2005 Domaine Chante-Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
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A blockbuster wine, the 2005 Domaine Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes is packed with roasted herbs, raw meat, black licorice and stunning dark fruit aromatics. Deep, full bodied, textured and long, this has solid structure and enough density to warrant cellar time but it’s delicious right now as well.
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Robert Parker
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Opaque ruby. Explosively perfumed nose displays a sexy array of dark fruit liqueur scents, along with cocoa, fresh lavender and vanilla. Fat, pliant blackberry and boysenberry flavors display great depth and are enlivened by zesty minerality, which carries through the long, sappy finish. Gentle tannins add grip but this is all about the fruit. Lovely stuff.
Deeper, fuller, broader, and fuller-bodied than the regular bottling with greater concentration, depth, length, and I assume, much better aging potential as well, the 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a beauty. This is a bold wine of considerable exuberance, with impressive levels of kirsch-like fruit intermixed with some blacker fruits, ground pepper, incense, and roasted herbs. It is very full-bodied, has admirable glycerin and depth, noticeable but sweet tannin, and a 40+-second finish. This is a super Chateauneuf du Pape that should hit its peak in 2-4 years and last for 15 or more years. Importer: Elite Estates, Braintree, MA; tel. (781) 348-8000 and Wine Adventures, W. Des Moines, IA; tel. (515) 222-0866
Inky ruby. Powerful, deep blackberry and blueberry aromas, with a sexy mocha element. Round, supple and sweet, showing excellent concentration and a suave cassis flavor. The fruit builds on the back, picking up a hint of vanilla and finishing with excellent persistence and focus. This boasts an impressive balance of sweetness and energy.