2009 Chateau de Nages Costieres-de-Nimes Cuvee Joseph Torres

Despite what many people think, most wines produced in the world today do not need aging/cellaring to be enjoyed. In fact, most wines are ready to be drunk the minute they are sold. This is especially true of “New World” style wines, marked by an abundance of fruit. Age these wines and you’ll lose the fruit and be left with very little to enjoy at all.

So when I opened the 2009 Chateau de Nages, a Syrah blend from the Southern Rhone region of France, I was surprised at what I tasted. I believe I opened it a year or two too soon! At 14.5% alcohol, this was a big wine that needed both time and air to open up. I decanted and found that it peaked about a half hour after I opened it.

Gorgeous purple, with plum, blueberry, anise and licorice notes on the nose as well as a little vanilla and toasty oak, there was lots of tannin, but it was very well balanced and structured. It was a delicious wine, yet the fruit is just now beginning to subside and the gorgeous flavors that come out in aged wine, leather, tar and (dare I say?) meat, are just beginning to show. Right now, it only hints at the complexity it holds. I really enjoyed it tonight, but I think this wine’s best days are yet to come. Since I bought it a few months ago, I’m really hoping I can get another bottle to drink in a year.