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Red

1998 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Red Rhone Blend

  • France
  • Rhône
  • Southern Rhône
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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Community Tasting Note

  • DoubleMagnum wrote: 91 points

    December 12, 2015 - Very good vintage. Time has done well to this bottle. Really enjoyable.

    3,233 views

3 Comments

  • PSPatrick commented:

    12/15/20, 12:40 AM - Glad that you enjoyed the wine! You seem to have popped it at the right time. The bottle I just had (cellared under good conditions) was pruny and had lost most of its fruit, and did not give a lot of joy. You may wish to check in on your bottles if you still have some. Cheers!

  • DoubleMagnum commented:

    12/15/20, 12:56 PM - Hi @pspatrick, sorry to hear about your bottle. Five years is not a small difference, especially for CdP and especially towards the end of curve. You made me check inventory! Luckily that was my last bottle. After drinking CdP for some time, (and for me) I think most develop well up to year ten, some fifteen, at twenty the risk is quite high. Of course, there's a handful of producers/vintages that age a lot better than others. Aging wine can be rewarding but it's risky and very subjective too. Not everyone likes the taste at the same point in the curve, timing is key. And that timing is all up to your own palate. Add to that, the fact that some bottles have a mind of their own and it gets even more complicated.
    To better bottles my friend! Cheers!

  • PSPatrick commented:

    1/11/21, 9:47 AM - Thank you for the insights! I have made similar experiences with CdP. We have had magnifi-cent thirty-year-old bottles even from lesser-known producers, but also fifteen-year-old bottles from big brand producers that were as dead as a wine can be. As it happens, we just drank an amazing bottle of 1978 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape before Christman that provide immense pleasure over two days, only to open a 2006 from a well-known produc-er shortly thereafter that was well past its prime. CdP remains a hit-and-miss experience for me, with some producers being more reliable than others if it comes to aging… Mostly enjoying mature wines, other categories have proven much more reliable to me. But yes, every bottle is a surprise bag - isn't it fun? ;)

    To better bottles!

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