A sleeper selection is Nicolas Boiron’s 2009 Cotes du Rhone. This outstanding effort (80% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault) was aged in cement tanks (50%) and foudre and demi-muids. Tasting like a medium weight Chateauneuf du Pape, this elegant, spicy, richly fruity, attractive red is best drunk over the next several years.
Bosquet des Papes has been one of my favorite estates for over three decades. Run by the charming Boiron family (the bigger than life Nicolas Boiron could be on an NFL team), they own beautiful vineyards throughout Chateauneuf du Pape.
Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173