 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Origines
Origines: Grenache 50%, Mourvedre 30%, Syrah 20%, from 65+ year old vines; aged in new barriques and bottled after a light filtration.
Marcoux 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Chateauneuf: Grenache 80%, Mourvedre 10%, 5% each Syrah and Cinsault; aged 16-18 months in a combination of concrete, large oak, with the Syrah and Mourvedre in barriques; bottled unfiltered.
Pegau 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee
18.5 hectares under vines. Reservee is Grenache 85%, Syrah 9%, Mourvedre 4%, and 2% others. Aging is 18 months in large old barrels; the wine is bottled unfiltered.
Pegau 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
18.5 hectares under vines. Reservee is Grenache 85%, Syrah 9%, Mourvedre 4%, and 2% others. Aging is 18 months in large old barrels; the wine is bottled unfiltered.
Sabon 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Prestige
16 hectares of vines. Prestige is Grenache 60%, Syrah 15%, Mourvedre 10%, and the balance Cinsault, Terret Noir, Vaccarese, and Muscardin, from vines over 90 years old. Aged 65% in large barrels, and 35% in mostly new barriques. Bottled unfiltered.
Usseglio, Pierre 2005 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Mon Aieul
Mon Aieul is Grenache 95% and Syrah 5% from vines over 80 years old. Aged 14-16 months in concrete, and bottled unfiltered.