Deep yellow - the colour and apple nose initially worries but after 30mins the wine opened wonderfully. Honey and spiced pear flavours and much better with food than expected. Deeper and spicier than most vintages but also somewhat heavier as a result. Paired best with braised pork cheek. Drink for 2030. 94pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
We had a bottle of the 1999 last year which was so badly oxidized it was undrinkable. So I opened this with trepidation. A deep yellow color had me worried at first but it open up to a wonderful dry apricot candied note. A really rich and profound wine - a Corton-Charlemagne like power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
The best of the three old vintages tasted vertically (1999+2000+2001). Nose: succulant winter apples, a nice apple-like bouquet. Palate: luscious, with ripe apple-y fruit, a bit of honey, long. Still very much alive (once you let it breathe a little).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): In 07/04/00/99/95 vertical, this was a personal least favorite given I found it almost sweet and mostly food unfriendly. This had the same heaviness as the entire flight, so that didn't help either. Others liked this slightly more, but the flight generally disappointed the entire group tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine has several "grand vin" attributes but, for my taste, is spoilt by a lack of freshness; the same goes for nearly all other CndP white which I have had, apart from 2/3 years old Beau VV '97 and Clos des Papes 01, and also for most white Hermitage. Colour was quite deep gold. There were, however, no signs of oxidation and the nose was well developed with aromas of mango, quince and fine wax polish for antiques. The palate was full, rich and burnished still showing some fruit with aromas similar to the nose upfront and mid palate as well as nuts and a little honey leading to some gently bitter backbone towards the finish BUT acidity was hardly perceptible. Fans of this style may have a much higher rating than mine. For me these wines should be drunk very young but I cellared my bottles being misguided by "experts" who like their showing with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Stunning ... beautiful carmelization on the color, soft tropical fruits on the nose, nutty/almond and honey. It took about 40 min to warm up, open up, and really shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Opened three bottles... the first was beautiful, with lots of secondary aromas but still a clean line of acidity. Served with the first course of sea urchin soup. The other two bottles were increasingly oxidized, one undrinkable and the other retaining some structure but overall disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Decanted 4 hours. Intens and open nose on mango, passion fruit, dried herbs undertones of minerality. Really good complexity, balance. The mouth is full bodied but with enough tension given by the acidity. Everything is in place in this wine you don't feel the alcohol even it's written 13,5 %. Extraordinary length end concentration. Drinks very well now, I would not keep it for a long time if I had more bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep golden hue. Rich, thick mouthcoating body. Honey and stone fruits are evident in the nose and palate comes through in like fashion. Great length as well. Well-balanced wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Appreciation dinner for Gary, Rona and gang -- I felt this was past its prime, and seemed to be older than its 9 years (perfect storage tho). Rich mellow golden color, a cream soda meets toasted hazelnut and honey nose. Exotic and wild. On the palate however I got more sherry notes and a few things that seemed to me were more signs of slight decline. A great match with a savory/slightly sweet grilled halibut dish, that helped the wine to show relatively well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Dinner at Fiddler's Green (Southwest Harbor, Maine): Almost amber in color, as someone else said this could pass for a Sauternes by sight alone. In the glass scents of white raisins, honey, butterscotch, and tropical fruits. In the mouth this full bodied wine gives way to flavors of honey, lemons, almonds, and butterscotch along a 30+ second finish that coats the palate. This is just a baby...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
(served w/ escargot) A beautiful golded hue ... looked like a Sauterne. The nose hinted of butterscotch and honey. Slightly viscous in the mouth, with slightly sweet (honey) butterscotch, candied apple and tropical fruits.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Oxidative nose has mostly mushrooms - too bad as the palate is still vibrant. Lush bright fruit and with enough acidity to provide length and snappiness. Based on the nose, I'd drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
3/2008 Housecleaning: Nice bottle of wine, if perhaps on the decline. Came across with a hint of being oxidized/sherried. Not so much as to be offputting, but enough to serve as a warning that perhaps its time to drink up. It's difficult for me to see how more time helps this turn around and come out of the slide.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
From the deep golden color you think this was either a sweet wine or a really old dry white. Really took time to open up (I recommend decanting for 45 mins and served slightly below room temperature). Once it opened up the nose exploded with tropical fruits and floral elements. In the mouth, a fat, flavor-packed wine with ultra high glycerin levels and long finish. Very nice indeed and sad that I have consumed my last bottle...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/9/2024 - steinersing wrote: 92 Points
Oxidative now but works pretty well if you are into this. Two bottles with very different evolution.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/20/2024 - LB88 wrote: 92 Points
Golden hue, honey caramel, almost like a dessert wine. Just a little too rich and prob to be drank up
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2023 - JulianSkeels wrote: 94 Points
Deep yellow - the colour and apple nose initially worries but after 30mins the wine opened wonderfully. Honey and spiced pear flavours and much better with food than expected. Deeper and spicier than most vintages but also somewhat heavier as a result. Paired best with braised pork cheek. Drink for 2030. 94pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/8/2018 - LT98 wrote: 94 Points
We had a bottle of the 1999 last year which was so badly oxidized it was undrinkable. So I opened this with trepidation. A deep yellow color had me worried at first but it open up to a wonderful dry apricot candied note. A really rich and profound wine - a Corton-Charlemagne like power.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/4/2018 - Jyri Tynkkynen Likes this wine: 92 Points
The best of the three old vintages tasted vertically (1999+2000+2001). Nose: succulant winter apples, a nice apple-like bouquet. Palate: luscious, with ripe apple-y fruit, a bit of honey, long. Still very much alive (once you let it breathe a little).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/20/2017 - Duncan H wrote: flawed
Flawed/over the hill/flat. A real shame.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): In 07/04/00/99/95 vertical, this was a personal least favorite given I found it almost sweet and mostly food unfriendly. This had the same heaviness as the entire flight, so that didn't help either. Others liked this slightly more, but the flight generally disappointed the entire group tonight.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2015 - eboracum wrote: 88 Points
This wine has several "grand vin" attributes but, for my taste, is spoilt by a lack of freshness; the same goes for nearly all other CndP white which I have had, apart from 2/3 years old Beau VV '97 and Clos des Papes 01, and also for most white Hermitage. Colour was quite deep gold. There were, however, no signs of oxidation and the nose was well developed with aromas of mango, quince and fine wax polish for antiques. The palate was full, rich and burnished still showing some fruit with aromas similar to the nose upfront and mid palate as well as nuts and a little honey leading to some gently bitter backbone towards the finish BUT acidity was hardly perceptible. Fans of this style may have a much higher rating than mine. For me these wines should be drunk very young but I cellared my bottles being misguided by "experts" who like their showing with age.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/27/2015 - tacman wrote: 97 Points
Stunning ... beautiful carmelization on the color, soft tropical fruits on the nose, nutty/almond and honey. It took about 40 min to warm up, open up, and really shine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/6/2015 - ifishtoo wrote: flawed
Oxidized. Poured it down the drain. Bummer.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/1/2013 - Dickdoc49 wrote:
A real disappointment It was gone. Madeirized. Purchased at Vinfolio in 2010
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/27/2012 - ghostofgotham wrote:
No rating -- completely oxidized.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/13/2011 - Gizmo2011 wrote: flawed
compleatly oxidized. bad bottle
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/29/2010 - BarbaraW wrote:
Opened three bottles... the first was beautiful, with lots of secondary aromas but still a clean line of acidity. Served with the first course of sea urchin soup. The other two bottles were increasingly oxidized, one undrinkable and the other retaining some structure but overall disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/12/2010 - bertou wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Intens and open nose on mango, passion fruit, dried herbs undertones of minerality. Really good complexity, balance. The mouth is full bodied but with enough tension given by the acidity. Everything is in place in this wine you don't feel the alcohol even it's written 13,5 %. Extraordinary length end concentration. Drinks very well now, I would not keep it for a long time if I had more bottles.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/10/2009 - vinocerus wrote: 94 Points
Deep golden hue. Rich, thick mouthcoating body. Honey and stone fruits are evident in the nose and palate comes through in like fashion. Great length as well. Well-balanced wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2009 - tacman wrote: 93 Points
See previous note ... tremendous consistency now in this wine and great with food!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/16/2009 - danstrings wrote: 88 Points
Appreciation dinner for Gary, Rona and gang -- I felt this was past its prime, and seemed to be older than its 9 years (perfect storage tho). Rich mellow golden color, a cream soda meets toasted hazelnut and honey nose. Exotic and wild. On the palate however I got more sherry notes and a few things that seemed to me were more signs of slight decline. A great match with a savory/slightly sweet grilled halibut dish, that helped the wine to show relatively well.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/7/2009 - Kirk Grant wrote: 92 Points
Dinner at Fiddler's Green (Southwest Harbor, Maine): Almost amber in color, as someone else said this could pass for a Sauternes by sight alone. In the glass scents of white raisins, honey, butterscotch, and tropical fruits. In the mouth this full bodied wine gives way to flavors of honey, lemons, almonds, and butterscotch along a 30+ second finish that coats the palate. This is just a baby...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2009 - tacman wrote: 93 Points
(served w/ escargot) A beautiful golded hue ... looked like a Sauterne. The nose hinted of butterscotch and honey. Slightly viscous in the mouth, with slightly sweet (honey) butterscotch, candied apple and tropical fruits.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/8/2009 - WineArchitect wrote: flawed
Oxidized nose with butterscotch caramel flavors!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/23/2008 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Oxidative nose has mostly mushrooms - too bad as the palate is still vibrant. Lush bright fruit and with enough acidity to provide length and snappiness. Based on the nose, I'd drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/8/2008 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Complex. Butter candy. Soft bitterness. Tropical fruits. Beautiful now, but with a good future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/2/2008 - vanpe003 wrote: 88 Points
3/2008 Housecleaning: Nice bottle of wine, if perhaps on the decline. Came across with a hint of being oxidized/sherried. Not so much as to be offputting, but enough to serve as a warning that perhaps its time to drink up. It's difficult for me to see how more time helps this turn around and come out of the slide.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/20/2006 - Russell Faulkner wrote:
Beaucastel Offline (Snow on the Green - London): Much darker than the 2002, less oak acacia honey (thanks Sonu), very thick. ~90 pts
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/30/2006 - cortoncharlie wrote: 95 Points
From the deep golden color you think this was either a sweet wine or a really old dry white. Really took time to open up (I recommend decanting for 45 mins and served slightly below room temperature). Once it opened up the nose exploded with tropical fruits and floral elements. In the mouth, a fat, flavor-packed wine with ultra high glycerin levels and long finish. Very nice indeed and sad that I have consumed my last bottle...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/20/2006 - ssouth wrote: 91 Points
See RN&R post on wcwn.net
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/12/2005 - Eric wrote:
43 bottles of Château Beaucastel with Bob Parker (Mark's Duck House, Falls Church, VA): I liked the nose, but the palate was totally shut down and oxidized tasting. (These wines go to sleep after about 5 years and eventually/sometimes re-emerge 10 years later).
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/2/2004 - danstrings wrote: 93 Points
Rob's birthday Clementine SF... huge ripe wine, tons of toasted hazelnut, buttery mineral notes, viscous... a wine lover's wine...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2003 - Jeff W wrote:
MS Offline. Delicious, honey smooth, citrus. Lovely balance. dg
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment