QNY Wine List: Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Not for the Impatient.

By Father Tony

Because QNY's Brooklyn Bill mentioned it, I snagged a bottle of Barton & Guestier Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006 while at the market, and ran my fingers over the papal coat of arms in raised glass before I placed it in the shopping cart. I had always been a bit let down by this wine and have avoided it for many years. We'll see what the Baad Lamb has to say about it.

Meh. To begin with, I can tell you what it isn't: fruity, jammy, with strong berries or oak. I think it is mildly floral in a gentlemanly way. It seems weary and wise. It is not stormy. More of a calm and cold starry night. Think Maurice Chevalier. (The baad lamb did not feel strongly about it and went back to his perusal of fractals and Google Earth overviews of Floridaian landscapes.)

However, after about an hour, it finally opened up, delivering a fuller more satisfying, almost effervescent shimmer. I guess you can't expect an elderly boulevardier to run like a boy. Some folks, like a certain famous wine critic who is responsible for giving this humble wine its cache, will like it immensely. Pas moi.