Domaine de Beaurenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 2004

Dark purple color, with a tight-knit nose of blueberry, tar and earth. The palate felt closed... the wine was clearly holding back. The lovely young lady and I opened this bottle way too soon. Does not live up to the 2003. Three stars out of five.

Chateau Fortia "Tradition" 2005

A surprisingly light red color for the wine's age. On the nose, dark red fruits combined with spice and tar. The tannins on the palate were nice and chewy. Enjoyable now, but it could benefit from a little bottle aging. Three and a half out of five stars.

Domaine de Boisrenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 2003

A few weeks ago, the lovely young lady and I went to Michael Mina. The dinner itself was amazing, and the wine was great.

The Boisrenard had clear red and blue fruits on the nose, with additional hints of cocoa and spice. Smooth on the palate, though there were enough tannins to let this wine improve with a few more years of bottle aging. Definitely a great wine, and worth picking up. Four out of five stars.