Ferrand, Domaine de
Rhône, France
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Blend
2000
$24.99
14.5%
Filmy liquid, very fine sediment present even after standing up for a few days, red rose to red clay colored core, starts to yellow along the rims. There’s a pervasive mustiness to it that doesn’t shake free but in no way corked, like wool clothing sitting in an attic trunk for 20 years, matted grasses and damp earth, licorice, witch hazel, the cherry to raspberry scents possess full-on hard candy concentration. Medium-bodied, plush and while not soft yet on the way there. Some residual tanning kicking about. Cleaner here with a bit of lemon drop, ginger root to pair with pressed flowers, tea leaf and molasses crisp. Amount of woolly notes makes you suspect there’s a good deal of Mourvèdre in the blend. The raspberry, blackberry to cherry fruit has faded some and lacks the sheer concentration found in the nose. Can be argued waited 3-5 years too long to pull the cork, but it seemed to need a lot of aging while in its youth. Unspecified percentages of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, etc.
88 points