Castelmaure: Opinions #5 & #6
Reader Steve-o found himself sucked into the dueling opinions on this fairly humble wine from the Languedoc region of southern France. I really liked it. Huge, not so much. Jack & Joanne seemed to like it. As does Steve-o..
"Well, it took a little doing - I had to order it from a shop in the D.C. area - but I got my hands on a bottle of the 2001 Castelmaure for tasting opinion #5.
I noted a deep ruby color, but did not pick up any copper at the edge - the color held to the rim. The nose had a bit of cherry - I would almost say candied cherry - as well as sanguine notes, a little spice and, I will say, some funkiness. But not a lot, and certainly not to an unpleasant extent.
There was more fruit in the mouth than I expected, given the other tasting notes, but it was well-tapered by the other characteristics; lovely. The tannins were minor, and the acidity good... but I did find the finish to be a bit bitter. I didn't mind it at first, but either my perception of the bitterness increased as we drank the wine, or it came out in the wine itself as it opened up over the course of the evening. Rachel (Opinion # 6), for her part, liked the bitterness; I was more ambivalent - liking it at first, but by the end being a little put off by it. We didn't really pair it with food, though perhaps if we had, it would have cut into the finish a little more for a more pleasurable result.
I paid $18 for the bottle, and would say that despite the bitterness on the finish, it provides a good value at that price. Since I bought two bottles (as it seemed silly to send off to D.C. for one bottle of relatively cheap wine), we'll be drinking the second one with a dark meat."
I found it interesting that Steve & Rachel noticed the bitterness becoming more pronounced as they drank the wine. When I tasted the wine, aside from the initial sips, I paired it with grilled sausages and onions. Perhaps that is why I didn't notice the bitter finish.
Anyone else care to contribute an opinion?
i must be able to find a bottle around here somewhere...
Posted by: Andrew | 30 November 2005 at 05:41 PM