Domaine Chante Cigale
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France
2007
14%
$29.95 -- Central Market, Austin, Texas
Color: Dark red, purple edges
Nose: Cherries, genoa salami, cigar wrapper, plums
Body: Full
Front: Stewed cherries
Middle: Roasted fig, venison
Back: Tobacco, licorice, basil
Burns clean?: Quite so
Cap: Cork
My love of 2007 southern Rhone wines continues. The flavor profile above is deeply contingent on when you engage the wine. Early, the nose was closed and the palate starkly acidic and earthy. After a half hour open, fruits and a little stewedness came in. Now, at two-plus hours open, it's acquiring the profile I describe above. This is the sort of wine that convinces me that putting bottles in the cellar and trying to forget they're there is worth it. The texture of it is delightful--superfine tannins, dangerously drinkable (especially at, I suspect, closer to 15% than the 14% listed on the bottle).
