2016 Les Hauts de Barville Châteauneuf-du-Pape

How many decisions does it take to put a good French wine in a glass in Kansas City, Missouri USA?

This one has an interesting chain of events. You would have to start with The Brotte family in 1952. The founder decided make The Rhone Valley famous for good wine in a goofy bottle. That was a good decision. They own four properties now. The dark green bottle is not as fanciful as the original, but it does have a coat of arms molded into the glass.

This family is particular about hand-picking, de-stemming, gentle crushing with a controlled fermentation at 28°C and a 3 to 4 week maceration. Another good decision.

The next link in the chain is W Direct, LLC in Lawrence, Kansas. Only 40,000 bottles of this wine were produced in 2016. Some flatlander in the shadow of Kansas University has a good eye and a decent supply chain.

The best decision was for me to pick it off the shelf.

The wine was very nice. Some dark fruit seasoned with Mediterranean history. A little zing of acidity with a hint of tannin to make sure you go full circle around the vineyard.

I wish I would have picked up more than one bottle. A complex red in a nice bottle with a great cork would have survived ten years on the shelf... if I let it.