had a few weeks ago; sadly we didnt give this enough time to decant and open up. pretty plum fruit, medium bodied, good perfume but we PnPed fast so werent able to let it hit its stride
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Remarkably fresh and full of luscious fruit. This wine is stunning, and it is impressive to consider how it has evolved and held up for 14 years. Lush and full of life, with just the right touch of savory notes undergirding the entire enterprise. This one is special, and I feel lucky to have sampled it at this moment and at this time.
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Much better than I expected, this is about the best bottle of this wine I have had since a 1998 I enjoyed a few years ago. Everything seems to be in balance and harmony, highly drinkable. Unfortunately this was my only bottle.
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30 min slow ox and 2 hour decant. Drinking young with lots of red raspberry fruit. Hints of some herbal notes but I wouldn't say this was particularly savory at the moment. Medium+ body, medium acidity and nicely present, but refined, tannins. Glad to have several more bottles so that I can follow development which I expect will show greater complexity over the next 10 years, maybe more. Served with homemade cassoulet and chestnut mont blanc for dessert - paired beautifully with both!
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Very good and ready to go. Popped and slow-oz'd over about an hour after arriving at a friend's for dinner. Lovely deep ruby color, no sign of age. Beautiful nose of fruit and garrigue. Medium+ bodied on the palate, great freshness, impeccably balanced. Nice tart acidity. Long finish. Just like that it was gone... Paired beautifully with braised lamb shanks. Many happy years ahead for this one. Glad I have another, might seek more. First 2010 in a bit for me, one of my favorite Rhone vintages ever.
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Excellent bottle. Beautiful garrigue and bacon fat enjoyed with pork belly and lamb chops at Butchart Gardens. Delightful. Still young, unctuous and silky. Now - 2035
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Second bottle, and for me it still lags the great 2007. A nice and balanced wine, with a peppery taste, but nothing extraordinary. Maybe more time in the cellar will help.
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Decanted 2hrs. Big and brawny, lovely nose of orange peel and spices along with a bit of Beau funk - but to be clear no brett - this was clean as a whistle. All the classic traits are present - see viniferatu's note on 12-10 for a very similar impression to my own.
not like most of the old Beaucastel I have drunk over the last 15 years, this was hot and acidic (and i tend to love acidic lift if there is body to lift)... again, this tasted hot, was disappointed (but not surprised when it said 14.5% alcohol... kinda felt like I remember this being a lot lower in other vintages... oh well
Aromas of creme de cassis, sweet blackberry, chambord, kirsch, bloody steak, black pepper, cocoa powder, olives, garrigue, linen on the line and airy stony notes... Full and structured, but not heavy nor particularly grippy, everything is in perfect balance, fruit is layered and rich, herbs and flowers abound... Long and intense finish, gorgeous freshness, this is quite elegant and bright for something so dense and ripe. I would guess this is barely into its plateau, and will gain nuance and elegance for another decade or two, or three..
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Dark violet color with purple and black fruits dominating. Meaty, spicy and rich but not overly sweet or hot as some other vintages of Beaucastel I've tried (e.g. 2007). Includes 30% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise plus unknown %s of other CdP varietals. Drinking well now but still has room to improve.
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Like previous bottles. This wine lives up to all of the expectations both for being a Beaucastel wine, but also its price point. Classic CNdP. It was open for 30+ minutes in a restaurant.
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Had along with 2010 Mas de Boislauzon Tintot. The Beaucastel is in a good spot. Black fruit and the kind of smoke you get when it’s cold out and you’re sitting around a fire. Good, good stuff. I rank the Tintot higher because the meatiness of it is more intense and geared to my palate. What a night—two gems. Decanted both for 6 hours. I actually think the Beaucastel might have needed less.
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I don’t normally drink Beaucastel this young as CdPs often have a “dumb” phase at about 10-12 years. By that measure, this is a very intelligent wine. It’s got a lot of verve and youth, but it’s more bridled and restrained than a young CdP. The fruit has developed and while secondary notes are still developing (and tertiary aren’t available yet) the integration is really quite nice. I think this is my first of the case, so I look forward to the next couple of decades with the wine. (I disagree with the CT estimat of 2034 for closing the drinking window. I’m excited to see how this develops.)
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Very Rhône like aromas with herbs, leather, liquorice, black fruits, vanilla and something etheral. Feels powerful on the nose, but surprisingly light on the palate for a Beaucastel.
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Rhone dinner this was one of my top 3 wines, along with '08 and '10 Pegau. Drinking great, with tobacco aromas and a touch of CdP barnyard funk on opening that blew off, medium+ body, black cherry, licorice with well balanced acidity and tannins.
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Talk about a wine being in its sweet spot, this was singing after 20 minutes in the decanter with a beguiling aroma of garrigue, leather, pepper, and cut wood. All dark berries and a bit savory on the palate, with some bitter chocolate and meaty flavors. It was great to get this for <$100 some years back, but it's still a good value at $150-175 IMO
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Needs at least a 3 hour decant. For the first 2 hours it's a mushroom bomb bordering on undrinkable. However, between hours 3-4 many other profiles emerge including some floral notes and nice integrated fruit and limestone. After 3 hours it starts to become a lovely wine with balanced tannins which will pair well with classic preparations of red meat or fish. Singing - beginning at about hour 4. In its early prime drinking phase with another 7-10+ years to enjoy. If you don't have time to decant then don't open yet unless you want a mushroom explosion. 95 now with upside to 96 or maybe a tick higher over time.
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Decanted for 1 hour and consumed over a period of 1,5 hours. Very nicely integrated tannins and lovely with Entrecote. Drinking beautifully now. Don't see a need to wait any longer. Will drink my last bottle in a year or two.
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Very youthful looking, medium to medium deep ruby, virtually no visual indication of its 13 years. Earthy but not meaty nose, loads of fruit too. Just a bit of heat. This was noticeably better than the very good '10 Vieux Telegraph served beside it.
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Brief decant. Very little sediment. Medium dark boysenberry colour. No aging at the rim. Languorous legs. Nose of mixed ripe and dried red fruits perfectly melded with garrigue and leather. Also hints of rosehip, fennel, tobacco and bay. Sweet, ripe fruit entry transitions to some spicy and earthy notes. Perfect balance. Effortlessly smooth and sensuous. Barest hint of tannins on the finish. This is all about the layers of perfectly ripe fruit, herbs and spice. F* me that's good! I'm going 98 points on this bottle! It's that good!!
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En verticale avec 3 autres millésimes : 2010-2011-2012-2013…Le moins bon des 4. Fruits effacés, astreignent et peu de longueur en bouche. Quand même très agréable !!!
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2nd of 4 bottles, last tasted this wine about 3 yrs ago. Firing on all cylinder, just stellar. No formal TN, all the requisite parts in place. Drink by 2025+.
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Four hour slow ox. Very deep magenta color. Raspberry, blackberry, and nutmeg. Smooth, dry palate. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.
My notes don’t do this justice. I was at a French dinner party and I was distracted by too much good food and the parade of bottles. This has aged very well. Super fruit forward.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS; Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (By VD and @ VD): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, ripe cherries, earth, leather, herbs and spices. On the palate full bodied with juicy and ripe dark berries like blackberries, sweet spices, salty licorice, beautiful acidity, round and still powerful tannin and a great length. Complex and beautiful wine in its young maturity stage and with plenty of years to go. 2035 will most likely be no problem at all. 94 - 95
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A dark colour; intense, smoky, dark fruit flavours, starting to be approachable but with a little tannin still. This is still developing and will probably reach its peak in about 5 years or so. Excellent.
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Second of three bottles. Last bottle flawed or in awkward place. This one much more integrated and compared to the '10 Pegau we drank with, much more main street. Tastes more like Bordeaux than CdP. I think this will develop for 5 more years but in good drinking window.
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Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Raspberry compote, a little savoury underpin, touch of cedar, sweet spice, a little plum and blackberry show with time as well as a slightly baked fruit note. Juicy, slightly savoury red fruit complete with black hued fruits and slight bitter and woody talc textured tannins in support, long, lovely balanced.
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Two bottles tasted, one fresh, the other opened three weeks ago and frozen. Roasted meat, olives, complex, fully mature. The frozen wine was actually preferred. Time to drink up. Ric
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Two bottles tasted, one fresh, the other opened three weeks ago and frozen. Roasted meat, olives, complex, fully mature. The frozen wine was actually preferred. Time to drink up. Ric
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Deep purple, really no real sign of aging here. Somewhat raisiny touch at first whiff, then notes of alcohol. These tones disappears quickly once poured into the glass, and out comes tones of dark forest berries, cherries and licorice. Full bodied, sweet attack up front with tones of dark cherries and licorice, the mid palate is quite hot and the alcohol clearly shines through. The alcohol touch together with the sweet cherry tones combines to be almost tasting like a cherry liqueur. Good acidity, smooth tannins, but a very hot finish making the fruit seem a bit stewed. A disappointment. I remember this wine as much better. Must have been an "off" bottle, but I have been worried earlier on the high alcohol in this wine. Maybe time has come for king alcohol to take over the wine.
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Decanted for 1.5 hours. Nose of red cherry, blackberry, fig, anise, earth, spice and wet stone. Ripe red fruit, fig, spice, anise, black tea and wet stone on the palate. Very long, dry finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with a Swedish smorgasbord.
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Wonderful nose. Drinking very well now. Decanted for 2 hours in my alpha decanter. Very balanced. Medium length finish. Perfect! Great value! Laid these fown 7 years ago and not sure how much more these improve.
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Held off as long as I could, but just had to try one of our bottles last night. Delicious with duck confit and with seared scallops. Smooth and not tannic. Cigar box and dark berry aromas. Dark berry, spice, plum, and mocha flavors. I'm sure it has plenty more years of life, but it is drinking wonderfully with just a little time in glass (did not decant - there was a very small amount of sediment, so would expect to decant future bottles just to avoid that at the bottom of one glass).
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Thanksgiving dinner wine. Beautifully balanced and integrated with red berry and leather and herbs on the nose. Tannins very well integrated with nice tension and broad pallete more red fruit and paired nicely with ham and Turkey with herby stuffing and green bean casserole.
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A wine starting to show its greatness though still youthful at age 12. Bright ruby with a dark core showing gorgeous colors in a Sensory glass. The nose is wonderful - spicy cherry with a herbaceous, smoky garrigue. Mint and herbs as well - a classic CDP nose. The wine is medium weight with silky mouth feel, yielding flavors of raspberry compote, forest floor, sweet spice, tar, roasted plum and a bit of leather at the beginning of the finish. All fruit flavors spoke of preserves and not fresh, but deeply flavored, even some baked fruit. Wonderful. The finish itself is fun - about 20 seconds into a lovely display the fine tannins take over but only briefly, then the acidity reasserts and carries flavors to nearly the 60-second range. Each sip, with finish, was a 60-second experience making this the perfect early winter night companion. Drank alongside the 2010 Janasse Vielles Vignes which, by the way, is a food wine and not a sipping wine. My tasting partner, who was tasting blind, nailed both wines down to year and producer. For tasters at our amateur level, it was an impressive performance. As to longevity, I think this wine is wonderful now but is going to evolve into something particularly special by age 20. I’ll dole out my remaining bottles in miserly fashion if all goes well.
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Outperforms expectations. Gorgeous deep garnet in the glass with ruby edges. On the nose, you know you're on the farm – with endless aromas from ripe berries to fine leather. After an hour to breathe, the first sip flows luxuriantly, with currants and spices for the mid palate, followed by more savory sensations for the end palate. Fully integrated woodland tannins. Very long finish.
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Still incredibly young in color, almost black from the core to the rim. Deep, sweet and spicy note. First, there is a massive nose of dark berries like blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrant. Next, we find a meaty tone of leather and red meat. Finally, fine tone of eucalyptus and thyme. Some alcohol is detectable. Full bodied attack with tons of sweet black berry fruit, rounded tannins and a searing acidity. The mid palate is fresh and mineral (!) with tones of char and lead pencil. The finish is fresh, but also marked by the quite high alcohol making the aftertaste a bit "burning". The length is admirable, and the final impression is tight and mineral, as well as fruity and fresh. Someone said that this was more comparable to (a very good) Bandol than a classic CdP. I agree, but still this is a fascinating wine of world class. Still young, will improve over the next decade.
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Leather, strap, earth! Lashings of dense dark stoned fruits. Liquorice-led dry spice - firm but integrated tannins. Brooding but drinking well now (after 2hr decant). A wine to evolve. Now till 25yrs from vintage at least. 93?+
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This is still much too young to me although it’s a great vintage of a very good wine. Darker and a bit brooding. Not quite into secondary although it’s peeking.
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Really enjoyed with with rack of lamb. Still youthful but showing great balance. Benefits from air and I should have decanted. My score is a bit arbitrary, but I enjoyed the wine a good deal. To be fair it’s hard to separate the wine from the meal.
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Fabulous showing for this wine. All the spice and garrigue you could want amidst a backdrop of full bodied lush goodness. The wine has integrated but to my palate there are no meaningful tertiary notes yet. It really has the stuffing though, should be as good or better than the 90 in my opinion.
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A wonderful CdP from a wonderful producer. This wine is powerful but also very elegant and balanced. Lots of raspberry, leather, pronounced earthy notes, and some pepper notes on the finish. Wine Spectator's #8 in their Top 100 list in 2013 for this vintage and a great example of CdP. Still has several excellent years of life in it.
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Popped and poured. Dark garnet color; nose redolent of roast meat and dark fruit and garrigue. Tons of umami on the front end. Peppery plum and savory tones like leather and mushroom. Rich and deeply flavored. Moderate tannins suggest many years of life lie ahead, but it is drinking quite well right now.
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Minimal soakage on the cork and only a small amount of sediment in the bottle. Decanted for about an hour. Deep plummy red with just the beginnings of some garnet starting to appear at the rim. Stunning nose of red plums, meat jus, spice, garrigue (especially fresh lavendar and bay), ink, sandlewood, warm dusty stones, licorice, and more. Very complex, sweet/savoury and inviting! I'm speechless over the mouthfeel! Full, round, rich, sweet fruit extract, supple tannins, fresh but not overt acidity and pleasantly warming alcohol on the finish. Palate follow the nose - lots of spice, garrigue, minerals and more, fully enveloped in a robe of sweet, meaty, dark red and black fruit. Finishes just off dry, long, clean and fresh with everything perfectly in balance and in its proper place. Much more integrated, supple and approachable than last year's. Stunning!!
Nose: Bright raspberry, sweet, hints of herbs and sweet leather. Palate: silky smooth entry, dark red fruit, spice notes, herbs de Provence, long silky smooth finish that is dark and lingering yet there's a lightness to it that doesn't feel heavy or weighty like a Bordeaux would. Would buy again (and did buy the 2019 yesterday)
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Drinking really well right now. Rich and earthy, well integrated at this point. Will still improve for years to come but already a treat to enjoy right now.
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Needed 1.5 hr to fully open up, the last glass was the best. Wine is rich, meaty, earthy, peppery, full of red and dark fruits and savory herbs. Still has alot of years left in it.
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Quite dark, the 2010 Beaucastel seems very youthful. My bottle really needed air — give it a gentle two hour decant. Once open, I get black raspberry compote, freshly baked brioche, crème caramel, violette pastille. The palate is more Burgundian than the nose leads you to expect, flavorful yet tart, with a soft mouth coating richness and a long finish. An excellent wine, 93 now but will surely rise as it evolves to gain more complexity.
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What a cracking wine and drinking superbly. ery typical CNDP. Leather, some dark fruits with a little red. Palate has loads of depth, but it's the finish and complexity that just is great 92 points
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Disappointed - placed 6th in a 9 CdP blind lineup at our CT offline in Seattle. Likely a poorly stored WineBid bottle. Tasted flat with some cedar notes. The 2008 Beaucastel came in 1st (also WineBid) and I know from other CT notes this was just a bad bottle. Bummer
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Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of violets, boysenberries, cherries and plums. Flavors of raspberries, boysenberries and plums. Tangy acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now.
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Clear deep ruby/garnet; clean medium nose of garrigue, mincemeat pie, wood, slight balsamic and dried red cherries; dry; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of cocoa and coffee; long finish; great tertiary elements - drink now or in a few years; shy nose gives way to an extroverted palate; hot out of the bottle but became beautifully integrated and elegant after being in the glass for 30 minutes
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Beautiful wine and a surprise winner for the night. Not a Syrah bomb I thought might happen. This was pure elegance with light spice and earth but very rounded and supple. Long finish. Love this wine!
Drinking very well, but still youthful. This is rich and lush, perfect for a cold winter night. Full bodied with plenty of depth. This is going to age beautifully.
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Medium to deep ruby in appearance. Still opaque at age 11 or so.
Pronounced and evolving nose of cherry and blackberry liqueur, smoked meats and lots of Mediterranean herbs. The nose is still very fresh and I suspect will continue to develop over the coming years.
Full bodied on the palate with medium tannins and just enough acidity to keep the wine very fresh. Lots of flavor concentration with a long and savory finish.
Overall very well done and in spite of the relatively low levels of acidity there is plenty of structure and aging possibility.
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Full, rich, meaty, spicy, earthy, peppery red fruits with herbs are all over the place here in the nose and on the palate. Splash decanted, the wine easily shows off its layers of ripe, peppery, dark red fruits with the touch of a bouquet garni. This is drinking quite well now and I expect it to improve over the next few years.
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Really delicious and drinking beautifully! Funny story: in the summer of 2010, I was running along Lake Geneva when I was overcome by a call of nature. I had to sneak into a vineyard along the shore and do my business there. As Lake Geneva is the source of the Rhone, in my own very small way, I fertilized these grapes!
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Splash decant then drank over about 30 minutes between 3 people. Excellent, but query if a longer decant may have been even better. Ready to go now for sure, but seems early in it's drinking window, and think this will hold on for many years.
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To start - Black currant scents, chewy tannins and slightly acidic. Once decanted and left to breathe a lovely combination of perfume scents, very elegant with strawberry fruits taste. A deep purple colour and tannins that are elegant and wrap around the tongue
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Great showing. Popped and poured half a glass to allow it to air some. A strong wiff of Horsey Funk at first. Came back an hour later and it was sweet dark berries. Great bottle - a touch on the feminine side of CnDP - in a great way. Paired well with the Lamb Stew. Long lingering finish with red and black berries with some lift.
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Great wine from a great vintage. Side-by-side with a Tablas Creek 2010 Panoplie. The Beaucastel was not as "meaty" as the TCV as it has less Mourvedre. Still has a lot of life left in this wine.
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Not much signs of aging here. The wine is still deep purple with color all the way to the rim, an evidence of the rather high proportion of Mourvedre and Syrah in the mix. The nose is first dominated by sweet blackberries and blueberries with a pronounced element of black pepper, a hint of thyme, as well as a wonderful tarry/earthy undertone. Full bodied, sweet blueberry attack, silky tannins and a very fine acidity. The sweet berry fruit follows the whole tasting curve, supplemented by pepper and licorice. Amazingly fresh and elegant for such a full-bodied wine. The aftertaste is long and fresh, with a small hint of alcohol at the end, but not something that feels troubling. This is just a wonderful wine combining full throttled fruit, fine structure, and still a quite elegant impression. Some Grenach-based producers may make more impressive wines, but this is still in a class of its own. A beauty, and still in its prime. Drink now, or keep for 20 years +.
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Pretty flat after opening. Needed one hour to get together: Ripe black cherries and blackberries, tannins, spices (pepper). Drinking well, still on the younger side, apogee most probably in 3-5 years.
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This bad boy isn't even remotely ready to drink. None of the nuances or secondary notes that I know are there, but at this stage in life are refusing to show themselves. Leave this until 2025 and then enjoy it I am sure. The 2014 Coudoulet we had the following night was the better wine at this time.
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Porteno/Bastardo Covid supper (KC's place): From Coravin. Well, this was flat as a pancake and refused to open in the glass. I'm hoping it was just that the glass was a little grubby/stale aired as previous tastings with this bottle have proven mostly efficacious from an enjoyment perspective...
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Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2010 Beaucastel: Decanted 1.5 hours. This wine is savory and fits my expectation for a Beaucastel. Perfumed and herbal, black to almost purple fruit. Singing finish. Wait 5 years and it'll be better for sure, but this is nice to drink now.
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I was pleasantly surprised by this wine! When a friend announced he was bringing this wine, my expectations were too young, too tannic and too closed down. Happy to report I was wrong on all counts!
Wine was decanted for 2-3 hours, which was quite sufficient. The nose started a little alcoholic, but that'll quickly blew off and gave way to black fruit, earth, bramble and fresh herbs. The Palate was similar with dark fruit wrapped in soft tannins, reminiscent of a creme de cassis, but smoother and with more style! The palate also showed a medley of herbs, some iron and some spice. The fruit was the main attraction here, but enough secondary notes to maintain interest. This wine will only get better! 93+ to 94 tonight, with a likelihood for improvement in another 5-10 years. Excellent now for its hedonism and purity of fruit. Had a good balance of fruit and other flavors, but leaning heavily on the fruit side for now. Alcohol was not noticeable, would recommend trying one with a decant if you have multiple bottles, otherwise hold.
Strong nose of blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, raisins, dried figs, tobacco, oak, light vanilla, spices, peppercorn, chocolates and earth.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, earth, spices, tobacco, chocolates, light vegetables, coffee, peppercorn and pencil lead.
Long finish with firm tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious GSM blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Showing great complexity with a great mouthfeel. Rich and elegant.
This 11 year old from the great 2010 vintage is so tasty and delicious now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Robert Parker 95 points. Wine Enthusiasts 96 points.
Needs 4 hours to open up properly, and show the tannins and complexity, so be patient.
I've had multiple vintages of this wine, and it is always a treat.
I paired it with dried meats and cheeses.
A blend of mostly Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah with other appellation varietals.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$125.
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Opened with dark fruit, blackberry and dark cherry, before transitioning to notes of leather, chocolate, graphite and an herbal peppery note. Seems very young and fruit forward at this point. Will probably benefit from several more years of aging.
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Popped and poured. Wow, an absolute explosion on the nose and palate. Silky smooth tannins. Loaded with fruit… cherries, raspberries. Plenty of energy, it should hold at this level for years and possibly improve slightly. A hint of heat on the back end that may integrate.
Expected a bit more as this was highly touted and seemed about right to drink the 2010 vintage. Quite mature to the point of almost a bit boring.. Lots of fruit with very earthy tones of tea, herbs and cherry. Round smooth finish. Quite enjoyable but not what I expected from a wine of this quality.
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Blind tasting next to 2016, 2015, 2005, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1994, 1990, 1989, 1985, 1983. This wine was incredible and stood out. Glorious. Perhaps richer and more impressive, but so youthful, was the 2016. Surprisingly the 2015, which I liked so much earlier, was not a standout wine in this line up.
This is still a very young wine although there's so much potential here so it was fun to get to check in. Has a long life ahead. Right now it's darker fruits and a bit brooding and actually felt more on the 'big' side of things (esp coming off an aged Bordeaux in the course before). Well made though and well structured and held up well to the duck course. To me tastes it still needs 10+ years, but it is going to be a great wine.
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This wine they shut down at this phase. The nose was was garrigue, black cherry, coffee, plum, anise, red fruits, and a gamely note. The palate was tight but would occasionally show hints of black tea, herbs, and savory red fruit after a 3 hr decant. The acidity was a med+ with med+ tannins and a nice 30+ sec finish. I don’t think I’d have another one for ~5 years.
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One of our "house" wines that we buy at least a case of each vintage for the past 12 years. This bottle reminds us of why we do it. The come hither nose is so expressive and inviting. The palate has layers of wonderful flavors that keep coming at you like a series of gentle waves rolling onto the beach. This wine is still evolving into a better place after a 3 hour decant; we would love to see how this wine is in another 3 hours, but it won't last that long. Was incredible with our lamb burgers.
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Decanted. Not too much sediment yet. Deep pomagranite red that fades to more of a dusty strawberry at the rim. Initial nose in decanter was ripe plums and cherries. Now, later, in the glass the nose is deeper, darker and more feral. Still ripe plum and black cherry, but also lots of dried herbs, aniseed, suede, tobacco, game and resin. Sweet entry that is super smooth and bursting with dried red fruit extract, abundant garrigue, especially fennel, spices, leather and black tea. Then the super fine tannins (lots of them) really envelope your tongue on the dry, but long, finish. Really transforms as it moves across your palate! Quite complex albeit still young. Seems to have shut down a bit since last time I had it. Definitely needs food at this stage. Was spectacular with duck breast smeared with fennel seed, rosemary and garlic! I am confident this will blossom into something very special in a few more years. 94 points on its own; 96 with the duck!
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Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Takes about 90 minutes to open up, showing a really nice nose of cherry, moist earth, garrigue. Some additional leather and floral notes show up after another hour or two. Medium-full body, excellent balance, ripe fruit with a bit of contrasting crisp green, tannins present but not intrusive, medium finish. Excellent. Drinking really well now but not yet showing full maturity. Added complexity expected in another 5-10 years.
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wow this was great. for my palate, likely peaking. I'm not a huge fan of using points or calling a wine perfect... an objective rating would almost have to be chemistry-based and sterile - subjective is much more interesting. at this moment, this wine was just about perfect relative to my expectations and what I wanted. it straddled the line between meaty/savory and fruity, round but not heavy, perfectly balanced acidity. earthy but not funky. just awesome.
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First 2/3 of the bottle consumed via individual Coravin pours. Last 1/3 opened and allowed to air ~2 hours prior to pouring. Since my previous bottle just over two years ago, this has really rounded out nicely, showing less of the boozy edge compared to 2019. Elegant but with a punch, this is really gorgeous. I think it has nothing but upside for holding, but feel free to drink now with some air.
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Medium to deep ruby color. Medium + intensity of rich red and black fruits on the nose: strawberry, black cherry, blackcurrant. And mint and black pepper. Secondary touch of clove, cedar, cigar box. Tertiary dried fruit and leather. On TT he palette has a super nice long finish and red and black fruit again. Is in such a great place right now and is becoming more nuanced as it ages. A wine you just want to sniff and sniff. The Mix of Grenache and Moudevre is what gives it the interest, and the Syrah really does add the spice/extra intrigue. Shows that it is well worth keeping these Beaucastel wines so that they evolve past their early tendency to be jammy/too fruit-bombish phase. A lovely wine right now worthy of the reputation.
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Decanted 2 hours but needed 3-4 to really open up. Both on opening and after the decant this had a fresher nose and more complete profile of fruit and minerals than the 2007 last night. At 4 hours this seems the better wine of the two with a more clear view of a future evolution I can appreciate than the 2007. With enough air this has solid red fruit, minerals, some earth, and a sappy finish to make me think it will improve with more time in bottle. A-/A
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Brief note. Wine needed a 2 hour decant to come into its own. Rich and full of youthful energy. I notice the alcohol a bit, but it’s ultimately balanced, complex, and long. (Label says 14.5% but I suspect it’s closer to 15, which I know, is modest compared to many a CdP.) Try the next bottle in 2-3?
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Rhone Rumble w/ JKW; 1/22/2021-1/23/2021 (Old Home of Woodward): Blind I first thought New World Syrah, but it unfolded (and those other wines showed up later in the flight!). Layers of various black fruited liqueurs, then dried fruits (fig / plum / date), with hints of spice, leather, and underbrush. Now-2030.
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3 hour decant, Inky black purple color, plum and raspberry nose, fruit forward, with delicious secondary garrigie notes of rosemary, lavender, and thyme. Plenty of savory backend and substantial tannic pucker. This one has a decade or two of life ahead. As usual, Beaucastel delivers!
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Decanted for one hour before drinking. This is a smooth,, balanced, approachable CDP which paired beautifully with double cut pork chops. Not over done, not too hot, not to alcoholic. A great food beverage and a great example of CDP at its best.
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Raspberry and menthol on the nose. On the palate, rich red, black, and purple fruit with notes of fig, anise, and black pepper, with moderate tannins and strong acidity on the medium to long finish. This is early in its drinking window, with room to improve; the Cellartracker drink dates look about right. It was a good value at about $80.
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Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, cherry, fig, milk chocolate, spice and garrigue. Ripe red and black berries, fig, coffee and garrigue on the palate. Very long finish with excellent depth. Medium to full bodied. Served with a Swedish buffet.
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Drank from a half bottle. Great Bouquet of dark berries, cassis, some orange zest and herbs. The palate is really intense with fine, but demanding tannins with quite a long finish. Considering that this was from a half bottle, I would really give this wine another 5 years to enjoy it over the next 1-2 decades.
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Good drinking. Typical CdeP profile makes for complex experience overall, but this has lots going for it. I could get to like CdeP a lot more. Great value.
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The same bottle Coravined in July, tasted over two days.
The most reticent Beaucastel I have tasted. Indeed, on the second day, the wine only began hinting at what it might become.
While showing effusive forward charm, this vintage delivers textbook examples of robust and strapping. The longer it breathes the more it bears out these qualities. The most relevant comparison that comes to mind is the profoundly backwards, same vintage Janasse VV.
With air, smoke, ash, smoldering campfire, and long since discarded railroad tie overgrown with mushroom and other fungi show prominently, on the bouquet and palate. In this vein, a note of botrytis-like petrol derivative also announces its presence.
Regarding fruit, the most purple and black fruit and berry oriented Beaucastel I have tasted. That is, the typical pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry puree elements are substituted by blackcurrant, blackberry, and dark plum. Also, fig cake, date, kelp, and iodine enhance the tasting experience, all of which are matched by integral crushed black rock, black volcanic sand, and various mineral ores.
Overall, a complex enigma, which seemingly, in this vintage, argues against the established viewpoint: 'drink Beaucastel young, or at least ten years after the vintage'. This vintage might require a full two decades to reveal its underpinning substance. For my part, I regret having opened this, my only bottle, far too early. Improvement seems probable, even certain. Strongly recommend holding. 96-97...98?
As we sit drinking this wine over about 2 hours, we ask ourselves, "can we imagine drinking a better wine". It is hard to imagine. This flawless wine is so very smooth, supple, elegant, rich and balanced. Went perfectly with our lentil and pork stew.
Beaucastel reprise (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of polished baked red fruits, especially berries, black pepper spice. Clean but gamey with slightly ashy notes over time. Concentrated, textured, tight tannins, black fruits. Nice
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Tonight we decided to follow last night's bottle of the 2010 Tablas Creek's Esprit de Beaucastel with a 2010 Beaucastel CdP. This bottle was incredible and elegant; we described it simply as "complete". Perfectly balanced of southern Rhone flavors and acidity. The finish was smooth, flavorful and lengthy. Drinking great now, and many more great years ahead of it.
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Nose- a slightly funky note with menthol, black & red fruits, bacon & sundried tomatoes. Quite primary. Palate- Black & red berries, some funk/ brett notes with bacon noticeable minerality, big tannins, full bodied, medium acidity & some oaky notes. Nice balance, but very primary with a long finish. Slightly chewy. Stellar bottle.
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Vinturi aerated and decanted for 60 min. Dark red/purple. Wet earth, sweet berries with some savory notes and heat on the nose. Medium-full bodied, with a spicy mouthfeel, no noticeable heat. Tannins restrained. Layers of cassis, cherry and plum with savory notes peeking through. Long fruit and spice finish. A nice wine that is in a good drinking window now with backbone to improve further. So much better than the recent disappointing 2011 Beaucastel but at this point not yet as good as the stellar 09 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet.
Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Aromas of garrigue, dense, savoury, plummy fruit and a little jubey black and red berries. In the mouth the wine is juicy, plummy with balckberry and a little sweet spice. Flour textured tannins provide weight, long. Young but very nice.
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interesting contrast to the last bottle I had. This was more plum, animale, funk, some olive and black licorice notes and maybe a hint of iron. the last bottle i had was more bright fruit cherry. this was good but not at the same level of my last bottle.
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Delicious, complex, atypical (and mysterious and hard to place, for better or worse), seamless. Ready to drink with 90 minutes aeration and still it unfurls in the glass.
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Healthy Coravin pour, lingered over for a few hours.
An inflection-changing masterpiece! The essences of thick petal flowers, fruit, spice (pepper), herbs, fig cake, dates, pipe tobacco, olive barrel, mincemeat, cured meats, umami, smoldering coals, ash, and black rock minerality spilled from the glass. The pretty notes here showed most prominently upon pulling the cork. With air, the savory notes came forward.
Plush and pleasantly gritty. Tannins dance across the palate, as fig cake, sweet tobacco, and spice box stimulate the senses. As with the palate, and arguably the most unique and appealing element to this offering, with air, the forward 'sweetness' transitions to intense savoriness at the back and on the finish. Wines that achieve this level of shape-shifting are rare indeed. Tannins clamp down at the back, in line with the savory transition. No point to clocking the riveting finish, as it knows no quit.
Just now entering an early drinking window and likely to continue evolving for a few more years. Medium plus acid and medium tannin show no sign of peaking. Likely to reach its apex in five to seven years and hold form for several more thereafter. Laying the bottle back down proved extremely challenging. 95...97
Still developing, this well structured and dense CdP was not (yet) up to expectations raised by its price tag. Dark, mature cassis, violet, leather, herbal tones, balsamico, pepper, roast and menthol notes. On the positive: a very balanced CdP, fresh and avoiding phenolic exuberance, on the negative: not much uumph.
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The '10 vintage is more about elegance than power. Beautiful and succulent brambly black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, cedar notes, herbs de Provence and black pepper. The acidity is perfectly in balanced. This was an incredible pairing with a grilled lollipop lamb chops marinated with fresh garden herbs, red wine vinegar and soy sauce.
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Consumed over two days. Day 1 carried a theme of cassis, fresh cedar box, and a hint of wild brush. Day 2 transformed into oolong tea with vanilla inside an old, dusty cedar closet. It's hard to say which day was "better", but it was certainly more interesting on day 2. One thing that was consistent was the balance. Seamless integration of acid, tannin, alcohol, and a combo of primary and secondary flavor profiles. If I'm being honest, I probably would've rated 92 on day 1 and 94 on day 2. Final score is kicked up because of the evolution and complexity over the 30 hrs or so.
I've had the pleasure of enjoying this wine a few times since 2015, and it's been pleasantly and intriguingly different each time. Fascinating and enjoyable wine! I can't wait to see what it does in another year or two.
With all of the hype and promise of the past handful of vintages, it's easy to forget about the brilliance of 2010. Don't make that mistake! This wine is a thrill!
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Tasted over 2 hrs -nearly opaque dark red purple -muted low profile ripe plum with a splash of kirsch lurking in the background -barely med acidity, med/med+ weight black fruit licorice tar, bitter note heat and med/med+ tannins construct the finish -like how the nose allows the mourvedre and grenache to play off each other but nonetheless this is monolithic and too young now to appreciate, hopefully the heat won't overwhelm everything else in 5-10 years
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From Coravin. Quite closed initially on the nose. with time the wine starts to reveal fresh red and blackberry fruit lollies with aniseed, still very primary. Juicy and fleshy on the palate with a similar flavour profile, floury textured tannins hold up the structure side of the bargain. All travel long. Very 'clean'. Still young. Yum.
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dark red, ruby rim - black fruit nose (blackberries, blueberries) with complex aromatics of roasted meat, Provencal herbs, and a hint of white pepper - rich full mouth with mature tannins and light acidity - medium 15-20 sec slightly bitter finish - drinking nicely now, but needs another 3-5 years to develop its full potential
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Vinturi aerated with a 90 min decant. Barnyard, dark fruit and some vegetal notes on the nose. Very dark purple. Med-full bodied with a mouth coating smoothness. Tannins restrained but not soft. Layers of dark berry fruit with some herbaceous hints. Med long finish. A young CdP still evolving but so complex now.
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This was tasted along side the 2010 Pegau. Both were wonderful wines. This in comparison was reserved and classic. Medium body, heather, pepper and dark young cherries. It was a great comparison, seeing the two different CdP types.
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In the sweet spot, needs a decant, at least an hour. Still plenty of that youthful juicy energy, but beginning to settle. We’re 10 years in, if you have a few and have been waiting, pop one now.
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Pleasant but essentially uninteresting on each bottle I have tried of this. Balanced and classy I suppose. Nothing distinguished particularly. Generic Rhone in many ways. Far too young.....??
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This wine is fabulous now with smooth palate that is still young and has room to age. Notes of tea and granite with dark fruit being the dominant taste on the front and prunes on the finish.
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1st of 4 bottles. Brilliant, just brilliant. This is freaking delicious in every way. Fuzzy red and black fruits, including plum, blackberry, raspberry, kirsch, gorgeous garrigue, wet rocks, anise, camphor. Just keeps going. The palate shows off pure class and breed, with burly tannins, black fruits, medium acidity, and a terroir-driven finish that goes on and on. Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to do so through 2030 or so.
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Dark ruby turning brighter at the rim with a reflective edge. Nose of incense, dark fruits, leather, basil, cloves and toasted cedar. The palate is jumping with bright acidity and carries the full-bodied, blackberry, dark cherry, smoky meat, sage, black pepper core into a long, eucalyptus-rich finish with ultra refined tannins. This is easily a classic and perhaps one of the best Beaucastel has made. A tad underrated? Drink now with a 45-minute decant until 2035.
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Beaucastel is an intriguing wine, placed stylistically somewhere between the sourhern and the northern Rhone (or, I would say Bandol). Dark, almost opaque colour, almost no hints of aging. Beautiful nose of crushed cherries, some raisin, lots of spices (thyme, rosemary, pepper), as well as a fascinating hint of iron and wet stone. Sweet, yet tough. Full bodied, almost sugary attack, but then fine tannins and high acidity cleanses the mouth and give way to wonderful fruit like stewed cherries, blackberries and blueberries. Perfect balance between sweet fruit, fine tannins and high acidity. Long aftertaste dominated black berries, beautiful acidity and fine tannins as well as a minreal tone at the end. Long, long. Powerful, yet graceful. This is a wine in the first part of its life. I will drink my next bottle in five years, and I guess the peak will be in 2030. This will probably earn a higher score.
Second Sunday Group: 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (R&D's): Double blind. Notes of raspberry, candied plum, florals and underbrush. Medium-bodied. Red fruit and spice flavors, though a little short on the finish. Opens nicely in the glass, showing more florals, red fruit and now a good bit of garrigue. It has fleshed out a bit on the palate too, filling in very nicely with good length.
My #3, Domino's #2 Group #4, 58 pts > Tie with wine H broken by virtue of this receiving first place votes whereas H received none.
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As smoky and seductive as I remembered. This time, though, paired with a tomahawk ribeye grilled on a 37-foot Sea Ray off the coast of Miami. What a night.
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Classy, restrained plushness. Pours youthful. Dense palate and nose. I think perhaps a little young for me as I found this classy but "uneventful". :/ Or maybe I prefer them in the springtime of youth more than this.
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Strong notes of peppery, spicy, leafy green herbs, kirsch and lavender permeate the nose. Full-bodied, voluptuous and fresh, the wine feels great on the palate, finishing with luscious, ripe, spicy red fruits. This is showing beautifully today and should remain at this high level for at least another decade or longer.
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loved this.its in a great drinking window but i'm guessing will stay in that window for the next 5 years at least. popped and poured. great red color; nice nose of red fruit and some hints of soil. more plum and cherry notes; medium bodied+; some asian spices and black tea; a really pretty finish. we all loved this over dinner.
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Dark and brooding. Figs and prunes. Popped and poured at BYO; needed 30 minutes to open up. With a proper decant, in a good drinking window now and thoroughly enjoyable, but seems like it would benefit from more cellar time.
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Black cherries, blackberries, earthy and tobacco notes, mineral, like it much more compared to the bottle I had 2 years ago, the wine is getting together, is well structured and not anymore only on the fruit, really good.
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Took to one of our favorite restaurants, opened it there, they offered to decant it, and we took them up on it. Probably could have used a bit more air, but it was quite wonderful as it changed in the glass. Classic Beaucastel, it paired wonderfully with a mushroom risotto. Representative of the vintage, which I believe was a good one. Our guests poured a white 2015 Chateau Mont-Redon, so we were "high on the hog" for this dinner.
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WOTN for me. Plenty of blackberry, fig, and licorice notes - with forest floor and tobacco on the finish. Rich and lush - this wine seems to be in a prime drinking window now.
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Vinturied 4xs into decant, Waaaaay to young at this point, lively tannins along with racey acidity dominates any chance of the fruit to show thru, after a few hours the Grenache popped, too gripping and out of balance. I personally would even think about opening another until 2024-5. Honestly a disappointment.
Nice subdued/restrained black cherry and earthiness. Smooth texture with low tannin. Drinking well now. Not sure it would benefit from additional aging. Very good but did not meet my expectations. Does not seem like an exceptional wine, thus my 91 point rating.
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Retaining a youthful deep ruby color, Beaucastel's 2010 remains very floral aromatically, adding notes of dark bramble fruits, garrigue, licorice and savory herbs. Fresh and full-bodied, it delivers flavors in line with the aromas. With nicely integrated alcohol (listed as 14.5%), plentiful silky tannins, subtle oak and a dense mid-palate, it is a harmonious wine from attack through lengthy finish. A blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 10% Counoise (with the balance made up by other permitted varietals), this is a classically structured Châteauneuf that should age gracefully throughout the next decade. Drink now-2030.
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Decanted to remove a small amount of sediment. Medium dark cherry red with a uniform gradation to the rim. Rich red stone and berry fruit nose laced with new leather, dried herbs, spice and camphor. Lifted, sweet, savoury and irresistible! Wow! What a huge mouthful of sweet, rich fruit! Much bigger on the palate than you would think from the colour density and the nose. Beautifully ripe fruit, all dark red, then comes a layer of cedar and finally quite peppery at the end. Perfect balance! Still a lot of tannins. Long finish. Stunning! And still just a baby. 96 points with upside!
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A bit disappointing, and not sure if it’s shut down temporarily, or just lost its fruit. Not much on the nose. Classic CDnP flavors, but also had a faint vegetal note. Definitely benefited from a decanting.
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Drinking well right now. Deep ruby color, yet very clear. Mild and very fresh red fruit, and some sweet plumb. Lovely round mouth feel, but with a little bit of tannin present, so still a good amount of time to go with this one. Lovely long finish. Is more refined than I recalled previous Beaucastels. And the viniculture (pretty much Biodynamic despite the fact that they are not certified) comes through as a very clean wine - in both sight, nose and pallet. Almost no sediment, which is very different to other 10 year old CNDP that I have had recently (Pegau being a good example). Am not always blown away by this producer, considering how much it is "sold" as THE leader, but on this occasion it lived up to its reputation. Not as jammy and "Cal Cab" as it something can be, which is a good thing in my view.
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Surprising that nose quite closed even with time in the glass - just a phase in its life. The light nose is mostly sweet blackberry. The entry and mouth is another story with a heady flavor profile of dark fruit, tobacco, leather, chocolate, and spice. Finishes quite long with heavy spice and tannin backdrop. This has years left of course. I would wait a bit more on this, but bones for a nice future as it hopefully gets it's nose back.
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Encore jeune certes. Des fruits bleus, un peu d'épices. Le vin est long, mais sa lourdeur et la chaleur laisse perplexe. Pas un style qui m'interpelle.
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Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of spices, berries and cherries. Flavors of boysenberries, black berries and black cherries. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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Beautiful rendition of CDP. Elegance over power but certainly has the balance and plenty of longevity. Enjoy today or for many years to come. Excellent wine and far better than the 2011 which wasn’t bad but paying a few more dollars for this is worth it.
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Red and black fruits. Licorice. Roasted meets and mushrooms. Medium body with a marvelous finish. We bought two bottles and waited four years. While this wine might still improve, it is wonderful now and I see no reason to wait long to drink the other bottle.
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Rich, velvety, young and full of life. From a 375ml as well. Plenty of spice and garrigue, dark fruits and some ash/charcoal. This is super young even from this format. Great wine, lots of fun. Give it time.
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Deep, dark reddish garnet in color with vey slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of red cherries, plums & blueberries with earthy/dusty, kirsch & garrigue overtones, Provençal herbs, spices, some beefy/bacon notes, pepper, minerals & cedar undertones. Nose had some heat on it initially (14.5%) which blew off with airing. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balance & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & plums with herbs, spices, smoky, minerals & toasted oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing. However, it has the structure & fruit to continue with its development if further aged.
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Smooth and elegant, I guess I just prefer my Rhones young as this is supposed to be early in its drinking window but tastes slightly hollow to me. Cassis, five spice, cedar, vanilla and burnt sugar with a menthol note on the finish. Medium minus acidity and medium tannins. I have some ’15s and 16's, I think I'll open them sooner rather than later. Definitely love the high Mourvedre content.
After a couple hours of air the fruit has gained weight and filled in the hollow middle very nicely! Changing my whole perspective on this. Already added another point.
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From Famille Perrin comes their Château de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010. A classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation and aged in oak foudres for a year before being bottled. Consistently receiving some of the highest acclaims for this wine through the years, it is a wine to be sought after and enjoyed. Ideally, keeping in mind that this is a wine that will evolve and mature should you decide to wait a few years before popping the cork. Pouring the wine fills the glass with superb aromas enticing you to pour more, but you must show restraint. Even with the years in bottle, the wine needs even more time to open up and bring forth its full nuances. Swirling my glass almost continuously to savor the aromas with expectations of the sensuousness of the flavors that are to come. Indeed they did! Big dark somewhat savory fruit immerses you in this elixir that still has much more life in the bottle should you wish to forestall the inevitable longer. Now, it shows the potential that most reviewers eluded to 5 years ago. The richness, the rustic edges that still abound but with a softer touch.
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A superb CDP! Exelent balance. Mutible layers of fruit, Minerals and herbs. A favorite that can nr keept for one more decade under The right comditions.
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Uncorked and left open for 6 hours prior to pouring. Dark cherry and spices galore. A touch on the boozy side. No signs that this is even remotely approaching maturity.
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Medium ruby color, high viscosity (some serious “legs”). High alc as common in CNDP. Nice variety on the nose: moist cured fruit (fruitcake) . Touch of anise. Very broad and luscious mouth feel. Chewy and tannins now pretty soft and pleasant. Long finish - vanilla at the end even. Can see why is so popular in the US as is reminiscent of the higher end cal cabs. Very good vpp. And a serious bonus that it’s farmed biodynamicly. As I get more and more focused on how the grapes are farmed it’s good to find good wine farmed this way.
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Very fresh and young. A heavy but still very balanced and structured wine. Deep dark fruit, minerality and spiciness. My first Beaucastel 2010 and I had expected a more immediate pleasant style. No doubt a very good wine, but I'll wait a couple of years before trying again.
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Decanted. Started out as dusty spicy candy. Not much aroma. Much smoother and sweeter after an hour. Fantastic with black peppered beef tenderloin. Fruit forward now. Saving other bottles for next few years.
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Opened 30 minutes before I poured my glass and it sat for another 30 minutes, sipped over another 30.
Bold dark fruit on nose with some fig notes and a touch of spice. The flavors are dark berry, red berry, zippy with acidity, spicy finish. I get a tar or asphalt along with the dried prune or fig notes. There is a real density or meatiness to this wine that I would guess will unfold over time. It seems like there are tannins that could evolve as well although they are not obtrusive by any stretch.
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Red fruited nose, some allspice? Flavors of strawberry, red raspberry, moderately tannic, some fig flavors, opening up is a little meaty, slightly phenolic, blueberry, ever evolving in the glass, feminine. Very good, out of a 375.
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Sehr schön und am Beginn der Trinkreife. Lakritzige Nase, dunkelbeerig. Am Gaumen sehr elegante Textur, seidig, schwarze Beeenfrucht, etwas Rauch & Lakritz. Ein toller Wein auch wenn für meinen Geschmack noch etwas zu jung...
Ritz for dinner. Limited notes. A half bottle after our La Jota CFranc (noted). I have this in my cellar in full bottles for not touching till 2022 but thought I would take a chance in this smaller format. A massive dark berry-fruit bomb with strappy and wild herb nuances - but it was at least not closed up! Rather unintegrated elements. Nonetheless rather enjoyable and undoubtedly a fine wine waiting in the wings for its chance to shine. Not markable in its current state. 2022 at the very earliest! 92+?+ potential.
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I love Beaucastel. The complexity is very high; you can taste a variety of flavors including blackberry, raspberry, roast beef, lavender, black tea, and black pepper. But what stands out with Beaucastel is that it all tastes smooth and delicious. That is not the case with all CdP, which often taste big and burly but not oishii. Anyway, this particular vintage is delicious now. Sure, you can age it—perhaps for two decades—but there is no compelling reason to beyond intellectual curiosity.
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Château de Beaucastel Dinner & Tasting at Jeroboams, Walton Street. Limited notes. Infanticide: furry tannins with a tight core showing hints of dark secrets to come. Undoubtedly a great wine - but not now. Ordered 6 on the promise. Hold till 2022 at least. Should be good once ready for 25yrs+ from vintage. 93pts+ potential.
Beaucoup d’épice, des tannins très fins. Le fruit est mûr et l’acidité donne au vin un beau tonus. Juste assez rond pour laisser une belle impression en bouche. Meilleur au fond de la bouteille, prêt à boire, sinon avant son 15 ans. Dans les chateauneuf, une des dégustation préférée, probablement parce que le vin était à point. RQP ***1/2
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At first taste (of this of 8 previous over many years) is that it is too ripe, too pruny, but enjoyable in the tiniest possible sips. Then it grows on you (again). Great bottle, enjoyed by everyone. The ripeness fades into the background and a wine with good structure and balance stand forth. How could I doubt it?
Tasting blind, I thought this was an exceptionally smooth, chocolate-y syrah from the Northern Rhône due to the spice aromas. But in retrospect, it did also display the sweet weight of Grenache and the gamey aromas of Mourvèdre. All in all, it tasted a little flat (too ripe?) to be one of my favorite vintages of Beaucastel, but I enjoyed it.
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Épaulé vers 14, carafé à 18h et servi à 20h. L'aération lui a fait du bien. C'est encore toutefois très jeune, pas mal tannique, sur les fruits noirs cuits avec un chaleur modérée et un élevage léger-modéré. Tout-de-même équilibré mais idéalement à oublier en cave encore longtemps.
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A pleasant and elegant bottle of wine. I preferred it a couple of years ago when the volume was turned up a bit and all the flavors were punchier and more alive yet not hot and fat. Today it seems more generically southern Rhone.
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Dark red, meaty nose, short 1 hour decant, full bodied but very well balanced, long, so well made, nothing excessive, approachable now but with years left 93+
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A dream. And sadly, as I reach the end of the decanter, the dream has ended. Leather and bacon and bone-crushing backbone, all wrapped in silk. The New York strip never had a chance.
Restrained, pretty nose of dark & red fruit, garrigue, and roast meat. Palate more forward than the nose, gobs of minerals coating savory dark fruit. Plush, soft texture. This has evolved nicely in the three years (to the day) since my last bottle. Finishes with excellent length and precision. Drink now through 2035.
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Coravin fun - Beaucastel review (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Earthy, baked herbs, savoury spices over ripe berries, a little black tea. Juicy, fleshy, red berries and peppery spice, soft tannins, Young. At this stage in its life its a little simple, for me.
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(Tasted blind.) Cherry, mineral, a little kirch, a little blood -- textbook Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a restrained but modern style. Toyed with guessing Beaucastel, but that would be more playing the metagame than is really necessary.
I like this wine, but its rating suffers from being tasted in relatively recent proximity to some really excellent Chateauneufs from my trip there.
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Dark color, ripe black fruit, well made, but drunk last evening after a stunning Echezeaux 2009 of the Mugneret sisters and there (at least for me) sorry to remark that the « hot » southern Rhône wines have no word to say if you compare them with high class Burgundies. Should be drunk on its own with the appropriate food and there it surely has its place.
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Drank from a half bottle. Opaque purple but showing its age of 8 with a clear outer ring at the edge that shades inside to ruby. The nose is flawless, with odors of dried underbrush, raspberry, and blueberry. The sip glides into the mouth as gracefully and effortlessly as a swan paddling through water. The swallow is delicious and delightfully integrates acid, tannin, and fruit. Overall, a superb example of how complete and satisfying a well aged Chateauneuf can be.
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Really lovely wine- rich and ripe fruited, on the darker end of the spectrum, supple and velvety mouthfeel. Delicious. Interestingly drinking a lot better than when I had it recently from Magnum. Also no brett here whatsoever though in the past beaucastel has been the king of Brett. I suspect substantial bottle (barrel?) variation exists at this domaine
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Well o delved into another bottle though I had told myself to wait another year. Same notes as one ago, just wait at least 8-12 months and think it will be entering its sweet spot.
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Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #027 Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010 (By JdB): In the bouquet beautiful dark berries and cherries, autumn forest and garrigue. On the palate ripe dark berries, perfect acidity, sweet licorice and good garrigue. Overall a lush and juicy wine with beautifully soft and round tannin with still a pleasant bite. Already delicious and with a good future.
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Singing right now. Still a little heat, could use 1-2 more years in the cellar. But so delicious right now. Bursting with fruit but rustic notes starting to develop.
A very deep colour; full, rich, very young still, even a bit brutal, with intense, smoky, blackberry fruit, plenty of substance, and good length. Perhaps less developed than the previous bottle, but certainly a profound wine; approachable now but with much more development ahead.
Regular dinner group (By EM @ Bottles): Beautiful and complex bouquet with red and dark berries, garrigue and vanilla. On the palate juicy berries, beautiful acidity and tannin. Pleasant bitterness. Beautiful wine and it will improve with more ageing. 2025 will not be any problem.
Still a youthful deep ruby in color, this iteration of Beaucastel remains very floral aromatically, adding notes of mixed bramble fruits, dry earth, licorice and savory herbs. Fresh and full-bodied, it delivers flavors mirroring the aromas. With nicely integrated alcohol (listed as 14.5%), silky tannins, subtle oak and a dense mid-palate, it is harmonious from attack through lengthy finish. This is classic Châteauneuf that will provide immense pleasure for at least another decade. Drink now-2028.
I wouldn’t normally drink Beaucastel this young, but it was on a restaurant wine list at more or less the current retail price so it was worth trying (now for the second time). It has a very deep colour and a very full, aromatic, even opulent bouquet; on the palate, there is rich, smoky fruit with considerable depth; long and very concentrated, but with some tannin still making the finish a little tight. A great wine now, but will be even greater in about 5 years.
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Ruby red robe, nose of red cherry, currant, orange, spice. Mouth is sweet and lush, tannins smooth with a 1-2 hour decant. This is a rich and fruit forward wine, the nose could easily be confused for a precocious round cali pinot noir. I'll hang onto the rest, at the moment its not really worth the price.
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Ruby; fresh nose of cherry, plums, cinnamon and cocoa; pfn with a little sourness and tar; medium plus finish with notes of red licorice; balanced with good tannins; drinking really well
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As stated, very demure right now. As it certainly is a very nice wine it is in a bit of a slumber right now. Give it 18-24 months and it will be rocking.
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Just a touch of Brett on the nose, otherwise blackberry and cassis. Very slight grass and dried herbs. Well-balanced on the palate. Red fruits, a touch of fennel, some pepper and spice. 90 second finish. Very approachable right out of the bottle.
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This has a muted nose, but has a nice palate of plum and blackberry. Also has some forest accents to it. The finish is medium. This was consumed after a two hour decant. Drinking well now, but I think there are many years left.
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Very demure at first, then there's a more bombastic crescendo. Melted licorice, fresh fig, river rock, chalk, dried lavender and wood shop. Elastic tannins and an ostensible shelf life. Layered thru every phase. Drink 2018 -.
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Weekly tasting group RWP #264: Southern Rhône 12 x 2010 (@ VD): Beautiful bouquet with rustic and barnyard impressions, beautiful fruits and beautifully toasted oak. On the palate juicy dark berries, good garrigue and beautiful tannin. A beautiful wine with a great future due to the high percentage of Mourvedre I suppose. 94+
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Ja gefällt mir auch beim dritten Mal mit seiner Lila Roten Farbe. Klar nicht die feine Klinge,schon eher ein schwarzes ,würziges Biest. Aber trotzdem auch in diesem Stadium ausgewogen und mit Genuss "trinkbar". Das er viel Potential hat und Jahrzehnte halten wird ist sicher auch nicht falsch ausgedrückt.
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Polished, plush and plummy, the wine is fresh, sweet, concentrated and rich, with spicy, character, the backbone to age and a fresh, dark cherry, black raspberry and spicy charm. This will age quite well, yet, because the fruit and tannins are so ripe, it can be enjoyed young.
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There is a very nice balance to the wine and no hint of tannins. Light in color, and no bouquet but that does not distract from the taste and smoothness of the wine
Just superb
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Opened and decanted for prob 3-4 hours before pouring. This wine was ready for business right from the beginning. Great black fruits. Very accessible. This wine should have a long life ahead, but it was drinking really well. Drank over the course of prob 4-5 hours and noticed it didn't really change much in the glass.
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Requires decanting for several hours to be enjoyed at this early stage but is accessible already. Clearly not at its peak yet and can be easily misunderstood. A very juicy CDP with great minerality streak and without grenache dominating (only 30% of grenache). Beaucastel CDPs are highly reliable relative to many other CDPs in my experience, and this vintage is no exception. Likely to be 95+ after more years of cellaring.
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I disagree from the shot group of other raters and see this one fully in line with its WA and WS ratings of 95/96. It is also very drinkable right now. Common lore suggests it will improve, but by how much? Also, I am suspicious of back end drink year estimates for this particular wine, as I had two bottles go bad almost overnight a few years back. I then noticed in the Jancis Robinson book on drink windows that this wine in certain years has a tendency to decline at the end like a rock falling off of the cliff. For those that like decadent styled CNdP, this one is for you. Start enjoying it now despite the long drink windows published by the pro reviewers.
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From half bottle. Nice Rhone Valley notes of plum, forest floor, flowers, meat, licorice and red fruits. Lots of fruits dominating on the palate and also great intensity. Not powerful and no harsh tannins. It has much life left and maybe a full bottle is a better choice to gather. I really expected more from this wine.
Decanted 4hrs. Quite a bit of sediment. It's been over 2 years since my last tasting of this. Nose of black cherry, plumb and just a hint of that earthy funk. Tart cherry and plumb with a claulky mouth feel, medium plus finish. The alcohol is still very present on the finish so this still needs time. If you open I recommend a long decant. That said this is developing nicely.
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I've checked my notes on CT and I have tasted 55 CdP's over the years with Clos des Pape and Pegau being my favorites. I've had several Beaucastel's and while they are very well made they never wow me. That being said this wine was decanted for about an hour and served through dinner and it did improve with air time as we watched a movie. Floral notes mixed with the dried fruit and a smooth finish. I am going to hold them for a few years to watch their development as I have the 09, 10 and 12 vintages.
Perfect balance. So much going on here. Rustic and barnyard where you want it, but with the blackberry and raspberry liquer to soften it. Inviting and exactly what you want it to be. I believe they use like 13 grapes varieties here. This could age for so long. Its entering its window though. I don't know how anyone who likes cdp couldn't like this.
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PnP, venturi. Inky, dark, opaque purple color. Massively big, fruit forward blue fruits, earth, black pepper, leather, evident oak. Grippy tannins, still young. A little hot on the palate. Good structure. Long long finish, still lingering.
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Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. Blackberry and black pepper, polished oak and spice. Juicier than the older vintages and with more immediate peppery spice. the blackberry comes through and the tannins are more grippy and drying though still relatively fine textured. Long.
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One hour decant. Ruby color. Medium legs. Light sediment in the bottle. Meat, stone and red currant nose. It tastes like red currant, raspberry, medium toast, earth and espresso. Medium body. The wine has smooth suede texture. Medium finish. Medium acidity.
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Although young and fruit forward, this Beaucastel is in a wonderful place. The fruit is scrumptious. Notes of raspberry preserves, black cherry, lavender, thyme, black tea, and oak. With ten years of age it will become more savory than fruity, delicious in a completely different way.
It is a joy to drink every vintage of Beaucastel. Never cheap, but always a good value.
Deep inky purple, almost black. Thinking this is the darkest color I have seen on this wine, not sure if that means anything here...Nose of blackberry, kirsch, baking spices and smoke. Plate of dark, sweet fruits, savory notes and herbs. Rich mouthfeel and long finish...
Last tasting of this wine it was closed, this bottle very much open but still very primary. I am going to leave my bottles for a few more years, should be long lived and beautiful CdP. Big upside...95+
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This is the biggest Beaucastel I have tasted in 30 years. Mammoth. I hoped for some expression after pouring an 8 oz Coravin tasting, which I let breath for 1+ hour and then sipped over another 30 minutes. It did not yield. Strong, deep black and crimson color; a hint on the nose of stewed fruit and very grenache tones; some mourvedre aste but mostly tannic acid and a large body with deep deep dark cherry, wet wood, a hint of mushroom and sweet raisiny cherry fruit and a long finish. this will be a winner but needs some serious cellar time in my view. Also unsure of shippng pedigree.
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very good, very full bodied with great fruit, acidity / tension, and also some mourvedre funk, really good now but super young... can never tell whether the blockbuster nature of this will translate into the gem that can evolve twenty years from now but worth cellaring a few to see... could be fantastic, suspect it will be, but will have to contain myself to keep from drinking my other four bottles in the next 5 years
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Similar notes to before. Really love this Beaucastel. It is very ripe, but still balanced and enjoyable. Stylistically (and due to warmer weather over the years), this is very different than the Beaucastels of the 90's, but I'm still a buyer and will continue to buy. It's still a great wine - just different. Curious to see how these will develop over time and how this ripeness will evolve.
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Exceptional wine with intertwined red fruit and herbs dancing on a long, silky/glycerin finish. We agree wholeheartedly with ZWEDER's 5.2.16 tasting note. It drank beautifully after a two-hour decant and expressed additional bouquet and palate complexities throughout the evening with more time in the glass. Drinking well now, but can go the distance.
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I agree with others who thought this was not terribly impressive. Perhaps weak storage (bought in Canada). But was already at its peak, with a slight raisin note that detracted from the relatively thin leather, pencil and distinctive Beaucastel profile. Not bad, just not great.
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dark opaque red-black; excellent fruity spicy nose; grip tannins, complex palate, structured, ready but with a long ageing potential, fungus, excellent finish and aftertaste
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At our 2010 CNDP rating this won out against a lot of the best, and in several cases more expensive, wines. Was the hands down favorite. And right now can be bought for a very good price considering the quality.
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Drank after 2.5 hours' slow ox. In terms of age it's still young but the taste shows ripeness. Medium plus bodied. Unique nose of some 'yokan', blackcurrant, plum, dark fruits, not much of oak. Needs decanting but 2~3 hours bottle breathing or 1 hour's decanting is enough, no more. A very nice wine with character but needs to show some more to be excellent. 2nd day was the best, so I added 1 point.
Weekly tasting group #212; GSM: Blend or mono cepage? (@ The factory by JdB): Beautiful and complex bouquet with dark and red berries, garrigue, minerals and some pleasant rustic flavors which disappear after a while. On the palate beautiful fruits, herbs and spices, some earth, minerals, a great balance between acidity and sweetness and mild tannin with still a firm bite. This is a real beauty already, but in fact it is still much too young. Probably wise to wait until 2020 at least and it will probably drink lovely until at least the second half of the next decade. Great pleasure!
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94+ Dunkles Lilarot Schwarzkirschig,Rosinen,Marzipan,sehr würzig,dunkle Schokolade. Fleischig,dicht,konzentrierter,gute Säure,anfänglich leicht alkoholisch bindet sich aber mit Luft besser ein.Gerbstoffe gut spürbar,aber doch schon gut integriert. Langer würziger Abgang. Fraglos viel Potential in diesem Wein,kann aber mit genügend Zeit auch jetzt schon genossen werden.
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First sip 88pts, unbalanced. 30 mins later 90pts, uneven cracked pepper fiery finish. 1hr decant 93pts. An elegant wine with a rounded fruit forward (certainly by French standards) palate. The astringent alcohol alludes to a very modern style.
Having just read the wine has a higher Mourvedre content makes complete sense and explains its relative sweetness.
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One of the best bottles yet. This is drinking incredibly well now. So young but just so good, tough to stay away from. The nose is great, packed with ripe raspberries and strawberries. On the palate, this was silky with great acid and spice. Signature Beaucastel on the nose and palate. Give this 10 years to really sing. A little riper than a typical Beaucastel, but it is all in balance. Really love this.
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Enjoyed in a restaurant after a short decant - no formal notes. Lots of richness and concentration on the nose. Notes of sweet spices, fruit cake, smoked meat, cherries. On the palate again tight and a bit one dimensional, very rich and a bit heavy. The alcohol is showing a little, the tannins are powerful and ripe. Great acidity. Very long. No surprise that it would be too young, but we were curious anyway. And it is a fascinating wine even at this stage. Keep. 92-94+?
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Decanted for 1hr and drank over the following hour. A big and full bodied wine. Classically styled with a potpourri of rustic, provencal flavors. Some heat on the finish though which I thought was distracting. Nothing less than what this wine was meant to be. Very young, primary and powerful. Decant for a couple of hours if drinking in the near term. This will hold well for the next decade easily.
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My 95 rating is based on expectations in 5+ years. The sub-90s that others gave are probably fair for what it is now... TOO YOUNG! I opened a 375 ml bottle, and even the little guy is still in diapers. Tons of structure here that needs to relax for at least 3 to 5 years. Very powerful with strong earthy, cigar, and ripe red fruit palate. When all of this mellows out and the tannin softens, this will be a winner. I may open another half bottle in 6 to 12 months to check progress, but the full bottles are staying closed at least until 2018... more likely 2020.
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Very good showing! Still very young an primary. Although enjoyable, I think there is more magic in this wine that just needs some time to shine through. Full wine with lovely acidity. Plenty of ripe raspberries, strawberries, and purple plum on the nose and palate. A nice garrigue element with some spice as well. This will surely be an amazing bottle with some more bottle age.
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Drank with a fairly strong line-up (an '07 Colgin Syrah and a '95 Diamond Mtn Lokoya) and this held it's own. It's rich and fruit forward, but balanced and has some nice spic, leather, earth characteristics as well. Would generally let it lie for longer or consider a longer decant (we decanted, but drank right away).
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010 - Check-up on 20 Top names; 4/1/2013-3/18/2016: Dark purple. Discrete nose of licorice, violets, oak, meat, quite closed at the beginning. Full bodied with pronounced high acidity and a bit of alcoholic heat. At the beginning this was difficult to appreciate. After a hour of decanting, things started to fall into place, thank god. The wine became softer and more balanced, showing its potential. Could add a point. Good, but I have expected a bit more given the stellar vintage. I will check in again in 2020. 94+
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Powerful and rich on the nose, cherry fruit, spices, brooding, but fairly tight. On the palate grippy and even more closed, much more one dimensional and linear than I remember it to be. There is a slight alcoholic note towards the finish. This needs time, for the moment 91 at best, but promising. 90-91++
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Loving this wine right now - hard to believe it is drinking so well already. Will probably consume a few more bottles over the next year but will try to save a case for the long haul. This has the stuffing to go the distance. Plenty of big fruit concentration and tannins.
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This bottle was flat, no real body or character, disappointed, let it open up with only slight improvement, need to try again, drank with cheese, drank in FW.
Color: purple red Nose: lovely perfumed nose wit secondary aromas of game. Decanted for 1.5 hours Palate: full bodied, big and brawny but with good balance, still young and will be best with a few more years 94+
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Nose of grilled beef gives way to cherry, raspberry, garrigue, and mocha. Intense minerality, smoke, and flavors of raspberry in the mouth. Nice acidity; balanced tannins. Long, lingering, dark finish. Coming into its own and should drink well for 15+ years.
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Popped and poured this last night and it showed beautifully. Best bottle of this so far. Surprisingly, it was open for business. Utterly delicious wine. Class Beaucastel with garrigue and a little barnyard funk that blew off after some air. Silky smooth wine with plent of dark purple and red berries on the palate. Long finish. A classic in the making!
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Red Wine Tasting Party - Opened an hour before tasting. No decant. Initially, aromas of barnyard funk with hints of dark berries. After swirling and air, the aromas changed to saline like qualities (reminded me of seaweed on the beach). Delicious but still young. Dark red and purple berries. Full bodied and plush. Soft and silky with a long finish! 14.5% alcohol content still shows.
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Drinking beautifully, even though still relatively young. Dark purple core, with a nose of dried flowers and red fruits. Brilliant complex ripe fruit on the attack, a hint of sweet-tart cranberry on the mid-palate, with a very nice lingering finish. Pairs fantastically with smoked duck. Absolutely first rate CdP.
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Aroma - dark fruits and tobacco. The fruit flavor profile follows the aroma - sun ripened blackberries. Elegant mouth feel. Balanced finish. Great as a high-end wine to sip before the meal on its own, and also makes just about any red meat dish better.
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Boasting a mesmerizing ruby ink core the 2010 Beaucastel CdP is an aromatic bomb packed with intense perfumes of blueberries, raspberries, menthol, tobacco leaf and burnt tar. This full bodied, luxuriously unctuous, yet delicate elixir delivers a generous 14.5% natural alcohol content and envelopes the palate with a delicious soft and silky texture. The flavours are equally intense in the form of creme de cassis, Grand Marnier and caramel, and the velvety finish goes on for nearly a full minute. This beauty will reach its maturity phase in a couple of years once the abundant tannins have fully integrated. It should then cruise comfortably in the cellar for two decades or more.
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2hr decant- full bodied, good finish, good balance but balance will improve in years to come- should reach prime in another 3-5 years and hold until 2035. Good value.
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Three decades of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Very extracted, plush, ripe and at this moment painfully young wine. Lots of sweet black fruits, full body, very rich. With time nose develops notes of cotton candy. This is good, but I wouldn't touch it for at least 3-5 more years.
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My first of six bottles. Poured a glass from Coravin and decanted for an hour. Tannins were in full control at first but after a while the nose opened up and the palate softened, great fruit and length. I probably won't touch another bottle for 2-3 years but enjoyable now with a long decant. Others have written clean and polished, I agree.
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Flickinger Tasting at The Casino (Chicago, IL): From magnum. A decidedly clean Chateauneuf-du-Pape, this was showing a whole hell of a lot of sweet purple and black fruit (plums, blackberries, you name it). A little too sweet for my tastes already, but very restrained and what I imagine is classical for CdP.
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interesting, decanted for several hours, initially very fresh, taste was dominated by Grenache, evolved in the glass as it softened and some minerality and blood showed. Quite nice.
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1 bot regale a Luis Wertman y otra la tomé...., muy cerrado. Un par de dias despues y WOW, aun cubirto x la fza de taninos, pero de gran fineza, una bomba de frutos rojos y negros, mermelada, pimienta blanca, menta y un sofisticado y rwfinado cedro q envuelve todo el paladar......voy guardar al menos 5 años antes de probar de nuevo. Un gran tesoro!!
Christmas cake in a glass! Deep purple, Cassis aromas, Good acidity, Fine tannins. Consumed on Christmas Day with my in laws who all liked it. I decanted for 8 hours and it didn't really budge so a seriously long life ahead. I know this is way to early, but I wanted to test it young. It obviously needs many years (5+) before it really comes into its own as slightly one dimensional for now. A possible slight disappointment given the RP96 and WS #8 of 2013. But I will reserve judgement until 2020 when I can revisit this again.
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Altaya annual wine tasting (Hong Kong): This young Beaucastel has a surprisingly nice showing at such primary stage. Rich fruits, sweet spices, with solid backbone that signals long life ahead. Wonderful palate that's balanced and grippy, sweet tannins, juicy fruits and lifting acidity. Very enjoyable.
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What a tremendous wine! Still a baby, but this already shows great promise that it will be a superstar in the future. This will be 95+ in time. I was surprised by how well this drank this early, classic Beaucastel profile. Definitely fun and delicious in its youth, but this will be a gem in the future.
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As presented by Francois Perrin... (Chicago, Illinois): generally speaking, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 20% Everything else. generally speaking 'best 10 yrs from vintage date, drinkable but complex, not over extracted. 'Wines that are a product of the historic place, as grapes disseminate across the globe.'
generally speaking, more mineral over fruit, balance in this here 2010. Great vintage. shows some kernel and kerosene for the nose. nowhere near the fruit expressed on either the Tourelles '10 or Sinards '11. dark berry aromas. lots of mineral and spice on the palate. 'a Protestant vintage' relative to the 2010 as 'Catholic.'
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Pourpre soutenu, il dégage au nez des arômes complexes de petits fruits, de goudron, d'épices douces et une présence marquée d'alcool. En bouche une sensation soyeuse sur des tanins lisses s'harmonisent et nous étonnent par une finesse non attendue. Il a été mis en carafe 1 heure. On pourra l'attendre encore 5 ans. Cependant, je m'attendais à un peu plus de punch et de mordant.
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2014 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/14/2014-10/21/2014 (New York City, NY): Deep ruby and very floral on the nose, this wine also offers notes of mixed bramble fruits, dry earth, licorice and garrigue. It is fresh and full-bodied, with medium fine-grained tannins, nicely integrated alcohol and subtle oak. The wine remains harmonious and balanced throughout the middle and closes with a very long, herb-laced finish. This is an outstanding iteration of Beaucastel. Give it a couple of years in the cellar and then enjoy it over the next 10-12 years. Drink 2016-2028.
From jeroboam. Rich fruit, cherries, bramble, spices, fruit cake, woodsmoke. Pretty dense and closed on the palate, well structured, powerful, but ripe tannins, a bit of heat, great length. In an odd place right now, but I have no doubt that it will be superb with a couple of more years in bottle. 92-93+(+)
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Practically opaque dark cherry red color. Somewhat odd and quite closed, even somewhat mute nose with rustic aromas of leather, peeled apple, some roasted meat aromas, a little bit of smoke and a hint of something rubbery. The wine feels very intense, concentrated and chewy on the palate with rich flavors of ripe strawberry, peppery spice, roasted spices, some sweet VA character, light earthy tones of barnyard and sous-bois, a hint of leather and a touch of ripe dark plums. The structure is quite taut with moderate acidity and firm, ample tannins. The finish is warm, very complex and very powerful with persistent flavors of ripe dark fruits, peppery spice, earthy sous-bois tones, some perfumed floral character, a little bit of leather and a hint of sweet boysenberry. The tannins lend a pretty grippy, mouthdrying note to the aftertaste.
A very weird, funky and at times a bit closed example of Beaucastel. From the very concentrated and almost extracted feel you can immediately notice how this wine is from an exceptional vintage, but this feels just going through a dumb phase. Now the wine lacks fruit and expression, making the angular structure and the typical funkier elements of Beaucastel stick out somewhat. I have no doubts that the wine will become spectacular given enough age, but now it is in a very difficult, unexpressive phase and thus a bit hard to assess. Will most likely gain much more points with cellar age - thus the rating is a bit on the conservative side.
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Enjoyed this via PnP at the Parker House Inn. Was a little nervous about the lack of decant and young age, but this was good from the start and was really singing by the last glass about an hour after opening. My wife (prefers white wine mostly) even enjoyed the fruit and smoothness of this wine. A little white pepper at the start, but more like peppercorn after an hour in the glass. Lovely.
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Plum, cherry, baking spice, anise. Ripe, softer-than-expected tannins with a fairly dry finish and good but not quite bright acidity. Not a trace of Brett. Very, very primary. Out of a 375. Would expect some beautiful nuance in 10-20yrs. Wouldn't bother opening between now and then though.
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Sometimes a wine is like a beautiful girl that gives you a big wet kiss and then after you fall in love, she goes away for a long time and don't come back until she's all grown up. I gave this wine a glowing review some months ago when I drank a couple of bottles that were simply stunning. Well, that juicy girl has gone away. The most recent bottle I tasted, while delicious, was backward and contracted, if not quite shut down. I would say at this point several years of cellaring are mandatory. The wine is a masterpiece. But this is not the time to drink it. Don't even think about it.
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Wow, just better and better, and in half bottle! So silky juicy refreshingly good... Loads of cassis-y dark fruit, a hint of the CdP garrigue/bramblyness. Some licorice and violet.
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This will undoubtedly be higher with time. After so many outstanding reviews, I was surprised to find the bottle ,after 1 1/2 hours of decanting, to be out of balance, predominantly tannic and only hinting of the lush center stewed blueberry/granache flavors that will emerge. I have enjoyed Beaucastels since their legendary 1967, so found this atypical.I do not know if others have had a similar experience-- I do not think it is entering hibernation. Revisit in a year or two.
Bold nose of blackberry jam. Medium in body. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of espresso and stone. Tight tannins now, but everything is well balanced.
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Working with wine 2014 seminar 1 - Rhone varieties (Sofitel, Sydney): ripe red berry bruit, rich, perfumed, some spice and ripe garrigue notes, sandalwood and touches of cedar, slight creamy notes. A complex and welcoming nose. In the mouth the wine has rich red and black berry fruit flavours that are more savoury than sweet, then spice with touches of bitter coffee. The spice begins to take a more peppery turn. There is discernable, mouth filling tannin that adds to the overall textured complexity but the whole wine is in such balance of fruit, spice, acidity and tannin. Very long and very, very nice. Difficult to spit.
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To put a number on a wine like this is like trying to give the universe a score. It is epic and majestic, a force of nature rarely harnessed in anything but the greatest wine. It's a work of art and it belongs outside the box of point for point comparison... Approaching this wine is like standing at the foot of a holy mountain. And it's at the very beginning of its long evolution. One of the best Beaucastels I've tasted. I couldn't help myself and opened another bottle a week later. It really stands apart from the herd.
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Clear dark purple. Clean nose of strawberry and raspberry. Dry, med body, med acidity, nice elegant tannins, strawberry, earth, and licorice on palate. Great wine but would have enjoyed more with food.
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Heady blend of black fruit, earth, kirsch. Needs much cellar time but what a beauty this is going to be some day. The only thing wrong with waiting ten years to try it again is that I'll be ten years older. WAAAAA!
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Donkerrood, geen verkleuring. In de geur lactisch en bloemig. In de mond veel fruit, kruiden, redelijke concentratie. Zachte tannines, mediumlang. Een moderne Chateauneuf, dat het om Beaucastel ging verbaasde me. 93+
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Dark garnet color int he glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Graham cracker, berries, cherries and plums. Flavors of berries, raspberries, cherries and plums. Bright acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Hold.
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With equal amounts of 30% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre along with different amounts of the other 11 allowed grape varietals, this is stuffed with luscious dark red berries, black pepper, fresh herbs, kirsch and earth. Deep, powerful and structured to age, it's informative to taste young, but 8-10 years in the cellar are going to really make this beautiful, but young expression of Beaucastel come alive.
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Decanted 2 hours. Strawberry and raspberry jam nose, hints of black tea. Raspberry flavors, strawberry with seeds. Little green flavors on the nose and palette. Nice wine. Black fruit. Light weight. Like it, but not sure about how long it will last.
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Tough to know what to make of this. It is very light for such a highly rated wine, medium body at best. Partially translucent crimson in color. Mourvèdre dominates the nose; it's quite pretty, showing oodles of red fruits and berries, pepper, and various teas...then again, it's Mourvèdre, and difficult to get excited about. Grenache comes across as a lesser percentage of the blend, not as equal parts to the Mourvèdre. Syrah is all but drowned out. Wafting notes of minerality, earth, salinity, and smoke fade in and out. Noticably high alcohol.
The palate shows loads of juicy red fruits and various teas; more traditional notes linger in the background. The mid palate features good acid, the back and finish good structure. Quite hot. It is a pleasure to smell and taste.
This fruit forward, showy, juicy wine leans heavily to the New World. Acid is solid, but structure and grip are moderate. If this is a 20 year wine, then I clearly do not understand the riddle that is Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I am glad that I did not buy this though. I do not think it will score higher than 93 points and I would not count on it lasting for twenty years, even 15 years may be iffy. Overall, it seems overrated and overpriced.
The color is garnet and nearly opaque. The smells are currants, pepper, tar, and stone. This is tight. The tastes are pepper, sweet spices, currants, cherries, and sour red fruits. This wine is quite tannic and complex and needs a few years rest. The tannins are like furry velvet. This wine finishes well with notes of espresso.
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91-92pts. Decanted for quite some time and needed it. After several hours decant and time in the glass it improved quite a bit. Classic white pepper, ripe red fruits on the nose. Strawberry, raspberry jam, not over the top, but quite sweet. A bit of fruit roll up flavor as well. Old world style nose, new world palate. Didn't blow me away. Not as dense as the 07' or 08' (which I prefer over this one), but similar to the 09'. I liked this wine, but not as good as some other 2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape I have tried (like the Saint Prefert for example). Will hold other bottle for a bit longer and see how this comes together.
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Drank in the Alps As per my previous notes the '10s CNDPs are really lovely. With a rich full mouth and a lovely length. Of course this is still very young but I cannot seem to resist having a glass if it is on the menu.
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Monopole: Opaque scarlet purple; kirsch, stewed red plum, dried herbs, juniper, alcohol fumes, licorice, lavender; rich, soft supple velvety mouth, coriander, cherry, tons of concentration, sappy, high alcohol, but lots of complexity too. Medium + tannins, good acidity, great balance for such a big wine, long finish. Extremely young.
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Deep aromas of violets, blackberry and smoke. Dense and rich on the palate, the layers of fruit and texture are just pure sexy and will turn into quite a beauty after 5 or so years. My favorite ever from Beaucastel.
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Not sure if this is typical for a young Beaucastel (it's my first)? Tastes like a CA central coast Syrah or GSM to me - very ripe fruit (aromas are dark - blackberry, plum, dark cherry; flavors include some redder berries and cherries), silky heavy tannins, and baking spices. It does have some meaty (bacon), earthy aromas, and a little barnyard, which make it seem a little more CdP-like (or just Mourvedre blend-like). Full bodied, good acidity, long finish with the pruney fruit & smooth tannins. Great balance - the fruit forwardness is matched by good tannin and acidity levels. Definitely young, but drinking nicely now - I don't think it has closed down yet.
farmyard, horse sweat, saddle leather, brooding and muted black and red fruit notes as well as some spice. In the mouth there are sweet red berry fruit flavours, spice notes. Very youthful. Hmm.
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At Gary's Grand tasting. I am a big Beaucastel Cdp fan, this one is very young.
This one may be in a closed phase, you see this with CdP on occasion. They drink well for first 3-4 years and close until 8+. The palate/mouthfeel is very nice. Cherries, cinnamon, smokiness, herbs.
Will defintley improve - would leave until 2018+. Big upside with age, will hold off on numeric rating until this opens again to give a fair assessment
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Eine der schönsten Farben seit langer Zeit. Dunkles Rot mit lila Einschlag. Von Anfang an Früchtekompott,Pflaumen,Kirschen,leicht rauchig ,würzig und alles sehr rein und frisch vorgetragen. Saftig,fleischig,dazukommend ein Hauch Leder sowie eine florale Komponente. Leicht prägend,frische gut integrierte Säure ,leicht alkoholisch was aber das Zusammenspiel nicht wirklich stört. Wirklich langer ,rotfruchtig ,leicht prägender Abgang. Schon fast ein bisschen sexy.
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Nose: Cherries, fruit cake, cinnamon, incense, savoury notes, bacon, fur. Quite refined on the palate, great acidity and grip, fruit, spicy, good balance, firm but sweet tannins, long. A touch of alcohol. Too young now, should improve substantially, great potential.
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Popped, poured, followed over next 90 minutes. Continually opened and revealed its charms. Still, I felt it was more open when I last tasted it. Could be beginning to close down. Lots of potential here.
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A young but already quite approachable Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Varietal composition : 30 % Mourvèdre, 30 % Grenache, 10 % Syrah, 10 % Counoise, 5 % Cinsault and 15 % other grape varieties (Vaccarèse, Muscardin, Terret noir, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Picardan, Roussanne). Maturation : one year in large oak barrels and one year in bottle. Decanted: one hour prior to consumption. A dark purple-red colored wine with a fruit forward nose of blackberry, kirsch, leather, lavender and a touch of smokiness. Not too powerful but rather refined palate dominated by lush cherry and cassis fruit and supported by a fresh acidity. Well elevated tannins in the finish. It will improve with additional time in the bottle.
Een jonge, maar al heel toegankelijke Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Samenstelling: 30 % Mourvèdre, 30 % Grenache, 10 % Syrah, 10 % Counoise, 5 % Cinsault en 15 % andere druivensoorten (Vaccarèse, Muscardin, Terret noir, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Picardan). Rijping: één jaar op grote eiken vaten en één jaar in de fles. Gedecanteerd: één uur vóór consumptie. Donker paarsrood van kleur en een bijzonder fruitige neus van braambessen, kirsch, leder, lavendel en wat rokerige nuances. Niet te krachtig maar eerder verfijnd smaakpatroon, dat gedomineerd wordt door weelderig fruit van kers en cassis, mooi ondersteund door een frisse aciditeit. Een afdronk met al goed versmolten tannines. Deze wijn zal zeker nog verbeteren met wat meer flessenrust.
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Nose of musc, peperonis, ripe black cherries, spices, white peper... taste of ripe red cherries, very sweet tannins, mineral, nice freshness, hint of greeness in the finish... the blanding of cépages is better than each cépage separately (94/100)
Cépage Cinsault: Nose of choux rouge, groseille, hint of vegetal... very dry and tannic, choux rouge juice, a hint of vegetal
Cépage Terret Noir: Nose of black fruit, licorice, minerality, black chocolate... very nice acidity, ripe red cherries, groseille, hard tannins, terre, rustique
Cépage Vaccarèse: Light nose of black cherries, black characoal, mineral... very tannic, very fresh acidity
Cépage Muscardin: Nose of green peperoni, red cherries, spicy, animal, frourrure, gibier, meaty... taste very light, fruity, hint of tannins
Cépage counoise: Nose of menthol, black fruit, hint of vegetal, white peper... taste of ripe cherries, very ripe tannins, red and black cherries, nice balance
Cépage Grenache: Nice nose of red cherries, oriental spices... very sweet taste, powerful, ripe red cherries
Cépage Syrah: Nose of black cherries, chocolate, gibier à poils, violette... very ripe tannins, black cherries, chocolate, very fruity
Cépage Mourvèdre: Nose of animal, peperonis, black and red cherries, gibier à poil,... very powerful, loads of ripe tannins, black fruit, nice freshness in the finish, delicious!!
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Famille Perrin tasting event (Brussels): Rather closed dark fruit at the nose. Fruity explosion on the palate, very deep but also many acids and big tannins which make it rather awkward at the moment. Everything is there but it will need a lot of time to come together, patience.
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape semi-blind tasting by Vin Gilles (Restaurant Harkema Amsterdam): Nearly black purple color. Loads of kirsch and spices-cake tones on the nose. Elegant and very powerful, cherries, licorice and soft integrated tannins on the very well balanced palate. One of the best wines of the evening, bit more monolithic than Pegau at the moment. 95+
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Quite dark as to be expected. Black fruit nose with coffee, chocolate, tar. Not a strong nose but it grows on you. Opened up over time to a sharper fruit with vanilla wood coming through. Very strong flavours on entry in a mid-weight beast. Not heavily extracted either just a very strong flavour profile. Tons of tobacco and tar in a very dark fruit backdrop. A bit of spice almost like cumin instead of black pepper. The complexity is daunting. Not extremely tannic actually, but very long. Brooding and masculine, this is not my favourite style but it is a great example of the appellation and very well made. The combination of mid-weight with such a strong and complex flavour profile is interesting. I will buy more just to follow it as it ages.
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The nose is hidden but dense, revealing quite a lot of power in the second nose- the dress is well concentrated. Definitely multidimensional; although it is an awesome effort, my bet is to wait until it has its power transformed into finesse. (95+ points)
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This is, to use a wine cliche, "still primary." After an hour in the decanter, some of the sweeter fruit finally started to show. Dense and structured, this will be a very nice wine. But I think that there are many other 2010's with much better qpr.
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LCBO Sample: Very bing cherry and a bit simple. Would never guess Beaucastel blind. Fine sweet tannin but I would expect more weight. Questioning sample integrity.
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clear, maroon, in the color. plum, blackberry, black currant, dirt, spice, white pepper, smoke, oak, on the nose. medium to low acid, medium tannins, on this lush finish.
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Popped, poured, followed over next hour. Layers of dark and red fruit, laced with a drawerful of spice, a hint of vanilla, some iron/mineral/beef blood, and overtones of leather. A little more elegance and finesse than the other wines in the line-up. Wonderful balance, excellent intensity and persistence. Extra points for just being delicious. Strikes my palate as a classic Beaucastel in the making. Excellent now and packed for the future. 94+
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Nose seems to have blown off compared with earlier tastes. Surprisingly forward for a Beaucastel, it offers up ripe cherry and red berry flavors with spice and leather undertones. May have closed down after 10 minutes or so in the glass.
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I don't know what to make of the nose, as it shows more like a Barolo than a CdP. I get road tar, iodine, licorice and olive tapenaude notes, with some stewed fruit embedded on the background. Dark and glass staining showing black/purple fruit that is closed for the moment. Spicy palate but very much a brute at present, with very drying almost astringent tannins. I hope this improves in bottle as it is a little weird at the moment.
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): Inky garnet color. Notes of black cherry, licorice and roasted herbs. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, black currants, pepper and spice. Develops an incense quality in the bouquet, and a harshness on the finish.
My #4, Domino's #4 Group #4, 54 pts (1 x 1st place vote)
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4/14/2024 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 92 Points
had a few weeks ago; sadly we didnt give this enough time to decant and open up. pretty plum fruit, medium bodied, good perfume but we PnPed fast so werent able to let it hit its stride
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4/7/2024 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 95 Points
Remarkably fresh and full of luscious fruit. This wine is stunning, and it is impressive to consider how it has evolved and held up for 14 years. Lush and full of life, with just the right touch of savory notes undergirding the entire enterprise. This one is special, and I feel lucky to have sampled it at this moment and at this time.
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3/30/2024 - NPBWineGuy Does not like this wine: 82 Points
This bottle (1.5L) was not as good as others. It was slightly sour with overpowering fruit. I'm tempted to immediately open one of my 750s to compare.
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3/22/2024 - kenarn wrote:
Currently drinking at perfection. If you have any of these……. enjoy it now. Two hours aeration yields an unbelievable smoothness.
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3/11/2024 - Old John Likes this wine: 94 Points
Much better than I expected, this is about the best bottle of this wine I have had since a 1998 I enjoyed a few years ago. Everything seems to be in balance and harmony, highly drinkable. Unfortunately this was my only bottle.
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2/25/2024 - IlliniWine Likes this wine: 92 Points
30 min slow ox and 2 hour decant. Drinking young with lots of red raspberry fruit. Hints of some herbal notes but I wouldn't say this was particularly savory at the moment. Medium+ body, medium acidity and nicely present, but refined, tannins. Glad to have several more bottles so that I can follow development which I expect will show greater complexity over the next 10 years, maybe more. Served with homemade cassoulet and chestnut mont blanc for dessert - paired beautifully with both!
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2/24/2024 - hargy Likes this wine: 93 Points
delicious although surprisingly mature - good length, peppery with lovely complexity
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2/17/2024 - oakville72 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Right at the top of its game. Great fruit and flavor. Showing maturity but not past its prime. A splendid, properly aged Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
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1/14/2024 - blaine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good and ready to go. Popped and slow-oz'd over about an hour after arriving at a friend's for dinner. Lovely deep ruby color, no sign of age. Beautiful nose of fruit and garrigue. Medium+ bodied on the palate, great freshness, impeccably balanced. Nice tart acidity. Long finish. Just like that it was gone... Paired beautifully with braised lamb shanks. Many happy years ahead for this one. Glad I have another, might seek more. First 2010 in a bit for me, one of my favorite Rhone vintages ever.
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1/12/2024 - NorwAmateur wrote: 94 Points
My only bottle (magnum) and I wish that I had more.
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12/29/2023 - jkwoodward Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent bottle. Beautiful garrigue and bacon fat enjoyed with pork belly and lamb chops at Butchart Gardens. Delightful. Still young, unctuous and silky. Now - 2035
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12/28/2023 - kenarn wrote:
Distinctly better than previous bottles
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12/27/2023 - j5614.person@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Good balance with dark fruit and Rhône herbs
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12/25/2023 - WestfalenGG wrote: 91 Points
Second bottle, and for me it still lags the great 2007. A nice and balanced wine, with a peppery taste, but nothing extraordinary. Maybe more time in the cellar will help.
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12/24/2023 - Throughthegrapevine Likes this wine: 93 Points
The Mourvèdre is felt and shining beautifully. Excellent Beaucastel. Moving to secondary notes but no hurry
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12/22/2023 - Dale M wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2hrs. Big and brawny, lovely nose of orange peel and spices along with a bit of Beau funk - but to be clear no brett - this was clean as a whistle. All the classic traits are present - see viniferatu's note on 12-10 for a very similar impression to my own.
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12/20/2023 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 90 Points
not like most of the old Beaucastel I have drunk over the last 15 years, this was hot and acidic (and i tend to love acidic lift if there is body to lift)... again, this tasted hot, was disappointed (but not surprised when it said 14.5% alcohol... kinda felt like I remember this being a lot lower in other vintages... oh well
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12/10/2023 - viniferatu Likes this wine:
Aromas of creme de cassis, sweet blackberry, chambord, kirsch, bloody steak, black pepper, cocoa powder, olives, garrigue, linen on the line and airy stony notes... Full and structured, but not heavy nor particularly grippy, everything is in perfect balance, fruit is layered and rich, herbs and flowers abound... Long and intense finish, gorgeous freshness, this is quite elegant and bright for something so dense and ripe. I would guess this is barely into its plateau, and will gain nuance and elegance for another decade or two, or three..
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12/7/2023 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Right on top of previous bottles. Classic CNdP. I seem to be having a little better experience with this wine than is the case with other tasters.
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11/22/2023 - chatters wrote:
First Wednesday Wine Club Rhone Dinner (One Penny Red, Summer Hill): Pretty, red berry fruit, sweet plums, slight garrigue, slightly jubey notes, Juicy, fleshy, dense slightly woody tannins are super persistent, long red and dark hued fruits. Long, lovely.
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11/19/2023 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
92+ ...A very good vintage for Beaucastel - while I don't enjoy these wines as much as I used to, this 2010 is drinking lovely.
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11/13/2023 - mrmikemtr wrote: 89 Points
Drink up. This is fading.
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11/5/2023 - StainedGlass Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark violet color with purple and black fruits dominating. Meaty, spicy and rich but not overly sweet or hot as some other vintages of Beaucastel I've tried (e.g. 2007). Includes 30% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise plus unknown %s of other CdP varietals. Drinking well now but still has room to improve.
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11/3/2023 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 95 Points
Like previous bottles. This wine lives up to all of the expectations both for being a Beaucastel wine, but also its price point. Classic CNdP. It was open for 30+ minutes in a restaurant.
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10/28/2023 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 92 Points
Classic GSM. Well balanced with the peppery syrah just pushing through the rest.
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10/7/2023 - ERU wrote: 94 Points
Had along with 2010 Mas de Boislauzon Tintot. The Beaucastel is in a good spot. Black fruit and the kind of smoke you get when it’s cold out and you’re sitting around a fire. Good, good stuff. I rank the Tintot higher because the meatiness of it is more intense and geared to my palate. What a night—two gems. Decanted both for 6 hours. I actually think the Beaucastel might have needed less.
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9/19/2023 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
I don’t normally drink Beaucastel this young as CdPs often have a “dumb” phase at about 10-12 years. By that measure, this is a very intelligent wine. It’s got a lot of verve and youth, but it’s more bridled and restrained than a young CdP. The fruit has developed and while secondary notes are still developing (and tertiary aren’t available yet) the integration is really quite nice. I think this is my first of the case, so I look forward to the next couple of decades with the wine. (I disagree with the CT estimat of 2034 for closing the drinking window. I’m excited to see how this develops.)
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9/10/2023 - olemski wrote: 89 Points
A decant of about an hour. Dark. Solid, with good intensity and length. Develops interestingly in the glass. Good now, but there's further potential.
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9/9/2023 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Very Rhône like aromas with herbs, leather, liquorice, black fruits, vanilla and something etheral. Feels powerful on the nose, but surprisingly light on the palate for a Beaucastel.
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9/9/2023 - DrBad Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rhone dinner this was one of my top 3 wines, along with '08 and '10 Pegau. Drinking great, with tobacco aromas and a touch of CdP barnyard funk on opening that blew off, medium+ body, black cherry, licorice with well balanced acidity and tannins.
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8/30/2023 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 95 Points
Talk about a wine being in its sweet spot, this was singing after 20 minutes in the decanter with a beguiling aroma of garrigue, leather, pepper, and cut wood. All dark berries and a bit savory on the palate, with some bitter chocolate and meaty flavors. It was great to get this for <$100 some years back, but it's still a good value at $150-175 IMO
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8/26/2023 - NPBWineGuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed with Scout dads.Tannins were mostly resolved. Cherries, blueberry, cassis. It was lighter than I expected.
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8/9/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
From a split. Deep berry color, smooth, good palate feel and good finish. Buy, Hold, Drink
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8/5/2023 - davidjwarr2001@yahoo.com wrote: 95 Points
Needs at least a 3 hour decant. For the first 2 hours it's a mushroom bomb bordering on undrinkable. However, between hours 3-4 many other profiles emerge including some floral notes and nice integrated fruit and limestone. After 3 hours it starts to become a lovely wine with balanced tannins which will pair well with classic preparations of red meat or fish. Singing - beginning at about hour 4. In its early prime drinking phase with another 7-10+ years to enjoy. If you don't have time to decant then don't open yet unless you want a mushroom explosion. 95 now with upside to 96 or maybe a tick higher over time.
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7/30/2023 - Blue Jay Likes this wine: 95 Points
Smooth as silk with layers of blackberries, strawberries and leather
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7/18/2023 - Lemmy-W Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 hour and consumed over a period of 1,5 hours. Very nicely integrated tannins and lovely with Entrecote. Drinking beautifully now. Don't see a need to wait any longer. Will drink my last bottle in a year or two.
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7/9/2023 - winot Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very youthful looking, medium to medium deep ruby, virtually no visual indication of its 13 years. Earthy but not meaty nose, loads of fruit too. Just a bit of heat. This was noticeably better than the very good '10 Vieux Telegraph served beside it.
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7/9/2023 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Brief decant. Very little sediment. Medium dark boysenberry colour. No aging at the rim. Languorous legs. Nose of mixed ripe and dried red fruits perfectly melded with garrigue and leather. Also hints of rosehip, fennel, tobacco and bay. Sweet, ripe fruit entry transitions to some spicy and earthy notes. Perfect balance. Effortlessly smooth and sensuous. Barest hint of tannins on the finish. This is all about the layers of perfectly ripe fruit, herbs and spice. F* me that's good! I'm going 98 points on this bottle! It's that good!!
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7/3/2023 - Martin Ferland Likes this wine: 91 Points
En verticale avec 3 autres millésimes : 2010-2011-2012-2013…Le moins bon des 4. Fruits effacés, astreignent et peu de longueur en bouche. Quand même très agréable !!!
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5/13/2023 - drrobvino wrote: 94 Points
2nd of 4 bottles, last tasted this wine about 3 yrs ago.
Firing on all cylinder, just stellar. No formal TN, all the requisite parts in place. Drink by 2025+.
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4/21/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Four hour slow ox. Very deep magenta color. Raspberry, blackberry, and nutmeg. Smooth, dry palate. Firm, full, medium intensity tannins on the longish finish.
My notes don’t do this justice. I was at a French dinner party and I was distracted by too much good food and the parade of bottles. This has aged very well. Super fruit forward.
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4/9/2023 - Mojosmith wrote:
4-09-2023 Decant for a minimum of 2 hours
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4/9/2023 - Outplaying Likes this wine:
Tasted at the winery. Excellent. Complex and balanced, with good energy and nothing overdone. I wish I had a bunch of these in the cellar.
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3/25/2023 - eurico Likes this wine: 93 Points
Absolutely amazing !!!
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2/8/2023 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS; Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (By VD and @ VD): Beautiful bouquet with dark berries, ripe cherries, earth, leather, herbs and spices. On the palate full bodied with juicy and ripe dark berries like blackberries, sweet spices, salty licorice, beautiful acidity, round and still powerful tannin and a great length. Complex and beautiful wine in its young maturity stage and with plenty of years to go. 2035 will most likely be no problem at all. 94 - 95
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2/5/2023 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A dark colour; intense, smoky, dark fruit flavours, starting to be approachable but with a little tannin still. This is still developing and will probably reach its peak in about 5 years or so. Excellent.
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2/2/2023 - chanukha Likes this wine: 92 Points
Second of three bottles. Last bottle flawed or in awkward place. This one much more integrated and compared to the '10 Pegau we drank with, much more main street. Tastes more like Bordeaux than CdP. I think this will develop for 5 more years but in good drinking window.
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1/18/2023 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Raspberry compote, a little savoury underpin, touch of cedar, sweet spice, a little plum and blackberry show with time as well as a slightly baked fruit note. Juicy, slightly savoury red fruit complete with black hued fruits and slight bitter and woody talc textured tannins in support, long, lovely balanced.
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1/13/2023 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 94 Points
90 minute decant. Deep ruby color; wonderful nose redolent of black fruit.
Delicious and full of dark/red fruit. Rich and integrated. Lovely wine.
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1/6/2023 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 93 Points
Two bottles tasted, one fresh, the other opened three weeks ago and frozen. Roasted meat, olives, complex, fully mature. The frozen wine was actually preferred. Time to drink up.
Ric
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1/6/2023 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 94 Points
Two bottles tasted, one fresh, the other opened three weeks ago and frozen. Roasted meat, olives, complex, fully mature. The frozen wine was actually preferred. Time to drink up.
Ric
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12/25/2022 - dagij wrote: 87 Points
Deep purple, really no real sign of aging here. Somewhat raisiny touch at first whiff, then notes of alcohol. These tones disappears quickly once poured into the glass, and out comes tones of dark forest berries, cherries and licorice. Full bodied, sweet attack up front with tones of dark cherries and licorice, the mid palate is quite hot and the alcohol clearly shines through. The alcohol touch together with the sweet cherry tones combines to be almost tasting like a cherry liqueur. Good acidity, smooth tannins, but a very hot finish making the fruit seem a bit stewed. A disappointment. I remember this wine as much better. Must have been an "off" bottle, but I have been worried earlier on the high alcohol in this wine. Maybe time has come for king alcohol to take over the wine.
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12/24/2022 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1.5 hours. Nose of red cherry, blackberry, fig, anise, earth, spice and wet stone. Ripe red fruit, fig, spice, anise, black tea and wet stone on the palate. Very long, dry finish. Medium to full bodied. Served with a Swedish smorgasbord.
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12/16/2022 - mrmikemtr Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful nose. Drinking very well now. Decanted for 2 hours in my alpha decanter. Very balanced. Medium length finish. Perfect! Great value! Laid these fown 7 years ago and not sure how much more these improve.
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12/9/2022 - PetePullen wrote: 95 Points
Held off as long as I could, but just had to try one of our bottles last night. Delicious with duck confit and with seared scallops. Smooth and not tannic. Cigar box and dark berry aromas. Dark berry, spice, plum, and mocha flavors. I'm sure it has plenty more years of life, but it is drinking wonderfully with just a little time in glass (did not decant - there was a very small amount of sediment, so would expect to decant future bottles just to avoid that at the bottom of one glass).
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11/25/2022 - allenn1999 wrote: 93 Points
Thanksgiving dinner wine. Beautifully balanced and integrated with red berry and leather and herbs on the nose. Tannins very well integrated with nice tension and broad pallete more red fruit and paired nicely with ham and Turkey with herby stuffing and green bean casserole.
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11/21/2022 - randyjc wrote: 97 Points
A wine starting to show its greatness though still youthful at age 12. Bright ruby with a dark core showing gorgeous colors in a Sensory glass.
The nose is wonderful - spicy cherry with a herbaceous, smoky garrigue. Mint and herbs as well - a classic CDP nose.
The wine is medium weight with silky mouth feel, yielding flavors of raspberry compote, forest floor, sweet spice, tar, roasted plum and a bit of leather at the beginning of the finish. All fruit flavors spoke of preserves and not fresh, but deeply flavored, even some baked fruit. Wonderful.
The finish itself is fun - about 20 seconds into a lovely display the fine tannins take over but only briefly, then the acidity reasserts and carries flavors to nearly the 60-second range. Each sip, with finish, was a 60-second experience making this the perfect early winter night companion. Drank alongside the 2010 Janasse Vielles Vignes which, by the way, is a food wine and not a sipping wine. My tasting partner, who was tasting blind, nailed both wines down to year and producer. For tasters at our amateur level, it was an impressive performance. As to longevity, I think this wine is wonderful now but is going to evolve into something particularly special by age 20. I’ll dole out my remaining bottles in miserly fashion if all goes well.
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11/5/2022 - Bowmanifesto wrote: 96 Points
Outperforms expectations. Gorgeous deep garnet in the glass with ruby edges. On the nose, you know you're on the farm – with endless aromas from ripe berries to fine leather. After an hour to breathe, the first sip flows luxuriantly, with currants and spices for the mid palate, followed by more savory sensations for the end palate. Fully integrated woodland tannins. Very long finish.
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10/15/2022 - dagij Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still incredibly young in color, almost black from the core to the rim. Deep, sweet and spicy note. First, there is a massive nose of dark berries like blackberries, blueberries and blackcurrant. Next, we find a meaty tone of leather and red meat. Finally, fine tone of eucalyptus and thyme. Some alcohol is detectable. Full bodied attack with tons of sweet black berry fruit, rounded tannins and a searing acidity. The mid palate is fresh and mineral (!) with tones of char and lead pencil. The finish is fresh, but also marked by the quite high alcohol making the aftertaste a bit "burning". The length is admirable, and the final impression is tight and mineral, as well as fruity and fresh. Someone said that this was more comparable to (a very good) Bandol than a classic CdP. I agree, but still this is a fascinating wine of world class. Still young, will improve over the next decade.
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9/27/2022 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
Leather, strap, earth! Lashings of dense dark stoned fruits. Liquorice-led dry spice - firm but integrated tannins. Brooding but drinking well now (after 2hr decant).
A wine to evolve. Now till 25yrs from vintage at least. 93?+
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9/24/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
This is still much too young to me although it’s a great vintage of a very good wine. Darker and a bit brooding. Not quite into secondary although it’s peeking.
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9/4/2022 - Rick 4 Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really enjoyed with with rack of lamb. Still youthful but showing great balance. Benefits from air and I should have decanted. My score is a bit arbitrary, but I enjoyed the wine a good deal. To be fair it’s hard to separate the wine from the meal.
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8/20/2022 - rocknroller wrote:
Siggy's Annual BBQ (Chez Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Tasted. If memory serves, this wasn't showing real well compared to the '09, came off overwrought. Score reserved.
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8/19/2022 - jviz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fabulous showing for this wine. All the spice and garrigue you could want amidst a backdrop of full bodied lush goodness. The wine has integrated but to my palate there are no meaningful tertiary notes yet. It really has the stuffing though, should be as good or better than the 90 in my opinion.
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8/18/2022 - rsbeck wrote: 94 Points
Popped, poured, consumed over next two hours. Developing well, should continue to improve.
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7/31/2022 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 93 Points
A wonderful CdP from a wonderful producer. This wine is powerful but also very elegant and balanced. Lots of raspberry, leather, pronounced earthy notes, and some pepper notes on the finish. Wine Spectator's #8 in their Top 100 list in 2013 for this vintage and a great example of CdP. Still has several excellent years of life in it.
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7/22/2022 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Dark garnet color; nose redolent of roast meat and dark fruit and garrigue.
Tons of umami on the front end. Peppery plum and savory tones like leather and mushroom. Rich and deeply flavored. Moderate tannins suggest many years of life lie ahead, but it is drinking quite well right now.
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7/14/2022 - brfarley wrote:
Terrific wine. Smooth, long flavor, balanced.
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7/12/2022 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Minimal soakage on the cork and only a small amount of sediment in the bottle. Decanted for about an hour. Deep plummy red with just the beginnings of some garnet starting to appear at the rim. Stunning nose of red plums, meat jus, spice, garrigue (especially fresh lavendar and bay), ink, sandlewood, warm dusty stones, licorice, and more. Very complex, sweet/savoury and inviting! I'm speechless over the mouthfeel! Full, round, rich, sweet fruit extract, supple tannins, fresh but not overt acidity and pleasantly warming alcohol on the finish. Palate follow the nose - lots of spice, garrigue, minerals and more, fully enveloped in a robe of sweet, meaty, dark red and black fruit. Finishes just off dry, long, clean and fresh with everything perfectly in balance and in its proper place. Much more integrated, supple and approachable than last year's. Stunning!!
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7/4/2022 - hiker_guy Likes this wine:
Nose:
Bright raspberry, sweet, hints of herbs and sweet leather.
Palate:
silky smooth entry, dark red fruit, spice notes, herbs de Provence, long silky smooth finish that is dark and lingering yet there's a lightness to it that doesn't feel heavy or weighty like a Bordeaux would.
Would buy again (and did buy the 2019 yesterday)
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6/18/2022 - Darbus123 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted 3 hours and drunk over lunch. This was absolutely singing. Smooth texture with spices, dark fruits and some leather. Wonderful.
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6/13/2022 - jroberts86 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious. Superb. Dry fruit leather. Hints of dark fruit, yet red raspberry peeks in. Tannins are there, modest and soft. But last. Suggest a decant.
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4/22/2022 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Drinking really well right now. Rich and earthy, well integrated at this point. Will still improve for years to come but already a treat to enjoy right now.
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4/20/2022 - tedcholl Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needed 1.5 hr to fully open up, the last glass was the best. Wine is rich, meaty, earthy, peppery, full of red and dark fruits and savory herbs. Still has alot of years left in it.
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3/23/2022 - KPB wrote: 93 Points
Quite dark, the 2010 Beaucastel seems very youthful. My bottle really needed air — give it a gentle two hour decant. Once open, I get black raspberry compote, freshly baked brioche, crème caramel, violette pastille. The palate is more Burgundian than the nose leads you to expect, flavorful yet tart, with a soft mouth coating richness and a long finish. An excellent wine, 93 now but will surely rise as it evolves to gain more complexity.
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3/21/2022 - Burgundynick Likes this wine: 92 Points
What a cracking wine and drinking superbly. ery typical CNDP. Leather, some dark fruits with a little red. Palate has loads of depth, but it's the finish and complexity that just is great 92 points
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3/15/2022 - nguyen.a.thao@gmail.com wrote:
P6B
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3/10/2022 - gpcoleman Likes this wine: 94 Points
My first taste of this wine. What a wonderful bottle.
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3/9/2022 - brewnello wrote: 90 Points
Disappointed - placed 6th in a 9 CdP blind lineup at our CT offline in Seattle. Likely a poorly stored WineBid bottle. Tasted flat with some cedar notes. The 2008 Beaucastel came in 1st (also WineBid) and I know from other CT notes this was just a bad bottle. Bummer
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3/8/2022 - up4wine wrote: 93 Points
Expressive and very smooth middle; nice finish. Really went well with the leg of lamb steak seasoned with rosemary.
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3/8/2022 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind.
Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of violets, boysenberries, cherries and plums. Flavors of raspberries, boysenberries and plums. Tangy acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink now.
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3/3/2022 - beerwineben Likes this wine: 94 Points
Beautiful wine, lots of bramble berry, notes of olive tapenade, spice, and some earthiness. Really enjoyed this wine.
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2/27/2022 - Plabella Likes this wine: 96 Points
Perin wines are always great. Great nose beautiful fruit well balanced.
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2/20/2022 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Clear deep ruby/garnet; clean medium nose of garrigue, mincemeat pie, wood, slight balsamic and dried red cherries; dry; high acidity; medium tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of cocoa and coffee; long finish; great tertiary elements - drink now or in a few years; shy nose gives way to an extroverted palate; hot out of the bottle but became beautifully integrated and elegant after being in the glass for 30 minutes
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2/6/2022 - napasoutherner Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful wine and a surprise winner for the night. Not a Syrah bomb I thought might happen. This was pure elegance with light spice and earth but very rounded and supple. Long finish. Love this wine!
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2/1/2022 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well, but still youthful. This is rich and lush, perfect for a cold winter night. Full bodied with plenty of depth. This is going to age beautifully.
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1/29/2022 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium to deep ruby in appearance. Still opaque at age 11 or so.
Pronounced and evolving nose of cherry and blackberry liqueur, smoked meats and lots of Mediterranean herbs. The nose is still very fresh and I suspect will continue to develop over the coming years.
Full bodied on the palate with medium tannins and just enough acidity to keep the wine very fresh. Lots of flavor concentration with a long and savory finish.
Overall very well done and in spite of the relatively low levels of acidity there is plenty of structure and aging possibility.
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1/15/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Full, rich, meaty, spicy, earthy, peppery red fruits with herbs are all over the place here in the nose and on the palate. Splash decanted, the wine easily shows off its layers of ripe, peppery, dark red fruits with the touch of a bouquet garni. This is drinking quite well now and I expect it to improve over the next few years.
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1/14/2022 - guido23 Likes this wine:
Really delicious and drinking beautifully! Funny story: in the summer of 2010, I was running along Lake Geneva when I was overcome by a call of nature. I had to sneak into a vineyard along the shore and do my business there. As Lake Geneva is the source of the Rhone, in my own very small way, I fertilized these grapes!
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1/4/2022 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 93 Points
Splash decant then drank over about 30 minutes between 3 people. Excellent, but query if a longer decant may have been even better. Ready to go now for sure, but seems early in it's drinking window, and think this will hold on for many years.
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12/24/2021 - tannicity Likes this wine: 92 Points
To start - Black currant scents, chewy tannins and slightly acidic. Once decanted and left to breathe a lovely combination of perfume scents, very elegant with strawberry fruits taste. A deep purple colour and tannins that are elegant and wrap around the tongue
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12/24/2021 - Andydna Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very tasty and went well with lamb. But was overpowered by a previous Mascarello Barbera.
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12/21/2021 - gzim Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great showing. Popped and poured half a glass to allow it to air some. A strong wiff of Horsey Funk at first.
Came back an hour later and it was sweet dark berries.
Great bottle - a touch on the feminine side of CnDP - in a great way. Paired well with the Lamb Stew. Long lingering finish with red and black berries with some lift.
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12/21/2021 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great wine from a great vintage. Side-by-side with a Tablas Creek 2010 Panoplie. The Beaucastel was not as "meaty" as the TCV as it has less Mourvedre. Still has a lot of life left in this wine.
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11/21/2021 - dagij Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not much signs of aging here. The wine is still deep purple with color all the way to the rim, an evidence of the rather high proportion of Mourvedre and Syrah in the mix. The nose is first dominated by sweet blackberries and blueberries with a pronounced element of black pepper, a hint of thyme, as well as a wonderful tarry/earthy undertone. Full bodied, sweet blueberry attack, silky tannins and a very fine acidity. The sweet berry fruit follows the whole tasting curve, supplemented by pepper and licorice. Amazingly fresh and elegant for such a full-bodied wine. The aftertaste is long and fresh, with a small hint of alcohol at the end, but not something that feels troubling. This is just a wonderful wine combining full throttled fruit, fine structure, and still a quite elegant impression. Some Grenach-based producers may make more impressive wines, but this is still in a class of its own. A beauty, and still in its prime. Drink now, or keep for 20 years +.
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9/14/2021 - MJReb wrote: 92 Points
Pretty flat after opening. Needed one hour to get together: Ripe black cherries and blackberries, tannins, spices (pepper). Drinking well, still on the younger side, apogee most probably in 3-5 years.
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8/14/2021 - Vine Likes this wine:
This bad boy isn't even remotely ready to drink. None of the nuances or secondary notes that I know are there, but at this stage in life are refusing to show themselves. Leave this until 2025 and then enjoy it I am sure. The 2014 Coudoulet we had the following night was the better wine at this time.
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8/13/2021 - chatters wrote:
Porteno/Bastardo Covid supper (KC's place): From Coravin. Well, this was flat as a pancake and refused to open in the glass. I'm hoping it was just that the glass was a little grubby/stale aired as previous tastings with this bottle have proven mostly efficacious from an enjoyment perspective...
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7/21/2021 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Open that bottle - Dan chooses 2010 Beaucastel: Decanted 1.5 hours. This wine is savory and fits my expectation for a Beaucastel. Perfumed and herbal, black to almost purple fruit. Singing finish. Wait 5 years and it'll be better for sure, but this is nice to drink now.
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7/21/2021 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
I was pleasantly surprised by this wine! When a friend announced he was bringing this wine, my expectations were too young, too tannic and too closed down. Happy to report I was wrong on all counts!
Wine was decanted for 2-3 hours, which was quite sufficient. The nose started a little alcoholic, but that'll quickly blew off and gave way to black fruit, earth, bramble and fresh herbs. The Palate was similar with dark fruit wrapped in soft tannins, reminiscent of a creme de cassis, but smoother and with more style! The palate also showed a medley of herbs, some iron and some spice. The fruit was the main attraction here, but enough secondary notes to maintain interest. This wine will only get better! 93+ to 94 tonight, with a likelihood for improvement in another 5-10 years. Excellent now for its hedonism and purity of fruit. Had a good balance of fruit and other flavors, but leaning heavily on the fruit side for now. Alcohol was not noticeable, would recommend trying one with a decant if you have multiple bottles, otherwise hold.
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7/4/2021 - jjwala Likes this wine: 91 Points
still young but great to drink now as well.
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6/24/2021 - jsherdc Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasty, and light on its feet. Decanted 30 minutes. Perhaps richer after a longer decant?
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6/22/2021 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark ruby in color with a short brick rim.
Strong nose of blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, raisins, dried figs, tobacco, oak, light vanilla, spices, peppercorn, chocolates and earth.
Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.
Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, sweet cherries, raisins, vanilla, cedar, licorice, earth, spices, tobacco, chocolates, light vegetables, coffee, peppercorn and pencil lead.
Long finish with firm tannins and tangy cherries.
This is a delicious GSM blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Showing great complexity with a great mouthfeel. Rich and elegant.
This 11 year old from the great 2010 vintage is so tasty and delicious now, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years.
Robert Parker 95 points. Wine Enthusiasts 96 points.
Needs 4 hours to open up properly, and show the tannins and complexity, so be patient.
I've had multiple vintages of this wine, and it is always a treat.
I paired it with dried meats and cheeses.
A blend of mostly Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah with other appellation varietals.
14.5% alcohol by volume.
94 points.
$125.
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6/14/2021 - malbrecht wrote: 92 Points
Opened with dark fruit, blackberry and dark cherry, before transitioning to notes of leather, chocolate, graphite and an herbal peppery note. Seems very young and fruit forward at this point. Will probably benefit from several more years of aging.
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6/11/2021 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Popped and poured. Wow, an absolute explosion on the nose and palate. Silky smooth tannins. Loaded with fruit… cherries, raspberries. Plenty of energy, it should hold at this level for years and possibly improve slightly. A hint of heat on the back end that may integrate.
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6/3/2021 - gamlingman Likes this wine: 89 Points
Expected a bit more as this was highly touted and seemed about right to drink the 2010 vintage. Quite mature to the point of almost a bit boring.. Lots of fruit with very earthy tones of tea, herbs and cherry. Round smooth finish. Quite enjoyable but not what I expected from a wine of this quality.
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5/27/2021 - Edeon Likes this wine: 97 Points
Blind tasting next to 2016, 2015, 2005, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1994, 1990, 1989, 1985, 1983. This wine was incredible and stood out. Glorious. Perhaps richer and more impressive, but so youthful, was the 2016. Surprisingly the 2015, which I liked so much earlier, was not a standout wine in this line up.
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5/26/2021 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 95 Points
Simply stunning. Drank from magnum and this could not have been better.
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5/23/2021 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
This is still a very young wine although there's so much potential here so it was fun to get to check in. Has a long life ahead. Right now it's darker fruits and a bit brooding and actually felt more on the 'big' side of things (esp coming off an aged Bordeaux in the course before). Well made though and well structured and held up well to the duck course. To me tastes it still needs 10+ years, but it is going to be a great wine.
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5/9/2021 - Morten & Morten wrote: 89 Points
Surprisingly matured. No sign of the 2010 freshness. Hopefully it is a phase - or a bad bottle...
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5/8/2021 - mulder wrote:
This wine they shut down at this phase. The nose was was garrigue, black cherry, coffee, plum, anise, red fruits, and a gamely note. The palate was tight but would occasionally show hints of black tea, herbs, and savory red fruit after a 3 hr decant. The acidity was a med+ with med+ tannins and a nice 30+ sec finish. I don’t think I’d have another one for ~5 years.
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4/23/2021 - Bob in NC Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of our "house" wines that we buy at least a case of each vintage for the past 12 years. This bottle reminds us of why we do it. The come hither nose is so expressive and inviting. The palate has layers of wonderful flavors that keep coming at you like a series of gentle waves rolling onto the beach. This wine is still evolving into a better place after a 3 hour decant; we would love to see how this wine is in another 3 hours, but it won't last that long. Was incredible with our lamb burgers.
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4/11/2021 - Frank Schneider wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyable C9P which went perfectly to a lamb leg. Fresh and chewy. Not heavy or overdone. Gave it air and liked it.
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3/22/2021 - Rico100 wrote: 96 Points
A beautiful wine - just delicious.
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3/19/2021 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted. Not too much sediment yet. Deep pomagranite red that fades to more of a dusty strawberry at the rim. Initial nose in decanter was ripe plums and cherries. Now, later, in the glass the nose is deeper, darker and more feral. Still ripe plum and black cherry, but also lots of dried herbs, aniseed, suede, tobacco, game and resin. Sweet entry that is super smooth and bursting with dried red fruit extract, abundant garrigue, especially fennel, spices, leather and black tea. Then the super fine tannins (lots of them) really envelope your tongue on the dry, but long, finish. Really transforms as it moves across your palate! Quite complex albeit still young. Seems to have shut down a bit since last time I had it. Definitely needs food at this stage. Was spectacular with duck breast smeared with fennel seed, rosemary and garlic! I am confident this will blossom into something very special in a few more years. 94 points on its own; 96 with the duck!
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3/17/2021 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red to rim. Takes about 90 minutes to open up, showing a really nice nose of cherry, moist earth, garrigue. Some additional leather and floral notes show up after another hour or two. Medium-full body, excellent balance, ripe fruit with a bit of contrasting crisp green, tannins present but not intrusive, medium finish. Excellent. Drinking really well now but not yet showing full maturity. Added complexity expected in another 5-10 years.
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3/15/2021 - Jahull03 wrote:
wow this was great. for my palate, likely peaking. I'm not a huge fan of using points or calling a wine perfect... an objective rating would almost have to be chemistry-based and sterile - subjective is much more interesting. at this moment, this wine was just about perfect relative to my expectations and what I wanted. it straddled the line between meaty/savory and fruity, round but not heavy, perfectly balanced acidity. earthy but not funky. just awesome.
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3/4/2021 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
First 2/3 of the bottle consumed via individual Coravin pours. Last 1/3 opened and allowed to air ~2 hours prior to pouring. Since my previous bottle just over two years ago, this has really rounded out nicely, showing less of the boozy edge compared to 2019. Elegant but with a punch, this is really gorgeous. I think it has nothing but upside for holding, but feel free to drink now with some air.
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2/26/2021 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium to deep ruby color. Medium + intensity of rich red and black fruits on the nose: strawberry, black cherry, blackcurrant. And mint and black pepper. Secondary touch of clove, cedar, cigar box. Tertiary dried fruit and leather. On TT he palette has a super nice long finish and red and black fruit again. Is in such a great place right now and is becoming more nuanced as it ages. A wine you just want to sniff and sniff. The Mix of Grenache and Moudevre is what gives it the interest, and the Syrah really does add the spice/extra intrigue. Shows that it is well worth keeping these Beaucastel wines so that they evolve past their early tendency to be jammy/too fruit-bombish phase. A lovely wine right now worthy of the reputation.
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2/1/2021 - MC wrote:
Decanted 2 hours but needed 3-4 to really open up. Both on opening and after the decant this had a fresher nose and more complete profile of fruit and minerals than the 2007 last night. At 4 hours this seems the better wine of the two with a more clear view of a future evolution I can appreciate than the 2007. With enough air this has solid red fruit, minerals, some earth, and a sappy finish to make me think it will improve with more time in bottle. A-/A
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1/24/2021 - ablegrape Likes this wine: 92 Points
Brief note. Wine needed a 2 hour decant to come into its own. Rich and full of youthful energy. I notice the alcohol a bit, but it’s ultimately balanced, complex, and long. (Label says 14.5% but I suspect it’s closer to 15, which I know, is modest compared to many a CdP.) Try the next bottle in 2-3?
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1/23/2021 - Grinner wrote: 93 Points
Rhone Rumble w/ JKW; 1/22/2021-1/23/2021 (Old Home of Woodward): Blind I first thought New World Syrah, but it unfolded (and those other wines showed up later in the flight!). Layers of various black fruited liqueurs, then dried fruits (fig / plum / date), with hints of spice, leather, and underbrush. Now-2030.
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1/17/2021 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 94 Points
3 hour decant,
Inky black purple color, plum and raspberry nose, fruit forward, with delicious secondary garrigie notes of rosemary, lavender, and thyme. Plenty of savory backend and substantial tannic pucker. This one has a decade or two of life ahead. As usual, Beaucastel delivers!
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1/16/2021 - AB16 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for one hour before drinking. This is a smooth,, balanced, approachable CDP which paired beautifully with double cut pork chops. Not over done, not too hot, not to alcoholic. A great food beverage and a great example of CDP at its best.
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1/14/2021 - RichardP wrote: 93 Points
Raspberry and menthol on the nose. On the palate, rich red, black, and purple fruit with notes of fig, anise, and black pepper, with moderate tannins and strong acidity on the medium to long finish. This is early in its drinking window, with room to improve; the Cellartracker drink dates look about right. It was a good value at about $80.
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1/2/2021 - vinomex wrote: 92 Points
I could have this CDP everyday.
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1/1/2021 - Nionio wrote: 92 Points
Very good right now. I had higher expectations based on the other reviews but still quite enjoyable and drinking well right now.
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12/26/2020 - hoservin Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for one hour. Nose of blackberry, cherry, fig, milk chocolate, spice and garrigue. Ripe red and black berries, fig, coffee and garrigue on the palate. Very long finish with excellent depth. Medium to full bodied. Served with a Swedish buffet.
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12/20/2020 - acheng wrote: 92 Points
Wow, this is drinking great for such a young beaucastel. Wonderful provencal herbs, thyme and sweet fruit.
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11/28/2020 - Klugi Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank from a half bottle. Great Bouquet of dark berries, cassis, some orange zest and herbs. The palate is really intense with fine, but demanding tannins with quite a long finish. Considering that this was from a half bottle, I would really give this wine another 5 years to enjoy it over the next 1-2 decades.
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11/27/2020 - levinml wrote: 93 Points
Good drinking. Typical CdeP profile makes for complex experience overall, but this has lots going for it. I could get to like CdeP a lot more. Great value.
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11/27/2020 - Motz wrote: 97 Points
The same bottle Coravined in July, tasted over two days.
The most reticent Beaucastel I have tasted. Indeed, on the second day, the wine only began hinting at what it might become.
While showing effusive forward charm, this vintage delivers textbook examples of robust and strapping. The longer it breathes the more it bears out these qualities. The most relevant comparison that comes to mind is the profoundly backwards, same vintage Janasse VV.
With air, smoke, ash, smoldering campfire, and long since discarded railroad tie overgrown with mushroom and other fungi show prominently, on the bouquet and palate. In this vein, a note of botrytis-like petrol derivative also announces its presence.
Regarding fruit, the most purple and black fruit and berry oriented Beaucastel I have tasted. That is, the typical pomegranate, raspberry, and strawberry puree elements are substituted by blackcurrant, blackberry, and dark plum. Also, fig cake, date, kelp, and iodine enhance the tasting experience, all of which are matched by integral crushed black rock, black volcanic sand, and various mineral ores.
Overall, a complex enigma, which seemingly, in this vintage, argues against the established viewpoint: 'drink Beaucastel young, or at least ten years after the vintage'. This vintage might require a full two decades to reveal its underpinning substance. For my part, I regret having opened this, my only bottle, far too early. Improvement seems probable, even certain. Strongly recommend holding. 96-97...98?
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11/21/2020 - Bob in NC Likes this wine: 98 Points
As we sit drinking this wine over about 2 hours, we ask ourselves, "can we imagine drinking a better wine". It is hard to imagine. This flawless wine is so very smooth, supple, elegant, rich and balanced. Went perfectly with our lentil and pork stew.
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11/7/2020 - dase13 wrote: 92 Points
Color of dark red. Scents of red fruit and obvious earthiness. Tastes are consistent with scents.
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10/25/2020 - chatters wrote:
Beaucastel reprise (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of polished baked red fruits, especially berries, black pepper spice. Clean but gamey with slightly ashy notes over time. Concentrated, textured, tight tannins, black fruits. Nice
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10/18/2020 - Bob in NC Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tonight we decided to follow last night's bottle of the 2010 Tablas Creek's Esprit de Beaucastel with a 2010 Beaucastel CdP. This bottle was incredible and elegant; we described it simply as "complete". Perfectly balanced of southern Rhone flavors and acidity. The finish was smooth, flavorful and lengthy. Drinking great now, and many more great years ahead of it.
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10/18/2020 - MatLot Likes this wine: 95 Points
excellent tout un vin deja tres bon pour plusieurs annees. A+ wine amazing one.
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9/26/2020 - happy712 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Start drinking after 45 minutes decant, gets better over 2 hours
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9/25/2020 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
Like the ‘07, drinking well but leaning toward stewy notes. Still quite nice.
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9/21/2020 - Rico100 wrote: 95 Points
Drinking very nicely right now.
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9/15/2020 - Gas Station Wine Guy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nose- a slightly funky note with menthol, black & red fruits, bacon & sundried tomatoes. Quite primary. Palate- Black & red berries, some funk/ brett notes with bacon noticeable minerality, big tannins, full bodied, medium acidity & some oaky notes. Nice balance, but very primary with a long finish. Slightly chewy. Stellar bottle.
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9/10/2020 - boomecho Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vinturi aerated and decanted for 60 min. Dark red/purple. Wet earth, sweet berries with some savory notes and heat on the nose. Medium-full bodied, with a spicy mouthfeel, no noticeable heat. Tannins restrained. Layers of cassis, cherry and plum with savory notes peeking through. Long fruit and spice finish. A nice wine that is in a good drinking window now with backbone to improve further. So much better than the recent disappointing 2011 Beaucastel but at this point not yet as good as the stellar 09 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet.
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8/23/2020 - chatters wrote:
Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Aromas of garrigue, dense, savoury, plummy fruit and a little jubey black and red berries. In the mouth the wine is juicy, plummy with balckberry and a little sweet spice. Flour textured tannins provide weight, long. Young but very nice.
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8/14/2020 - SLOFred Likes this wine: 93 Points
Incredibile wine that is balanced from front to back palate. A complete flavor profile with no empty holes. Just great stuff.
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8/3/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 91 Points
interesting contrast to the last bottle I had. This was more plum, animale, funk, some olive and black licorice notes and maybe a hint of iron. the last bottle i had was more bright fruit cherry. this was good but not at the same level of my last bottle.
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7/30/2020 - Rollerball wrote: 95 Points
Delicious, complex, atypical (and mysterious and hard to place, for better or worse), seamless. Ready to drink with 90 minutes aeration and still it unfurls in the glass.
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7/26/2020 - Motz wrote: 96 Points
Healthy Coravin pour, lingered over for a few hours.
An inflection-changing masterpiece! The essences of thick petal flowers, fruit, spice (pepper), herbs, fig cake, dates, pipe tobacco, olive barrel, mincemeat, cured meats, umami, smoldering coals, ash, and black rock minerality spilled from the glass. The pretty notes here showed most prominently upon pulling the cork. With air, the savory notes came forward.
Plush and pleasantly gritty. Tannins dance across the palate, as fig cake, sweet tobacco, and spice box stimulate the senses. As with the palate, and arguably the most unique and appealing element to this offering, with air, the forward 'sweetness' transitions to intense savoriness at the back and on the finish. Wines that achieve this level of shape-shifting are rare indeed. Tannins clamp down at the back, in line with the savory transition. No point to clocking the riveting finish, as it knows no quit.
Just now entering an early drinking window and likely to continue evolving for a few more years. Medium plus acid and medium tannin show no sign of peaking. Likely to reach its apex in five to seven years and hold form for several more thereafter. Laying the bottle back down proved extremely challenging. 95...97
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7/19/2020 - Rico100 wrote: 95 Points
gorgeous
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7/18/2020 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 90 Points
Still developing, this well structured and dense CdP was not (yet) up to expectations raised by its price tag. Dark, mature cassis, violet, leather, herbal tones, balsamico, pepper, roast and menthol notes. On the positive: a very balanced CdP, fresh and avoiding phenolic exuberance, on the negative: not much uumph.
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6/21/2020 - Bob in NC Likes this wine: 94 Points
The '10 vintage is more about elegance than power. Beautiful and succulent brambly black raspberry and blackcurrant fruit, cedar notes, herbs de Provence and black pepper. The acidity is perfectly in balanced. This was an incredible pairing with a grilled lollipop lamb chops marinated with fresh garden herbs, red wine vinegar and soy sauce.
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6/20/2020 - dbenglis Likes this wine: 92 Points
Black cherry. Pleasant. Enjoyable now for me.
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6/14/2020 - Vino Nomad Likes this wine: 95 Points
Consumed over two days. Day 1 carried a theme of cassis, fresh cedar box, and a hint of wild brush. Day 2 transformed into oolong tea with vanilla inside an old, dusty cedar closet. It's hard to say which day was "better", but it was certainly more interesting on day 2. One thing that was consistent was the balance. Seamless integration of acid, tannin, alcohol, and a combo of primary and secondary flavor profiles. If I'm being honest, I probably would've rated 92 on day 1 and 94 on day 2. Final score is kicked up because of the evolution and complexity over the 30 hrs or so.
I've had the pleasure of enjoying this wine a few times since 2015, and it's been pleasantly and intriguingly different each time. Fascinating and enjoyable wine! I can't wait to see what it does in another year or two.
With all of the hype and promise of the past handful of vintages, it's easy to forget about the brilliance of 2010. Don't make that mistake! This wine is a thrill!
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6/6/2020 - Cote d'Or wrote:
Tasted over 2 hrs
-nearly opaque dark red purple
-muted low profile ripe plum with a splash of kirsch lurking in the background
-barely med acidity, med/med+ weight black fruit licorice tar, bitter note heat and med/med+ tannins construct the finish
-like how the nose allows the mourvedre and grenache to play off each other but nonetheless this is monolithic and too young now to appreciate, hopefully the heat won't overwhelm everything else in 5-10 years
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5/30/2020 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. Quite closed initially on the nose. with time the wine starts to reveal fresh red and blackberry fruit lollies with aniseed, still very primary. Juicy and fleshy on the palate with a similar flavour profile, floury textured tannins hold up the structure side of the bargain. All travel long. Very 'clean'. Still young. Yum.
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5/24/2020 - Verb Likes this wine: 92 Points
dark red, ruby rim - black fruit nose (blackberries, blueberries) with complex aromatics of roasted meat, Provencal herbs, and a hint of white pepper - rich full mouth with mature tannins and light acidity - medium 15-20 sec slightly bitter finish - drinking nicely now, but needs another 3-5 years to develop its full potential
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5/22/2020 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent! Lively, dark fruit, good acidity, intense. Great with Paella
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5/21/2020 - boomecho Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vinturi aerated with a 90 min decant. Barnyard, dark fruit and some vegetal notes on the nose. Very dark purple. Med-full bodied with a mouth coating smoothness. Tannins restrained but not soft. Layers of dark berry fruit with some herbaceous hints. Med long finish. A young CdP still evolving but so complex now.
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5/17/2020 - Ufer73 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Definitely improved over time. Hold or decant for 2 hours +.
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5/4/2020 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 93 Points
This was tasted along side the 2010 Pegau. Both were wonderful wines. This in comparison was reserved and classic. Medium body, heather, pepper and dark young cherries. It was a great comparison, seeing the two different CdP types.
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4/24/2020 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
In the sweet spot, needs a decant, at least an hour. Still plenty of that youthful juicy energy, but beginning to settle. We’re 10 years in, if you have a few and have been waiting, pop one now.
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4/21/2020 - Rob-Rah wrote: 90 Points
Pleasant but essentially uninteresting on each bottle I have tried of this. Balanced and classy I suppose. Nothing distinguished particularly. Generic Rhone in many ways. Far too young.....??
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4/16/2020 - Vetluver Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine is fabulous now with smooth palate that is still young and has room to age. Notes of tea and granite with dark fruit being the dominant taste on the front and prunes on the finish.
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4/11/2020 - RBAIKIN Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had with roasted spring lamb. Wonderful Grenache fruit delicious. Sorry was my last 2010
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3/31/2020 - drrobvino wrote: 95 Points
1st of 4 bottles.
Brilliant, just brilliant. This is freaking delicious in every way.
Fuzzy red and black fruits, including plum, blackberry, raspberry, kirsch, gorgeous garrigue, wet rocks, anise, camphor. Just keeps going.
The palate shows off pure class and breed, with burly tannins, black fruits, medium acidity, and a terroir-driven finish that goes on and on.
Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to do so through 2030 or so.
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3/22/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 96 Points
Please see tasting notes on March 22, 2020.
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3/22/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Dark ruby turning brighter at the rim with a reflective edge. Nose of incense, dark fruits, leather, basil, cloves and toasted cedar. The palate is jumping with bright acidity and carries the full-bodied, blackberry, dark cherry, smoky meat, sage, black pepper core into a long, eucalyptus-rich finish with ultra refined tannins. This is easily a classic and perhaps one of the best Beaucastel has made. A tad underrated? Drink now with a 45-minute decant until 2035.
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3/21/2020 - dagij Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beaucastel is an intriguing wine, placed stylistically somewhere between the sourhern and the northern Rhone (or, I would say Bandol). Dark, almost opaque colour, almost no hints of aging. Beautiful nose of crushed cherries, some raisin, lots of spices (thyme, rosemary, pepper), as well as a fascinating hint of iron and wet stone. Sweet, yet tough. Full bodied, almost sugary attack, but then fine tannins and high acidity cleanses the mouth and give way to wonderful fruit like stewed cherries, blackberries and blueberries. Perfect balance between sweet fruit, fine tannins and high acidity. Long aftertaste dominated black berries, beautiful acidity and fine tannins as well as a minreal tone at the end. Long, long. Powerful, yet graceful. This is a wine in the first part of its life. I will drink my next bottle in five years, and I guess the peak will be in 2030. This will probably earn a higher score.
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3/8/2020 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Second Sunday Group: 2010 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (R&D's): Double blind. Notes of raspberry, candied plum, florals and underbrush. Medium-bodied. Red fruit and spice flavors, though a little short on the finish. Opens nicely in the glass, showing more florals, red fruit and now a good bit of garrigue. It has fleshed out a bit on the palate too, filling in very nicely with good length.
My #3, Domino's #2
Group #4, 58 pts
> Tie with wine H broken by virtue of this receiving first place votes whereas H received none.
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3/6/2020 - brasstab wrote: 94 Points
As smoky and seductive as I remembered. This time, though, paired with a tomahawk ribeye grilled on a 37-foot Sea Ray off the coast of Miami. What a night.
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3/5/2020 - King Julien wrote: 94 Points
Decanted about an hour. Starting to come around, could have used more time in the decanter.
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2/12/2020 - Rob-Rah wrote:
Classy, restrained plushness. Pours youthful. Dense palate and nose. I think perhaps a little young for me as I found this classy but "uneventful". :/ Or maybe I prefer them in the springtime of youth more than this.
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2/9/2020 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Strong notes of peppery, spicy, leafy green herbs, kirsch and lavender permeate the nose. Full-bodied, voluptuous and fresh, the wine feels great on the palate, finishing with luscious, ripe, spicy red fruits. This is showing beautifully today and should remain at this high level for at least another decade or longer.
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1/26/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 94 Points
loved this.its in a great drinking window but i'm guessing will stay in that window for the next 5 years at least. popped and poured. great red color; nice nose of red fruit and some hints of soil. more plum and cherry notes; medium bodied+; some asian spices and black tea; a really pretty finish. we all loved this over dinner.
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1/25/2020 - dase13 wrote: 94 Points
Really nice and solid. Color of dark red. Scents of red fruit and obvious earthiness. Tastes are consistent with scents.
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1/23/2020 - ELH wrote: 94 Points
Dark and brooding. Figs and prunes. Popped and poured at BYO; needed 30 minutes to open up. With a proper decant, in a good drinking window now and thoroughly enjoyable, but seems like it would benefit from more cellar time.
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1/21/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:
Deep, dark and not ready to unfold. All the pieces appear to be in place, and properly balanced, but this needs 5-7 more years in the cellar.
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1/19/2020 - MJReb wrote: 92 Points
Black cherries, blackberries, earthy and tobacco notes, mineral, like it much more compared to the bottle I had 2 years ago, the wine is getting together, is well structured and not anymore only on the fruit, really good.
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1/18/2020 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 96 Points
Tasting notes provided in March 22, 2020.
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1/16/2020 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 94 Points
Took to one of our favorite restaurants, opened it there, they offered to decant it, and we took them up on it. Probably could have used a bit more air, but it was quite wonderful as it changed in the glass. Classic Beaucastel, it paired wonderfully with a mushroom risotto. Representative of the vintage, which I believe was a good one. Our guests poured a white 2015 Chateau Mont-Redon, so we were "high on the hog" for this dinner.
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12/31/2019 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 95 Points
WOTN for me. Plenty of blackberry, fig, and licorice notes - with forest floor and tobacco on the finish. Rich and lush - this wine seems to be in a prime drinking window now.
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12/28/2019 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 96 Points
This is a spectacular wine. Had this bottle at a restaurant with an experienced wine drinker in the group. He agrees with my views.
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12/28/2019 - wino121 wrote: 89 Points
Vinturied 4xs into decant,
Waaaaay to young at this point, lively tannins along with racey acidity dominates any chance of the fruit to
show thru, after a few hours the Grenache popped, too gripping and out of balance.
I personally would even think about opening another until 2024-5.
Honestly a disappointment.
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12/25/2019 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Big nose and good funk with medium depth. Still young and likely to improve.
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12/25/2019 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nice subdued/restrained black cherry and earthiness. Smooth texture with low tannin. Drinking well now. Not sure it would benefit from additional aging. Very good but did not meet my expectations. Does not seem like an exceptional wine, thus my 91 point rating.
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12/20/2019 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
Retaining a youthful deep ruby color, Beaucastel's 2010 remains very floral aromatically, adding notes of dark bramble fruits, garrigue, licorice and savory herbs. Fresh and full-bodied, it delivers flavors in line with the aromas. With nicely integrated alcohol (listed as 14.5%), plentiful silky tannins, subtle oak and a dense mid-palate, it is a harmonious wine from attack through lengthy finish. A blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 10% Counoise (with the balance made up by other permitted varietals), this is a classically structured Châteauneuf that should age gracefully throughout the next decade. Drink now-2030.
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12/19/2019 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted to remove a small amount of sediment. Medium dark cherry red with a uniform gradation to the rim. Rich red stone and berry fruit nose laced with new leather, dried herbs, spice and camphor. Lifted, sweet, savoury and irresistible! Wow! What a huge mouthful of sweet, rich fruit! Much bigger on the palate than you would think from the colour density and the nose. Beautifully ripe fruit, all dark red, then comes a layer of cedar and finally quite peppery at the end. Perfect balance! Still a lot of tannins. Long finish. Stunning! And still just a baby. 96 points with upside!
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12/1/2019 - jepstein4031 wrote: 88 Points
A bit disappointing, and not sure if it’s shut down temporarily, or just lost its fruit. Not much on the nose. Classic CDnP flavors, but also had a faint vegetal note. Definitely benefited from a decanting.
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11/4/2019 - Marc André Gagnon wrote: 87 Points
Beau nez invitant. Ferme et serré. Plutôt d'un pièce, unidimensionnel manque de fruits et un peu asséchant.
100 $ (https://vinquebec.com/node/15625)
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11/2/2019 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 91 Points
Drinking well right now. Deep ruby color, yet very clear. Mild and very fresh red fruit, and some sweet plumb. Lovely round mouth feel, but with a little bit of tannin present, so still a good amount of time to go with this one. Lovely long finish. Is more refined than I recalled previous Beaucastels. And the viniculture (pretty much Biodynamic despite the fact that they are not certified) comes through as a very clean wine - in both sight, nose and pallet. Almost no sediment, which is very different to other 10 year old CNDP that I have had recently (Pegau being a good example). Am not always blown away by this producer, considering how much it is "sold" as THE leader, but on this occasion it lived up to its reputation. Not as jammy and "Cal Cab" as it something can be, which is a good thing in my view.
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11/1/2019 - riskun wrote: 92 Points
Surprising that nose quite closed even with time in the glass - just a phase in its life. The light nose is mostly sweet blackberry. The entry and mouth is another story with a heady flavor profile of dark fruit, tobacco, leather, chocolate, and spice. Finishes quite long with heavy spice and tannin backdrop. This has years left of course. I would wait a bit more on this, but bones for a nice future as it hopefully gets it's nose back.
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10/27/2019 - wineguy75 wrote: 90 Points
PNP. Some fruit and not much more. Disappointing and hoping next bottle will reveal this one to be an outlier.
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10/11/2019 - Thefatbastard wrote:
Encore jeune certes. Des fruits bleus, un peu d'épices. Le vin est long, mais sa lourdeur et la chaleur laisse perplexe. Pas un style qui m'interpelle.
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10/5/2019 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind.
Dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of spices, berries and cherries. Flavors of boysenberries, black berries and black cherries. Bright acidity, medium to firm tannin, full bodied. Drink now with some air or continue to hold.
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10/3/2019 - MattB72 wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Will only get better
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9/29/2019 - jaumealaska Likes this wine: 94 Points
Nose of dark fruit and grilled meat. The fruit is still round but the acid is holding up well; tannins are round but present. Great finish.
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9/21/2019 - VINNICK wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful rendition of CDP. Elegance over power but certainly has the balance and plenty of longevity. Enjoy today or for many years to come. Excellent wine and far better than the 2011 which wasn’t bad but paying a few more dollars for this is worth it.
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9/15/2019 - Ufer73 Likes this wine: 94 Points
90 minute decant. Very soft wine with great mouthfeel. I enjoyed it very much and presume it will continue to improve.
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9/1/2019 - John from GR Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red and black fruits. Licorice. Roasted meets and mushrooms. Medium body with a marvelous finish. We bought two bottles and waited four years. While this wine might still improve, it is wonderful now and I see no reason to wait long to drink the other bottle.
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8/17/2019 - FredericoWines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Quite elegant. Floral with raspberries. Nice with ribeye steak.
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7/14/2019 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, velvety, young and full of life. From a 375ml as well. Plenty of spice and garrigue, dark fruits and some ash/charcoal. This is super young even from this format. Great wine, lots of fun. Give it time.
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7/6/2019 - FredericoWines wrote: 93 Points
What a beautiful CnP!
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7/4/2019 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, dark reddish garnet in color with vey slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of red cherries, plums & blueberries with earthy/dusty, kirsch & garrigue overtones, Provençal herbs, spices, some beefy/bacon notes, pepper, minerals & cedar undertones. Nose had some heat on it initially (14.5%) which blew off with airing. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balance & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & plums with herbs, spices, smoky, minerals & toasted oak. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing. However, it has the structure & fruit to continue with its development if further aged.
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6/25/2019 - Portland Seth Likes this wine: 93 Points
Smooth and elegant, I guess I just prefer my Rhones young as this is supposed to be early in its drinking window but tastes slightly hollow to me. Cassis, five spice, cedar, vanilla and burnt sugar with a menthol note on the finish. Medium minus acidity and medium tannins. I have some ’15s and 16's, I think I'll open them sooner rather than later. Definitely love the high Mourvedre content.
After a couple hours of air the fruit has gained weight and filled in the hollow middle very nicely! Changing my whole perspective on this. Already added another point.
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5/26/2019 - daniel.jay wrote: 95 Points
This wine is absolutely singing right now. Balanced enough that it can be opened and consumed, but even better with a 60 min decant.
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4/14/2019 - Nekodab wrote: 95 Points
Goes best with wagyu
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4/5/2019 - Hi.its.Don.4.Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
From Famille Perrin comes their Château de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010. A classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance the other permitted varietals in the appellation and aged in oak foudres for a year before being bottled. Consistently receiving some of the highest acclaims for this wine through the years, it is a wine to be sought after and enjoyed. Ideally, keeping in mind that this is a wine that will evolve and mature should you decide to wait a few years before popping the cork. Pouring the wine fills the glass with superb aromas enticing you to pour more, but you must show restraint. Even with the years in bottle, the wine needs even more time to open up and bring forth its full nuances. Swirling my glass almost continuously to savor the aromas with expectations of the sensuousness of the flavors that are to come. Indeed they did! Big dark somewhat savory fruit immerses you in this elixir that still has much more life in the bottle should you wish to forestall the inevitable longer. Now, it shows the potential that most reviewers eluded to 5 years ago. The richness, the rustic edges that still abound but with a softer touch.
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3/16/2019 - Birdmountain wine Likes this wine: 96 Points
A superb CDP! Exelent balance. Mutible layers of fruit, Minerals and herbs. A favorite that can nr keept for one more decade under The right comditions.
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2/28/2019 - Jozefs wrote: 91 Points
Sweet and not much beyond that, nothing wrong, just nog inspiring
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2/23/2019 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Uncorked and left open for 6 hours prior to pouring. Dark cherry and spices galore. A touch on the boozy side. No signs that this is even remotely approaching maturity.
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2/18/2019 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium ruby color, high viscosity (some serious “legs”). High alc as common in CNDP. Nice variety on the nose: moist cured fruit (fruitcake) . Touch of anise. Very broad and luscious mouth feel. Chewy and tannins now pretty soft and pleasant. Long finish - vanilla at the end even. Can see why is so popular in the US as is reminiscent of the higher end cal cabs. Very good vpp. And a serious bonus that it’s farmed biodynamicly. As I get more and more focused on how the grapes are farmed it’s good to find good wine farmed this way.
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2/15/2019 - jeffmudd wrote:
Simply not ready yet. A classic CDP that will need another 1-2 years.
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2/2/2019 - casoe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very fresh and young. A heavy but still very balanced and structured wine. Deep dark fruit, minerality and spiciness. My first Beaucastel 2010 and I had expected a more immediate pleasant style. No doubt a very good wine, but I'll wait a couple of years before trying again.
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1/14/2019 - Pedroel Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plummy nose segues to lavish, lightly smoked berry flavors that are big-time saliva inducing. Great mouth-feel and escalating finish that goes beyond.
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12/25/2018 - peeno wrote: 92 Points
Decanted. Started out as dusty spicy candy. Not much aroma. Much smoother and sweeter after an hour. Fantastic with black peppered beef tenderloin. Fruit forward now. Saving other bottles for next few years.
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12/21/2018 - Justinneal654 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened 30 minutes before I poured my glass and it sat for another 30 minutes, sipped over another 30.
Bold dark fruit on nose with some fig notes and a touch of spice. The flavors are dark berry, red berry, zippy with acidity, spicy finish. I get a tar or asphalt along with the dried prune or fig notes. There is a real density or meatiness to this wine that I would guess will unfold over time. It seems like there are tannins that could evolve as well although they are not obtrusive by any stretch.
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12/21/2018 - Teaky Likes this wine:
Red fruited nose, some allspice? Flavors of strawberry, red raspberry, moderately tannic, some fig flavors, opening up is a little meaty, slightly phenolic, blueberry, ever evolving in the glass, feminine. Very good, out of a 375.
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12/20/2018 - EMAZurich Likes this wine: 94 Points
Sehr schön und am Beginn der Trinkreife. Lakritzige Nase, dunkelbeerig. Am Gaumen sehr elegante Textur, seidig, schwarze Beeenfrucht, etwas Rauch & Lakritz. Ein toller Wein auch wenn für meinen Geschmack noch etwas zu jung...
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12/18/2018 - Berge65 wrote:
Had at Kevin’s holiday blind tasting
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12/10/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine:
Ritz for dinner. Limited notes.
A half bottle after our La Jota CFranc (noted). I have this in my cellar in full bottles for not touching till 2022 but thought I would take a chance in this smaller format. A massive dark berry-fruit bomb with strappy and wild herb nuances - but it was at least not closed up! Rather unintegrated elements. Nonetheless rather enjoyable and undoubtedly a fine wine waiting in the wings for its chance to shine. Not markable in its current state.
2022 at the very earliest! 92+?+ potential.
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11/25/2018 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 95 Points
I love Beaucastel. The complexity is very high; you can taste a variety of flavors including blackberry, raspberry, roast beef, lavender, black tea, and black pepper. But what stands out with Beaucastel is that it all tastes smooth and delicious. That is not the case with all CdP, which often taste big and burly but not oishii. Anyway, this particular vintage is delicious now. Sure, you can age it—perhaps for two decades—but there is no compelling reason to beyond intellectual curiosity.
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10/11/2018 - up4wine wrote: 93 Points
My 1st place in 2010 CnP tasting. Great balance, generous fruit, and excellent flow of flavors from front to finish. Alcohol in check.
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10/10/2018 - NickBurwood Likes this wine:
Château de Beaucastel Dinner & Tasting at Jeroboams, Walton Street. Limited notes.
Infanticide: furry tannins with a tight core showing hints of dark secrets to come. Undoubtedly a great wine - but not now. Ordered 6 on the promise.
Hold till 2022 at least. Should be good once ready for 25yrs+ from vintage. 93pts+ potential.
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10/9/2018 - Vince_chip Likes this wine: 93 Points
Beaucoup d’épice, des tannins très fins. Le fruit est mûr et l’acidité donne au vin un beau tonus. Juste assez rond pour laisser une belle impression en bouche.
Meilleur au fond de la bouteille, prêt à boire, sinon avant son 15 ans. Dans les chateauneuf, une des dégustation préférée, probablement parce que le
vin était à point.
RQP ***1/2
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9/26/2018 - ekirby Likes this wine: 92 Points
At first taste (of this of 8 previous over many years) is that it is too ripe, too pruny, but enjoyable in the tiniest possible sips. Then it grows on you (again). Great bottle, enjoyed by everyone. The ripeness fades into the background and a wine with good structure and balance stand forth. How could I doubt it?
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9/8/2018 - Radboy wrote: 92 Points
Delicious, better at the two hour mark.
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8/22/2018 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Tasting blind, I thought this was an exceptionally smooth, chocolate-y syrah from the Northern Rhône due to the spice aromas. But in retrospect, it did also display the sweet weight of Grenache and the gamey aromas of Mourvèdre. All in all, it tasted a little flat (too ripe?) to be one of my favorite vintages of Beaucastel, but I enjoyed it.
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8/18/2018 - Mazy Likes this wine: 88 Points
Épaulé vers 14, carafé à 18h et servi à 20h. L'aération lui a fait du bien. C'est encore toutefois très jeune, pas mal tannique, sur les fruits noirs cuits avec un chaleur modérée et un élevage léger-modéré. Tout-de-même équilibré mais idéalement à oublier en cave encore longtemps.
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8/5/2018 - blackcrowb wrote: 90 Points
A pleasant and elegant bottle of wine. I preferred it a couple of years ago when the volume was turned up a bit and all the flavors were punchier and more alive yet not hot and fat. Today it seems more generically southern Rhone.
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7/30/2018 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark red, meaty nose, short 1 hour decant, full bodied but very well balanced, long, so well made, nothing excessive, approachable now but with years left
93+
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7/28/2018 - brasstab wrote: 95 Points
A dream. And sadly, as I reach the end of the decanter, the dream has ended. Leather and bacon and bone-crushing backbone, all wrapped in silk. The New York strip never had a chance.
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6/26/2018 - rlove wrote: 93 Points
Restrained, pretty nose of dark & red fruit, garrigue, and roast meat. Palate more forward than the nose, gobs of minerals coating savory dark fruit. Plush, soft texture. This has evolved nicely in the three years (to the day) since my last bottle. Finishes with excellent length and precision. Drink now through 2035.
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6/17/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Beaucastel review (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Earthy, baked herbs, savoury spices over ripe berries, a little black tea. Juicy, fleshy, red berries and peppery spice, soft tannins, Young. At this stage in its life its a little simple, for me.
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5/30/2018 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 91 Points
(Tasted blind.) Cherry, mineral, a little kirch, a little blood -- textbook Chateauneuf-du-Pape in a restrained but modern style. Toyed with guessing Beaucastel, but that would be more playing the metagame than is really necessary.
I like this wine, but its rating suffers from being tasted in relatively recent proximity to some really excellent Chateauneufs from my trip there.
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5/19/2018 - cos65 Likes this wine:
Fairly dark purple
Dense lush kirsch aromas
Sweet rich mouth filling Grenache
Rather easy to love in a ripe “modern” style
Delicious
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5/12/2018 - MJReb wrote: 91 Points
Dark color, ripe black fruit, well made, but drunk last evening after a stunning Echezeaux 2009 of the Mugneret sisters and there (at least for me) sorry to remark that the « hot » southern Rhône wines have no word to say if you compare them with high class Burgundies. Should be drunk on its own with the appropriate food and there it surely has its place.
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5/5/2018 - Mossrose wrote: 94 Points
Drank from a half bottle. Opaque purple but showing its age of 8 with a clear outer ring at the edge that shades inside to ruby. The nose is flawless, with odors of dried underbrush, raspberry, and blueberry. The sip glides into the mouth as gracefully and effortlessly as a swan paddling through water. The swallow is delicious and delightfully integrates acid, tannin, and fruit. Overall, a superb example of how complete and satisfying a well aged Chateauneuf can be.
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5/5/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Really lovely wine- rich and ripe fruited, on the darker end of the spectrum, supple and velvety mouthfeel. Delicious. Interestingly drinking a lot better than when I had it recently from Magnum. Also no brett here whatsoever though in the past beaucastel has been the king of Brett. I suspect substantial bottle (barrel?) variation exists at this domaine
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4/15/2018 - jeffmudd wrote:
Well o delved into another bottle though I had told myself to wait another year. Same notes as one ago, just wait at least 8-12 months and think it will be entering its sweet spot.
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3/24/2018 - Sen4469 wrote: 93 Points
Good but young. Not very expressive today. Give it 5-10 years.
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3/20/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tuesday group "The Dead Sparrow" #027 Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2010 (By JdB): In the bouquet beautiful dark berries and cherries, autumn forest and garrigue. On the palate ripe dark berries, perfect acidity, sweet licorice and good garrigue. Overall a lush and juicy wine with beautifully soft and round tannin with still a pleasant bite. Already delicious and with a good future.
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3/17/2018 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Singing right now. Still a little heat, could use 1-2 more years in the cellar. But so delicious right now. Bursting with fruit but rustic notes starting to develop.
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3/4/2018 - Jptillinghast Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still young
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2/16/2018 - cc.smith44@gmail.com Likes this wine:
Very good wine. Deep color. Berries on the noseZ felt young as it was rtight
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1/24/2018 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A very deep colour; full, rich, very young still, even a bit brutal, with intense, smoky, blackberry fruit, plenty of substance, and good length. Perhaps less developed than the previous bottle, but certainly a profound wine; approachable now but with much more development ahead.
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1/13/2018 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Regular dinner group (By EM @ Bottles): Beautiful and complex bouquet with red and dark berries, garrigue and vanilla. On the palate juicy berries, beautiful acidity and tannin. Pleasant bitterness. Beautiful wine and it will improve with more ageing. 2025 will not be any problem.
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1/5/2018 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
Still a youthful deep ruby in color, this iteration of Beaucastel remains very floral aromatically, adding notes of mixed bramble fruits, dry earth, licorice and savory herbs. Fresh and full-bodied, it delivers flavors mirroring the aromas. With nicely integrated alcohol (listed as 14.5%), silky tannins, subtle oak and a dense mid-palate, it is harmonious from attack through lengthy finish. This is classic Châteauneuf that will provide immense pleasure for at least another decade. Drink now-2028.
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12/26/2017 - micsauer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic. Full of energy, extremely primary still. Tons of spices and red fruits. Tannins nicely integrated. Don't open one in the next five years!
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12/25/2017 - matthewbrm Likes this wine:
Classic CndP.
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12/22/2017 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 93 Points
I wouldn’t normally drink Beaucastel this young, but it was on a restaurant wine list at more or less the current retail price so it was worth trying (now for the second time). It has a very deep colour and a very full, aromatic, even opulent bouquet; on the palate, there is rich, smoky fruit with considerable depth; long and very concentrated, but with some tannin still making the finish a little tight. A great wine now, but will be even greater in about 5 years.
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12/17/2017 - Shaun Mondavi wrote: 91 Points
Ruby red robe, nose of red cherry, currant, orange, spice. Mouth is sweet and lush, tannins smooth with a 1-2 hour decant. This is a rich and fruit forward wine, the nose could easily be confused for a precocious round cali pinot noir. I'll hang onto the rest, at the moment its not really worth the price.
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12/17/2017 - soyhead wrote:
from magnum. decanted for several hours
juicy, brambleberry, per mario raisins, with which i agree. not much brett here
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11/20/2017 - Andrew H wrote: 88 Points
Decanted for ~30 mins. A bit prunish to start, lighter, a touch of garrigue, some raspberry.
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11/7/2017 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby; fresh nose of cherry, plums, cinnamon and cocoa; pfn with a little sourness and tar; medium plus finish with notes of red licorice; balanced with good tannins; drinking really well
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10/29/2017 - jeffmudd wrote: 93 Points
As stated, very demure right now. As it certainly is a very nice wine it is in a bit of a slumber right now. Give it 18-24 months and it will be rocking.
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10/28/2017 - jkvedar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just a touch of Brett on the nose, otherwise blackberry and cassis. Very slight grass and dried herbs. Well-balanced on the palate. Red fruits, a touch of fennel, some pepper and spice. 90 second finish. Very approachable right out of the bottle.
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10/10/2017 - gew71walsh wrote: 93 Points
This has a muted nose, but has a nice palate of plum and blackberry. Also has some forest accents to it. The finish is medium. This was consumed after a two hour decant. Drinking well now, but I think there are many years left.
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10/7/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very demure at first, then there's a more bombastic crescendo. Melted licorice, fresh fig, river rock, chalk, dried lavender and wood shop. Elastic tannins and an ostensible shelf life. Layered thru every phase. Drink 2018 -.
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10/7/2017 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Savory CdP nose with kirsch, brown fig, roast beef, lavender, and thyme. Silky and seamless. Glycerin and umami. Delightful.
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9/25/2017 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #264: Southern Rhône 12 x 2010 (@ VD): Beautiful bouquet with rustic and barnyard impressions, beautiful fruits and beautifully toasted oak. On the palate juicy dark berries, good garrigue and beautiful tannin. A beautiful wine with a great future due to the high percentage of Mourvedre I suppose. 94+
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9/13/2017 - La Grappe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Quite full, spicy, elegant and long; this seems ready, but should keep well and may develop more complexity.
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9/13/2017 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank with Mike and Brad, even better than before, right in it's drinking window. smooth, long, flavorful.
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8/25/2017 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 94 Points
Ja gefällt mir auch beim dritten Mal mit seiner Lila Roten Farbe.
Klar nicht die feine Klinge,schon eher ein schwarzes ,würziges Biest.
Aber trotzdem auch in diesem Stadium ausgewogen und mit Genuss "trinkbar".
Das er viel Potential hat und Jahrzehnte halten wird ist sicher auch nicht falsch ausgedrückt.
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8/6/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Polished, plush and plummy, the wine is fresh, sweet, concentrated and rich, with spicy, character, the backbone to age and a fresh, dark cherry, black raspberry and spicy charm. This will age quite well, yet, because the fruit and tannins are so ripe, it can be enjoyed young.
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8/4/2017 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
best bottle yet
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7/26/2017 - gregbohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
I liked this one. Wife said not enough interest... just smooth and easy to pair with foods (gave 91).
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7/7/2017 - Dlemon wrote: 94 Points
This was a wonderful wine
Decanted for 30 minutes
There is a very nice balance to the wine and no hint of tannins. Light in color, and no bouquet but that does not distract from the taste and smoothness of the wine
Just superb
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7/3/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Opened and decanted for prob 3-4 hours before pouring. This wine was ready for business right from the beginning. Great black fruits. Very accessible. This wine should have a long life ahead, but it was drinking really well. Drank over the course of prob 4-5 hours and noticed it didn't really change much in the glass.
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6/17/2017 - cmanarey Likes this wine: 92 Points
Given to Dave and Tasan
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4/1/2017 - Slaz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Requires decanting for several hours to be enjoyed at this early stage but is accessible already. Clearly not at its peak yet and can be easily misunderstood. A very juicy CDP with great minerality streak and without grenache dominating (only 30% of grenache). Beaucastel CDPs are highly reliable relative to many other CDPs in my experience, and this vintage is no exception. Likely to be 95+ after more years of cellaring.
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3/23/2017 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine: 96 Points
I disagree from the shot group of other raters and see this one fully in line with its WA and WS ratings of 95/96. It is also very drinkable right now. Common lore suggests it will improve, but by how much? Also, I am suspicious of back end drink year estimates for this particular wine, as I had two bottles go bad almost overnight a few years back. I then noticed in the Jancis Robinson book on drink windows that this wine in certain years has a tendency to decline at the end like a rock falling off of the cliff. For those that like decadent styled CNdP, this one is for you. Start enjoying it now despite the long drink windows published by the pro reviewers.
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2/3/2017 - Ward Huang Likes this wine: 93 Points
From half bottle. Nice Rhone Valley notes of plum, forest floor, flowers, meat, licorice and red fruits. Lots of fruits dominating on the palate and also great intensity. Not powerful and no harsh tannins. It has much life left and maybe a full bottle is a better choice to gather. I really expected more from this wine.
补个中文:半瓶装。想起了第一次喝优质隆河时候的香气,李子,花香,肉味,甘草和各种红果。大量果味主导了口感,集中度很好。并不十分强劲而且没有艰深的单宁,还很年轻,如果是标准瓶的话会是陈年的优良选择。
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1/13/2017 - heegaard Likes this wine: 89 Points
It was very disapointing. Wait at least 5 years to taste.
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1/7/2017 - wineguy1968 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 4hrs. Quite a bit of sediment. It's been over 2 years since my last tasting of this. Nose of black cherry, plumb and just a hint of that earthy funk. Tart cherry and plumb with a claulky mouth feel, medium plus finish. The alcohol is still very present on the finish so this still needs time. If you open I recommend a long decant. That said this is developing nicely.
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1/1/2017 - Arch57 Likes this wine: 91 Points
I've checked my notes on CT and I have tasted 55 CdP's over the years with Clos des Pape and Pegau being my favorites. I've had several Beaucastel's and while they are very well made they never wow me. That being said this wine was decanted for about an hour and served through dinner and it did improve with air time as we watched a movie. Floral notes mixed with the dried fruit and a smooth finish. I am going to hold them for a few years to watch their development as I have the 09, 10 and 12 vintages.
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1/1/2017 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 93 Points
Perfect balance. So much going on here. Rustic and barnyard where you want it, but with the blackberry and raspberry liquer to soften it. Inviting and exactly what you want it to be. I believe they use like 13 grapes varieties here. This could age for so long. Its entering its window though. I don't know how anyone who likes cdp couldn't like this.
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12/23/2016 - cliffkol wrote: 92 Points
PnP, venturi. Inky, dark, opaque purple color. Massively big, fruit forward blue fruits, earth, black pepper, leather, evident oak. Grippy tannins, still young. A little hot on the palate. Good structure. Long long finish, still lingering.
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12/13/2016 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (Kennards, Waterloo): From Coravin. Blackberry and black pepper, polished oak and spice. Juicier than the older vintages and with more immediate peppery spice. the blackberry comes through and the tannins are more grippy and drying though still relatively fine textured. Long.
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11/27/2016 - sabrage Likes this wine: 92 Points
One hour decant. Ruby color. Medium legs. Light sediment in the bottle. Meat, stone and red currant nose. It tastes like red currant, raspberry, medium toast, earth and espresso. Medium body. The wine has smooth suede texture. Medium finish. Medium acidity.
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11/18/2016 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Although young and fruit forward, this Beaucastel is in a wonderful place. The fruit is scrumptious. Notes of raspberry preserves, black cherry, lavender, thyme, black tea, and oak. With ten years of age it will become more savory than fruity, delicious in a completely different way.
It is a joy to drink every vintage of Beaucastel. Never cheap, but always a good value.
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10/22/2016 - gagrapes wrote:
no rating - the wine is in a closed down period.
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10/20/2016 - walkerjfw wrote: 95 Points
Wine Spectator, NY Wine Experience Grand Tasting...more wines than time...shorter notes (NY City): Nice to revisit this wine, still young. Massive wine...wow...
Deep inky purple, almost black. Thinking this is the darkest color I have seen on this wine, not sure if that means anything here...Nose of blackberry, kirsch, baking spices and smoke. Plate of dark, sweet fruits, savory notes and herbs. Rich mouthfeel and long finish...
Last tasting of this wine it was closed, this bottle very much open but still very primary. I am going to leave my bottles for a few more years, should be long lived and beautiful CdP. Big upside...95+
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10/1/2016 - Edv wrote: 90 Points
Vin fermé, n'offrant que peu de fruits. Trame soyeuse, tanins fins, belle acidité. Peut être aurions-nous dû attendre!
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9/19/2016 - c.evangelista wrote: 93 Points
Needs many more years in the bottle. Not more than 93 today.
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9/17/2016 - Sotto325 wrote: 91 Points
This is the biggest Beaucastel I have tasted in 30 years. Mammoth. I hoped for some expression after pouring an 8 oz Coravin tasting, which I let breath for 1+ hour and then sipped over another 30 minutes. It did not yield. Strong, deep black and crimson color; a hint on the nose of stewed fruit and very grenache tones; some mourvedre aste but mostly tannic acid and a large body with deep deep dark cherry, wet wood, a hint of mushroom and sweet raisiny cherry fruit and a long finish. this will be a winner but needs some serious cellar time in my view. Also unsure of shippng pedigree.
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9/17/2016 - WoodieBayArea wrote: 92 Points
very good, very full bodied with great fruit, acidity / tension, and also some mourvedre funk, really good now but super young... can never tell whether the blockbuster nature of this will translate into the gem that can evolve twenty years from now but worth cellaring a few to see... could be fantastic, suspect it will be, but will have to contain myself to keep from drinking my other four bottles in the next 5 years
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8/29/2016 - ctjared Likes this wine:
dark fruit, silky tannins and tobacco - nice.
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8/22/2016 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Similar notes to before. Really love this Beaucastel. It is very ripe, but still balanced and enjoyable. Stylistically (and due to warmer weather over the years), this is very different than the Beaucastels of the 90's, but I'm still a buyer and will continue to buy. It's still a great wine - just different. Curious to see how these will develop over time and how this ripeness will evolve.
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8/14/2016 - Quaffing in Colorado Likes this wine: 92 Points
Exceptional wine with intertwined red fruit and herbs dancing on a long, silky/glycerin finish. We agree wholeheartedly with ZWEDER's 5.2.16 tasting note. It drank beautifully after a two-hour decant and expressed additional bouquet and palate complexities throughout the evening with more time in the glass. Drinking well now, but can go the distance.
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7/30/2016 - bacchusnyon wrote: 89 Points
I agree with others who thought this was not terribly impressive. Perhaps weak storage (bought in Canada). But was already at its peak, with a slight raisin note that detracted from the relatively thin leather, pencil and distinctive Beaucastel profile. Not bad, just not great.
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7/20/2016 - Yagil wrote: 93 Points
dark opaque red-black; excellent fruity spicy nose; grip tannins, complex palate, structured, ready but with a long ageing potential, fungus, excellent finish and aftertaste
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7/15/2016 - vino_per_tutti wrote: 89 Points
Strawberry, rhubarb and sage on the nose; sweet red and blue fruit on the palate. Short, thin finish. This was better with food, but faded fast.
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7/9/2016 - normanfekrat Likes this wine: 89 Points
a little drab... nothing that special. good every day drinking wine but nothing to hold out for. not memorable.
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6/18/2016 - Hermosabritdad Likes this wine: 95 Points
At our 2010 CNDP rating this won out against a lot of the best, and in several cases more expensive, wines. Was the hands down favorite. And right now can be bought for a very good price considering the quality.
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5/11/2016 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 94 Points
WOTN for me. Barnyard hay on the nose with some very unique fruit and an outstanding finish. I'm really glad I got two of these.
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5/6/2016 - fotomill Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank after 2.5 hours' slow ox. In terms of age it's still young but the taste shows ripeness. Medium plus bodied. Unique nose of some 'yokan', blackcurrant, plum, dark fruits, not much of oak. Needs decanting but 2~3 hours bottle breathing or 1 hour's decanting is enough, no more. A very nice wine with character but needs to show some more to be excellent. 2nd day was the best, so I added 1 point.
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5/2/2016 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Weekly tasting group #212; GSM: Blend or mono cepage? (@ The factory by JdB): Beautiful and complex bouquet with dark and red berries, garrigue, minerals and some pleasant rustic flavors which disappear after a while. On the palate beautiful fruits, herbs and spices, some earth, minerals, a great balance between acidity and sweetness and mild tannin with still a firm bite. This is a real beauty already, but in fact it is still much too young. Probably wise to wait until 2020 at least and it will probably drink lovely until at least the second half of the next decade. Great pleasure!
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4/15/2016 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 94 Points
94+
Dunkles Lilarot
Schwarzkirschig,Rosinen,Marzipan,sehr würzig,dunkle Schokolade.
Fleischig,dicht,konzentrierter,gute Säure,anfänglich leicht alkoholisch bindet sich aber mit Luft besser ein.Gerbstoffe gut spürbar,aber doch schon gut integriert.
Langer würziger Abgang.
Fraglos viel Potential in diesem Wein,kann aber mit genügend Zeit auch jetzt schon genossen werden.
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4/2/2016 - SlimShaney Likes this wine: 93 Points
First sip 88pts, unbalanced. 30 mins later 90pts, uneven cracked pepper fiery finish. 1hr decant 93pts. An elegant wine with a rounded fruit forward (certainly by French standards) palate. The astringent alcohol alludes to a very modern style.
Having just read the wine has a higher Mourvedre content makes complete sense and explains its relative sweetness.
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3/27/2016 - carlsport Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still enjoying this wine, though not quite as expressive on the fruit as I recall, but the pepper/spice really clicking right now.
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2/27/2016 - mmcleod wrote:
Fabulous, smooth, fruity and very great finish. I thought it would be too young but opened up nicely
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2/22/2016 - jonanator wrote: 94 Points
One of the best bottles yet. This is drinking incredibly well now. So young but just so good, tough to stay away from. The nose is great, packed with ripe raspberries and strawberries. On the palate, this was silky with great acid and spice. Signature Beaucastel on the nose and palate. Give this 10 years to really sing. A little riper than a typical Beaucastel, but it is all in balance. Really love this.
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2/15/2016 - rossi.wine wrote:
Enjoyed in a restaurant after a short decant - no formal notes. Lots of richness and concentration on the nose. Notes of sweet spices, fruit cake, smoked meat, cherries. On the palate again tight and a bit one dimensional, very rich and a bit heavy. The alcohol is showing a little, the tannins are powerful and ripe. Great acidity. Very long. No surprise that it would be too young, but we were curious anyway. And it is a fascinating wine even at this stage. Keep. 92-94+?
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2/14/2016 - Neras Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice stuffing. Very enjoyable. But I would expect more at this price level.
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2/9/2016 - dchoo077 wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1hr and drank over the following hour. A big and full bodied wine. Classically styled with a potpourri of rustic, provencal flavors. Some heat on the finish though which I thought was distracting. Nothing less than what this wine was meant to be. Very young, primary and powerful. Decant for a couple of hours if drinking in the near term. This will hold well for the next decade easily.
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1/25/2016 - Vino Nomad Likes this wine: 95 Points
My 95 rating is based on expectations in 5+ years. The sub-90s that others gave are probably fair for what it is now... TOO YOUNG! I opened a 375 ml bottle, and even the little guy is still in diapers. Tons of structure here that needs to relax for at least 3 to 5 years. Very powerful with strong earthy, cigar, and ripe red fruit palate. When all of this mellows out and the tannin softens, this will be a winner. I may open another half bottle in 6 to 12 months to check progress, but the full bottles are staying closed at least until 2018... more likely 2020.
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1/21/2016 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Very good showing! Still very young an primary. Although enjoyable, I think there is more magic in this wine that just needs some time to shine through. Full wine with lovely acidity. Plenty of ripe raspberries, strawberries, and purple plum on the nose and palate. A nice garrigue element with some spice as well. This will surely be an amazing bottle with some more bottle age.
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12/30/2015 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Drank with a fairly strong line-up (an '07 Colgin Syrah and a '95 Diamond Mtn Lokoya) and this held it's own. It's rich and fruit forward, but balanced and has some nice spic, leather, earth characteristics as well. Would generally let it lie for longer or consider a longer decant (we decanted, but drank right away).
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11/29/2015 - wpiers wrote: 93 Points
Inadvertantly pulled this out early. First day was tight. Day 3 MUCH better..the power of oxidation. If you open now....let it breathe!
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11/22/2015 - mclancy10006 Likes this wine:
From 375. First bottle was Brett city, but bottle 2 was fan. Depth and structured clear on this. Currants and blackberry on the palate.
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11/21/2015 - Collector1855 wrote: 94 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2010 - Check-up on 20 Top names; 4/1/2013-3/18/2016: Dark purple. Discrete nose of licorice, violets, oak, meat, quite closed at the beginning. Full bodied with pronounced high acidity and a bit of alcoholic heat. At the beginning this was difficult to appreciate. After a hour of decanting, things started to fall into place, thank god. The wine became softer and more balanced, showing its potential. Could add a point. Good, but I have expected a bit more given the stellar vintage. I will check in again in 2020. 94+
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11/5/2015 - rossi.wine wrote: 91 Points
Powerful and rich on the nose, cherry fruit, spices, brooding, but fairly tight. On the palate grippy and even more closed, much more one dimensional and linear than I remember it to be. There is a slight alcoholic note towards the finish. This needs time, for the moment 91 at best, but promising. 90-91++
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10/26/2015 - danstrings Likes this wine: 91 Points
Lovely brambly raspberry meets garrigue and tarry earth
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10/16/2015 - AAJR Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP'd - still a little young, really good - but still has much upside potential. Revisit in 2-3 years,
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10/4/2015 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
Loving this wine right now - hard to believe it is drinking so well already. Will probably consume a few more bottles over the next year but will try to save a case for the long haul. This has the stuffing to go the distance. Plenty of big fruit concentration and tannins.
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9/28/2015 - mwneil wrote: 86 Points
This bottle was flat, no real body or character, disappointed, let it open up with only slight improvement, need to try again, drank with cheese, drank in FW.
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9/25/2015 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color: purple red
Nose: lovely perfumed nose wit secondary aromas of game. Decanted for 1.5 hours
Palate: full bodied, big and brawny but with good balance, still young and will be best with a few more years
94+
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7/10/2015 - King Julien wrote: 94 Points
Drank at Duo Maui, needs more time.
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7/9/2015 - redrammer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Might have been a bit early to drink this, but it was awesome. Everything you want from a Rhone.
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7/2/2015 - danstrings Likes this wine: 92 Points
Back to form, gorgeous inky dense fruit and silky balance
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7/1/2015 - WStubble wrote: 91 Points
This was popped and poured, it seemed quite open and it was well balanced. Drank it with grilled beef tenderloin steaks. I will buy more.
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6/26/2015 - rlove wrote: 94 Points
Nose of grilled beef gives way to cherry, raspberry, garrigue, and mocha. Intense minerality, smoke, and flavors of raspberry in the mouth. Nice acidity; balanced tannins. Long, lingering, dark finish. Coming into its own and should drink well for 15+ years.
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6/3/2015 - jonanator wrote: 94 Points
Popped and poured this last night and it showed beautifully. Best bottle of this so far. Surprisingly, it was open for business. Utterly delicious wine. Class Beaucastel with garrigue and a little barnyard funk that blew off after some air. Silky smooth wine with plent of dark purple and red berries on the palate. Long finish. A classic in the making!
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5/24/2015 - tasty travels Likes this wine: 93 Points
Red Wine Tasting Party - Opened an hour before tasting. No decant. Initially, aromas of barnyard funk with hints of dark berries. After swirling and air, the aromas changed to saline like qualities (reminded me of seaweed on the beach). Delicious but still young. Dark red and purple berries. Full bodied and plush. Soft and silky with a long finish! 14.5% alcohol content still shows.
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5/16/2015 - aidyl Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking beautifully, even though still relatively young. Dark purple core, with a nose of dried flowers and red fruits. Brilliant complex ripe fruit on the attack, a hint of sweet-tart cranberry on the mid-palate, with a very nice lingering finish. Pairs fantastically with smoked duck. Absolutely first rate CdP.
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4/27/2015 - gagrapes Likes this wine: 96 Points
Delicious
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3/29/2015 - grizzlymarmot wrote:
Aroma - dark fruits and tobacco. The fruit flavor profile follows the aroma - sun ripened blackberries. Elegant mouth feel. Balanced finish. Great as a high-end wine to sip before the meal on its own, and also makes just about any red meat dish better.
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3/28/2015 - Wineguy76 wrote: 94 Points
Boasting a mesmerizing ruby ink core the 2010 Beaucastel CdP is an aromatic bomb packed with intense perfumes of blueberries, raspberries, menthol, tobacco leaf and burnt tar. This full bodied, luxuriously unctuous, yet delicate elixir delivers a generous 14.5% natural alcohol content and envelopes the palate with a delicious soft and silky texture. The flavours are equally intense in the form of creme de cassis, Grand Marnier and caramel, and the velvety finish goes on for nearly a full minute. This beauty will reach its maturity phase in a couple of years once the abundant tannins have fully integrated. It should then cruise comfortably in the cellar for two decades or more.
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3/12/2015 - N.Bonaparte wrote: 93 Points
2hr decant- full bodied, good finish, good balance but balance will improve in years to come- should reach prime in another 3-5 years and hold until 2035. Good value.
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2/10/2015 - AV2012 wrote:
Three decades of Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Very extracted, plush, ripe and at this moment painfully young wine. Lots of sweet black fruits, full body, very rich. With time nose develops notes of cotton candy. This is good, but I wouldn't touch it for at least 3-5 more years.
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2/6/2015 - Eric wrote:
A mid-winter visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 2/5/2015-2/7/2015 (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France): Deep mineral with a raspberry core. Sweet and salty. Nice structure and minerality. Such a sweet and pure palate yet with amazing restraint.
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1/21/2015 - Adam T 12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first of six bottles. Poured a glass from Coravin and decanted for an hour. Tannins were in full control at first but after a while the nose opened up and the palate softened, great fruit and length. I probably won't touch another bottle for 2-3 years but enjoyable now with a long decant. Others have written clean and polished, I agree.
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1/15/2015 - acyso wrote: 88 Points
Flickinger Tasting at The Casino (Chicago, IL): From magnum. A decidedly clean Chateauneuf-du-Pape, this was showing a whole hell of a lot of sweet purple and black fruit (plums, blackberries, you name it). A little too sweet for my tastes already, but very restrained and what I imagine is classical for CdP.
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1/15/2015 - Neecies Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dorks, blind tasting. Dense and intense, bloody, young, super saturated flavors. Great potential.
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1/11/2015 - michigan dogs Likes this wine: 93 Points
interesting, decanted for several hours, initially very fresh, taste was dominated by Grenache, evolved in the glass as it softened and some minerality and blood showed. Quite nice.
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1/8/2015 - julao Likes this wine: 95 Points
1 bot regale a Luis Wertman y otra la tomé...., muy cerrado. Un par de dias despues y WOW, aun cubirto x la fza de taninos, pero de gran fineza, una bomba de frutos rojos y negros, mermelada, pimienta blanca, menta y un sofisticado y rwfinado cedro q envuelve todo el paladar......voy guardar al menos 5 años antes de probar de nuevo. Un gran tesoro!!
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12/31/2014 - Longnose Gar wrote: 90 Points
Definitely too soon for this but it's showing some life. Dense and intense. Still mostly closed.
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12/25/2014 - _water.into.wine_ Likes this wine: 92 Points
Christmas cake in a glass! Deep purple, Cassis aromas, Good acidity, Fine tannins. Consumed on Christmas Day with my in laws who all liked it. I decanted for 8 hours and it didn't really budge so a seriously long life ahead. I know this is way to early, but I wanted to test it young. It obviously needs many years (5+) before it really comes into its own as slightly one dimensional for now. A possible slight disappointment given the RP96 and WS #8 of 2013. But I will reserve judgement until 2020 when I can revisit this again.
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12/20/2014 - jhieb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Needs five more years
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11/28/2014 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed a bit more than last tasting. Needs a lot more time to settle though. 93+
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11/22/2014 - Cheungtp Likes this wine: 94 Points
Altaya annual wine tasting (Hong Kong): This young Beaucastel has a surprisingly nice showing at such primary stage. Rich fruits, sweet spices, with solid backbone that signals long life ahead. Wonderful palate that's balanced and grippy, sweet tannins, juicy fruits and lifting acidity. Very enjoyable.
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11/15/2014 - madalyn Likes this wine: 90 Points
ok, may be a little early but after waiting way too long for the 1998 this was great
ill take my wine early instead of late!
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11/10/2014 - jonanator wrote: 93 Points
What a tremendous wine! Still a baby, but this already shows great promise that it will be a superstar in the future. This will be 95+ in time. I was surprised by how well this drank this early, classic Beaucastel profile. Definitely fun and delicious in its youth, but this will be a gem in the future.
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10/29/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
As presented by Francois Perrin... (Chicago, Illinois): generally speaking, 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 20% Everything else.
generally speaking 'best 10 yrs from vintage date, drinkable but complex, not over extracted. 'Wines that are a product of the historic place, as grapes disseminate across the globe.'
generally speaking, more mineral over fruit, balance in this here 2010. Great vintage. shows some kernel and kerosene for the nose. nowhere near the fruit expressed on either the Tourelles '10 or Sinards '11. dark berry aromas. lots of mineral and spice on the palate.
'a Protestant vintage' relative to the 2010 as 'Catholic.'
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10/26/2014 - Þórr Þunraz Likes this wine: 92 Points
It is much, much too early to drink this wine without a good 6-hour decanting.
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10/25/2014 - Edv wrote: 92 Points
Pourpre soutenu, il dégage au nez des arômes complexes de petits fruits, de goudron, d'épices douces et une présence marquée d'alcool. En bouche une sensation soyeuse sur des tanins lisses s'harmonisent et nous étonnent par une finesse non attendue. Il a été mis en carafe 1 heure. On pourra l'attendre encore 5 ans. Cependant, je m'attendais à un peu plus de punch et de mordant.
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10/17/2014 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 94 Points
2014 New York Wine Experience Trip; 10/14/2014-10/21/2014 (New York City, NY): Deep ruby and very floral on the nose, this wine also offers notes of mixed bramble fruits, dry earth, licorice and garrigue. It is fresh and full-bodied, with medium fine-grained tannins, nicely integrated alcohol and subtle oak. The wine remains harmonious and balanced throughout the middle and closes with a very long, herb-laced finish. This is an outstanding iteration of Beaucastel. Give it a couple of years in the cellar and then enjoy it over the next 10-12 years. Drink 2016-2028.
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10/1/2014 - rossi.wine wrote: 93 Points
From jeroboam. Rich fruit, cherries, bramble, spices, fruit cake, woodsmoke. Pretty dense and closed on the palate, well structured, powerful, but ripe tannins, a bit of heat, great length. In an odd place right now, but I have no doubt that it will be superb with a couple of more years in bottle. 92-93+(+)
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9/22/2014 - forceberry wrote: 91 Points
Served after 3-4 hours of decanting.
Practically opaque dark cherry red color. Somewhat odd and quite closed, even somewhat mute nose with rustic aromas of leather, peeled apple, some roasted meat aromas, a little bit of smoke and a hint of something rubbery. The wine feels very intense, concentrated and chewy on the palate with rich flavors of ripe strawberry, peppery spice, roasted spices, some sweet VA character, light earthy tones of barnyard and sous-bois, a hint of leather and a touch of ripe dark plums. The structure is quite taut with moderate acidity and firm, ample tannins. The finish is warm, very complex and very powerful with persistent flavors of ripe dark fruits, peppery spice, earthy sous-bois tones, some perfumed floral character, a little bit of leather and a hint of sweet boysenberry. The tannins lend a pretty grippy, mouthdrying note to the aftertaste.
A very weird, funky and at times a bit closed example of Beaucastel. From the very concentrated and almost extracted feel you can immediately notice how this wine is from an exceptional vintage, but this feels just going through a dumb phase. Now the wine lacks fruit and expression, making the angular structure and the typical funkier elements of Beaucastel stick out somewhat. I have no doubts that the wine will become spectacular given enough age, but now it is in a very difficult, unexpressive phase and thus a bit hard to assess. Will most likely gain much more points with cellar age - thus the rating is a bit on the conservative side.
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9/17/2014 - carlsport Likes this wine: 94 Points
Enjoyed this via PnP at the Parker House Inn. Was a little nervous about the lack of decant and young age, but this was good from the start and was really singing by the last glass about an hour after opening. My wife (prefers white wine mostly) even enjoyed the fruit and smoothness of this wine. A little white pepper at the start, but more like peppercorn after an hour in the glass. Lovely.
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9/14/2014 - doctornoah wrote: 91 Points
Plum, cherry, baking spice, anise. Ripe, softer-than-expected tannins with a fairly dry finish and good but not quite bright acidity. Not a trace of Brett. Very, very primary. Out of a 375. Would expect some beautiful nuance in 10-20yrs. Wouldn't bother opening between now and then though.
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7/12/2014 - Decanting fool wrote:
Sometimes a wine is like a beautiful girl that gives you a big wet kiss and then after you fall in love, she goes away for a long time and don't come back until she's all grown up.
I gave this wine a glowing review some months ago when I drank a couple of bottles that were simply stunning.
Well, that juicy girl has gone away.
The most recent bottle I tasted, while delicious, was backward and contracted, if not quite shut down. I would say at this point several years of cellaring are mandatory. The wine is a masterpiece. But this is not the time to drink it. Don't even think about it.
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6/3/2014 - danstrings wrote: 88 Points
Hmmm, more reduced this time and almost a spritzy note behind the nice dark brambly fruit. .375 bottle variation I guess
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6/1/2014 - Marc wrote: 94 Points
Glengarry Wines - "Superstars of the Rhone Valley" tasting; 5/31/2014-6/1/2014 (Glengarry Wines and Spirits, Victoria Park, Auckland, New Zealand): Young purple. Modern (for a Beaucastel) in style, fat and detailed. Open, but with distinct leathery, stemmy and earthy nuance. This is clean as a whistle but has great clarity and cut. Fabulous wine. 94-95
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5/31/2014 - Uglypinga wrote:
Nose of strawberries, chocolate, raspberries and flowery notes. The palate is bright but a little muddled as it is so young. Very tasty. Loving it.
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4/20/2014 - danstrings Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow, just better and better, and in half bottle! So silky juicy refreshingly good... Loads of cassis-y dark fruit, a hint of the CdP garrigue/bramblyness. Some licorice and violet.
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4/18/2014 - Sotto325 wrote: 90 Points
This will undoubtedly be higher with time. After so many outstanding reviews, I was surprised to find the bottle ,after 1 1/2 hours of decanting, to be out of balance, predominantly tannic and only hinting of the lush center stewed blueberry/granache flavors that will emerge. I have enjoyed Beaucastels since their legendary 1967, so found this atypical.I do not know if others have had a similar experience-- I do not think it is entering hibernation. Revisit in a year or two.
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4/8/2014 - richardkim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bold nose of blackberry jam. Medium in body. Flavors of blackberry, blueberry, and hints of espresso and stone. Tight tannins now, but everything is well balanced.
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4/1/2014 - chatters wrote:
Working with wine 2014 seminar 1 - Rhone varieties (Sofitel, Sydney): ripe red berry bruit, rich, perfumed, some spice and ripe garrigue notes, sandalwood and touches of cedar, slight creamy notes. A complex and welcoming nose. In the mouth the wine has rich red and black berry fruit flavours that are more savoury than sweet, then spice with touches of bitter coffee. The spice begins to take a more peppery turn. There is discernable, mouth filling tannin that adds to the overall textured complexity but the whole wine is in such balance of fruit, spice, acidity and tannin. Very long and very, very nice. Difficult to spit.
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3/1/2014 - Decanting fool wrote:
To put a number on a wine like this is like trying to give the universe a score. It is epic and majestic, a force of nature rarely harnessed in anything but the greatest wine. It's a work of art and it belongs outside the box of point for point comparison... Approaching this wine is like standing at the foot of a holy mountain. And it's at the very beginning of its long evolution. One of the best Beaucastels I've tasted.
I couldn't help myself and opened another bottle a week later. It really stands apart from the herd.
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2/16/2014 - rexmerlot wrote: 92 Points
Clear dark purple. Clean nose of strawberry and raspberry. Dry, med body, med acidity, nice elegant tannins, strawberry, earth, and licorice on palate. Great wine but would have enjoyed more with food.
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1/27/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 94 Points
Heady blend of black fruit, earth, kirsch. Needs much cellar time but what a beauty this is going to be some day. The only thing wrong with waiting ten years to try it again is that I'll be ten years older. WAAAAA!
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1/25/2014 - Strikermax wrote: 93 Points
Donkerrood, geen verkleuring. In de geur lactisch en bloemig. In de mond veel fruit, kruiden, redelijke concentratie. Zachte tannines, mediumlang. Een moderne Chateauneuf, dat het om Beaucastel ging verbaasde me. 93+
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1/21/2014 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind at a wine tasting.
Dark garnet color int he glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of Graham cracker, berries, cherries and plums. Flavors of berries, raspberries, cherries and plums. Bright acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Hold.
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1/21/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
With equal amounts of 30% Grenache and 30% Mourvedre along with different amounts of the other 11 allowed grape varietals, this is stuffed with luscious dark red berries, black pepper, fresh herbs, kirsch and earth. Deep, powerful and structured to age, it's informative to taste young, but 8-10 years in the cellar are going to really make this beautiful, but young expression of Beaucastel come alive.
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1/1/2014 - danstrings Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow!!! Gorgeous wine, loaded with brambly juicy fruit and candied licorice and cherries... One of the best Beaucastels I've had in a while!
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1/1/2014 - RickyT12 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Strawberry and raspberry jam nose, hints of black tea. Raspberry flavors, strawberry with seeds. Little green flavors on the nose and palette. Nice wine. Black fruit. Light weight. Like it, but not sure about how long it will last.
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12/30/2013 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Tough to know what to make of this. It is very light for such a highly rated wine, medium body at best. Partially translucent crimson in color. Mourvèdre dominates the nose; it's quite pretty, showing oodles of red fruits and berries, pepper, and various teas...then again, it's Mourvèdre, and difficult to get excited about. Grenache comes across as a lesser percentage of the blend, not as equal parts to the Mourvèdre. Syrah is all but drowned out. Wafting notes of minerality, earth, salinity, and smoke fade in and out. Noticably high alcohol.
The palate shows loads of juicy red fruits and various teas; more traditional notes linger in the background. The mid palate features good acid, the back and finish good structure. Quite hot. It is a pleasure to smell and taste.
This fruit forward, showy, juicy wine leans heavily to the New World. Acid is solid, but structure and grip are moderate. If this is a 20 year wine, then I clearly do not understand the riddle that is Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I am glad that I did not buy this though. I do not think it will score higher than 93 points and I would not count on it lasting for twenty years, even 15 years may be iffy. Overall, it seems overrated and overpriced.
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12/29/2013 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 92 Points
The color is garnet and nearly opaque. The smells are currants, pepper, tar, and stone. This is tight. The tastes are pepper, sweet spices, currants, cherries, and sour red fruits. This wine is quite tannic and complex and needs a few years rest. The tannins are like furry velvet. This wine finishes well with notes of espresso.
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12/29/2013 - SonnyChiba wrote: 92 Points
91-92pts. Decanted for quite some time and needed it. After several hours decant and time in the glass it improved quite a bit. Classic white pepper, ripe red fruits on the nose. Strawberry, raspberry jam, not over the top, but quite sweet. A bit of fruit roll up flavor as well. Old world style nose, new world palate. Didn't blow me away. Not as dense as the 07' or 08' (which I prefer over this one), but similar to the 09'. I liked this wine, but not as good as some other 2010 Chateauneuf Du Pape I have tried (like the Saint Prefert for example). Will hold other bottle for a bit longer and see how this comes together.
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12/26/2013 - RayOB wrote: 93 Points
Drank in the Alps
As per my previous notes the '10s CNDPs are really lovely. With a rich full mouth and a lovely length. Of course this is still very young but I cannot seem to resist having a glass if it is on the menu.
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12/14/2013 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Monopole: Opaque scarlet purple; kirsch, stewed red plum, dried herbs, juniper, alcohol fumes, licorice, lavender; rich, soft supple velvety mouth, coriander, cherry, tons of concentration, sappy, high alcohol, but lots of complexity too. Medium + tannins, good acidity, great balance for such a big wine, long finish. Extremely young.
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11/27/2013 - Stockgorilla wrote: 86 Points
WS13#8
Don't waste your money drinking this before 18. Full bodied. Fruity, pepper, undertones of cherry. Beautiful long long smooth finish. Don't touch!!
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11/1/2013 - Lipin Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep aromas of violets, blackberry and smoke. Dense and rich on the palate, the layers of fruit and texture are just pure sexy and will turn into quite a beauty after 5 or so years. My favorite ever from Beaucastel.
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10/20/2013 - budh wrote: 92 Points
Not sure if this is typical for a young Beaucastel (it's my first)? Tastes like a CA central coast Syrah or GSM to me - very ripe fruit (aromas are dark - blackberry, plum, dark cherry; flavors include some redder berries and cherries), silky heavy tannins, and baking spices. It does have some meaty (bacon), earthy aromas, and a little barnyard, which make it seem a little more CdP-like (or just Mourvedre blend-like). Full bodied, good acidity, long finish with the pruney fruit & smooth tannins. Great balance - the fruit forwardness is matched by good tannin and acidity levels. Definitely young, but drinking nicely now - I don't think it has closed down yet.
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10/18/2013 - dmlopiccolo wrote: 90 Points
Closed down now, don't open it for awhile.
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10/15/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 90 Points
Wine & Spirits Top 100 Tasting (City Walk @ Metreon, San Francisco, CA): Spicy red fruit; palate is full bodied, dense midpalate tannins, good blackberry fruit. Solid but not compelling. 90-91
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10/12/2013 - chatters wrote:
farmyard, horse sweat, saddle leather, brooding and muted black and red fruit notes as well as some spice. In the mouth there are sweet red berry fruit flavours, spice notes. Very youthful. Hmm.
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10/4/2013 - Martinryan wrote: 96 Points
For its young age it's elegance balance is already obvious. It will grow into something magnificent, it is already very good
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10/3/2013 - walkerjfw wrote:
At Gary's Grand tasting. I am a big Beaucastel Cdp fan, this one is very young.
This one may be in a closed phase, you see this with CdP on occasion. They drink well for first 3-4 years and close until 8+. The palate/mouthfeel is very nice. Cherries, cinnamon, smokiness, herbs.
Will defintley improve - would leave until 2018+. Big upside with age, will hold off on numeric rating until this opens again to give a fair assessment
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9/17/2013 - pjaines wrote:
Extremely tight and firm at the moment but there is a plush and elegant feel on the palate. Leave for 10 years.
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9/13/2013 - winelegends.net Likes this wine: 95 Points
Eine der schönsten Farben seit langer Zeit.
Dunkles Rot mit lila Einschlag.
Von Anfang an Früchtekompott,Pflaumen,Kirschen,leicht rauchig ,würzig und alles sehr rein und frisch vorgetragen.
Saftig,fleischig,dazukommend ein Hauch Leder sowie eine florale Komponente.
Leicht prägend,frische gut integrierte Säure ,leicht alkoholisch was aber das Zusammenspiel nicht wirklich stört.
Wirklich langer ,rotfruchtig ,leicht prägender Abgang.
Schon fast ein bisschen sexy.
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8/21/2013 - Votefordennis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fantastic
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8/17/2013 - Brook23 wrote: 93 Points
Powerful aroma of dark fruits. Robust on the palate, herb and smoke elements with plenty of acidity. Will improve.
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7/10/2013 - rossi.wine wrote: 94 Points
Nose: Cherries, fruit cake, cinnamon, incense, savoury notes, bacon, fur. Quite refined on the palate, great acidity and grip, fruit, spicy, good balance, firm but sweet tannins, long. A touch of alcohol. Too young now, should improve substantially, great potential.
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6/21/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 93 Points
Popped, poured, followed over next 90 minutes. Continually opened and revealed its charms. Still, I felt it was more open when I last tasted it. Could be beginning to close down. Lots of potential here.
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5/28/2013 - huse wrote: 90 Points
A young but already quite approachable Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Varietal composition : 30 % Mourvèdre, 30 % Grenache, 10 % Syrah, 10 % Counoise, 5 % Cinsault and 15 % other grape varieties (Vaccarèse, Muscardin, Terret noir, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Picardan, Roussanne). Maturation : one year in large oak barrels and one year in bottle. Decanted: one hour prior to consumption. A dark purple-red colored wine with a fruit forward nose of blackberry, kirsch, leather, lavender and a touch of smokiness. Not too powerful but rather refined palate dominated by lush cherry and cassis fruit and supported by a fresh acidity. Well elevated tannins in the finish. It will improve with additional time in the bottle.
Een jonge, maar al heel toegankelijke Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Samenstelling: 30 % Mourvèdre, 30 % Grenache, 10 % Syrah, 10 % Counoise, 5 % Cinsault en 15 % andere druivensoorten (Vaccarèse, Muscardin, Terret noir, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Picardan). Rijping: één jaar op grote eiken vaten en één jaar in de fles. Gedecanteerd: één uur vóór consumptie. Donker paarsrood van kleur en een bijzonder fruitige neus van braambessen, kirsch, leder, lavendel en wat rokerige nuances. Niet te krachtig maar eerder verfijnd smaakpatroon, dat gedomineerd wordt door weelderig fruit van kers en cassis, mooi ondersteund door een frisse aciditeit. Een afdronk met al goed versmolten tannines. Deze wijn zal zeker nog verbeteren met wat meer flessenrust.
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5/1/2013 - mattyboy_ Likes this wine: 95 Points
McCarthy & Schiering - Chateau de Beaucastel Tasting (Seattle Wine Storage): Cherry, plum, kirsch, ripe fig, pepper, and garrigue. Lush and full on the palate with good depth of fruit. Voluptuous, and dense with round chewy tannins.
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4/29/2013 - Philippe_C wrote: 94 Points
Nose of musc, peperonis, ripe black cherries, spices, white peper... taste of ripe red cherries, very sweet tannins, mineral, nice freshness, hint of greeness in the finish... the blanding of cépages is better than each cépage separately (94/100)
Cépage Cinsault:
Nose of choux rouge, groseille, hint of vegetal... very dry and tannic, choux rouge juice, a hint of vegetal
Cépage Terret Noir:
Nose of black fruit, licorice, minerality, black chocolate... very nice acidity, ripe red cherries, groseille, hard tannins, terre, rustique
Cépage Vaccarèse:
Light nose of black cherries, black characoal, mineral... very tannic, very fresh acidity
Cépage Muscardin:
Nose of green peperoni, red cherries, spicy, animal, frourrure, gibier, meaty... taste very light, fruity, hint of tannins
Cépage counoise:
Nose of menthol, black fruit, hint of vegetal, white peper... taste of ripe cherries, very ripe tannins, red and black cherries, nice balance
Cépage Grenache:
Nice nose of red cherries, oriental spices... very sweet taste, powerful, ripe red cherries
Cépage Syrah:
Nose of black cherries, chocolate, gibier à poils, violette... very ripe tannins, black cherries, chocolate, very fruity
Cépage Mourvèdre:
Nose of animal, peperonis, black and red cherries, gibier à poil,... very powerful, loads of ripe tannins, black fruit, nice freshness in the finish, delicious!!
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4/28/2013 - stassivo wrote:
Famille Perrin tasting event (Brussels): Rather closed dark fruit at the nose. Fruity explosion on the palate, very deep but also many acids and big tannins which make it rather awkward at the moment. Everything is there but it will need a lot of time to come together, patience.
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3/25/2013 - RayOB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank at Davy's
The '10s CNDPs really are excellent. This is a great example and is consistently good. See previous notes.
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3/24/2013 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
Dense, rigid and primary, but I'm excited for what the future holds. Seems more ripe and clean than 2009, though this is just a baby.
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3/3/2013 - Ary Likes this wine: 95 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape semi-blind tasting by Vin Gilles (Restaurant Harkema Amsterdam): Nearly black purple color. Loads of kirsch and spices-cake tones on the nose. Elegant and very powerful, cherries, licorice and soft integrated tannins on the very well balanced palate. One of the best wines of the evening, bit more monolithic than Pegau at the moment. 95+
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2/25/2013 - kenhoeve wrote: 91 Points
Very tightly coiled. Balanced, integrated tannins, but not much else beside a very strong impression of carmelized spicecake. Needs time.
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2/23/2013 - riskun Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quite dark as to be expected. Black fruit nose with coffee, chocolate, tar. Not a strong nose but it grows on you. Opened up over time to a sharper fruit with vanilla wood coming through. Very strong flavours on entry in a mid-weight beast. Not heavily extracted either just a very strong flavour profile. Tons of tobacco and tar in a very dark fruit backdrop. A bit of spice almost like cumin instead of black pepper. The complexity is daunting. Not extremely tannic actually, but very long. Brooding and masculine, this is not my favourite style but it is a great example of the appellation and very well made. The combination of mid-weight with such a strong and complex flavour profile is interesting. I will buy more just to follow it as it ages.
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2/17/2013 - cr84 wrote: 95 Points
The nose is hidden but dense, revealing quite a lot of power in the second nose- the dress is well concentrated. Definitely multidimensional; although it is an awesome effort, my bet is to wait until it has its power transformed into finesse. (95+ points)
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2/15/2013 - MusignyBlanc wrote:
This is, to use a wine cliche, "still primary." After an hour in the decanter, some of the sweeter fruit finally started to show. Dense and structured, this will be a very nice wine. But I think that there are many other 2010's with much better qpr.
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2/3/2013 - lumpyelbow wrote:
LCBO Sample: Very bing cherry and a bit simple. Would never guess Beaucastel blind. Fine sweet tannin but I would expect more weight. Questioning sample integrity.
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1/25/2013 - affordableCollector wrote: 91 Points
clear, maroon, in the color. plum, blackberry, black currant, dirt, spice, white pepper, smoke, oak, on the nose. medium to low acid, medium tannins, on this lush finish.
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1/25/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 94 Points
Popped, poured, followed over next hour. Layers of dark and red fruit, laced with a drawerful of spice, a hint of vanilla, some iron/mineral/beef blood, and overtones of leather. A little more elegance and finesse than the other wines in the line-up. Wonderful balance, excellent intensity and persistence. Extra points for just being delicious. Strikes my palate as a classic Beaucastel in the making. Excellent now and packed for the future. 94+
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1/25/2013 - kosinski wrote:
Nose seems to have blown off compared with earlier tastes. Surprisingly forward for a Beaucastel, it offers up ripe cherry and red berry flavors with spice and leather undertones. May have closed down after 10 minutes or so in the glass.
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1/25/2013 - llink wrote:
I don't know what to make of the nose, as it shows more like a Barolo than a CdP. I get road tar, iodine, licorice and olive tapenaude notes, with some stewed fruit embedded on the background. Dark and glass staining showing black/purple fruit that is closed for the moment. Spicy palate but very much a brute at present, with very drying almost astringent tannins. I hope this improves in bottle as it is a little weird at the moment.
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1/6/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): Inky garnet color. Notes of black cherry, licorice and roasted herbs. Full-bodied, with flavors of cherries, black currants, pepper and spice. Develops an incense quality in the bouquet, and a harshness on the finish.
My #4, Domino's #4
Group #4, 54 pts
(1 x 1st place vote)
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11/13/2012 - Double-A Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ripe blackberry nose with clove, cinnamon and vanilla spice notes. Dark and juicy, ripe and balanced; long, primary finish. 750mL
4/5
*375mL was similar but with more warmth and spice.
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11/15/2011 - RayOB wrote: 95 Points
Drank at Goedhius Wine Tasting
An excellent sample if the 2010. Massive full body loads of fruit and you can tell even now that this is going to develop into something wonderful
Stock up and hold
94-98
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11/15/2011 - roquenroell Likes this wine: 92 Points
HUGE wine, rich opulent with plenty of fruit. Rich tannins good balance. Fermentation still going on.
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