“La Combe Perdue” means the lost valley. It also, apparently, means the lost wine. Scanning the world’s wine databases for this gem is fruitless: there’s no entry in Wine Searcher, no notes in Jancis Robinson. Cellar Tracker makes a nod to it, but without substance. There was, for a time, a Ventoux bottling by this producer, Julia Moro, but not a recent vintage.
So we go with what we know and what we taste. This wine was purchased by a friend and cellared cold. As a Châteauneuf-du-Pape it’s principally Grenache, and it’s still, nine years beyond harvest, youthful, really just getting started. The fragrance is of brambly fruits steeped in black tea, thyme, and tobacco. The palate is light-textured and the tannins are modest; they feel more about astringency than structure. There’s the faintest hint of Brett, which manifests as a kind of numbness. There are also some tertiary flavors of leather, tea, and tawny berries. But the wine blazes out like a red cherry comet.
Wine is a time capsule, and does not always come with instructions.
2011 Julia Moro La Combe Perdue Châteauneuf-du-Pape
14.5% ABV | price unavailable
