Fantastic rendition of this wine. Only requires slightcooling to cellar temperature and aeration to shine. Surprisingly was more popular than 99 Chave White Hermitage tonight. Seems underrated to me - more notes with next bottles
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Dark golden orange colour like a middle aged Sauternes. Wonderful tropical fruit, heady nose and a surprising amount of sweetness in the mid palate, though the finish is dry. Indeed, it has all the profile of a full-bodied sweet white wine without the actual sugar. A great bottle - they aren't all.
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2019 Athens Wine Event (Athens): Dark in color and from that we knew it was gone. Roussanne needs to be bright and glossy. Oxidative, lacked freshness and was in a way gone. Frankly all these wines need to be , for us, drank young and fresh and bright. We have heard the story that they come back later in their life but we have never experienced it and we think its a trick to sell old stock. Same for all white Rhone wines.
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Nose: initially (P'N'P) slightly oxidized like a fino sherry, later mature and luscious. Palate very mature, oily, fino-sherry-, red-apple-cider- and old-white-port-wine-like.
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A bit oxidized but still holding up ok. It's a large scaled white, and very viscous, no surprises there. Felt like I picked up some cake frosting, overripe lychee flavors, but couldn't get past the alcohol, which comes through pretty significantly. Key to enjoying this is a cool serving temp and prefferably in cool fall or winter weather.
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I was scared shitless that this would suffer from the same oxidization issues I read on other CT TNs. I popped it, and of course that was the first whiff I got. Pulled out a wide bottom decanter, poured it in and prayed. The color was akin to an orange wine. Its dark and unusual. I've seen and had well aged whites so this did not scare me, kinda made me more interested. Gave it an hour and it came to life. It shed the sulfur notes and there was strong honeysuckle with some citrus. On the palate its pretty viscous and comes across with a slightly burnt honey, orange pulp/rind, almonds, not much in minerality. Very layered, there's more there, just not adept at wording it in this case. Acidity is pretty mute, very soft. A decently long finish that lingers with nutty and citrus notes. Very surprised and will enjoy. It doesn't feel like its coming out of an oxidized phase like many with Rhones, its at the end of its time. Yet it drank very well with patience and you gotta drink up if you got these.
Edited: 3 hours later, great harmony, nuanced. Developing new depths of nuttiness and some dried fruit, white peach over honey.
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Food: French @ Darcy & Liz Hong Kong Duration: 3 hours Condition: Perfect Aroma: honey, date Notes: very consistent with its other vintages, this bottle was in very good conditions and performed really well. The nose was amazing showing very intense flavors or red date and honey. The palate was rich and intensive. I've always liked Rhone whites and Beaucastel being one of the finest makers in the region definitely delivers excellent quality. I guess the main issue of Rhone white on the other hand is that the changes are rather limited so the surprise element is simply not there. Nevertheless, I liked this wine very much.
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): My favorite of the 95/99/00/04/07 vertical, and that was a shockingly disappointing flight. This was heavy and unctuous. While I liked the fruit quality and concentration, I didn't really enjoy the heaviness and textural dullness. And again, that's the best of the lot tonight. General group disappointment with the flight, so it wasn't just me being a Burg snob.
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So weird. Looks like an orange wine and has oxidative notes. Not so pleasant initially but I eventually kind of liked it, but not at all $100-125 liking. What the hell, Ch. Beaucastel?
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My experience seems to reflect several others. The color was dark yellow, orange, but this was not the problem, as the wine was dominated by a very unattractive vinegar quality. I left it open for nearly a week, and at points things seemed to resolve, but never quite became the wine I remember this being (and know it can be)... After 6 days, things took a turn for the worse and it became almost rancid, totally undrinkable. A bad bottle? I don't know... In any event, a colossal disappointment... If you still have any, I'm not sure what to recommend, either wait (or open) and hope for the best...
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I have drunk all six of my bottles in the privacy of my own home over 2 years and no two have been the same. I am not even going to describe this bottle as I have no idea against what standard I'm supposed to compare it! Just to say this example was a good if not great quality wine but an alarming colour (see photo with decanter) although not oxidised. I won't be buying this again - too inconsistent and poor value as a result.
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Dark butterscotch color. Nutty, Marzipan and stone fruits on nose and palate with nice glycerine mouthfeel. Tight out of bottle, but did open up as it warmed and with some air. Silky in mouth. Yummy, but still not like the one shared back in 09, that was an epiphany for me for white rhones. Still have a 2000 in the cellar.
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An evening with Ib B (Frederiksberg): Oxidized notes, certainly, but there is a lot going on underneath; minerals, a sense of acidity, garrigue, locale. A good wine, certainly, though I am still not sure, I would pay the price to stock this. Drink up or hold? –I have no idea. 91?
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As erratic as ever. Somewhere between my two previous notes on this wine. Colour was an extraordinary orangey gold. A wine for drinking in the privacy of one's home - far too inconsistent for guests.
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Tasted blind. Guesses ranged wildly on this one, Chenin Blanc to Aligoté to aged White Burgundy. Rich and creamy on the palate, with loads of almost botrytis fruit, apricot, honey, roasted nuts, spicy on the finish. Long and unctuous. Still needs time.
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As promised, have revisited this wine after all too common white Rhone oxidisation problems had affected a still (just) OK bottle (86pt) opened in November. What a contrast! Decanted three hours before opening. Gold green colour. Asparagus, marzipan and hints of tropical fruits in the aroma. Alleluia!! Not a smidgeon of oxidisation. Viscous mouth feel - more so as wine approached room temperature. Complex hard to describe flavours but including sweet red pepper, citrus peel and spiced apricot. Great length. Very fine indeed and with a structure and good acid backbone to suggest 5 years evolution ahead of this wine.
A RANT: If ever there was a clear case for screwtop bottles, members' experiences of white Rhones must be the clincher. There should not be the inconsistencies between wines from the same provenance that clearly cause problems for so many fellow CellarTrackers. After all, we are asked to pay a lot for these wines. Message to producers: COME OFF YOUR IVORY TOWERS AND DITCH THE CORK!
Extraordinary This wine was SLIGHTLY faulty (mild oxidisation) but still enjoyable to both of us. White Rhone, which I love, seems to suffer in maturity more than most from this problem. Our mark is nevertheless genuine. Will open another bottle in next month or so to hopefully give a tasting note from an untainted bottle.
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BWE: 1982 Bordeaux Retrospective (New York City: Fabio Piccolo Fiore): This all-Roussanne cuvée has a reputation for going into an oxidized phase, only to emerge years later with great complexity. A bottle of 1995 we had at Jacque's earlier in the year was brown and totally shot, yet the color of its sibling from the same batch looks fine. A bottle of the 1999 I opened a few days ago appeared to be going in the same direction with golden hues and some sherry-field oxidation notes that mysteriously resolved into a nice complexity. I wanted the cumulative BWE wisdom to weigh in on this, so I brought this bottle to NY. This bottle was a totally different animal. Pale gold, rich nose, great power and balance on the palate with just a touch of the oily palate feel I associate with Rhone whites. Nice complexity, no hint of oxidation, medium-long finish. Outstanding. Problem is, these wines are like a box of chocolates. Until you open them, sniff and taste, you never know what you're going to get. Maybe the strange reports of some bottles being OTH and then others seeimingly miraculously behaving as is resurrected has more to do with bottle variation/premox, since the 1995 and 1999 both showed tremendous variation from one bottle to the next.
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Deep gold color. Nuts, sherry, oxidized notes on the nose, but still plenty of fruit and complex notes of nuts, dried apricots, and just a bit of that white Rhone oily palate feel. Rather than fading, it got more complex and nuanced over a couple of hours, and a last glass the next day hadn't lost any complexity or intensity. Medium complex finish. I have to think this is aging rapidly based on the color and the initial impression, but who knows? Right now - excellent.
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Color of honey. Nose initally seemed oxidized, but with time like palate noticed apricot, orange marmalade, fig, and hazelnuts. Wine seemed to improve as I went back to it, but no matter, a bizzare wine at best. Had next to the '99 Beaucastel regular blanc, the VV seemed richer and more dried frjit and was clearly preferred.
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Deep golden color. Smoke and marzipan on the nose. Low to moderate acidity leads into spice and raisin flavors. This bottle had a long finish and I found it enjoyable. SD-Wineaux And Whine-Oh both said, "Yummy!".
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Deep gold color. Some limited fruit on the nose out of the bottle (apricots), but more than when these are shut down or oxidized. On the palate it shows some fruit, but mostly earth, nuts, sherry-like. Decent finish, but overall did not improve with more air as in other notes. I still hope this is just beginning to unfold and will get better, but right now just good and not great (and good assuming you like what these wines are about). B+/A-
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This wine was opened as part of a Rhone wine tasting by the TANINS wine group at Quince restaurant in San Francisco. It was the first wine tasted. The bottle was opened one hour beforehand and decanted, as per the advice given in other reviews on Cellartracker. At first it smelled oxidized. But gradually over time the wine came on strong. The oxidation burned off and the wine became quite lovely and sophisticated. Sommielier David Lynch expressed surprise and amazement over its transition in the glass.
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Milhous got this right, I think, "interesting but not enjoyable." Dark honey/apple cider color. Nose of peach, pear and orange peal. Sweet on the palate, with an unpleasant finish that I wished was shorter. Just not my cup of tea. Will give it some time/air and will add to note if there are positive changes.
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Dark honey colour. Honeywax notes. Still some roussanne bitterness tones but very interesting and delicious to say the least. Good body and length. At a good time in its life to drink now. Would have loved some more complexity but still this is a very nice bottle.
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Decanted 2 - 3 hrs. some white rhones just leave me scratching my head. This was interesting, but not enjoyable. light orange, waxy, honeyed but dry, some sherry, and a lot of weighty glycerin. I like aged whites, but this just didn't float my boat. Back to white burgs!
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Decanted in the bottle for approx. 3.5 hours before drinking at the Patina restaurant. Liquid gold in color, and consistent with the prior bottle, it is optically thick. Dried orange peel, honey, and stone minerality jumps out of the glass. Every time I gave it a good swirl, the wine offered a different layer of minerality. On palate it is soooooo silky and plush with a balanced attack of honey, orange marmalade, white flowers, and layers upon layers of minerality. The finish is smooth with lingering butterscotch taste. Excellent wine, 96pts
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This is the Vielles Vignes version of the CDP blanc. Purchased at a local wine shop (equivalent to about USD100). Not decanted
Color: Deep golden yellow. A bit of caramel tone. Looks mature
Nose: (Day 1 - After 30 min in the glass, smell was similar to a solid 1er cru Chassagne Montrachet, only less intense. This is rather interesting as it is my first experience with white Rhone. After 60 min, notes of hazelnut, flowers and some tar. Scents of oily bouquet akin to a sexy Burgundy began to emerge - this has really caught my heart as I am a sucker for good Burg Chardonnays) (Day 2 - Nose has subdued substantially, only a shadow of what was detected on Day 1)
Palate: (Day 1 - Closed for business. After 60 min, still tightly-knit and unyielding. Not much of an attack at all, the mid-palate was a bit hollow. Although it is approachable, this 10 yr-old is still not very enjoyable at this stage) (Day 2 - The wine gods must have done something overnight. There was only about 1 glass left in the bottle on Day 2 but the palate exploded like fireworks. Very oily texture with a sleek, silky mouthfeel, this full-bodied wine possesses good balance with the right amount of acidity such that freshness is maintained. This way the strong oily texture flavors do not overpower the acidity)
This wine is relatively good value for the quality but it will be best to wait at least 5 yrs, or open and come back after 24 hrs. A 92 rating at this stage, but I am confident it will merit at least a 95 a few years down the road
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A night of firsts, my first every white rhone. The color was golden amber and optically thick. The nose and palate were a little muted as it was popped and poured. Honey, pears, mineral and wet steel. Very balanced on the palate. Very good bottle but no rating as I need much more experience on this type of wine.
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Intense dark golden colour; difficult to assess nose; slightly flat in taste - is it over the top or just in a waiting position? Slightly disappointing (had higher expectations), although still quite good
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Oxidized, as all of the '99 Beauc Blancs (from several different sources) have been. I know there's a lot of talk about how these wines go through an "oxidative phase", but without more experience, all I can say is it's not good.
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Dark yellow to gold color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of honeysuckle, peach and pear. Flavors of spiced pears over a bed of minerals. Light to medium acidity, medium body. Drink over the short term. Slightly oxidized (not to the point I didn't enjoy it myself) so no rating as a result.
No guess on this wine since somebody pulled the bag before I could write down my guess but I was heading this direction. Day late, dollar short.
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Wow, this was a much better wine than the other vintages I have tried. Less oxidation and less vegetal notes, even though there were some herbaceous notes that added complexity to this wine. Lots of peach fruit upfront, with notes of wax, honeysuckle, and spice. Excellent.
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Oxidised? Or just going through an awkward phase? The amber colour suggests an older wine. In any event it's too heavy and close to sherry to drink. I will leave my remaining bottles for a few years....and hope. P.S. A second bottle opened in November 2008 was no more approachable. Still waiting......
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8/17/2023 - JulianSkeels wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic rendition of this wine. Only requires slightcooling to cellar temperature and aeration to shine. Surprisingly was more popular than 99 Chave White Hermitage tonight. Seems underrated to me - more notes with next bottles
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9/13/2022 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
Nice but drink up.
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3/5/2021 - BusinessSloth wrote: flawed
Nose: lemon zest, vanilla, brioche, baked apples, moderate amount of Sherry, and marzipan
Taste: apples, amontillado Sherry, crushed roasted peanuts, Meyer lemon, crushed gravel
Very oxidized
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11/11/2020 - Phil David Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark golden orange colour like a middle aged Sauternes. Wonderful tropical fruit, heady nose and a surprising amount of sweetness in the mid palate, though the finish is dry. Indeed, it has all the profile of a full-bodied sweet white wine without the actual sugar. A great bottle - they aren't all.
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4/5/2020 - G_H wrote: 92 Points
Golden, baked apple, baked hazelnut crumble, caramel,opulent, mature but not oxidized.
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3/11/2020 - dcwino wrote: 88 Points
Golden amber. Very ripe, toffee dominates but not oxidized. Noticeable heat at the end. Interesting to taste.
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6/28/2019 - Papies wrote: flawed
2019 Athens Wine Event (Athens): Dark in color and from that we knew it was gone. Roussanne needs to be bright and glossy.
Oxidative, lacked freshness and was in a way gone. Frankly all these wines need to be , for us, drank young and fresh and bright. We have heard the story that they come back later in their life but we have never experienced it and we think its a trick to sell old stock. Same for all white Rhone wines.
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11/4/2018 - Jyri Tynkkynen Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nose: initially (P'N'P) slightly oxidized like a fino sherry, later mature and luscious. Palate very mature, oily, fino-sherry-, red-apple-cider- and old-white-port-wine-like.
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8/1/2018 - Robert Pavlovich wrote:
A bit oxidized but still holding up ok. It's a large scaled white, and very viscous, no surprises there. Felt like I picked up some cake frosting, overripe lychee flavors, but couldn't get past the alcohol, which comes through pretty significantly. Key to enjoying this is a cool serving temp and prefferably in cool fall or winter weather.
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2/4/2018 - LotionInTheBasket wrote: 92 Points
I was scared shitless that this would suffer from the same oxidization issues I read on other CT TNs. I popped it, and of course that was the first whiff I got. Pulled out a wide bottom decanter, poured it in and prayed. The color was akin to an orange wine. Its dark and unusual. I've seen and had well aged whites so this did not scare me, kinda made me more interested. Gave it an hour and it came to life. It shed the sulfur notes and there was strong honeysuckle with some citrus. On the palate its pretty viscous and comes across with a slightly burnt honey, orange pulp/rind, almonds, not much in minerality. Very layered, there's more there, just not adept at wording it in this case. Acidity is pretty mute, very soft. A decently long finish that lingers with nutty and citrus notes. Very surprised and will enjoy. It doesn't feel like its coming out of an oxidized phase like many with Rhones, its at the end of its time. Yet it drank very well with patience and you gotta drink up if you got these.
Edited: 3 hours later, great harmony, nuanced. Developing new depths of nuttiness and some dried fruit, white peach over honey.
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1/20/2018 - KenK Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice waxy dried honey quality with nice oily texture. Good life, yet faded. Solid drink, but time to pop any corks left in the cellar.
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11/2/2017 - Duncan H wrote: flawed
Completely oxidised and gone.
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10/31/2017 - Duncan H Does not like this wine: 60 Points
Pretty much oxidised and gone, tho' not actively unpleasant.
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9/6/2016 - TWSA wrote: 92 Points
Food: French @ Darcy & Liz Hong Kong
Duration: 3 hours
Condition: Perfect
Aroma: honey, date
Notes: very consistent with its other vintages, this bottle was in very good conditions and performed really well. The nose was amazing showing very intense flavors or red date and honey. The palate was rich and intensive. I've always liked Rhone whites and Beaucastel being one of the finest makers in the region definitely delivers excellent quality. I guess the main issue of Rhone white on the other hand is that the changes are rather limited so the surprise element is simply not there. Nevertheless, I liked this wine very much.
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2/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 89 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): My favorite of the 95/99/00/04/07 vertical, and that was a shockingly disappointing flight. This was heavy and unctuous. While I liked the fruit quality and concentration, I didn't really enjoy the heaviness and textural dullness. And again, that's the best of the lot tonight. General group disappointment with the flight, so it wasn't just me being a Burg snob.
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1/30/2016 - SimonG wrote: flawed
Completely oxidised with no revival over 24hrs.
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1/26/2016 - LoireFan wrote:
So weird. Looks like an orange wine and has oxidative notes. Not so pleasant initially but I eventually kind of liked it, but not at all $100-125 liking. What the hell, Ch. Beaucastel?
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4/27/2015 - Apollo5710 wrote: flawed
My experience seems to reflect several others. The color was dark yellow, orange, but this was not the problem, as the wine was dominated by a very unattractive vinegar quality. I left it open for nearly a week, and at points things seemed to resolve, but never quite became the wine I remember this being (and know it can be)... After 6 days, things took a turn for the worse and it became almost rancid, totally undrinkable. A bad bottle? I don't know... In any event, a colossal disappointment... If you still have any, I'm not sure what to recommend, either wait (or open) and hope for the best...
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12/27/2014 - Ibetian wrote:
Repulsive nose and taste, poured down the drain.
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8/11/2014 - NickBurwood wrote: 88 Points
I have drunk all six of my bottles in the privacy of my own home over 2 years and no two have been the same.
I am not even going to describe this bottle as I have no idea against what standard I'm supposed to compare it!
Just to say this example was a good if not great quality wine but an alarming colour (see photo with decanter) although not oxidised.
I won't be buying this again - too inconsistent and poor value as a result.
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8/9/2014 - Whine-oh Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark butterscotch color. Nutty, Marzipan and stone fruits on nose and palate with nice glycerine mouthfeel. Tight out of bottle, but did open up as it warmed and with some air. Silky in mouth. Yummy, but still not like the one shared back in 09, that was an epiphany for me for white rhones. Still have a 2000 in the cellar.
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5/31/2014 - beatles Likes this wine: 91 Points
An evening with Ib B (Frederiksberg): Oxidized notes, certainly, but there is a lot going on underneath; minerals, a sense of acidity, garrigue, locale. A good wine, certainly, though I am still not sure, I would pay the price to stock this. Drink up or hold? –I have no idea. 91?
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2/4/2014 - NickBurwood wrote: 88 Points
As inconsistent as ever.
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11/30/2013 - NickBurwood wrote: flawed
Bring on the screw top for these white Rhones ASAP!!!
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9/18/2013 - NickBurwood wrote: 89 Points
As erratic as ever. Somewhere between my two previous notes on this wine. Colour was an extraordinary orangey gold.
A wine for drinking in the privacy of one's home - far too inconsistent for guests.
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5/1/2013 - oakland.cory wrote: 93 Points
Tasted blind. Guesses ranged wildly on this one, Chenin Blanc to Aligoté to aged White Burgundy. Rich and creamy on the palate, with loads of almost botrytis fruit, apricot, honey, roasted nuts, spicy on the finish. Long and unctuous. Still needs time.
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1/27/2013 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
As promised, have revisited this wine after all too common white Rhone oxidisation problems had affected a still (just) OK bottle (86pt) opened in November.
What a contrast!
Decanted three hours before opening.
Gold green colour. Asparagus, marzipan and hints of tropical fruits in the aroma. Alleluia!! Not a smidgeon of oxidisation.
Viscous mouth feel - more so as wine approached room temperature. Complex hard to describe flavours but including sweet red pepper, citrus peel and spiced apricot. Great length. Very fine indeed and with a structure and good acid backbone to suggest 5 years evolution ahead of this wine.
A RANT:
If ever there was a clear case for screwtop bottles, members' experiences of white Rhones must be the clincher. There should not be the inconsistencies between wines from the same provenance that clearly cause problems for so many fellow CellarTrackers. After all, we are asked to pay a lot for these wines.
Message to producers: COME OFF YOUR IVORY TOWERS AND DITCH THE CORK!
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11/24/2012 - DCHeel84 wrote: 91 Points
same notes as below; slightly oxidized but still enjoyable. But wouldn't buy more.
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11/23/2012 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 86 Points
Extraordinary
This wine was SLIGHTLY faulty (mild oxidisation) but still enjoyable to both of us.
White Rhone, which I love, seems to suffer in maturity more than most from this problem. Our mark is nevertheless genuine.
Will open another bottle in next month or so to hopefully give a tasting note from an untainted bottle.
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10/27/2012 - ghostofgotham wrote:
No rating - oxidized
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9/8/2012 - dbg wrote:
BWE: 1982 Bordeaux Retrospective (New York City: Fabio Piccolo Fiore): This all-Roussanne cuvée has a reputation for going into an oxidized phase, only to emerge years later with great complexity. A bottle of 1995 we had at Jacque's earlier in the year was brown and totally shot, yet the color of its sibling from the same batch looks fine. A bottle of the 1999 I opened a few days ago appeared to be going in the same direction with golden hues and some sherry-field oxidation notes that mysteriously resolved into a nice complexity. I wanted the cumulative BWE wisdom to weigh in on this, so I brought this bottle to NY. This bottle was a totally different animal. Pale gold, rich nose, great power and balance on the palate with just a touch of the oily palate feel I associate with Rhone whites. Nice complexity, no hint of oxidation, medium-long finish. Outstanding. Problem is, these wines are like a box of chocolates. Until you open them, sniff and taste, you never know what you're going to get. Maybe the strange reports of some bottles being OTH and then others seeimingly miraculously behaving as is resurrected has more to do with bottle variation/premox, since the 1995 and 1999 both showed tremendous variation from one bottle to the next.
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9/7/2012 - dbg wrote:
Deep gold color. Nuts, sherry, oxidized notes on the nose, but still plenty of fruit and complex notes of nuts, dried apricots, and just a bit of that white Rhone oily palate feel. Rather than fading, it got more complex and nuanced over a couple of hours, and a last glass the next day hadn't lost any complexity or intensity. Medium complex finish. I have to think this is aging rapidly based on the color and the initial impression, but who knows? Right now - excellent.
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7/2/2012 - KenK wrote: 90 Points
Color of honey. Nose initally seemed oxidized, but with time like palate noticed apricot, orange marmalade, fig, and hazelnuts. Wine seemed to improve as I went back to it, but no matter, a bizzare wine at best. Had next to the '99 Beaucastel regular blanc, the VV seemed richer and more dried frjit and was clearly preferred.
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4/28/2012 - Racer117 wrote:
Julie D. wine dinner (Central Park Fusion Cuisine, Hot Springs, Arkansas): No official score as I've not had many white Rhone wines.
Deep golden color. Smoke and marzipan on the nose. Low to moderate acidity leads into spice and raisin flavors. This bottle had a long finish and I found it enjoyable. SD-Wineaux And Whine-Oh both said, "Yummy!".
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8/23/2011 - MC wrote:
Deep gold color. Some limited fruit on the nose out of the bottle (apricots), but more than when these are shut down or oxidized. On the palate it shows some fruit, but mostly earth, nuts, sherry-like. Decent finish, but overall did not improve with more air as in other notes. I still hope this is just beginning to unfold and will get better, but right now just good and not great (and good assuming you like what these wines are about). B+/A-
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7/8/2011 - rickbore wrote: 90 Points
This wine was opened as part of a Rhone wine tasting by the TANINS wine group at Quince restaurant in San Francisco. It was the first wine tasted. The bottle was opened one hour beforehand and decanted, as per the advice given in other reviews on Cellartracker. At first it smelled oxidized. But gradually over time the wine came on strong. The oxidation burned off and the wine became quite lovely and sophisticated. Sommielier David Lynch expressed surprise and amazement over its transition in the glass.
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5/19/2011 - Ibetian wrote:
Milhous got this right, I think, "interesting but not enjoyable." Dark honey/apple cider color. Nose of peach, pear and orange peal. Sweet on the palate, with an unpleasant finish that I wished was shorter. Just not my cup of tea. Will give it some time/air and will add to note if there are positive changes.
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9/11/2010 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Dark honey colour. Honeywax notes. Still some roussanne bitterness tones but very interesting and delicious to say the least. Good body and length. At a good time in its life to drink now. Would have loved some more complexity but still this is a very nice bottle.
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5/15/2010 - Milhous wrote:
Decanted 2 - 3 hrs. some white rhones just leave me scratching my head. This was interesting, but not enjoyable. light orange, waxy, honeyed but dry, some sherry, and a lot of weighty glycerin. I like aged whites, but this just didn't float my boat. Back to white burgs!
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3/17/2010 - don_quichotte wrote: flawed
Badly oxidized
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2/14/2010 - G Kapoor wrote: 96 Points
Decanted in the bottle for approx. 3.5 hours before drinking at the Patina restaurant. Liquid gold in color, and consistent with the prior bottle, it is optically thick. Dried orange peel, honey, and stone minerality jumps out of the glass. Every time I gave it a good swirl, the wine offered a different layer of minerality. On palate it is soooooo silky and plush with a balanced attack of honey, orange marmalade, white flowers, and layers upon layers of minerality. The finish is smooth with lingering butterscotch taste. Excellent wine, 96pts
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11/12/2009 - Chisato wrote: 92 Points
This is the Vielles Vignes version of the CDP blanc. Purchased at a local wine shop (equivalent to about USD100). Not decanted
Color: Deep golden yellow. A bit of caramel tone. Looks mature
Nose:
(Day 1 - After 30 min in the glass, smell was similar to a solid 1er cru Chassagne Montrachet, only less intense. This is rather interesting as it is my first experience with white Rhone. After 60 min, notes of hazelnut, flowers and some tar. Scents of oily bouquet akin to a sexy Burgundy began to emerge - this has really caught my heart as I am a sucker for good Burg Chardonnays)
(Day 2 - Nose has subdued substantially, only a shadow of what was detected on Day 1)
Palate:
(Day 1 - Closed for business. After 60 min, still tightly-knit and unyielding. Not much of an attack at all, the mid-palate was a bit hollow. Although it is approachable, this 10 yr-old is still not very enjoyable at this stage)
(Day 2 - The wine gods must have done something overnight. There was only about 1 glass left in the bottle on Day 2 but the palate exploded like fireworks. Very oily texture with a sleek, silky mouthfeel, this full-bodied wine possesses good balance with the right amount of acidity such that freshness is maintained. This way the strong oily texture flavors do not overpower the acidity)
This wine is relatively good value for the quality but it will be best to wait at least 5 yrs, or open and come back after 24 hrs. A 92 rating at this stage, but I am confident it will merit at least a 95 a few years down the road
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9/27/2009 - G Kapoor wrote:
A night of firsts, my first every white rhone. The color was golden amber and optically thick. The nose and palate were a little muted as it was popped and poured. Honey, pears, mineral and wet steel. Very balanced on the palate. Very good bottle but no rating as I need much more experience on this type of wine.
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7/5/2009 - Miceri wrote: 88 Points
Intense dark golden colour; difficult to assess nose; slightly flat in taste - is it over the top or just in a waiting position? Slightly disappointing (had higher expectations), although still quite good
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6/30/2009 - Employee500 wrote: flawed
Oxidized, as all of the '99 Beauc Blancs (from several different sources) have been. I know there's a lot of talk about how these wines go through an "oxidative phase", but without more experience, all I can say is it's not good.
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6/30/2009 - wineismylife wrote:
Dallas Tuesday Night Double Blind (Daniele Osteria, Dallas, TX): WIMLNR
Tasted double blind at an offline.
Dark yellow to gold color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of honeysuckle, peach and pear. Flavors of spiced pears over a bed of minerals. Light to medium acidity, medium body. Drink over the short term. Slightly oxidized (not to the point I didn't enjoy it myself) so no rating as a result.
No guess on this wine since somebody pulled the bag before I could write down my guess but I was heading this direction. Day late, dollar short.
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10/3/2007 - LoireFan wrote: 92 Points
Very good, but closing down. Perhaps it's time for the Long Wait on this one?
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6/29/2007 - nomadfromcincy wrote:
Wow, this was a much better wine than the other vintages I have tried. Less oxidation and less vegetal notes, even though there were some herbaceous notes that added complexity to this wine. Lots of peach fruit upfront, with notes of wax, honeysuckle, and spice. Excellent.
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6/14/2007 - Not Levine wrote:
June 14th Rhone Celebration with Jonathon Dinh (Waterfront Seafood Grilll): honey and a bit of spice on the nose, a touch of bitterness on entry that mellows and fills out to a solid midpalate and long finish, hide this for many years
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5/9/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Beaucastel, Ferrand, Vielle Julienne, Grand Veneur (Southern Rhone): Beautiful deep gold/amber color. Floral honeyed melons. Crisp, minerally, viscous, and slightly sweet. Wide open and delicious.
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10/3/2006 - Jeff W wrote: flawed
Oxidised? Or just going through an awkward phase? The amber colour suggests an older wine. In any event it's too heavy and close to sherry to drink. I will leave my remaining bottles for a few years....and hope.
P.S. A second bottle opened in November 2008 was no more approachable. Still waiting......
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4/28/2006 - Tree512 wrote: 95 Points
Very closed, but still huge and rich with toasted hazelnuts and lots of white and tropical fruits. Don't open any more until at least 2010.
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8/12/2005 - Eric wrote:
43 bottles of Château Beaucastel with Bob Parker (Mark's Duck House, Falls Church, VA): The is more open than the 2000 and is enjoyable. However, it too is shutting down a bit and is throwing more notes of mineral and roasted nut than of fat, oily fruit.
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