LeDomduVin: Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf du Pape 2019

Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf du Pape 2019

I selected this wine for the welcome cocktail of a film screening event, a few days ago, and it showed fantastically well. 

I was pleased, even though it is a sacrilege to open a Châteauneuf du Pape so young, even more of a crime to pour it into plastic cups. 😱😱😱😱😱😱😄👍🍷

Le Vieux Donjon Chateauneuf du Pape 2019

Nice dark garnet color, it boasted warm and comforting aromas of dark berries and plum, with mineral, earthy, and stony notes. The palate was opened, rich, ample, and generous, without being heavy, layered with similar flavors as the nose with scorched earth nuances, balanced, juicy, and long, and so easy to drink in a very bistro-isch way, with or without food. Loved it. Great value for money. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

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LeDomduVin: Comfort Food with Comfort Wine

Domaine de l'Oiselet Vacqueyras 

Vieilles Vignes Bio 2020

This weekend was cold in Hong Kong, with temperatures below 10°C at night (which is cold for HK). So, I mostly stayed inside, doing my things, like writing, drawing, making music, watching some Netflix series and a few movies, and eating some comfort food.

When people do nothing at home, many usually order pizzas, I prefer cooking. I am not a great cook, but in the last 16 years of cooking for my kids and me, I mastered a few recipes from my childhood, that my mum and/or my grandfather used to make and added my own twist to them.

And last night, I wanted something warm, cozy, and wintery, so I made myself some comforting winter food, one of my favorite dishes actually: slow-cooked chicken with garlic and “Fines Herbes” and “Gratin Dauphinois”. It was really good and definitely hit the spot.

In fact, I made enough for at least 2-3 people, even if I was alone, and finished it all. It was that good!!! Yet, nothing surprising as I love eating, more especially when it brings back great memories of my childhood in the countryside.

With it, I wanted to drink a rustic, ample, generous, bold, powerful wine with a nice balance between acidity and tannins, a good body and plenty of earthiness, something Terroir oriented, and I don’t know about you, but for me, that means a red wine from the Rhone Valley, Southern Rhone actually, where grape varieties like Grenache, Carignan, and Cinsault, when blended together, fully express themselves with such characteristics. 

As mentioned in previous posts, at work, I open some of the greatest bottles this world has to offer, yet at home, especially if I’m alone, I only drink inexpensive wine. 

So, I find myself a nice Vacqueyras (around 140 HKD / 16 Euros in HK, but about 10 Euros in France) to drink with my comfort food. It paired really well with it, which was really enjoyable and greatly satisfied the grandson of a paysan that I am. 

The best things in life are usually the simplest! 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #vacqueyras #southernrhone #domainedeloiselet #rhone #redwine #france #comfortwine #comfortfood #homecooking 

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Vin du lendemain...

Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée du Baron"2017

I bought this bottle the other day, late, at a local supermarket, as I needed a bottle for a last-minute event, for my son. 

I must say the selection at the local supermarket near my residence is really unimpressive, really bad I should say. 

However, amongst every other uninspiring bottle, I found this bottle, which was really the only one that talked to me at the moment. So, I bought it. 

Of course, my son forgot to bring the bottle to the event... so, I found this poor bottle alone in my kitchen and I could not leave it like this. I had to open it to give it a purpose. Yes, I know, I'm nice like this, I never let a bottle down or on her own. 😉

And the verdict: it is way too young to drink now and will take time to fully develop and attain its full potential. So, after drinking a glass of it, I decided to wait until the next day (today), to check if it would be better. 

And, 24h later, Hallelujah !!! (alleluia), even if still too young and still presenting a firm tannic structure and texture, it tasted much smoother, tamed, and integrated than the previous day.

Boasting dark berries and fruits, pepper, earth, a touch of spice, and more earthy notes and minerality, with oaky, toasted, and mocha nuances. 

It paired really well with the saucisson, as the fat mellowed down some of the edges of this wine. 

My advice, (for what it is worth), if you buy some, let it seats in your cellar for a while, as it is still too young to be enjoyed now. Yet, if you cannot wait, double decant it or open it and wait for the next day, it will be so much nicer. 

Cheers! Santé! And Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones. 

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein @chateau.fortia #chateaufortia #rhonevalley #saucisson #chateauneufdupape #rhone #france

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Guigal’s “La Las” wines 2014

This trio represents the epitome of both Guigal's portfolio and undoubtedly the best of what Côte Rôtie has to offer. There are amongst some of the most sought-after wines in the world. 

Domaine Guigal La Mouline 2014

The most feminine of the 3, La Mouline should always be served first when the 3 are presented together. From a vineyard planted on the Côte Blonde, with 89% Syrah and 11% Viognier, and vines averaging 75 years old, La Mouline is like a spring-blooming flower, exhibiting delicate floral aromas and violet scent, with dark and red berries fruits flavors, mingling with earthy minerals notes. Delicate, elegant, and charming. Very seductive, despite a certain tightness and restraint due to its very young age, this wine deserves time to express its full potential. 

Domaine Guigal La Turque 2014

Halfway between La Mouline and La Landonne, in terms of structure, texture, and taste, La Turque is the youngest and most approachable in its youth of the 3. Fuller and denser than La Mouline, but not as complex and rich as La Landonne, La Turque is crafted from a vineyard in the Côte Blonde planted with 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier on vines averaging 25 years old. complexity and quality. The resulting wine is supple, generous, sensual, with a strong expression of its terroir. 

Domaine Guigal La Landonne 2014

Crafted from 100% Syrah, from vines averaging 35 years old, planted in iron-rich clay and limestone on the Côte Brune, La Landonne is a complex and rich, more masculine wine, bursting with dark fruit flavors mingling with earthy, smoky, gamey meats and minerality notes. Surely the most layered, textured, and structured of the 3, La Landonne is also the one that takes the most time to fully develop, gaining in flavors and complexity as it ages, rewarding those who have the patience to wait for it. 

Although they showed well after 2 hours of decanting, they were still too young to be fully enjoyed, in my opinion, showing restraint and shyness (brought by a customer, so, no choice). Yet, personally, I will have left them in the cellar to mature a few years longer, to reach their full expressions. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

@ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #guigal #ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #rhonevalley #rhone @domaineguigal

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