Never judge a book by its cover. Of course that applies to wine, and when we taste with suppliers at SommSelect I sometimes have to remind myself of this. When you taste a lot of wines you start to develop preconceptions about certain styles, which can be dangerous: it’d mean missing out on a delicious, well-aged wine like this 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Clos du Mont-Olivet.
The estate’s West Coast importer had a few “library” vintages shipped over from the winery, and when the bottle came out of the bag, I pre-judged it: I was anticipating something a little raisiny, flabby, maybe with its alcohol burning through. This happens a lot to wines that are extremely lush and generous in their youth, but of course the greatest Châteauneuf makers can deliver finesse and ageability even with a low-tannin, moderate-acid grape like Grenache. Clos du Mont-Olivet’s 2006 delivered, and this wasn’t even one of their top cuvées, a blend of 80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and small percentages of a raft of other grapes. Maybe it’s because this wine wasn’t trying to be a super-concentrated superstar in its youth, but there’s still a degree a freshness here that the “bigger,” more expensive wines didn’t have. It is one of the best aged Châteauneufs I’ve had in some time, and it’s still got life left!
The 2006 vintage was a little less intense than the 2005, and there was a spell of cooler weather toward harvest time that helped preserve acidity in the grapes. The first thing you’ll appreciate about this 2006 is how balanced it is—the tannins have now rounded out, but the acidity is prominent enough to keep the alcohol in check and allow a terrific bouquet to be released: sweet red cherries, licorice, blackberry, and lots of the ‘warm’ spices (nutmeg, mace, etc.). Notes of cacao, fresh coffee grounds and a hint of olive and dried meat notes to provide a savory counterpunch to the saturated fruit. I’d suggest decanting it about a half-hour before serving in large Bordeaux stems, keeping the temperature cool (60-ish degrees would be best). It would be great to sip this slowly and contemplatively on its own, maybe with some hard cheese, and if you’d rather get it on the dinner table it would be amazing with the herb-kissed flavors of a traditional porchetta. All the cellaring has been done for you; all you need to do is enjoy!