Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Blanc

You're not going to find many white wines in my catalog. It's not that we don't like white wine, it's just that it doesn't particularly like us. For some reason, I tend to feel the effects more on the next day with white wine (pronounced "Hangover"). For my wife, she says it bothers her stomach. It bothers her enough that she won't drink it at all. While me on the other hand, what's a little hangover? So when I get the chance, I will occasionally experiment with the whites. It's a good thing that I do, because if I didn't, I would have missed out on one of the best wines I have ever tasted.

You probably think of red when you hear Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, but there are white Chateauneufs as well. Most of these are a blend with Roussanne being the dominant grape. Chateau de Beaucastel bottles a "Vieille Vignes" cuvee that is 100% Roussanne. I found out about this wine while reading a wine book. I found the description of its flavor to be intriguing, so the next time I went to my wine specialty shop I asked if they had any. I had expected the answer to be no and it was. But to my surprise, they said it was on order and expected in within the next day or so.

I went back in a few days and there it was. My first impression was "Wow, now that's how a bottle of wine should look!". It just reeked of "fine French wine" and so did the price. I had to ponder the consequences of returning home with an $85 bottle of wine that I knew my wife probably wouldn't want to drink. But, what the hell. Believe me, I've done a lot worse.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, this was a great decision. I had never experienced this level of wine satisfaction. It was creamy, silky smooth and had just a hint of creme brulee. I not only enjoyed drinking it, but just saying it was pleasurable. Go ahead, try it. Say it a couple of times. Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf Blanc. See what I mean? It's been a few years since this experience and unfortunately, I haven't brought myself to justify the expense of repeating it. However, I think this just might be this year's birthday present.