1998 Zaca Mesa Cuvee Z

[Drew]

Here's 2 cents more. Drew

Counoise is one of the more rarefied ingredients in red Chateauneuf-du-Pape, easily confused in the vineyard with the much lesser southern Rhone variety Aubun with which it may sometimes be mingled in older vineyards. It is authorized as a supplementary ingredient for most red wine appellations around the southern Rhone, including Coteaux du Languedoc (which allows Aubin as a synonym), but is not widely grown outside Chateauneuf-du-Pape, although total French plantings increased in the 1980s to around 900 ha/2,200 acres.
As a vine, it leafs and ripens late and yields conservatively. As a wine, it is not particularly deeply coloured or alcoholic but adds lift, a peppery note, and lively acidity to a blend. Enthusiasts such as Ch de Beaucastel typically use about five per cent of Counoise in their red Chateauneuf-du-Pape.