Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

We drank this with grilled ribeyes, which seems to be our go-to qick dinner these days. It was a very nice match.

• 2001 Domaine Paul Autard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée La Cote Ronde - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (7/29/2009)
  Dark red to rim. Forward nose of cherries giving way to ripe plums, pepper, garrigue, and just a tiny hint of vanilla-y oak. Medium to full bodied, ripe flavors follow from the nose with a mix of dark and bright fruits, nicely complex spices, good balance, nice finish with some mellow tannins still present, this is drinking very nicely now and should continue to drink well for the next 5-10 years. Might develop additional complexity. Outstanding.

Thanks for the note David. Paul Autard's Cuvée la Cote Ronde sees a lot of (new) oak and therefor needs time to come around. I am a bit surprised (in general 2001 was a very tannic vintage) by the open character as described by David.

Harry

Well, I am a tannnin pig, but this did not seem tight or prominently tannic - pretty well integrated and open from the get-go. It's been in my cellar since 2003, bought from a reputable retailer, but I can't vouch for its treatment prior to landing there.