Tasting Group Dinner - 12 Years of Beaucastel

JP's American Bistro, Minneapolis
Tasted Tuesday, May 9, 2006 by Siggy with 973 views

Introduction

Ten of us gathered at JP’s American Bistro in Minneapolis for an extensive vertical tasting of Chateau Beaucastel. All in all, we sampled 12 vintages from 1983 through 2003, plus a 2003 Alban Grenache as a ringer. The wines were organized into five flights, bagged, and tasted double-blind over a three-hour dinner. We did not decant, and the bottles were opened 30-90 minutes before pouring. This was a fascinating educational experience for me, as I have had limited exposure to Beaucastels from the eighties and nineties. Tragically, our 1989 and 1998s turned out to be flawed with VA. The big surprise of the tasting was the strong showing of the 1983, which turned out to be a beautifully mature, nuanced bottle that was WOTN for many tasters. As usual, the food and service at JP's were superb. This restaurant has rapidly become one of the top places for wine geek events in the Twin Cities. Kudos to Dave Dalluge for organizing a terrific evening.

Flight 1 - For Starters (1 Note)

  • 1983 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 94 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    Not blind. Huge, mushroomy nose. Medium body, with dusty smoky fruit and a long, ethereal finish. Notes of charred meat, tobacco, and forest floor. Seems at its peak of maturity. I read the Parker review later, and it seemed to be describing a completely different wine.

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Flight 2 - Flight #1: 1983, 1997, 1991/1995 Coudoulet (4 Notes)

Flight 3 - Flight #2: 2000, 1994, 1999 (3 Notes)

Flight 4 - Flight #3: 1989, 1990 (2 Notes)

  • 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Nasty VA. Definitely a flawed bottle. Some roasted/raisiny fruit lurking underneath. Yuck.

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  • 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Big nose of garrigue and purple flowers. Deep, rich cherry fruit, with moderate, fine-grained tannin. Wonderful balance and minerality. Interesting note of Asian spices to go along with the garrigue. Still seems youthful. Great stuff. I guessed this was the 2001 and was way off. Blind tasting is so humbling! WOTF (by default).

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Flight 5 - Flight #4: 1995, 1998, 2001 (3 Notes)

Flight 6 - Flight #5: 2003s (2 Notes)

  • 2003 Alban Vineyards Grenache Alban Estate Vineyard 95 Points

    USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

    Dark, inky purple/blood red. Huge, soaring aromatics of licorice, garrigue, red flowers, and dense fruit. Palate slathering, rich mouthfeel. Really young. Several of us pegged this as the ringer and were proven correct. WOTF.

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  • 2003 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    This wine undoubtedly suffered in comparison to the much bigger Alban, but it was hardly a meek wine in its own right. Deep black/red color. Kirsch/garrigue, with a slight herbal note on the midpalate. Fiercely tannic. Promising, but clearly needs more time.

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Flight 7 - The Nightcap (1 Note)

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