Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Traci and I spent a fantastic evening hanging out with good friends this past Sunday and we were able to drink through some amazing wines at a relaxed pace.
I’ve had both of these wines multiple times and the 2003 Clos des Papes has been amazingly consistent and always shows phenomenally well. I’m happy to report that it continued that string on this evening. Massively aromatic with sweet fruit and spice notes, it’s beautifully balanced and incredibly long. This is just about as good as it gets and for the life of me, I can’t understand the controversy with this wine.
The 2005 Clos des Papes on the other hand has been another story with early bottles being riveting but more recent ones showing a closed, tight and and slightly unfriendly character. Luckily, this bottle was one of the prior ones and was open for business. Much more dense and concentrated than the 2003 and not as open nor flamboyant, this wine is all about purity, structure and texture. It has a long life ahead of it and I’m a huge fan.
Both bottles were decanted and consumed over the evening and getting to compare these two side by side was a real treat. The similarities were very apparent, as were the stark differences imparted by the vintages.
Food wise, we had a perfectly cooked rack of lamb, broiled green beans (haricot verts) and fingerling potatoes that were simply boiled until tender and then liberally seasoned… It doesn’t get much better than this and simple, perfectly cooked fare paired with stunning bottles… with friends at a home… is the end all be all for me when it comes to wine enjoyment.
2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
Simply fantastic, the 2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape possesses screaming aromatics of kirsch, spice box, saddle leather and licorice. Sweet, perfumed, complex and down right hedonistic; it’s full bodied and has a lush, seamless texture, gorgeous balance and a blockbuster finish with ripe, fine grained tannins. This wine blends finesse and power perfectly and should age effortlessly for years to come. (98 pts.)
2005 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape (France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape)
The 2005 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape offers up stunning purity with kirsch and black cherry aromas mixed with licorice, flowers, resin and mineral notes. Full bodied in the mouth and showing considerable amounts of dense fruit and concentration, this possesses solid structure, beautiful texture and a long, seamless finish. Simply a perfectly built wine with a long life ahead of it. (97 pts.)