Domaine du Haut des Terres Blanches, 1994

As my 83rd birthday celebration continues, I am dipping into some of my favorite mature Chateauneufs. Domaine du Haut des Terres Blanches is not a very well known estate, but it produced beautiful wines in both 1993 and 1994, neither considered very good vintages in the Southern Rhone.

Medium light brickish red. Firm, well preserved cork and not a great deal of sediment. Powerful scents and flavors of mature Chateauneuf du Pape. Wild strawberries, menthol, Provencal herbs and sea salt. Compact, intense flavors that expand in the mouth. Old vine concentration and depth. Reminds me of a mature Vieux Telegraphe, and that may be because this estate, like VT,  has old Grenache vines in la Crau.

I have had several excellent bottles of this estate's 1993 and 1994 over the past two decades, and that was one reason I bought a case of the 1998, which up to now has been a distinct disappointment.