We eat seasonally, right? It stands to reason that we drink seasonally, too. And while I’m no fan of rules (I drink rosé and other so-called ‘summer’ wines year-round), certain wines do indeed make more sense at certain times of year. Take today’s exuberant Châteauneuf-du-Pape, for example: The amount of pleasure it delivers on a raw, wet December night is exponentially more than what it might offer in the heat and humidity of July.
And forget for a moment all the sunny, summery imagery around Châteauneuf’s production—the arid, scrubby hills of the Southern Rhône, bathed in golden Mediterranean light—and focus on what’s in the glass: a bold, dark-robed, soul-warming red with crushed-velvet tannins. There’s a hint of Mediterranean dust and herbs on the finish, sending you briefly back to summer before the next sip and the next bite of some winter braise to go with it. Crafted by one of Châteauneuf’s great traditional family estates, this full-bodied red has perfect balance, which many would attribute to the ‘regulatory’ effects of very old vines (in this case, 70+-year-old parcels in some of Châteauneuf’s greatest
lieu-dits). It’s got the magical combination of size and grace; and it’s ready to drink now or age 5-10 more years. Châteauneuf rarely comes close to this level of quality at such a modest price. Those of you with a true passion for Rhône reds should not pass it up.
The Gonnet family originally founded this estate in 1950 as Domaine Font de Michelle, selling grapes and wines to others until the mid-1970s, when Jean and Michel Gonnet created a family label. Subsequently, Jean and Michel’s sons, Bertrand and Guillaume, took over the reins in 2006, maintaining the heritage old vines and full-bodied style of their forebears, but initiating a few subtle tweaks as well (including the rebranding to Font du Vent). Both Bertrand and Guillaume Gonnet not only studied viticulture and enology but traveled the world for apprenticeships and research, which led them to vinify their different vineyard lots separately; bring in newer types of cooperage for aging; and, perhaps most important of all, apply for organic certification of their vineyards. There’s great purity and very subtle (nearly nonexistent) oak influence in today’s 2016 “Cuvée Tradition,” and as you learn more about the Gonnets’ 30 hectares of prime vineyard holdings, it’s easy to see why.
Cuvée Tradition is comprised of 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre; and 10% “field blend” varieties (including whites) sourced from seriously old vines in a who’s-who of south-facing lieu-dit sites—including, most famously, “La Crau,” where the Gonnet vines have passed the century mark, as well as other well-known sites in the southeastern sector of the appellation. The wine is vinified using some whole clusters (the percentage changes with the vintage) in a mixture of stainless steel, concrete, and wooden vats. Theirs is a long, slow, traditional fermentation lasting 20-30 days, followed by aging in a mixture of vessels: 30% of the wine goes into stainless steel; 30% in concrete vat; 30% in large wood foudres; and 10% in 600-liter demi-muid barrels.
In the glass, the 2016 Font du Vent “Cuvée Tradition” is a deep, nearly opaque ruby-purple with magenta highlights at the rim. The aromas are explosive and fruit-driven, with scents of crushed blackberry, mulberry, and brandied cherries mixing with wild herbs, licorice, violets, dark chocolate, and a hint of char and pepper. It is full-bodied but not overly so, with a luscious texture and that dusty, herbal, warming finish (warm, not hot). Although it will mellow and develop more complex aromatics with time in the cellar, there’s not really any reason to wait on this wine: Decant it about an hour before service in Bordeaux stems and keep it on the cool side of 65 degrees for best results. There are myriad “braise-y” ways to go with the pairing, but I’m going to go in a different direction with some Peking duck. The combination has “holiday feast” written all over it. Enjoy!
