WTN: Solitude Standing

[David M. Bueker]

Over the holiday we had dinner with dear friends, and a bottle of 2016 Domaine de la Solitude was opened and greatly enjoyed. It struck a chord with me, as DdlS was my dad’s favorite Chateauneuf du Pape. When I was in Virginia, visiting mom for Christmas I checked around the cellar and found the two bottles of 1999 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf du Pape from a case my dad bought way back on release. Tonight I opened one. 1999 was to a degree a forgotten vintage surrounded by rather more popular years in 1998, 2000, and 2001. I happen to like it a lot for its more graceful style. After a little bit of grumpiness from 25+ years in a bottle, this particular 1999 showed a lot of that gracefulness. Solitude has never been a “big” wine so far as I know, and the flavors were lighter than many “great” Chateauneufs, but still very typical. I sipped on a glass reminded of my dad, and dear friends who reminded me of the wine

Over the holiday we had dinner with dear friends, and a bottle of 2016 Domaine de la Solitude was opened and greatly enjoyed. It struck a chord with me, as DdlS was my dad’s favorite Chateauneuf du Pape. When I was in Virginia, visiting mom for Christmas I checked around the cellar and found the two bottles of 1999 Domaine de la Solitude Chateauneuf du Pape from a case my dad bought way back on release. Tonight I opened one. 1999 was to a degree a forgotten vintage surrounded by rather more popular years in 1998, 2000, and 2001. I happen to like it a lot for its more graceful style. After a little bit of grumpiness from 25+ years in a bottle, this particular 1999 showed a lot of that gracefulness. Solitude has never been a “big” wine so far as I know, and the flavors were lighter than many “great” Chateauneufs, but still very typical. I sipped on a glass reminded of my dad, and dear friends who reminded me of the wine

'99 was indeed a more mannerly year. I have only limited experience with that domaine, as it rarely appeared in my market, but it always struck me as a very typique, in the best sense of the term. Not trying to please critics, just making an honest wine that speaks of its terroir.

[David M. Bueker]

Yep. Solitude and Mont Redon were both sort of left behind by the big guns, but both continued to make honest wines.