Domaine de Cristia
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Grenache, Syrah
Courthézon, France
2007
15%
$32.95 -- Costco, Austin, Texas
Color: Dark red, purple edges
Nose: Stewed cranberries and oranges; licorice; currant jam
Body: Full
Front: Dark cherries, roses
Middle: Licorice
Back: Olives, mesquite smoke, soft tannins
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
This is a delightful, balanced wine, from a vintage in which many of the wines are bombastic. It'll be interesting to see how this develops over time, but I think it has a decade of evolution ahead. There's an odd hollowness that happens about 2/3 of the way through the palate, for some reason; it's not too disconcerting, but it does somewhat reveal the alcohol level of the wine. This with a little duck with some sort of fruit sauce would be a colossally good pairing; I'm having it with some Tomme Crayeuse cheese, which is not the best combo, but I'm betting it'll rock with the pizza I just ordered.
A shout-out to my second "follower," Emily Richer, a winemaker with a fascinating Cab Franc-oriented project underway called "Virage." Check out her blog here.
