The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine is powerful in its youth, perhaps too powerful for my palate. That's why I believe it's a great transition wine for new world palates. It's got the rich fruit and texture, plus the extras - spices, tar, acidity. The magic happens though at about 10 year mark, give or take - where the wines mellow out, meld the various components, and start showing wonderfully complex layers of iron, meat, blood, and yet more spices - the package I fondly refer to as "the wild boar" bouquet. They are still "Viking" wines compared to the more civilized brethren from Burgundy and Bordeaux, but nonetheless mature Chateauneuf-du-Pape's are full of character, complexity, depth, and just pure deliciousness. The "soul of the Viking"? Our local wine shop Vin Vino Wine is known for doing tastings of older wines, particularly older Rhones. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of tasting thru a venerable line-up, my notes below. 1995 Domaine du ...

With the Winter Holidays upon us, I am spending my spare time putting together a small collection of Evan's birth-year wines - the 2011 vintage. As it turns out, researching and getting my hands on world's great and age-worthy wines from this particular year is quite an involved and strategic affair that I plan to describe in more detail in the future. It's a lot of fun too. Until then, Happy Holidays to all wine lovers!