Wine Focus January 2024 - Wines for Comfort Food

A few nights ago during a cold snap (minima below -5°C), Germaine prepared a warming beef stew with carrots and mushrooms in a sauce fed by Gueuze beer. With it I served my stand-by warming stew wine, namely CndP. It was my last bottle of Clos des Papes . I now have only two bottles of mature CndP left; a Janasse 2004 and a Beaucastel 1995, the latter being a wine of which my bottles have stayed very tight and unyielding so far.

2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (21/01/2024)
My three bottles of this have been quite variable. This shows quite a lot of richness and complexity (cherry, leather and spice) with a refreshing varnish note which is, I think, less obtrusive than in the previous bottle. The wine slipped down graciously but I would have appreciated a bit more firmness on the finish. My best bottle was the first about 5 years ago, which had that. Still very good, though.

Posted from CellarTracker

PS: I realise that residents of places like Alberta or Finland would laugh at my finding -5°C cold. My son in Helsinki has just endured wind chill temperatures of worse than -30C!

[Jenise]

Tim, has the price of Clos des Papes gone thru the roof over there like it has here? I've had a few opened by friends over the years, and for the life of me I don't get it. Most were okay and some quite okay, but nothing that ever justified the prices I've seen.