Description

Lafond 2010 Roc Epine Châteauneuf-du-Pape, proof that not all is lost in the wine world is in this very bottle. When war rages around the world, you can drink a bottle of purply peace. When your cheatin’ husband leaves you for a cheaper, younger model, you can sip on pure faithfulness to the craft. When your 16 wheeler gets hit by a meteor, rest assured that this blast of near extraterrestrial inky goodness will sway your shattered nerves back onto the road of righteousness and hope.

Everyone who knows me knows that I just love Châteauneuf-du-Pape, aka CDP. It’s almost a shame to drink this one now, seeing how in 2, 4, 10, even 25 years from now it’ll keep getting better. It sort of reminds me of the infamous marshmallow kid experiment, where they would offer two marshmallows in the future if the child would just hold off eating the MM for 15 minutes… my god, I love marshmallows. How did they know? Why couldn’t it have been spinach, or mushrooms, or beets? I would have waited as long as they wanted, and with steely resolve I would have said at the end “oh, no, I insist – give both helpings to some needy child in South East Asia!” And oh, they would have admired my resolve! Perhaps offered me a bag of marshmallows as a consolation prize. But… no. Marshmallows, my kryptonite along with Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Life isn’t fair.

Needless to say I would have been wolfing down marshy as soon as the researcher turned their back, so perhaps my case of these will not last the test of time, and I’ll be forced to eat crow and spend big bucks 20 years from now if I want more. But… this is one wonderful, complex, smooth (unusual for a CDP this young) wine that will reward instant gratification as well as waiting along with your 401k to drink. It’s a pretty classic CPD blend, with 80 % grenache, 10% syrah, and 10% mourvedre, with grapes grown on soil rockier and stonier than your mother-in-law’s heart. Heck, buy her a bottle and make a friend!

Cellerable, giftable, and drinkable, now or later. Highly recommended and showered with praise from the critics… buy all you can, this has been a great CDP year!

Drink cool (15-20m in fridge is fine) and let it sit out for up to an hour before quaffing… note the changes, and eat with a hearty meal – we had it with pot roast (which itself was soaked in 2 bottles of Rhone wine, a close cousin and neighbor of CDP) and they went together like marshmallows and wine. Yum.

Domaine Lafond Roc Epine 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Grenache 80%, Syrah 10%, Mourvèdre 10%. | Alc: 14% – Big,Bold and Supple
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhone, France

Winemaker’s notes:
A powerful and full-bodied wine with a deep ruby red colour with violet tints. The nose is complex: cinnamon, stewed fruit, and Morello cherry. After a firm and ample attack, on the palate we have vanilla and peppery notes which last to the finish. This is a rich and supple wine, long in the mouth. The dominating presence of the characteristic flavour of the Grenache grape in the mouth assures the benchmark of CHÂTEAUNEUF DU PAPE wines.

Critical Acclaim:
“A potentially great wine in the making, the 2010 Châteauneuf du Pape Roc-Epine possesses awesome concentration as well as a gorgeous nose of roasted Provencal herbs, lavender, blueberries, blackberries and cassis. With good acidity, sweet, well-integrated tannins and super concentration, it will be drinkable in 2-3 years, and should evolve for 15+ years thereafter.” 93-95 Points – The Wine Advocate

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