We’ve been fans of Château de Montmirail for some years now, and the 2004 Château de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvée des Deux Frères that we enjoyed last month made us want to try more, so we followed that up with another three during the first round of the NHL playoffs.
2000 Château de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvée des Saints Papes, 75% Grenache, 20%Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, 13.5% alc., $21.99: I had hopes that this dark garnet colored blend might be softening a bit at around 6 ½ years of age, but it’s still big, rich and powerful, being very well structured, with a good dose of tannins yet to shed. It exudes smoked stone over red plum and berry on the nose, and gives up plenty more of the same on the palate, along with notes of iron, cola and grilled meat to boot. This excellent Vacqueyras is nowhere near its peak, with at least three to five years of further development (it may be a 15+ year wine), but I have to admit, with around three hours in a decanter, it’s already quite tasty.
2004 Château de Montmirail Vacqueyras Cuvée de l’Ermite, 50% Grenache, 50% Syrah, 14.5% alc., $24.99: On the nose, this dark garnet offers a wide spectrum of rich berry and plum underscored with earth and iron; the flavors echo and expand with even more earth and iron, along with a strap of leather and a little something reminiscent of raw petroleum. It smoothes out nicely with a couple hours of air and it’s drinkable now, but it’s a 10 year wine no sweat, so patience is advised; plenty of potential here.
2004 Château de Montmirail Gigondas Cuvée de Beauchamp2004 Château de Montmirail Gigondas Cuvée de Beauchamp, 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 19% Mourvedre, 15.5% alc., $26.99: Deep dark garnet in color, fading at the rim; there’s plenty of sun baked, smoked stone character in both the big flavors and expressive aromatics, and these elements vie for dominance with the ripe, spicy dark plum, blackberry, black cherry and cola at the core of the flavor profile, all shaded with earth and bitter chocolate underneath. Deep, dense and concentrated, with excellent structure and length, and yes, just a little heat, as the alcohol level might suggest. I find this to be even more engaging and approachable than the other Montmirails noted in this and the last report, but it’s far from its prime, so I’ll try it again in five years to see where it’s at; my guess is that it’ll still be on the way up.
Château de Montmirail imported by J et R Selections, Mt. Pleasant, MI
-from Red Wings & Red Rhônes Playoff Diary-Round 1
Reporting from Day-twah,
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