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The other night a good friend and I went to Roy's La Jolla with three bottles of wine from my cellar. The 2005 Il Prove Blanc de Blanc, from Corsica, was perfect. A golden colored hue, with a bouquet of fresh sea air and hillside grass. It was smooth, and so different from the buttery chardonnay that so many people seem to call great wine. It had minerals and fruit and was a delight.
But the two reds were the stars of the show. I've long been a fan of wines from the Languedoc, long before my wedding there in 2007. My cellar, which is full of reds from one of the largest wine producing wine regions in the world, tends to have hidden gems of enjoyment just waiting to be plucked and opened.
The two reds, both from Peyre Rose, were off the charts. How so? Well they were from 1991 and 1992 respectively, and both showed no sign of being too old. Quite the opposite. The 1992 Clos Syrah Leone could go ten more years. It is a blend of 85 percent Syrah and 15 percent Mourvedre. It is loaded with scents of the Garrigue, thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender and more, all supporting a very deep black raspberry and blueberry flavor. The 1991 Clos de Cistes was more evolved, and while likely has hit its peak at 20 years of age, the wine is not at all tired or showing any signs of it and likely could would proper cellaring go five or six more years, but why wait? It's a monster in its own right, but far more complex. The 85 percent Syrah is juicy, while the 15 percent of Grenache gives it lift, life and the silkiness one wants in a well aged wine.
Honestly, these two Peyre-Rose wines tasted more like 5 and 7 years old than 20 and 19. Sheer joy in a bottle, twice, and clearly the benefit of a good cellar.
