High End Châteauneuf-du-Pape Dinner

Steak and Vine - La Grange IL
Tasted Wednesday, January 16, 2019 by Burgundy Al with 335 views

Flight 1 - White Châteauneuf-du-Pape to Start (2 Notes)

Flight 2 - Mostly Old School Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6 Notes)

  • 1998 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier 93 Points

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Ripe black cherry with earth and roasted meat. Clearly Old School style, in the best possible terms. Great balance. I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. My 2nd favorite of the flight, group's 4th.

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  • 2003 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve 90 Points

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Ripe red and black cherry aromas with cherry cola hints. Similar flavors, but palate less enticing vs nose, with less intensity or complexity. Good now. I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. My 4th favorite of the flight, group's 3rd.

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  • 1998 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Flawed

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Clearly past its peak. The vintage? Or a bad/ tired bottle? I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. I only correctly identified this as the "outlier" because I thought the other 5 were either Pignan or Bonneau.

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  • 1995 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve 89 Points

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Mature black fruit with firm tannins. Good+ length, good enough density. Slightly disappointing. I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. My 5th fav of the flight, group's 5th as well.

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  • 2000 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 94 Points

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Complex array of black fruit with sweet spice, earth and game character. Nicely elegant with sneaky structure and length. Great balance. I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. My favorite of the flight, group's favorite as well.

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  • 1998 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins

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

    Tasted single blind in flight. Lots of ripe black fruit with both sweet and savory spice. Big start with intense concentration, then a slightly hollow middle, followed by a rich finish. Slightly perplexing in terms of its great character and richness, but lack of harmony. I correctly identified all 6 wines in this flight, which shocked nobody more than it surprised me. My 3rd favorite of the flight, group's 2nd favorite. Also the single wine I felt needed more time. Kept getting better in glass.

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Flight 3 - Mostly Modern Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5 Notes)

Flight 4 - Something Sweet to Finish (1 Note)

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