2000 A. Clape Cornas, 13% alc.: This wine looks like a glass of ink with a dark garnet tinge and smells garrigue. On the palate, there’s more of the same, with a huge core of still-primary (but accessible) black plum and currant, along with some leather and a hint of bacon as it opens. Traditional, but not rustic, and still showing ample structure, though by no means monolithic, this is more than just drinkable, but still at least five years from starting to show its best. This one has a long life ahead of it, so best to let it rest until 2013 and see what you have then. Very fine indeed! Find this wine

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

1999 Alain Voge Cornas, 12.5% alc: There’s a slight cloudiness to the dark garnet color here, and it sports a sea air, garrigue and black fruit nose. On the palate, it gives earthy black plum and currant flavors shaded with herb de Provence and stony minerality. Full bodied with big structure, an impressive core of fruit, and as of yet, no tertiary characteristics of any kind. Drinking well now, but at least four or five years from its best, this is a solid Cornas, but not as expressive as the Clape. Many thanks to a long lost friend for hand delivering this one from the domaine. Find this wine


Game 2. Another victory. Another shutout. Another great young red Rhône.

2000 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage, 13% alc.: This almost has the appearance of a glass of ink, but it’s young ink, with a purple-pink tinge. It’s all about underbrush, pepper and black fruit on the nose, with lots more of the same on the palate, being big, rich, expressive and very much primary in character, still years away from showing its best. Kim took a sip and exclaimed, “This is delicious!” She’s right, of course, even though it’s only eight years old. It’s a beautifully balanced wine that responds very well to aeration, taking on a strong note of new leather as it opens, which only adds to the appeal, so if you’re going to open it now, give it an hour in a decanter. Better yet, try one in three or four years to gauge where it’s at in its evolution. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one wants another five or even ten years to really show its best. Find this wine

Imported by Langdon Shivrick, Inc., Cleveland, OH

Game 3: The first time we tried this next wine, the Red Wings went on to win the Cup; the second time, they were less successful. Despite the loss in Game 3, we were hoping for 2 out of 3 to the good.

1997 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf du Pape, $21.99, 13.5% alc.: There’s a little rust to the otherwise clean, dark color, and the wine exudes classic Bois de Boursan character, with its dusty, spicy black fruit, iron and cola flavors and aromas. There’s a big, rich core of fruit here, and structure to burn, but with an hour in a decanter, it’s already beautiful. It might be peaking at around 15 years of age, or it might take a little longer, but whatever the case, it offers cleaner, more complex and delineated flavors than the following selection, and look at that price tag. This remains one of the more underrated CdPs around, and owner-winemaker Jean-Paul Versino and importer J et R Selections have done well to hold the price down to still affordable levels, unlike the following producer. Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections, Mt. Pleasant, MI

I thought this next one, last tasted in late ’02, would provide an interesting contrast to the Bois de Boursan, and it did, in a 2nd fiddle kind of way.

1997 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf du Pape, $25.99, 13.5% alc.: This shows good dark color, if slightly cloudy, but it’s not as effusive on the nose or as expressive on the palate than the Bois de Boursan. There’s a whiff of the barnyard over restrained black fruit when it’s first poured, following through with flavors reminiscent of earthy, smoky black plum, iron and with some air, pleasing shades of leather. It does give a fairly good accounting of itself as the memory of the first wine fades and this one does open nicely with air, but even so, it’s still rough and not ready, coming off as big, brawny and still youthful. With its structure and solid core of fruit, this is a 15-20 year wine, I’ll wager. Too bad the price of these has skyrocketed over the last few years. We won’t buy it anymore. Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections LTD., Mount Pleasant, MI

And a little off night mojo never hurts, especially one from one of our favorite producers, last tasted during the opening round of the Stanley Cup drive of ‘02, and I have no doubt whatsoever that that this one helped in the coming Game 4.

2000 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas Cuvée Azalaïs, $19.99, 13.8% alc.: Slightly murky dark color, with a leathery stewed fruit nose that only gives a hint of the rich core of flavor on the palate; think earthy stewed black plums, leather, underbrush and a subtle coffee-like something or ‘nother. There’re still substantial tannins here, and zippy acidity, and while it’s drinking quite well with some air, it’s not even close to its peak. Give this another five years and then see what you have, whether then or now, it’s classic Sang des Cailloux. Find this wine

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

Game 4: The Red Wings didn’t change much after their Game 3 loss, and neither did we, going right back to the well with a relatively old Pegau we haven’t tried in a long time. Strangely enough, that one was from magnum too. Wings pulled out a tight 2-1 victory and we liked the wine just fine.

1996 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf du Pape, $50.00, 1.5 L, 13.5% alc.: More than a hint of rust to the good dark color, with some sea air and a little bit of the barnyard on the nose; what a combination! Given just a little air, this delivers classic spice, iron, violet, earth, black fruit, cola and new leather Pegau character. Full bodied without any heaviness, and still well structured, with excellent depth, concentration and balance, this is drinking well right now (Kim loves it, and what’s not to love?), but I doubt that it’s hit its peak yet, if this one is any indication. It should continue to give much pleasure over the next five years and beyond, especially in the larger format. Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections LTD., Mount Pleasant, MI

Game 5: The scene was set; the Wings were on home ice at Joe Louis Arena, with a 3-1 lead in the series and seemingly all the momentum. We had Champagne chilled and waiting and were 35 seconds away from starting the celebration when Maxime Talbot tied the game, sending things into the first of three overtime periods. Finally, the Penguins’ Petr Sykora put the game away at 9:57 of the third overtime with a power play goal, putting the series on hold and making for some very bleary-eyed, disappointed and nervous Wings’ fans showing up for work later that morning. We felt we had more than enough mojo to help the boys over the top, going back to the well yet again with tried and true favorites, but sometimes the hockey gods work in strange ways. We started that Monday night off with a white from one of our very favorite “Rhône Ranger” producers.

2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc, 60% Roussanne, 30% Grenache Blanc, 10% Picpoul, 13.5% alcohol, $36.99: Rich medium straw to pale gold in color; the pleasant apple, pear and melon nose (with a whiff of sea air) only hint at the rich flavors to follow, echoing and expanding with an added streak of lime-like citrus, some underlying minerality and a hint of lanolin as it opens. With a creamy mouth feel and yet vivid racy acidity at the same time, this is already a treat, but it’ll be so much better in another three to five years, so patience is advised. Find this wine

I hadn’t tried the following wine since my one and only participation at Rednecks and Red Rhônes in ’05; it was very nice then, and it’s still getting better.

1995 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf du Pape, 13.5% alc.: There’s still good dark color with a noticeable tinge of rust to this one; on the nose, a little bit of funk lingers over earthy stewed black fruit, leather, iron, Provencal herb and some forest floor, all following through so nicely on the palate. This still has plenty of structure and substance for further development, but it has mellowed into a very fine example of what Pegau is all about; it’s not exactly primary, but neither is it showing any real secondary characteristics as of yet. Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections LTD., Mount Pleasant, MI

This next one was last tasted during the Cup drive of ’02, and going into extra innings, we needed more mojo! Alas, it was for naught…

1998 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf du Pape, $29.99, 13.5% alc.: Slightly cloudy dark color, all tight and funky when first poured; there’s a huge core of deep, dark leathery black plums, berries and cherries (the black cherries really come through on day two) shaded with earthy underbrush. There’s plenty of life and structure here, and like so many of these noted here, its best days are ahead of it, but give it some air and it’ll give you a fine glass of wine or two. Find this wine

Imported by J et R Selections LTD., Mount Pleasant, MI

Game 5: This was not a fun game to watch, at least not until after the final buzzer, with the puck barely staying out of the Detroit goal in the last few seconds to give the Red Wings a 3-2 victory and their fourth Stanley Cup Championship in the last eleven years. We tried a new tack with our mojo, eschewing the old reliables, and instead opting for a couple of late model operators, although still from Châteauneuf du Pape.

2005 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf du Pape Les Origines, $51.99, 15.5% alc.: This youngster, deep, dark and inky in color, is drinking surprisingly well already, and it’s probably because it’s clearly made in the international style; the oak is obvious in this, both on the nose and in the mouth, and I doubt that it will appeal to traditionalists, but that’s not to say that it’s a bad wine by any means. It shows some subtle dark chocolate, toast and coffee over rich, ripe and slightly earthy black plum and berry, with a smooth, plush texture that cohabits nicely with some solid structure. Thoroughly modern, and not “typical" by any means, this would show well in a tasting of Left Coast Rhône Rangers, and if that doesn’t bother you, this is an excellent glass of wine. Find this wine

Imported by Kysela Pere & Fils Ltd., Winchester, VA

Last tasted during last year’s playoffs, this has mellowed noticeably over twelve months, and provided a most interesting contrast to the Les Origines.

2005 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition Rouge, 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault & 5% Syrah, 14.5% alc., $29.99: Showing good, dark color, this delivers licorice, underbrush and black fruit on the nose and following through with more of the same on the palate with a not-so-subtle earthiness under it all. Rich and ripe, but by no means extracted or international, this has good balance and structure, and drinks really well now with an hour in a decanter. It should continue to improve for two, three or even five years. Find this wine

Imported by Eagle Eye Imports, LLC, Bloomfield Hills, MI

Afterwards, the boys were pouring Korbel over each other and the members of the media in the dressing room, so I was glad we had the good stuff here. I posted these brief notes on a few wine forums whilst watching the celebration.

Champagne Philipponnat Royale Reserve Brut NV, 30% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier; Dosage 8 g/L, 12% alc.; $28.80: Popcorn, smoke and semi-ripe apples; vivid acids and effervescence, lots of intense flavor and a fine bubbly to celebrate another Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup. Love that price, eh? I got the last three. Find this wine

Imported by Ex Cellars Wine Agencies, Inc., Solvang, CA

Finally, we tried the new Berthet-Rayne Châteauneuf du Pape a few nights later while watching a finals redux report on local TV, and it acquitted itself well enough.

2006 Domaine Berthet-Rayne Châteauneuf du Pape Tradition Rouge, 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault & 5% Syrah, 14.5% alc., $31.99: A youthful purple garnet in color, with a big earthy core of rich young black plums, currants and berries; not much iron or herb like so many CdPs show, but with an hour in a decanter, this is already drinking pretty well. Structured, yet svelte, with solid concentration, this may not be a “great” Châteauneuf du Pape, but it’s certainly a solid one at a reasonable price for what’s in the bottle. Find this wine

Imported by Eagle Eye Imports, LLC, Bloomfield Hills, MI

And so, another long NHL season is over, and once again, the Stanley Cup is right where it belongs, in Day-twah. With the core of this great team remaining intact, the future looks bright, but for now, we’ll savor the delicious taste of victory, and wash it down with some fine WHITE Rhônes and a variety of sparklers!

Reporting from Day-twah,