I have a single bottle of Chateau de la Gardine
1986 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Has it been kept too long? What is or was the optimum date for consumption? Any suggestions for something to eat with this red wine? Thanks,
Keeping a wine
Mar 10, 2005
2 Replies
1986 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Ch. de la Gardine is a fairly rustic CdP, made in a relatively straightforward style. I still have the '89 in my cellar, but '86 was not as strong a year in the S. Rhone. I drank up the last of my '86 Beaucastel a number of years ago. So, I'd expect your wine (if stored properly) to be a bit over the hill, but quite possibly still tasty. I'd serve it with some form of bird (chicken, duck, quail, squab, goose) either roasted or grilled (even lightly smoked). In such cases, it's usually wise to have a backup bottle handy in the event that the wine is dead or otherwise flawed.
Mark Lipton
1986 was middling vintage in Southern Rhone. I tend to not like a lot of age in CdP, I prefer them either young or as they emerge from their nap (10-12 years after vintage). I don't know la Gardine from that era (new ones are quite modern, but these wouldn't have been). In any case, I'd expect a lighter wine- unlikely with age it'll be a blockbuster style. Chicken with herbs, mushroom dishes, etc.
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