Over the course of 20+ years working with wine, I’ve embraced a few contrarian positions. The most noteworthy of these is my general distaste for, and distrust of, wines aged longer than about 15 years.
That may sound like sacrilege, and sure, there are exceptions: I can still taste the half-glass of 1950 Château Lafleur I had at a charity tasting a few years ago, and there are countless Burgundies and Barolos from the ’60s that are still singing now—but then again, the people who can afford to drink wines like that can also absorb the hit when one out of three (very expensive) bottles is a dud. Old wine can be fascinating, but if it falls apart before the main course lands, it’s a bit of a letdown. I find mostly diminishing returns past the 10-15 year mark, and found a kindred spirit, of sorts, in Michael Franz of the Wine Review Online, who posited in a recent article that “many more wines suffer from being held too long than being drunk too young.” We talk a lot here about wines in their “sweet spot,” and today’s 2007 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Clos du Mont Olivet is a perfect example of one. There’s a point in a wine’s life when the tannins and acidity have integrated, a raft of complex secondary aromas have entered the picture, yet there’s still enough fruit and energy to give the wine persistence on the palate. When that persistence fades, it’s over for me. This 2007 is velvety, sexy, powerful, energetic, aromatic aged wine—right in its sweet spot—and, aside from maybe a week or so of rest in your cellar after receiving it, I’m with Franz: Grip it and rip it! This is the latest direct-from-the-cellar library release from Mont Olivet, of which only a few dozen cases make it to the US; we grabbed all we could, as you really couldn’t ask for a more evocative, sound, and affordable mature red. If you were starting to think that Châteauneuf can’t age, think again. This one is delicious and ready to rock, and we can offer up to six bottles per customer until our stock runs out.
Clos du Mont-Olivet is one of the benchmark traditional producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, always favoring a less extracted, less monolithic take on its wines from the appellation. The Sabon family has been estate-bottling wine for more than 80 years, and the methodology hasn’t changed much over that time: their fermentations start with only native yeasts in cement tank, and the fruit is only partially de-stemmed (which helps tamp down the richness/sweetness). Aging takes place only in old, large-capacity barrels, and the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. While Grenache is the driving force in their cuvées (comprising 80% of today’s wine), the Sabons farm all the 13 different grapes the appellation allows in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend; along with the Grenache and 10% Syrah, this bottling incorporates a host of the supporting varieties, each in tiny percentages.
We’ve featured several Clos du Mont-Olivet library releases on SommSelect, and the 2007 is another example of aged Châteauneuf done right. So many wines of this region are pruny, oxidative, and showing their alcohol heat by this age. But not here. The 2007 vintage delivered more concentration and power than 2006 (which we offered last year, to enthusiastic reviews), but there is no excess extract to weigh you down; it delivers a hedonistic blast of lush, ripe fruit checked by freshness and lift.
In the glass, the 2007 displays a still-youthful dark ruby core moving to pink at the rim, with some encroaching oranging. The aromas and flavors are a well-modulated mix of red and black fruits: bing cherry, blackberry, black plum, licorice, dried herbs, warm spices, and a nice dollop of dark chocolate. Velvet-smooth on the palate and full-bodied, it is still showing lots of vibrancy and has an exceptionally long, aromatic finish highlighted by floral notes. As I said above, get this luscious red on the table soon: Decant it right before service (for sediment) and serve in large Bordeaux stems at 60-65 degrees next to something similarly rich and warming. Check out the attached recipe for roasted stuffed lamb loin; there are some intriguing complementary flavors in the dish that should make for an amazing pairing. Enjoy! — David Lynch
