2009 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

Laurence Feraud told me that, for her, 2010 is about dark fruit but with vivacity and spiciness. At the moment, she considers her young 2010s to be "a bit of a hybrid of 2008 for its spice, and 2009 and a bit of 2007 for their power." Conditions were so ideal in 2010 that the Ferauds were able to spread the picking out across an entire month, winding up with a wide range of lots with different personalities. "This made making a Cuvee da Capo a no-brainer," said Laurence, "as it will take nothing away from the quality and personality of the Reservee." Feraud added that the 2010 Capo clocks in at under two grams per liter of residual sugar, by the way. (Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; J et R Selections, Bloomfield Hills, MI)

. Laurence Feraud referred to her Cuvee Laurence as "the house Burgundy" and said that she worried that customers didn't understand that the family's objective was for the wine to be ready to drink on release, not to be stored away for further aging. "Sure, it will age, but I hope that people don't put them away for many years and then drink them with disappointment. It's a great wine to be able to sell to restaurants, which was the original intent of my father." She told me that she believes that "2009 will turn out like 2005, but without the tannins. There's structure and the flavors are well-focused but not too opulent, which will allow them to be drunk after just a bit of aging. They might turn out a lot like 1999, in fact, which is a vintage that was short-changed by a lot of people at first, especially after the craze for the 1998s." Laurence also emphasized that the 2007s are wines that aren't showing very much right now and was insistent that her 2005s should be avoided for the near future "or maybe even longer. They are completely closed and impossible to read now." There appears to be a Da Capo bottling from 2010 on the horizon, by the way, as Laurence believes that the material is there to justify it. (Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; Martine's Wines, Novato, CA; J et R Selections, Bloomfield Hills, MI)