Chateauneuf du Pape by the fire :)

While shopping in Costco, at LEAST 4 years ago, we picked up this bottle.  We only bought it because it was a really cool bottle (I mean, why else??).  It looks all deformed and covered in dust.  Only some of the dust was real. 

I feel like we've been saving this for years for some special occasion, or we were scared to open it because what if the bottle is soooo cool, the wine sucks?  So, tonight, it was just a normal dinner, nothing crazy and we were struggling over picking the wine.  I said "just open it - if it sucks, we'll just open something else".  Matt was thinking the same thing.  So, we did it.  At first taste, it was good, different than what we normally drink.  But, good.  You got the cherry right away.  We decided to decant it, too.  Let it sit while we cooked dinner (Matt cooked dinner tonight ~ niiiice). 

So, I had totally pegged this as a Merlot blend.  A delicious Merlot, but a Merlot just the same.  That ripe fruit it had was classic (or so I thought).  I wasn't sure, but that's what I assumed.  And, you know what they say about assuming...

And, I stand corrected.  It is not Merlot.  I just checked it online:

Grape Varieties:

80% Grenache brings roundness.

7% Syrah brings color and aromas.

7% Mourvédre brings tannins and ageing capacity.

6% Cinsault brings finesse.

Not a drop of Merlot.  We searched the bottle to see what the vintage year was.  No year listed.  So, in my search, I also learned that it is a non vintage because it's the best cuvees from different vintages. 

Matt & I did enjoy this bottle (to the last drop).  It was a perfect Saturday night with a simple dinner, good wine, good wood (on the fire), and Wii bowling with the kids. 

Now that I'm at the end of my final glass, I'll give you the run-down on the wine itself.  On the nose (again, after decanted at the end of the night) I get a beautiful cherry scent mixed with chocolate.  On the palate, rich red berries dominate with a fantastic finish.  It has very little tannin at this point, just very smooth. 

You should pick up a bottle.  It's a fun AND delicious bottle. 

In Vino Veritas!