2010 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin
Community Tasting Note
Champagneinhand Likes this wine:
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 - I accepted a challenge from a forum member to drink this early in its primary stage and rate how much I liked or didn't like. I was very skeptical, but good for my word.
I have to say that its stunning the moment you pull the cork and pour into the glass. Lovely aromas of violets a touch of lavender, and the boysenberry, blackberry, black raspberry fruit that is very sweet in the nose. Kirsh liqueur comes to mind as well. It also has a lot of heat, especially as it warms and breathes in the glass. I am so thankful I placed the cork back in the bottle, because as this filled with air more and more, the heat became overwhelming and while the sweetness of the black fruits and kirsch were syill present, but it seemed that the tannins hardened up and it wasn't as impressive as it was from the bottle. Still I was very impressed with the mouth-coating quality, and what acid it actually had which may be a bit low for long term aging. The finish felt like a kiss of oak, tough I don't know if any is used, but the hints of vanilla could be from the strong fruit as well. I think this was very enjoyable, although it lacked the nuances expected with age in the multi juice CdPs. The sweet tannin stays in the mouth and it is a great bottle, but I'm thinking the ABV is at least 19%. Such is life in CdP in warm vintages.
Additional note, if you open consume the majority of the bottle within 2 hours as this really starts to fall apart with air and time. Bitterness and black licorice notes blend in and mixed with the stiffer tannins and sweet fruit and high ABV the wine becomes disjointed. I've seen this with many younger Bdx which not ready to drink. Disjointed would be the appropriate word. This is why I try to let the great wines age a bit if not a decade. 95+ within the first couple of hours, just not liking there after.
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5 comments have been posted
7 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (8,526 views)
Comment posted by Joegish:
6/5/2013 9:27:00 PM - I am kind of shocked, but am thinking of opening a bottle based on your recommendations...thanks!
Comment posted by Champagneinhand:
6/5/2013 10:13:00 PM - Joe, I hope you say that if its consumed fairly quickly its great, but held to long or with to much air, not good as it falls apart. Really nice upon opening. Remind me of many 2004 Bdx right now. Opening well but finishing early. Very port like in respect to fruit and high ABV. Serve at cellar temp or just above. If you have multiple bottle, its nice to see where this is at.
Comment posted by cr84:
6/6/2013 3:02:00 AM - Thanks for the thorough tasting note!
About the serving temperature, Christophe Sabon recommends 15-16°C max. I agree that I would either pop and pour this beauty or just cellar it for, at least, 5 to 7 years. This Chaupin 2010 is a BIG, BIG wine - 2011 shows more direct finesse and subtlety.
About the oak, I double checked on chateauneuf.dk, and yop, a small part of the growing is done in new barrels. You may be right about the correlation between this and the vanilla hints.
Comment posted by pjaines:
7/9/2013 12:00:00 PM - CiH - nice note but I presume you are joking about the ABV. I think it is about 16%, which is still about 3% too much for me. I'm getting the feeling this is just a bit of a gloop bomb. Do you think it would seriously reward 20 years in the cellar? Or is it just too Parkerised?
Comment posted by Champagneinhand:
7/9/2013 4:02:00 PM - Parkerized is hitting the nail on the head. Great nose and big fruit, but subtle, not even slightly. If they had put a little splash of cinsault in the mix to up the acidity, I would think this might be nice in 20 years... but still have the high ABV. I would think that looking out for some Maury down the road from 2010 might be the way to go. Then you can enjoy the fruit from the 2010 Grenache, add the nutty wood, expect the high ABV and probably save some money in the process.
If you have taste freshly pressed Grenache or Syrah Juice before fermentation, then you will have a sense of what great aromas these kind of wines can have young. Its like being hit with a cricket mallet squarely in the nose, and after downing a bottle quickly, you may feel the real pain, from the in your face bottle, the next morning.
Save some cash and buy the Vieux Telegraphe. Grenache heavy sourced from La Crau. This was $89US. I think it a touch high, but given the Parker noise, I see why they charge that kind of price. Give me Pegau any day.