WTN: 2001 Gourt de Mautens

What was I thinking, opening this bottle tonight - drinking alone and eating a mostly vegetarian meal...avocado, sauteed spinach, spaghetti with zucchini and grated Pecorino, but I added some prosciutto for a much needed meaty component. Could I have come up with a worse match for the wine? I think not, but this wine has captivated me first by the nose - cherry liqueur, smoke, and roses. Then the palate, which still has some drying tannins and lots of acidity, and is deeper and darker with fruit,tree bark, and showing a meatiness that demands a piece of lamb. The saltiness of the prosciutto and Pecorino will have to suffice. It is my last bottle, and it makes me sad.

Could I have come up with a worse match for the wine? I think not...

I think so..

How about white fish and lime ceviche?

Pink grapefruit salad?

Cole slaw?

Nice note Diane (but I'm with Rahsaan- that's far from worse match around, and sometimes you just feel like a big red -or a brisk white- no matter what you're eating). 2001 may be my favorite overall Rhone vintage of last decade

Could I have come up with a worse match for the wine? I think not...

I think so..

How about white fish and lime ceviche?

Pink grapefruit salad?

Cole slaw?

Okay, you're right, I could have done worse, but I never would have considered opening a Rhone with those dishes. I do have some integrity.

Okay, you're right, I could have done worse, but I never would have considered opening a Rhone with those dishes. I do have some integrity.

Glad to hear it!

For what it's worth, as a vegetarian, I often open rich red wines with pasta, which was why I responded. And all things considered, pecorino is not a bad choice for cheese. Admitedly the zucchini probably wouldn't be the first choice for vegetables, so I knew where you were coming from with your comment. Either way, glad that it all tasted good in the end...

http://www.chateauneuf.dk/rasteau/en/rasen16.htm

I am glad that this 01 is still showing well. I was depressed not long ago by a TN from David B saying that his bottle of 00 was well over the hill. I have some of both, as yet unbroached .

Tim - what are you waiting for?

I bought a few bottles when it was released, and this bottle was not the beast it was back then. It is still rustic, and the acidity stands out more, but it is not over the hill. Now it is mostly in the nose, but there is plenty of interest in the palate too.