A little wine tour is what we set out to do. Chateauneuf du Pape is not far from Carpentras where the brocante I love to go to is at. Though when I am at the brocante red wine, even in such a dream place as Chateauneuf du pape, is the last thing I think about.
Today might have caused a change of habit… well let's just say after a morning at the brocante I might start going wine tasting, er um discovering wine that is:
Our first stop was Chateau la Nerthe.
I could have stayed there.
Lived there.
and been happy ever after.
A little tour anywhere in Provence will show you olive trees, stone walls, ancient ruins, vineyards… beauty.
And I never grow tired of being shown such.
We were fortunate to taste a 1984 bottle at Chateau la Nerthe. I like to entertain the thought that they sensed I appreciated old things.
On the grounds of my Nerthe…
A stone tower.
One door leading in.
Locked.
In the near distance Chateau des Fine Roches.
Via Chateau le Nerthe,
"The moment the harvest arrives in the cellar it is sorted on a conveyor belt – always by hand – in order to eliminate the grapes that are either not ripe enough or spoiled. The whole of the harvest is stemmed, then undergoes a second sorting to eliminate any leaves or debris.
Then the grape varieties that are particularly complimentary are mixed together in a vat where the fermentation will take place.
Several successive tastings will help determine the best moment for the devatting: the free run wine is then drawn off by gravity and poured into vats for the malolactic fermentation. It is in this way that the wine will begin to evolve either in 16th century stone tanks, or in some cases, in large wood barrels."
Was our second stop after lunch.
French Husband, Vlad and Denise carried a lively conversation with the owner.
I twirled, breathed in, thought of flavors that spoke of fruits, swished the wine in my mouth and drank.
Falling in love with wine tasting.
What do you prefer?
Red
White
Pink
Chocolate
Apricot
Full Bodied
Coffee with a shot of Kahlua
Water
Beer
Kool Aid
…
I prefer red.
Full bodied.
From the descriptive words used by the wine makers it seems I prefer wines that are:
Feminine and gourmandise.
Gourmandise sounds better in French then Gluttony in English.
So much goodness in one day.
"Le Clos du Caillou is ideally located in the municipality of Courthézon. It consists of 44 hectares in Côtes du Rhône, and 9 ha in Châteauneuf du Pape. Le Clos has the distinction of being located on the edge with the appellation Châteauneuf du Pape." via Le Clos du Caillou.
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