2012 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Community Tasting Note

ChopperWine Likes this wine:

90 Points

Saturday, October 31, 2020 - Good. Not great. I stand by my note from January, 2019. -- "I would be lying if I stated that this was a blockbuster of a vintage from Clos des Papes. It is not. Very earthy. Smooth in one-dimensional wrote someone below, and I would agree. I would also venture to guess that it is in its proper drinking window at this time. For those who know Clos des Papes, there really is not much point in mentioning the obvious characteristics other than to say it probably doesn't have a long life ahead, but certainly has a few more years with which one could lay it down."

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6 comments have been posted

Comment posted by WineGuyDelMar:

10/31/2020 6:58:00 PM - I don’t know what to make of this wine. I have 6 more bottles but am not super excited about them going forward. This wine I’ve scored higher but maybe because I paid too much for it. It is very one dimensional. It is almost a fruit bomb with high alcohol. Hoping that if I just leave it in the cellar for another 5-10 years the fruit will subside and it might be something I actually like? Who knows?
Comment posted by ChopperWine:

11/1/2020 4:56:00 AM - Hey WineGuyDelMar. You are echoing exactly what my GF said to me last night. She said it was burning alcohol on the back and "hurting her teeth" it was so sweet. I found it very fruity to be sure, more so than sweet, but both your points cannot really be argued.
Comment posted by wineguy1968:

11/1/2020 7:08:00 AM - This wine is going into my “grab a bottle for parties where people dont care about wine” bin. Fortunately I didn’t pay too much for it. Its drinkable but i think its basic enough that a mainstream group of non wine drinkers will like it
Comment posted by I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine:

11/1/2020 7:09:00 AM - I find Clos des Papes needs a lot of bottle age and drink best at 15-20 years of bottle age, especially in a good vintage. Just my opinion and 2 cents...
Comment posted by WineGuyDelMar:

11/1/2020 12:04:00 PM - I’d Rather Be Drinking Wine...I think a lot of CdP has changed. In the past aging for 10-15 years has been the norm. There are some on discussion boards who feel Clos Des Papes has changed to a more Modern style that won’t age as long. I don’t know. You might check the discussion boards on CT and Wine Berserkers. Does this particular wine have the acidity to carry it for 15, 20, 30 years? I don’t know but some think not. FYI.
Comment posted by I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine:

11/3/2020 8:18:00 AM - WineGuyDelMar, I understand, and have heard those arguments, I also have seen reviews of wines by some of those people who also state that the wines are not as good....I have been a fan of Clos des Papes for a while, and I like it with substantial bottle age. I hope I am right because I have quite a few bottles of '07, '10, '12 and '15. I am still drinking '03, '05 and '06 right now. I guess time will tell! Thanks for your note, and stay safe! Cheers!