2009 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This thing is gnarly.
It’s been hard for me to put my finger on this wine. There’s a sort of sour earthiness in this. At first it has a very bitter fruit, then that sourness hits. The earthiness is kind of a spicy. I read up on this wine, and a lot of folks talk about pepper, and I can taste that now in it.
This sucker is a bit hot, the fruit is on fire. I think it’s a bit too hot, it gets in the way of everything else. The tannins on this sucker are pretty fine, but there. I can feel that little bit of tanniny heaviness there.
I feel like this thing is pulling in a couple different directions. My mouth is a punching bag and this thing is having a workout. It has one heck of a finish though, this thing sits on the tongue for days.
This guy is a mix of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre.
I bought this because I thought it was time I tried out a CDP. I’ve been seeing some rumblings about great CDPs coming down the track, and I was wondering if I like them. After this bottle, I’m not sure. Clearly I need to try another.
Note: I tried this wine again the morning after it was opened (just a sip), and it was fairly tasty. Much better then when it was popped open.
Note 2: And then on the second night, the last bit wasn’t that great. It had the normal burnt out “day after” taste to it. It’s a sour, bitter swallow of fruit that deposits a silt of tannins on the tongue. Not the best.
Grade: B- (though I think this is a begrudgingly given grade, it might be much higher)
Cost: $30