Magnum 1500cl. The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape is a beauty! It has a deep ruby/purple color and an exuberance of classic Provencal aromatics of garrigue and kirsch-like fruit intermixed with some blacker fruits, ground pepper, incense, roasted herbs and loamy soil notes. Medium to full-bodied, richly fruity, it has soft, silky tannins and decent acidity. This is a super Chateauneuf du Pape to drink now and over the next 10-12 years.
Lovely with lamb, rich and herby meat casseroles or rare steak.
Mid red colour with white pepper on the nose leading to a generous, almost sweet stewed fruit and compote character. Apple, cloves and cinnamon are woven in with darker fruit characters. Chateauneuf style at half the price - puts many of the real thing to shame.
This Chateauneuf has warm red fruit and damson aromas, with cinnamon, spices and jam but also concentration on the palate; then liquoricey richness and elegance to finish.
Intensity is the hallmark of the 2006 ‘Vieilles Vignes’ from Domaine Chante Cigale. Deep, dark and intense black spicy fruit on the nose with a lifted violet aroma. The palate is at once suffused with sweet-ripe black fruit counterpoised by the savouriness of black tapenade and finely grained wood. Leather, cloves and a mix of herbs and plums is also present. The finish is supple and rounded with excellent integration, complexity and concentration as a result of the old vines superior fruit. Open long before serving, ideally from a decanter.
