WTN: 1998 Chateau de la Gardine

[Brad Ballinger]

1998 Chateau de la Gardine Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Served with oxtail stew. There was a pronounced candied fruit component that dominated the nose initially. It became more subdued over time, but never fully retreated. With aeration and swirling, there were secondary aromas of olive, roasted game, and some peppery spice. A tiny bit floral. In the mouth, the wine was a bit closed (I pulled the cork and poured without any aeration ahead of time). But the bottle was open three hours, and toward the end, the wine had opened up and the tannins were yielding a bit. It wasn't as fruity tasting as the candied nose would lead one to believe. Plenty of earth, meat, spice, etc, shone through. I would definitely give this a couple hours in the decanter next time.