Neat Thoughts About Food, Wine, Travel & More
I went looking for a Chateauneuf du Pape and ended up with this little gem. In the glass, the wine is dark and leggy. On the nose, it’s big on cherries with black licorice and dried herbs. It drinks more like a C-d-P than a Côtes du Rhônes – it’s big with big cherry flavors laced with black pepper.
Pairings: Grilled lamb, beef stew, roasted duck
Style: Red wine
Grape Type(s): Grenache, Mourvedre
Region: Rhône, France
Around $25
I’d had this inexpensive Spanish wine in my cellar for a while and opted to uncork it to pair with grilled porterhouse steaks with peppercorn sauce.
In the glass, it shows a deep purple color not unlike the purple band on the bottle’s label. On the nose, I smelled Herbes de Provence and hints of cracked peppercorn. The palate of this Monastrell is a mouthful of dark berries with nice acidity and pine needle notes. The finish is short, which is a bit of a disappointment. Grilled pork chops would have been a better match than my steaks. Nice wine for $10.
Pairings: Grilled pork chops, goat cheese on toasted bread.
Style: Red
Grape Type(s): Monastrell (also known as Mourvedre)
Region: Murcia, Spain
Around $10
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