2002 Chateauneuf du Pape Reine Bois

The Delorme’s 2002 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de La Reine des Bois has to be the wine of the vintage, and while that’s not saying much when you’re talking about 2002, the wine is damn good. Possessing a dark ruby color, it offers plenty of dark fruit, chocolate, toast and spice to go with a medium-bodied, still youthful profile on the palate. It’s not a wine to run out and try to buy, but hats off to these guys for this level of quality in the vintage. As I wrote in the intro for this domaine last year, Domaine de la Mordoree is a reference point estate for Chateauneuf du Pape. Run by the talented brother duo of Fabrice and Christophe Delorme, with Christophe making the wines, they produce a relatively modern-styled Chateauneuf, as well as more than noteworthy Liracs and Tavels. For this tasting at the domaine (I was also able to taste through this full lineup again, from bottles in the U.S.), we started with the older vintages and worked toward the more current releases. In addition to their Reine des Bois cuvee, the Delorme brothers also release a special cuvee call the Cuvee de la Plume du Peintre. It’s made only in top vintages, and, as of today, it’s only been made in 2003 and 2005. There’s a scant 150 cases of each. Coming from a plot of 80-year-old vines located in the famed La Crau lieu-dit, the blend has changed between the two releases, as has the elevage. Importer: Fran Kysela, Kysela Pere et Fils, Winchester, VA; tel. (540) 722-9228; fax (540) 722-9258