2003 Domaine de la Mordoree, Chateauneuf du Pape, La Plume du Peintre [Rare First Vintage], Bottle (750ml) OWC

JD99+ Just over the top and almost completely crazy, the 2003 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Plume du Peintre is easily one of the most concentrated, rich wines I’ve ever tasted. This bottle was opened and decanted roughly 4 hours prior to drinking and was then followed over 2 days. The nose on the first day was just amazingly huge and concentrated with the very essence of Grenache fruit. Aromas of black cherry, blackberry liqueur, plums, graphite, new oak and charred meat aromas are easily smelled feet from the glass. Honestly, it’s hard not to smile after smelling this. Despite the vintage characteristics, this had beautifully pure and clean fruit without a trace of roasted or cooked fruit. The palate is full bodied with huge, perfectly ripe fruit, a thick mouth coating texture and a blockbuster finish. Very tannic, dense and primary at the moment, this needs to be cellared for 10+ years. On the second day, this had closed down to the point of being down right unfriendly to drink so if drinking anytime soon; Über long decants are not recommended.

RP99 Christophe Delorme believes the 125-case cuvee of 2003 Chateauneuf du Pape La Plume du Peintre will live for 50 to 100 years. It is a blend of equal parts Mourvedre, Syrah and Grenache. When I looked at the technical analysis, I found this wine to be literally off the charts, and I have certainly never seen a wine from either the southern or northern Rhone with such incredible numbers in terms of dry extract and polyphenol levels. It is no shy wine at 16% alcohol, but it seems incredibly well-balanced although strikingly backward. It is like the concentrated essence of blackberries, scorched earth, and an almost liquefied steel and spice component. Huge and amazingly pure, with profound concentration, magnificent body, and a finish that just seems to be endless, this is the stuff of legends, but there is virtually none of it in the marketplace. Give it about 4-5 years of bottle age and drink it over the following 30+ years.