Châteauneuf-du-Pape AC 2011 Domaine de la Biscarelle
Matthew Jukes in Moneyweek on
2011 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Domaine de la Biscarelle, Southern Rhône,France (£22.30)
posted on November 16,2014 in MoneyWeek
Which French appellation do you thinkis the most disappointing? My vote would unreservedly go to Châteauneuf.Admittedly there are a handful of stellar producers there, and a few dozendecent wineries following on their heels, but the oceans of dross labelled withthese three heavyweight words is frankly terrifying. On the whole, I wouldimplore you to avoid supermarket Châteauneuf. Why drink the dregs of thishistoric region for £12 to £18 when you can spend far less for a superblybalanced and evocative Côtes-du-Rhône. There are many to choose from and theywould all knock an iffy Châteauneuf into a cocked hat. For those of you whohave fallen foul of buying regal looking Châteauneuf which ended up tastinglike an Avignon pissoir here is an example of a truly great version from one ofthe most visionary wine merchants in the land. Made from a Grenache-dominantblend which includes the ragtag mob of Mourvèdre, Carignan, Cinsault, Syrah andCounoise (as is should!) this is a velvety-smooth, aromatically-splendid winewith immediate appeal and also masses of power and bravado which will propel itforwards for a further five to eight year. Please recalibrate your senses andfall back in love with this noble appellation while repelling all halfwits andpretenders for evermore.