Domaine du Pere Caboche Chateauneuf du Pape 2006 Domaine du Pere Caboche Chateauneuf du Pape 2006

Producer：Domaine du Pere Caboche

Bright flavors of vanilla, red cherry and red currant fruit backed by incense and mineral notes on the soft, supple finish will be perfect to drink now through 2014. Only 2,200 cases made.

Wine Advocate The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape offers loads of fruit and glycerin along with a transparent medium ruby color, and sensual notes of sweet cherries, plums, and currants offered in a heady, fruit-forward style. This seductive red will provide plenty of pleasure for 5-6 years. Score: 89. —Robert Parker, October 2007.

70% of the black Grenache, 15% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre plus Cinsault, Counoise, Muscadin, Vacarese and Terret are used in the blend along with tiny amounts of the white Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Picardin and Roussanne. The Cinsault and Syrah are kept whole while the other varieties are lightly crushed then fermented. The wine is aged in old wooden tonneau (large barrels) that allow the wine to mellow without adding oak flavours or harsh tannins.

The Grand Vin of the Southern Rhone Valley, Châteauneuf is perhaps the quintessential blended wine. With 13 varieties of grapes allowed, 15 if you included both the light and dark skinned varieties of Grenache and Picpoul, each winemaker has the ability to craft a unique and distinct interpretation of the soils and climates of the region. While few producers use all or even most of the 13 varieties, most rely on Grenache to form the heart and soul of their wines. These are rather big and distinctly warm climate wines that are rich with alcohol. The tannins of Grenache are modest, so many of these wines require little aging to be enjoyed; yet many can improve over the course of a decade. Typically one finds rich strawberry and red cherry tones in Châteauneuf with complicating notes of herbs and lavender, frequently referred to as "garrigue". There are frequently notes of game, leather and tar, typical of Syrah and Mourvedre - two other important components of many wines.