One of the things I look for in a wine, or at least any wine north of $20, is depth and complexity. This is what makes a wine interesting, the way it 
gradually evolves in the glass slowly revealing different aspects of its personality.
It sometimes happens in single-varietal wines – cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, nebbiolo etc. – but it is more common in those that are a blend of more than one type of grape as each brings something different to the party.
This is the secret behind the great wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The AOC rules allow for the use of eight different red varietals but in practice grenache predominates, with mourvèdre and syrah playing supporting roles. The producers make a great play of the fact that their particular cocktail is the secret of their success, but in reality they are making a virtue out of a necessity – their cuvée, or formula, is dictated not by some ideal concept but by which varietals happened to have been planted in their vineyards 20 years ago.
What is of far more importance is how well those diverse elements play off each other, and coalesce into a harmonious whole. Successful wines of CNP are those in which no single varietal stands out, with the final wine being an ensemble production, greater than its individual components.
One fine example is this week’s Five Star Nick’s Wine of the Week, the Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes 2005 ($43).
It shows the wonderful harmony between grenache and syrah that is possible, sometimes, in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and is so often imitated elsewhere but rarely with similar success. Here the syrah’s heft and spiciness is nicely balanced by grenache’s gentle, sexy fruit in a glorious marriage of opposites.
While it is marked by a vibrant fruitiness now, it should age for a while longer and will develop darker, more mysterious pleasures as it does so.
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Nick,
I was surprised to see that only 3 cepages are allowed by AOC rules within CDP appellations. Does that mean Beaucastel lies outside the AOC delineation for CDP? Must be, since my recollection is that they use 13 (or recently I heard 14) different cepages to assemble their great Chateau de Beaucastel red – which has been and still is my favorite. Still have ’94′s and ’98′s aging. When you, Duncan and Susan come out we will open one.
Mark
Mark,
Thirteen or fourteen different varietals (depending on whether you count grenache once or twice, red and white) are permitted in CNP. Eight varietals are permitted in the red wine, as I point out at the beginning of the third paragraph above, though three predominate. The emphasis on predominate is intentional as these three varietals constitute the overwhelming majority of the reds of CNP.
If you look at the Grape Varieties listed in the information box below the article you will see the composition of the Clos de L’Oratoire des Papes, and it is pretty typical of CNP.
And no, Beaucastel are very definitely within the CNP AOC, though they do produce some Côtes du Rhône bottlings as well.
Would love to try the 94 and 98 Beaucastels. The Perrins make lovely wines but they are getting pricy these days.
Nick