I have never
tried wines from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area of France before, mainly because
they tend to be priced in the $30+ range. I had the opportunity to try two
different wines from this area over the holidays.
The first wine I had was Les Hautes Brusquieres 2009 $56.00. Even though it had been decanted for about an hour, it was still very dark and dense. The wine had a noticeable alcohol taste to it and was fairly chalky in taste. It was not too enjoyable and I wouldn't buy this even if it were $10. Perhaps a longer decanting time would help. JC83
The second wine was Anselme la Fiole $34.95 . I know bottle of this wine quite well because it stands out. It is slightly slanted and is purposefully dirty. Perhaps this is a homage to C-d-P's rustic roots, before Robert Parker touted this style of wine on the world stage, increasing the price four-fold. I enjoyed this wine more after letting it sit out for a while. It was a dense, full-bodied wine, but not quite as dark and thick as the Les Hautes. There was no vintage on the bottle that I could notice, which I found odd. JC85
All in all, a similar experience to when I first had amarone. Again, a wine that you can't really find for under $30 at the LCBO, and like the C-d-P's, a strong, deep-bodied wine that perhaps I had too high expectations for given the price and prestige surrounding it.
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