Wine of the Day, August 5, 2011

So, we all know about the famous Chateaneuf du Pape wines, right?  Well up until a few months ago, I thought all CNdP wines were red.  A few months before our trip, I popped into our favourite wine store, "Everything Wine" in South Surrey, and chatted with one of the wine specialists in the store about the Rhone region.  During this discussion, I learned that CNdP also produces white wine, and because they are produced under the same highly regulated AOC environment as their red counterparts, they are exceptional.

You may recall my visit to all the "Caves" in the village of Chateauneuf du Pape a few days ago.  Well, I ended up talking to one of the proprieteres of a nice Cave near the center of town, and he let me try a couple of his estate's white wines.  Having never tried a white CNdP wine, I wasn't sure what to expect, but let me tell you that the white wines I tried exceeded all of my expectations.  I took home this bottle of  Les Vignes d"Alexandre, which was a 2010 vintage.  Most of the reds you see in CNdP are at least 2 years old, as they need a little maturing to get the most flavour, but apparently the whites are quite good within about a year after harvest.  We had this wine with lunch, which consisted in some dry cured pork from a "charcutterie" (a French delicatessen), some local olives, cheese, and of course a fresh baguette.  This was a wonderful wine that was bursting with fruit flavor, and I dared not put an ice cube in the glass for fear of persecution from the Pope!

By the way, during my visit to the village, I learned that CNdP wine is the only commercial product that is permitted by the vatican to display the papal coat of arms.  Even the Pope knows not to mess with good wine...