January Châteuaneuf
Well, the hits just keep on coming! This month we have a wine that scored 99+ from Robert Parker, one of the gems from the 2007 CDP vintage: Clos des Papes!
According to Parker: "Paul Avril was a bigger-than-life vigneron, a visionary, and a great teacher, but Vincent has been in charge for a number of years, and he has rewarded his father with what I believe is the greatest Chateauneuf du Pape made since 1978 and 1990, the 2007. I have not only tasted this wine at the estate, but I purchased it for my cellar, and have now drunk it on three separate occasions out of bottle. It is unquestionably one of the great Chateauneufs of my lifetime, and I suspect it will merit a three digit score after another 3-4 years of cellaring. The blend is generally 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, and the rest small amounts of Muscardin, Vaccarese, Counoise, and Syrah. It exhibits what is probably the deepest color I have ever seen here, and the finished alcohol is a high (for Clos des Papes) 15.5%. Still slightly restrained because of its recent bottling, but wow, what potential complexity, mind-boggling richness, and compelling flavor profile are apparent. It is a sublime expression of the art of winemaking as evidenced by its dense purple color and big, sweet kiss of kirsch, framboise, blackberries, licorice, roasted herbs, and smoked meat. It hits the palate with a fascinating combination of substance, power, full-bodied authority yet extraordinary freshness, elegance, and precision. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, and watch it unleash its glory over the next three decades. This is a prodigious wine of great quality from one of the most important reference point estates in Chateauneuf du Pape.
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December '09 Chateauneuf
 This month, we continue our exploration of the fantastic 2007 Rhône vintage with the well-priced and very well made Domaine de la Côte de l'Ange Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, a traditional, slightly rustic, and flavorful CDP.
Parker called this wine " a sleeper of the vintage," and lauded its "dense ruby/purple-hue with an impressive nose of black fruits, meat juices, truffles, and licorice," calling it a "layered, velvety-textured, full-bodied effort with superb purity as well as length which can be drunk now or cellared for 12-15 years."
I loved the earth and truffle notes, with lots of black and red fruit. This is a great CDP for your Christmas table.
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Chateauneuf Club November 09
This month's wine is Domaine Grand Veneur's Veille Vignes! Awarded 98+ points from Parker, who raved:
 "the newest special cuvee (introduced in 2006) is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, and 10% Syrah). Made from 50- to 100+-year-old vines and aged 18 months in small oak barrels, it is potentially one of the longest lived wines of the vintage.
This wine is from the estate's three major holdings in the northern part of the appellation, on the high plateau of Mont Redon and Cabrieres, and in the northeastern sector, near Beaucastel. The 2007 Vieilles Vignes represents the essence of Châteauneuf du Pâpe. Inky/purple to the rim, with extraordinary full-bodied aromas of roasted porcini, meat juices, blackberries, cassis, smoke, and grilled herbs, it is intense to the point of almost over-extraction, but it has no rough edges. It possesses great purity, an amazing texture, and a massive, full-bodied finish with noticeable tannin.
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October Châteauneuf Club
 Our roll through the astounding 2007 Châteauneuf's continues with Cuvée du Vatican's Châteauneuf -du -Pâpe Reserve Sixtine. 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre. The yield is a very low 25 hl./ha (1.8 tons per acre) Aged at first in steel tank and then for a year in one, two and three year old barriques and foudres (70%), with 30% remaining in steel tank. The fruit comes from their three major holdings in La Crau (clay and
rocky soils), the Rayas terroir (pure sand), and the Barbe d’Asne (clay
soils). Young Jean-Marc Diffonty, who has been doing a fabulous job
here for more than a decade, is clearly raising the quality of the
wines to a new level that clearly transcends the work his father did in
the 1960s and 1970s.
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We are coming to the end of our '07 Châteauneuf allocations, - starting next month we will concentrate on high quality French wines, with an emphasis on wines from the Rhone. 
