Flanken and Châteauneuf-du-Pape!!!

Deanna Van Gestel was in town on business, so we invited her over to enjoy dinner and a semi-chaotic evening with our kids (3 years and 6 months). The only challenge was knowing when each child would go to sleep and what time we would actually eat dinner. I was gunning for 6:30pm, but the kids didn't cooperate. So we ended up eating at 9:30pm instead.

Meanwhile, that left me with some time to experiment with come of my ingredients. So for example, instead of roasting purple potatoes with the other root vegetables, I opted to make purple EVOO mashers instead. Pretty tasty and actually interesting albeit a little weird looking (kind of looked like cotton candy). The main course was braised (in white wine and homemade turkey stock) beef shortribs cut flanken style, my first time making these, very delicious! Anyway, onto the wine. What better to have with braised meat than Châteauneuf-du-Pape?

We started out with the Beaucastel and then moved to the brash, young Janasse. They were quite a contrast, and I went back and forth, enjoying each, for several hours.

• 1983 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  This was a charming bottle. Not earth shattering but a pleasure to drink and especially with food. It opened up a bit lean with nice cherry flavors, some tea and building notes of garrigue. On its own it was a bit lean and acidic, so we set it aside. However, revisited with food this came to life. Elegant, mature, probably a little past peak, yet still very enjoyable. A hint of smoky peat and roasted meat creeps in with time. Time to drink up but pretty lovely even if not one of the stronger Beaucastel vintages.

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• 2000 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Wowza, this is one seriously big and briary wine, huge and crazy, SCREAMING Grenache at the top of its lungs. Lots of bramble and briar come along for the ride along with a fair bit of new oak, but it is easily overwhelmed by the gobs of black fruit. Some licorice elements as well. Wow, this is just a crazy, nearly over the top, head-shaking wine. After about four hours of air this settle down a little, but it is still big, hot and pretty crazy. Interestingly enough, alongside the 2003 Clos des Papes, this was much darker in color but also much less intense in flavor.

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After dinner we just hung out and talked, and at one point Deanna mentioned being curious about the 2003 Clos des Papes. Hey, I have that, quick trip to the cellar, snag a decanter and voila! This was a really terrific bottle, and to my palate the wine has already become a bit more civilized than it was last summer.

• 2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 98 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Tasted from 375ml. Wow, this was the best bottle of this I have tasted yet in 6 tries now. I simply cannot understand how people can call this roasted or raisined. It is some of the most exotic, spicy, complex, intense yet gloriously lithe Grenache I have ever tasted. The wine had a little alcohol showing on the nose when we first popped it, but this was quickly integrated. Loads of white pepper, cherries, licorice, and spicebox explode from the glass. In the mouth this stuff is breathtaking, as it literally fills every last corner of your mouth with flavors that build in intensity, loads of fresh cherry, pine more pepper, the whole spicebox is in there. Yet there is just no heaviness to this wine, and rather it finishes out gorgeously dry, youthfully tannic, yet so in balance. I am really, really a big fan of this wine!

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