'81 Chateau du pape

[Traveller]

I'm a complete wine novice and I have been given a bottle of Chateau de la Gardine Chateauneuf du pape red. I got the impression that it should be drunk fairly soon rather than kept. I like the idea of this and assuming it's still ok plan to have it with a nice rare roast beef joint we have planned for this weekend. Does this sound ok? What should my taste buds be looking out for? And can anyone tell me any more about this wine?

Thank you [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]