2002 Pagodes de Cos

It is sometimes amusing the circuitous route in which one reaches a particular wine.

Due to having two useless lazy cats (and three useless lazy dogs) we have recently had a simply ginourmous, glossy mouse living unmolested in the pantry and the cupboard under our stairs. This situation could have remained amicable except the mouse took a shine to the Dark Chocolate Caramel blocks and therefore something had to be done. A trap was duly set.  The mouse put up a valiant fight (as heard by me, my husband, cats and dogs at 3am but as it was cold and horrid no one bothered to get up) but much to our surprise that morning there was no sign of either mouse or trap. Presumably, all that chocolate had made it a force with which to be reckoned. This then necessitated a clean out under the stairs. The mouse (size of a small rat) and trap were discovered, along with the fact it had clearly developed a penchant for wine or more specifically tin capsules. And it had quite discerning taste - a large number of my decent European wines had been gnawed.  Most will survive but some were so bad they were transferred to the drinking stash just in case, amongst them a bottle of 2002 Pagodes de Cos which I had forgotten was there.

This turned out to be the perfect accompaniment to that night's venison and kidney pie. Dark and plummy, it had an inviting nose of ripe cassis and mulberry with rich cedary spice laced through. The palate was supple, medium-bodied and surprisingly lengthy. Still pretty youthful, ripely fruited with some lovely mineral and cigar box notes are creeping in. Tannins were firm and well-integrated. Savoury, moreish, and very satisfying, there was also that lovely touch of exoticism in the spice of the nose and palate for which the chateau is known. Drinking this wine, it occurred to me that if this is second label Bordeaux in what is regarded as a relatively minor year, then the French don't have quite as much to worry about as sections of the New World would like to think. No traps waiting for the Bordelais yet.

(EJ)

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