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WS93
The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the finest wines of the vintage. Deep ruby/purple with good acidity, dense, sweet, floral, black cherry, raspberry, and black currant notes all resonate in the aromatics and flavors. Quite full-bodied, richly textured, but with good acidity, this is a brilliant wine that should age effortlessly for 10-15+ years. Moreover, it has the advantage of being approachable enough to be drunk now. By the way, their normal blend of Chateauneuf du Pape is 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and the rest Counoise and Cinsault.
This estate in the very northern sector of Chateauneuf du Pape celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005, but the extraordinary wines have only really come with the emergence of Jean-Paul Daumen as a seasoned and competent producer, over the last seven to eight years. He is now one of the truly stunning producers in all of France and, somewhat unusual for Chateauneuf du Pape, he doesn’t make any white Chateauneuf du Pape.
There is only one cuvee of Chateauneuf du Pape in 2004, the Tradition, which is everything from the estate, a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and the rest Counoise and Cinsault. Remarkably, the Grenache comes from 80- to 100-year-old vines, the Syrah from 40-year-old vines. It is one of the vintage’s superstars with the inky/purple-colored wine offering up floral, sweet cassis notes intermixed with raspberry and cherry. The wine is full-bodied, richly textured, with beautiful floral and black fruit notes on the palate, full body, fabulous texture, and a ripe, sweet, expansive finish with relatively noticeable tannin. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it over the following 20 years. (WA #163 Feb 08) |
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