The Janasse 2002 Chateauneuf du Pape
With the coming of fall, we get an excuse to delve into deeper and darker reds, and nothing is more rich, dark and red than a French Chateauneuf du Pape. Chateauneufs (“new castle”) come from a very small region of the Rhone valley and have gained an elevated (one might say coveted) status as an exclusive and in-the-know sorta wine. Wines of this varietal typically go for at least $50-60 a bottle, up to plenty of hundreds– so as a rule we don’t get to drink wines like this (not if we’re paying for them, at any rate!). Nevertheless, this month we got a special opportunity to try the 2002 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf du Pape at a mere $16, a muchly coveted on-sale find at Wide World of Wines on Wisconsin Ave. (Don’t bother; I bought the last four bottles!)
I can count the number of times I’ve had a Chateauneuf on one hand and to the best of my memory, I’d never bought one. This one– marked down to about half price– seemed to be worth the gamble, and in fact it exceeded all our expectations. I brought it over to a dinner party at a friends house and all were impressed by the full, rich flavor and the lush berrosity. (See previous wine post for berrosity.) I searched the Internet to see where I could find more, but couldn’t even find a listing for a 2002 Janasse– both 2003 and 2004 vintages sell for about $50, however. 2002 is generally not thought of as being a great year for wine amongst wine circles– though this is mostly in comparison to the unusually good 2003, 2004, and 2005 years. For the price, however, you would be challenged to find a more regal and commanding wine. Lacking the punch or swagger of a California Zinfindel or an Australian Syrah, the French Chateauneuf nevertheless exhibits the kind of rich refinement, terroir, and depth that defines Old Europe.
Domaine de la Janasse is one of about sixty small producers in the Chateauneuf area (they have to be small, as its a small region). Many such producers do have other varietals that they grow in the surrounding Rhone valley area; Janasse sells a less expensive Cotes du Rhone for about $15 which I found enjoyable but less impressive. According to the website, the story is thus: “Aimé SABON comes back from his military duty in 1967 and takes over his father’s vineyards (who was bringing his grapes into cooperative cave) and father-in-law’s vineyards (who was selling the wine). He builds his cave in 1973 and thus creates the domain of La Janasse, from the name of family camp located in Courthezon. His ambition will be to enlarge the domain by acquiring new vineyards of different varieties, going from 15 ha to 55 ha nowadays. In 1991, after a BTA in winemaking and oenology at Beaune and a BTS in marketing at Macon, Christophe joins his father who leaves him the responsability of the cave. He will create the different vintages and develop the marketing of the domain. Isabelle, the sister of Christophe and also oenologist, joins the team in 2001.”
Janasse actually has several “levels” of CDP, actually: a “Rouge” (or normal; what I have), “Cuvee Chaupin” and “Vieilles Vignes”. A 2003 “Rouge” goes for $49, for instance, a Cuvee Chaupin goes for $110 and a Vielles Vignes goes for $175. As I mentioned, the 2002 year was one of the few 200x years that WASN’T a great year– it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the same kind of stellar year that 2001, 2003, and 2004 were. I can still remember the enthusiastic French wine seller in Alsace explaining to me (in French) the extrordinary nature of the 200x run.
To offer an outside opinion, i’m going to steal Steve Tanzer’s review at Wine Access (95 points) even though it’s for the 2003 rather than 2002: “Saturated dark red. Explosively aromatic, highly complex nose offers kirsch, raspberry liqueur, blueberry, tarragon, baking spices, smoked meat, espresso and hot asphalt. Lush and hefty but suave, with rich flavors of sweet dark berries, framboise, candied chocolate and licorice that build and deepen with aeration. A brisk mineral note keeps the fruit in check and adds focus and lift to the knockout, silky finish.”
Also Robert Parker: “The 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape has a deep black/purple color and a sweet nose of charcoal, black cherries, raspberry, and some Provencal herbs and pepper. In the mouth it’s tannic and clearly a vin de garde with refreshing acidity, real vibrancy, but surprising power and length. As Christophe Sabon said, “It’s a wine that comes across as feminine because of the high acids and low pH, but then the finished alcohol is close to fifteen percent!” Give this wine 3-5 years of cellaring and drink it over the following fifteen as it will be extremely long-lived. Over the last decade Domaine de la Janasse has become one of the half dozen or so finest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, they also produce an impressive range of Cotes du Rhones. This was also one of the few dozen or so estates that had exceptional success in 2003, a challenging vintage but, for those who did it right, some monumental wines. Proprietor Christophe Sabon compares 2004 with 1999, but with slightly more fruit and power.” 91-94 Points, Robert Parker
You could do worse! Hey, if you’re going to spend $16, you might as well make it the best…
Coveting the High Life 