Super Chateauneuf Du Pape tasting at Wine Watch Wine Bar

Like a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape · I'm fine like wine when I start to rap · We need body rockin', not perfection · Let me get some action from the back section – Beasty Boys

We have an incredible collection of Chateauneuf Du Pape in the store right now so I thought it was time to host our first annual Super Chateauneuf Du Pape tasting here at the new Wine Watch Wine Bar.  This is one of France’s most prized wine regions and at one time one of the most counterfeited wines on the planet!  It was here that France’s AOC laws originated, they drew up a set of laws to guarantee the authenticity and the origin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the rest of France followed. 

Join us as we experience 10 different Chateauneuf Du Papes going back to the 1998 vintage.  There are only 14 spaces available for this event and the fee for this tasting is $95 + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

For those of you that can’t make the tasting I have included every bottle of this magical elixir that we have in the store after the info about this event.

Super Chateauneuf Du Pape Wine Tasting at Wine Watch Wine Bar
Friday, May 5, 2017
7:30 PM

2013 Brunier Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf Du Pape Blanc   
Price: $72.00    Sale $63.36

1998 Domaine Janasse Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vigne MAGNUM
Price: $295.00    Sale Price: $240.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(94 points)  Dark and surprisingly brawny, with bacon fat, prune, cocoa and toast notes leading the way. Hints of cedar and beef chime in on the slightly chewy finish, which shows a roasted edge. Has impressive power, but the note of torrefaction is atypical for the vintage.--1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. Drink now through 2020. 1,000 cases made. –JM (9/2007)  Wine Spectator

1998 Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape   
Price: $120.00    Sale Price: $99.00
Quantity in Stock: 5

(96 points) The 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape from the Michel family was firing on all cylinders for this retrospective, and while I’ve had bottles stateside that seem tired, this was beautiful on all accounts. Garrigue, truffle, leather and plenty of ripe fruit flow to a full-bodied, mouth filling and unctuously textured feel on the palate. A classic, foudre-aged blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and the rest other permitted varieties. (JD) (8/2015) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2003 Clos Des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape   
Price: $150.00    Sale Price: $110.00
Quantity in Stock: 2

(98 points)   A great bottle and showing the hallmark elegance of the estate, the 2003 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape offers up a kirsch liqueur, liquid flower, red licorice and spice-box driven bouquet along with a full-bodied, seamless, silky profile on the palate. Still beautifully put together and aging gracefully, with a core of sweet fruit, it is certainly drinking well now, yet should continue to hold and drink nicely through 2020.  eRobertParker.com #207 Jun   2013

2004 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf Du Pape Vielles Vigne
Price: $147.00    Your Price: $129.36
Quantity in Stock: 6

(95 points) I still consider the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes from the Armenier Sisters one of the wines of the vintage, and it's rare to find another wine with this much texture and richness. As normal, it's slightly darker in color than the traditional cuvee and offers beautiful sweetness in its red and black fruits, garrigue, olive tapenade and spice aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied, still fresh, concentrated and elegant, it's drinking at point but will keep nicely through 2024. (JD) (10/2016) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2005 Clos du Mont Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape La Cuvee du Papet   
Price: $95.00    Sale Price: $75.00
Quantity in Stock: 3

(94 points)  Made from 75% Grenache and 15% Syrah, the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape la Cuvee du Papet is deeper and richer than the classic cuvee. It exhibits gorgeous notes of sweet cherry and currant-like fruit, iron, garrigue and olive tapenade. This is followed by a full-bodied, structured, layered and concentrated Châteauneuf du Pape that has the balance and class to continue to evolve for another 10-15 years. 94+ (JD) (2/2015)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2006 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf Du Pape Vielle Vignes
Price: $175.00    Your Price: $154
Quantity in Stock: 7

 (95 Points) One of the vintage’s blockbusters is the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes, with even higher alcohol (16.2%) than the 2007. It offers lovely notes of black fruits, truffle oil, roasted meats, beef blood, black raspberries, abundant kirsch, and a hint of roasted Provencal herbs. On a much faster evolutionary track than the 2007, it is a layered, multi-dimensional effort displaying a finish that lasts nearly 60 seconds. Some unresolved tannins in the finish suggest this wine should be cellared for 2-3 years, and consumed over the following two decades. Wine Advocate # 179, Oct 2008

2006 Jean Marie Royer Chateauneuf Du Pape   
Price: $60.00    Sale Price: $40.00
Quantity in Stock: 5

2007 Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf Du Pape Les Quartz  
Price: $100.00    Sale Price: $80.00
Quantity in Stock: 7

(96 points) The 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape les Quartz (85% Grenache and 15% Syrah) is another tour de force from this incredible vintage in the Southern Rhône. Ripe, full-bodied, supple and seamless, with sensational notes of roasted meats, incense, black currants, leather and spice, this beauty has tons of mid-palate depth, sweet tannin and a huge finish. It’s drunk nicely since release and will easily keep for another decade. (JD) (2/2017) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2009 Domaine Marcoux Chateauneuf du Pape   
Price: $73.50    Your Price: $64.68
Quantity in Stock: 6

(92 points) The 2009 Chateauneuf du Pape is showing slightly better out of bottle than it did last year. A blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre and the rest Syrah and Cinsault, the wine has a deep plum/purple color and a sweet nose of raspberries, ground pepper, white flowers and licorice. It is full-bodied, opulent, and difficult to resist. It should drink well for 15 or more years. (10/2011)  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

Menu
Tomme De Rabelais and ComtE Cheese
Tuna tartar with wild mushrooms and savory herbs
Rosemary rubbed New Zealand Lamb Chops with sweet potato Soufflé

The fee for this Tasting is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about Chateauneuf Du Pape

Alphonse Daudet, the French writer, once called Châteauneuf-du-Pape the "Wine of Kings and the King of Wines."  The wines of this region with the easy sounding name have been legendary for hundreds of years.  In 1309 a French Cardinal was elected Pope Clement V.  Because there was much strife between the French King and Rome, Pope Clement chose to remain in France.  The Pope, formerly the Bishop of Bordeaux, owned his own vineyard in the Graves district of Bordeaux (now known as Château Pape-Clement and one of the better properties of Graves); and he was very interested in cultivating vines in the new papal residence he established in Avignon.  It was really Clement's successor, Pope John XXII, who did extensive planting of vineyards and constructed a castle outside of Avignon, called the Châteauneuf-du-Pape or "new house of the Pope."  This was an affluent time in Avignon; many parties were thrown and much wine was drunk.  Although wine had been grown in the surrounding villages for 150 years, it was the papacy that spread the fame of these wines from Avignon.

In the 1920's some of the growers at Châteauneuf-du-Pape became really concerned about the amount of "foreign" wine being sold as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The late Baron Le Roy, the proprietor of Château Fortia, one of the great estates of the district, drew up a set of laws to guarantee the authenticity and the origin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  These laws later became the model for France's Appellation Contrôllée laws and were later copied by the Germans, the Spanish, and the Italians.  Although the laws have been in force for some years, it is common knowledge that there is still a great amount of illegitimate wine labeled Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The local growers and estate owners realize that one of the problems is that 80% of the wine is made and bottled at facilities outside the district; this obviously leaves room for tremendous abuse.  We have found many Châteauneuf-du-Papes from shippers to be variable in quality, and we recommend only those wines that have been estate bottled within the district.  In order to make these wines more identifiable to the consumer, the growers use a bottle with the old papal coat of arms.  We enthusiastically recommend these wines and urge that you avoid almost all the plain-bottle négociant wines (shipper's blends).

Besides the great difference between estate-bottled and négociant wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the grape composition of the wines further complicates the picture.  As many as thirteen different varieties can go into the make-up of a Châteauneuf; each grower swears by the percentage of the grape he uses.  Since different grapes contribute different characteristics to the overall wine (Grenache and Cinsault for warmth and mellowness; Mourvèdre and Syrah for solidity and color etc.), it is understandable how different estates with different grape compositions can produce very different wines.  Further complicating everything is how the harvest conditions affect the grapes - all of which ripen at slightly different intervals.  It is easy to see why the variation in quality is broader in Châteauneuf-du-Pape than perhaps any wine district in France.