For anyone who thinks wine tasting is easy fun, send them into an aged Châteauneuf marathon: 15 bottles of big...

For anyone who thinks wine tasting is easy fun, send them into an aged Châteauneuf marathon: 15 bottles of big, flashy, fleshy and loud wines. It took us four and a half hours to get through them and “elegance” wasn’t a word I heard once. We tasted half-blind, since many were Parker 98–100-point wines. Châteauneuf produces my least favorite wines in France. I don’t like them, I don’t buy them, but I am always eager to study them. Because they are wildly age-worthy wines, their tannic structure surprises me. But at the same time, their aroma intensity challenges me. I rarely feel overwhelmed at tastings these days, or so I thought, until another CdP lineup reminded me how naive that was. After actually having some terrific 2007s, Janasse and Ferrand, this lineup came from 2005, a vintage they call a “serious CdP year”. Pure by La Barroche – One of the first vintages from the winemaker. About 30% of the grapes were not destemmed. Feels by far the youngest wine in the lineup, with firm grip, great tannin, juicy acidity, stony minerality, and broad shoulders. It’s packed with sweet strawberries, red fruit, and hints of bay, less liqueur-like than most others. 100% Grenache. Domaine de la Vieille Julienne – The only biodynamic “bad boy”, unfortunately showing age without grace. Very alcoholic, with a schnapps-like nose and no trace of fresh fruit. Jammy black fruit laced with white pepper on the finish, all tertiary play, but out of balance and past its prime. Janasse – Another 100% Grenache from 100 something -old vines. Herbaceous and floral, with plenty of strawberries and currants. Like Pure, it shows fresher fruit than most of the lineup. Saint Cosme (the pirate) delivers fruit with restraint. Gamey, long, and complex, with notes of freshly baked bread, eucalyptus, very ethereal lift, and black fruit and black tea. My favorite bottle of the tasting. #chateneufdupape #frenchwine #winesofinsta #100parkerpoints #winestudy #rarewine