I faced a dilemma of epic proportions…pulled pork, tri-tip or smoked sausage. At the Beach Pit BBQ in Costa Mesa (SoCal - a.k.a. The O.C.), they serve a mean array of grilled flesh with one of the best tangy, spicy sauces I’ve had. Finally deciding (sliders – one of each) presented me with another quandary. What the heck was I going to drink with all this hot, meaty goodness? Dad (whose genes I am convinced have a great deal to do with my wine tasting affinity) came to the rescue. With a wry smile, Dad quipped “I know how much you love Chateauneuf-du-Pape.” Yes, well, and that love knows no limits, as I am sure he was remembering the time I drank his last bottle of 1989 Beaucastel ($235) during a weekend home from college. Youthful trangressions forgotten, he graciously proffered the Monpertuis 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvee Classique" ($33/750ml or $21/375ml) for my dining pleasure. Now this is a wine that is made for hearty, flavor-spiked, spice-laden fare. It starts out with a pure, racy, juicy Grenache-driven palate that seduces you with spicy herb and pepper laced-up with strawberry and raspberry fruit. With in-your-face food we were eating/wearing, this elegance transcended its humble bottle persona and expressed such complementary trappings that we were into bottle number two before we knew it. This is simply beautiful, pure Rhone complexity, round and reasonable with immediate gratification its only goal.
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