2006 Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle Chateauneuf du pape

Another great wine from my busy last weekend. I am a big fan of Chateauneuf du pape and I am a sucker for well aged Grenache. Perhaps it is not the case for this relatively young 2006, but still, the wine has everything that you hope to find in a good Chateauneuf du pape: richness, balance and complexity.

2006 Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle Chateauneuf du pape

It has a deep, saturated red color and it is certainly not the case to discuss any signs of aging here. The nose is well developed, really intense and evolving as the wine makes contact with the air. It is initially rather close and shows some yeasty aromas, but as it breathes over 2 hours, it gains depth and shifts from a ripe character of flamboyant sweet red fruit and red fruit jams to a more classic one with black olives paste, garrigue, black pepper and tar. Full bodied, with smooth texture and ripe tannins, well structured and balanced, it shows good richness on the palate. Long finish, spicy, with some lingering flavors of sweet ripe blackberry. At 14.5% alc the wine is really smooth, classic and pleasant to enjoy. Definitely not a body builder wine like so many recent examples of modern Chateauneuf du pape. (91/100)

It is a wine that can convert people into liking wine. I remember first time I started to discover wine a few years ago, I was looking for richness above any other things. This is a sweet compromise where one finds both richness and balance in a classic style. Chateau Vieux Lazaret Cuvee Exceptionnelle is imported into Romania by Cramele Recas.

2006 Clos Galena Priorat

Had dinner last night with my friend Calin at the Spanish restaurant Nada Mas that replaced the old Byblos on Nicolae Golescu street, just behind Ateneul Roman and enjoyed again a very nice chicken paella. I have not tried yet the paella made by La Tienda on Tunari street but, so far, Nad Mas paella seems to be the best in town. Will go and try the one at La Tienda and come back with final conclusions later on.

I also found out that the guys from the Bonne Bouche restaurant from the Old Center bought the old Bistro Ateneu location and they will open both a wine shop and a wine bar at the beginning of December. So there will be two wine shops and two wine bars on Episcopiei street where, for the time being, there is only a Le Manoir shop. This is a welcoming initiative as both the consumers and the wine shops will benefit from being in the same area.

As we had dinner at a Spanish restaurant, I brought a Spanish wine from Priorat that was bought about 3-4 years ago from a wine shop in Austria, and was stored in my cellar ever since. Looking back at the price I paid back then (approx 40 Eur) I have the regret of over paying for it. The wine was paired both with Spanish charcuterie –  that was not a happy match as it brought the alcohol on the surface, and also with a chicken paella which was a better combo.

2006 Clos Galena Priorat

This wine suffers from the disease that affected most of the Priorat wines at a certain point: excessive oak treatment. The oaky aromas were pretty strong during the first 1 h. It has a dark red, garnet color. The nose is developed, with good intensity, but the dominating aromas on the first hour are the ones given by the oak blended with ripe blue and black fruit, spices and a warmness that sometimes can be felt in Grenache based blends. After 1 h the oak steps on the background and leaves room for fresher aromas with hints of fennel, roasted herbs and anise seeds. Full bodied, to the border of having too much extraction but still managing to remain on the floating level, with smooth texture, ripe, balanced, showing sweet fruity flavors on the palate and a medium finish with a firm tannic grip. The wine feels nice in the mouth, but there is a certain dryness on the finish that spoils the overall harmony. This is a ripe, forward wine, made in a modern style, but unfortunately lacking any particular personality. 14.5% (87-88/100)

Clos Galena is usually a blend of Grenache (40%), Carignan (20%), Syrah (20%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) aged between 12 and 15 months in French and American oak barrels.