2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Andre Brunel emphasized, again, that he is seeking to produce wines of balance and finesse, and he believes that both of the current vintages afforded Chateauneuf a golden opportunity to make some of the most precise wines in years. The 2005 Cuvee Centenaire, he believes, is the greatest example of that bottling ever, and he is especially enthralled by "the fantastic glyceral texture achieved in 2005. "Brunel chose not to make a Cuvee Centenaire in 2004, by the way, "because it's an elegant vintage and those aren't the vintages when I like to make that cuvee. "(Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D. C. )

This is among the most reliable sources for classic Chateauneuf du Pape.Andre Brunel and with his ubiquitous enologist Philippe Cambie (whom I ran into in three different cellars in as many days) are producing wines that could hardly fail to please any enophile.Les Cailloux is especially impressive in the '03 and '04 vintages, but for balance and elegance rather than any excesses or drama.The 2004s, in particular, are suave, bright and unadorned.Oak here is treated as a vessel, not a flavoring.As Brunel described it:"We don't need the sweetness of oak on grenache; it's sweet enough on its own."To that end, the grenache here is raised solely in stainless steel, with only the mourvedre and syrah aged in barrique.(Notes on the Feraud-Brunel wines, a negociant venture between Brunel and Laurence Feraud of Domaine du Pegau, appear later in this issue.)(Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, D.C.)