It has been quite a while since I updated this blog, for
which I apologize. It certainly was not because I have not been drinking any
wine! And so I return with this post about two very lovely, but quite different,
Châteauneuf-du-Pape from the same house.
I brought these wines out of my cellar, er closet to an
annual dinner hosted by my friends Curt and Tim. For Christmas evening Tim
prepared a cassoulet, an excellent meal to pair with a Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I
selected the 2007 and 2008 by Domaine du Vieux Lazeret because as I was
updating my inventory, I learned that these bottles had fallen into the
"drink now" category. Because my wine cellar is a closet, I cannot
keep wines for the full length of what the recommended cellaring time may be.
Needless to say, I was a bit alarmed and worried these wines might have gone
bad, and that would be unfortunate.
Happily, we all were quite pleased to discover that the 2007
might have had some more time left (sadly, it was the last bottle in my
closet), while the 2008 was perfect (I do have one more of the 2008). Despite
coming from the same house, each wine was quite different.
The 2007 had a delightful herbal and earthy bouquet blooming
out from the steely garnet color as we decanted. This wine had plenty of leg on
the glass, as well as firm tannin that suggested that despite the "drink
now" warning this wine might have endured another year in my closet. There
was a delicious sour cherry note mixed with some chocolate and cinnamon. Wine
Spectator was a bit stingy rating this an 89, but I rate it with a 9 using my
scale at the left.
The 2008 was a different animal right from the first pour.
Rather than a sharp garnet, this was a ruby red, and the nose was lush with
blackberry. The spice notes were still there and some delicious cocoa at the
finish, but the tannin was softer. This wine was definitely ready and drunk at
the right time. Wine Spectator rated this one an 88, which I'm inclined to
agree with. While the wine was delicious, it was pretty narrow and lacked that
characteristic bigness so commonly associated with Southern Rhône reds. I will
also rate this with a 9 using my scale. And given the fact this wine was
definitely ready, the other bottle in my closet will not be there for long.
