2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Spéciale

Michel and Bastien Tardieu are a great resource for information on the entire Rhone Valley, given their work in the best appellations from Condrieu down to Chateauneuf-du-Pape (and Bandol, if you want to go even farther). As they are based in the south and work very closely with Chateauneuf-based enologist Philippe Cambie, they are especially qualified to discuss the vagaries of that sector. The key to success in 2011 was "not to fall for the temptation of high yields and big production, and many people fell for that," according to Bastien. "The quality was there but you couldn't realize it without getting rid of a lot of fruit, and a lot of that fruit was mediocre to begin with anyway." Mourvedre and syrah were the favored varieties in '11, "which means that you'll have good structure if your wine is based heavily on those grapes," Michel added. As for 2010, "what can you say apart from what everybody else has already said?" Michel shrugged. "It's a great, great year but structured, so not much fun right now or for a few more years."

Bastien Tardieu, who is still a few years shy of 30, is now working side by side with his father Michel in the family's negociant business and bringing his winemaking training, which included a stint with the winery's enologist Philippe Cambie, into play. "While there's no reason to change the style and identity of the wines," he told me, he is looking for as much energy and flavor without excess weight as possible. The wines here rely heavily on their old vine sources, he says, so he is keen to maintain ties to their growers "because it's very easy for a small house to be shut out when a big, rich producer comes along and wants to move in on the best fruit. The more it becomes a money game the more important it is to have solid relationships." He reiterated that defining "old vines" here changes every year because his father says that vines that are younger than him aren't old. Speaking of maintaining continuity, the Tardieus have decided to keep the Tardieu-Laurent name even though former partner Dominique Laurent is long gone. "That's the name that made our reputation and we decided that it's better to stick with stability than the alternative," said Bastien.