On the nose at first kind of prickly, with herbs and spices dominating the aroma. Among them anise and eucalyptus. With some air, red cherry fruit and liquorice come forward and the sensation get smoother.
In the mouth sort of masculine as on the nose, with some underlying game flavour that was already detectable from the olfactory perspective, but with soft tannins, a smooth finish and a pleasant, long lasting aftertaste. At 25 EUR I find this easy to drink Châteauneuf-du-Pape produced by Domaine Jean Deydier & Fils a very good value for money.
As it is usually the case with Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines, the blend is dominated by 65% Grenache, accompanied by 15% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah. The remaining 10% is filled up with Cinsault, Counoise, Vaccarése and Muscardin, four of the additional fifteen grapes varieties that are allowed in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC blend.
Blending up to 18 different grape varieties may be a bit overdone, but in general blending has an important purpose: every grape variety has different characteristics and blending allow to compensate for some lacks of the main grape, like color, tannins or alcohol. Moreover, it allows to impart more richness and complexity to the wine.
Country: France
Region: Rhône Valley
Grapes: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise, Vaccarése, Muscardin
Type: Red
Vintage: 2013
Producer: Domaine Jean Deydier & Fils
Price range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5