Chapoutier "Les Varonniers" Crozes-Emitage 2003

Red/purple.

Savory earth/nut paste, black raspberry coulis nose with an herb/celery undertone. Full, but well-defined.

Middle-weight impression - deep blackberry, licorice and oak spice flavors. Taut, mineral/acid structure. Again, well-defined, and built to age. But I must admit to admiring the wine more than "feeling" it, in complete contrast to the Copain.

Day 3 - It's probably the vintage (hot), but this now bears some resemblance to "modern" Chateauneuf. Black fruit (plum/raspberry) jelly, easy-going (but very deep) earth/nut aromatics. Ditto in the mouth, only a bit of acid-constriction and a very slight northern "green-ness" as a hint that this isn't from the south. This now lays claim to a hold on the "glands".

$45