This continues to develop well. The full-bodied wine is packed with smoked meat, green olives, herbs, black raspberries, and peppery kirsch. It harnesses all its power and magically turns elegant on the palate, with a sweetness and spicy note to the layers of fruit in the long finish. This is one of the better agers in the appellation as it is still going strong at 25 after most wines have already faded. There is no upside to further cellaring, so if you have a bottle, drink it as it is as good as it will get. Drink from 2023-2030.
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Pulled this out on a Tuesday’sh utilitarian afterwork essential home grub meal with kids and distractions aplenty. Popped and poured and WOW this ‘98 Cotes du Rhone Reserve is dynamite. Gulped half the bottle down quenching thirst and washing down gruel when I noticed it was the CdP Reserve not the CdR. My only bottle of the ‘98. Inky, concentrated juicy fruited, nice exotic spices, regal tannins - a complete if bombastic wine. Got 99,00, and 01’s and no more look alike CdR Reserve so no more mistakes. It is likely I am not the only one to mix them up as they have changed the CdR Reserve label since.
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Color is deep rusty red. Nose reveals a bit of funk, kir, and herbs. Taste is spot on for aged CdP - very smooth, a bit of barnyard in the background, pepper, olive, and iron balanced by red fruit. Unlikely to get any better, but the window for staying near the peak should be at least another 10 years with good provenance.
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Dark red with orange rim. Ripe cherries and plums, some garrigue. Thick, full-bodied and smooth with a creamy mouthfeel. An excellent CdP from a terrific year. Still very good.
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Decanted about 30 min. Fully mature and ready to go. Nice but subtle Mourvèdre nose, smooth palate, easy to drink. Stayed the same for a couple hours until gone.
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Wine Tasting Group - No Theme - Oct. 12, 2019 (Classic): Kirsch aromas with red and black cherries, herbs and garrigue. Ripe blackberries and some blueberries on the palate, with kirsch, mild garrigue, and a hint of dark chocolate. Acids are on the lower side. This tasted younger and beefier than the 2000 Usseglio.
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2016 CdP (and some other wines over dinner) (NY Racquet and Tennis Club): Yep - definitely a fan of this wine. Perhaps contender for me as WOTN although part of that is we had some trouble with other bottles. This was delicious. Well structured. Well aged although lots of life left (and actually I think it might benefit from some more years). Great fruit, great spice. I really enjoyed it.
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P&p, powerful nose but a nice mature mouthfeel, classical cdp, masculine, beef blood, hard to follow after the 3 burgundies - 76 Ampeau Santenots, 96 Ampeau Santenots & 12 Mortet Gevrey 1er Cru 92
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Upon opening lots of iron and beefblood here; cool, calm and collected no signs iof aging, at twenty years, this is still a quite young wine with primary fruit intact. A Bordeaux-lovers neuf, this one, classy wine.
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Acker Auction - April 2018 (Marea in NYC): This was a pleasant surprise for me (and did make me consider bidding on these). Really nice spot. Tasted like a ripe sour red fruit so there was a nice balance between the sweet and sour sides. In a very good spot. Had expected it to be a bit over the top given other '98s, but not at all.
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2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Jeff opened this after the tasting. Ruby/purple in color. This smells like it should. Some cherries, macerated cherries and barnyard. It hit me that this is what was missing from all the 2015's. Love that earthiness. Does it develop? I doubt it. Anyway, on the palate, this is very nice with layers of black cherry fruit and damp earth. Tannins are resolved. It seems to be at peak or slightly past but drinking quite well. 20 years from vintage with plenty of life left it all one can ask. Thanks Jeff for the treat.
Still youthful, the wine is full bodied, rich, deep, long, concentrated and complex. Meaty, with loads of spice and dark red fruits, this full bodied, should continue giving pleasure for at least a decade, if not longer.
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This bottle, which was purchased on release, had a lot of sediment. The red/purple center and light red rims were bright and impressive. However, medium intensity nose was rather wood oriented (toasty) at first. However, after several hours of air it showed blackberries, smoked meat, brown spices, and raspberries.
In the mouth, this wine was silky and suave with light rounded tannin, solid acidity, and very good length. As the wine aired, the smoked wood flavors receded and the fruit flavors strengthened. It had an attractive jammy quality in the mouth that was rich but never heavy.
While not the most sophisticated wine, this was a lovely mouthful. While it was certainly in the drinking zone, I would guess it will remain at this level for 10 years or so. Enjoy!
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Lively fruity bouquet; in the mouth it is concentrated, cool with kirsch galore. Dry style, certainly. On day 2, it remains a cool cat, broadens just a bit with more local feel, Grand Vin, certainly, but less embracing than Pegau.
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Nose very sappy and fruity , a bit of age smell on nose but not unpleasant, deep colour some age in the colour by disguised by the depth of colour , excellent taste on palate, no aclcohol note despite 14 pc.Hot on the nose after a while which comes with the territory. Really good drink and tops from the region but the south via its heaviness and robustness is never going to give u brilliant wines
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Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Non carafé mais laissé respirer pendant 2 heures. Couleur amarante avec nuances brique. Arômes de vieille cave, d'écurie pour débuter, ensuite mieux sur la prune, l'eau-de-vie mais nez jamais totalement pur. En bouche, le vin est moyennement corsé et complexe, assez simple et monocorde même mais agréable à boire. Tanins fondus, bonne longueur. Apogée dépassé selon moi. Trop cher pour ce que c'est !
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): Ripe black berries and jam, dark chocolate, liqueur and leather. Rich, ripe and concentrated black fruit flavors that are mature, but still well balanced. Just slightly one-note for me.
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Drank W&FSNY dinner at Zuma, this wine can use decanting of at least an hour to soften the gorgeous support the tannins provide this big, beautiful, rich and textured ripe cherry, plum and blackberry combo. Herbs, fig, chocolate flower, olive, lead pencil, this delicious wine seduces all the senses.
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Dégustation GEEU chez Enrico (Geneva): Non décanté mais ouvert environ 2 heures avant de déguster. Robe grenat avec reflets brique. Nez étrange, pas net, de bois mouillé, de serpillière, ne s'améliorant pas à l'aération. En bouche, le vin est nettement meilleur, proposant une belle suavité et une bonne longueur. A revoir.
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Ok. I was hoping for so much more. This is still pretty primary for a 16yo bottle of wine. Somewhat big, somewhat grapey, etc. If I'd gone to someone's house for a barbecue and they'd handed me a glass of this, I'd have said "This is a tasty glass of wine". But is it classic aged CDP? I think not. I could have guessed all day and not picked CDP here. I guess this was the beginning of the Parker Internationalization Of All Wine stage. Again, this is very well made and tasty wine, but no way to tell CDP vs all the other possibilities.
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Amazing nose, full-bodied in the mouth. Only decanted for half and hour and I suspect could have done with more as the final glass was the best of the lot...
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With so many of my end of the century CDPs showing badly, thank God for this wine. It had a purple color with a wonderful bouquet of sweet leather, and with a sweet leather and plum taste. It had wonderful balance with lots of nuance and a long finish. A wine to be remembered.
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Deep dark red; nose a bit closed first but opened up nicely after an hour in the decanter; ripe cherries and plums, some garrigue; thick and full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel, smooth tannins. Long finish. Still excellent!
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KYD #1.3: Very earthy nose that is very closed with just a little lavender shining through. The palate is compact and concentrated with very powerful harsh tannins. Very spicy and a wild and crazy structure with an acidity that is through the roof. Huge potential but not showing at its best this evening. 94-97p
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Dark, but opened nicely with a few hours of decanting. A roasted note that bordered on heat damage that kind of spoiled it for me. Most liked it - I was in the minority.
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See note from April, but just less so. I think this bottle was a little underdeveloped, or may have needed more time in the decanter (@3 and 1/2 hrs.). Still an excellent wine with great potential, just not quite showing it tonight.
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Opened for 2 hours and drank over next two. Pleasant but not great. Tasted like a second growth Bordeaux from a solid year. Not much on the nose. Very reserved on the palate. Tanins noticible but not unpleasant. Some notes of cedar and black fruit.
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A magnificent, virtually perfect wine, and WOTN against 23 other 1998 Chateauneufs, including Hommage Jacques Perrin, Bonneau Celestins, and many others of that calibre. Unlike many of the others tasted that evening, no hint of heat stress, no soupiness. Olive tapenade, leather, some maraschino cherry, good barnyard, not bretty. Tannins ripe but still holding everything in check for further glory.
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Decanted 2 hours ahead. Very dark reddish violet. Tight nose of deep, dense black fruit, forest floor, spice and earth that just never opened up despite multiple swirlings and shakings of the decanter. Palate also shows a powerrful fruit density and firm balanced tannins with decent acidty and a strong mineral presence. We were aching for this to match 'expressiveness' to go with its formidable structure. I suppose it will take 5-10 years to become truly charming (unlike its 'little brother' which we recently enjoyed the heck out of). 93++
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Dark and completely undeveloped appearance. Deep, lush, pure fruit on the nose and palate without being overwhelming, but there is a hint of surmaturite here. Very long and seemingly with a lot of development ahead of it as it is still not showing a great deal of complexity. I was much more impressed with the balance and restraint of this wine than I was with my one prior bottle, which was soupy and less focused.
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Drunk after the standard Caillou CNDP '98. Had been decanted 2 hours. Deep red / purple no signs of aging. Very expressive nose spice, fruit even some forest floor. Huge sweet fruit on the palate - some tannins, bet sweet and integrated. Very smooth mouthfeel and no heat, some spice and pepper and good balancing acidity supporting the swett fruit and tannins. The finish just went on and on truely impressive. This was a wine I just sniffed and sipped for ages. Much more complexity than the standard bottling (which is good enough!)
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This is a terrific CDP. It softened up after the first day. Full-bodied and elegant. Wonderful taste. Unfortunately, the "syrupy" style of the CDPs is not my cup of tea. But I'll probably keep a few bottles around to drink.
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Dinner With Mainly Rhones ('98 Centenaire, Caillou Res., Vieille Jul. Res.) (Vancouver): This is a huge wine. On the nose, peat moss, iron and clean horse. On the palate, superfine tannins, but surprisingly open and accessible. Needs time, but drinks well now. Big red fruit, dried herbs and minerals. Very smooth in the mouth with a long finish. Towards the end of the night, this wine opens even more and was improving still. A great wine.
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WOW, this is concentrated...a friend at the tasting said I want to start with the notes for this flight (de Capo, Centenaire also) "100, 100 , 100 that is all I have to say" to which someone called him a furit whore and he thought that way ok. The Caillou Reserve was rich, elegant and major league concentrated. Maybe the best nose of the flight this wine also just lingered on the palate. I look forward to drinking the three of these again in 15 years for my taste I have to believe that the time will only help them.
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Aromas of ginger bread, raisin box, black cherry, and prune; light tobacco and licorice notes as well. The texture is just amazing - with a finish that goes on forever. Great now, this will be even better in a few years. Although highly extracted, this wine seems to be outgrowing the flashiness I noted - and was concerned about - when I opened an experimental bottle upon release; the '98 is evolving into what I would consider a more typical, though still large scaled, Chateauneuf. This wine is teaching me a lesson about how some of these super-concentrated Chateauneufs might show as the fruit starts to fall away...
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Midnight black color. Deep dark, ripe fruit and black raspberry along with pepper and spice. Thick, rich and dense. The long, pepper, black and red fruit finish lasts over sixty seconds.
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BIG, fat and lush. In the same style as Mordoree CNP Reine des Bois '98. Tons of fruit (black/red), a touch of oak -a bit flashy, but the extraction and freshness are impressive. The tannins and acid are well-burried within the juicy fruit. There is no denying that this is very good wine - made in a new-school style. I assume this wine will age well - not sure what kind of evolution to expect from these more modern, super-extracted CNPs. Purchased four more bottles just to see what happens...
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11/25/2023 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points
This continues to develop well. The full-bodied wine is packed with smoked meat, green olives, herbs, black raspberries, and peppery kirsch. It harnesses all its power and magically turns elegant on the palate, with a sweetness and spicy note to the layers of fruit in the long finish. This is one of the better agers in the appellation as it is still going strong at 25 after most wines have already faded. There is no upside to further cellaring, so if you have a bottle, drink it as it is as good as it will get. Drink from 2023-2030.
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10/12/2021 - Tgood wrote: 97 Points
Pulled this out on a Tuesday’sh utilitarian afterwork essential home grub meal with kids and distractions aplenty. Popped and poured and WOW this ‘98 Cotes du Rhone Reserve is dynamite. Gulped half the bottle down quenching thirst and washing down gruel when I noticed it was the CdP Reserve not the CdR. My only bottle of the ‘98. Inky, concentrated juicy fruited, nice exotic spices, regal tannins - a complete if bombastic wine. Got 99,00, and 01’s and no more look alike CdR Reserve so no more mistakes. It is likely I am not the only one to mix them up as they have changed the CdR Reserve label since.
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1/2/2021 - Mark Fister Likes this wine: 94 Points
Color is deep rusty red. Nose reveals a bit of funk, kir, and herbs. Taste is spot on for aged CdP - very smooth, a bit of barnyard in the background, pepper, olive, and iron balanced by red fruit. Unlikely to get any better, but the window for staying near the peak should be at least another 10 years with good provenance.
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12/26/2020 - winesnout wrote: 95 Points
Dark red with orange rim. Ripe cherries and plums, some garrigue. Thick, full-bodied and smooth with a creamy mouthfeel. An excellent CdP from a terrific year. Still very good.
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9/5/2020 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Decanted about 30 min. Fully mature and ready to go. Nice but subtle Mourvèdre nose, smooth palate, easy to drink. Stayed the same for a couple hours until gone.
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10/26/2019 - canan wrote: 97 Points
BYO - Rasmus: Sweet elegant plum fruit with a touch of coffee. Intense and beautiful wine. Impressive!
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10/12/2019 - James Kim Likes this wine: 89 Points
Wine Tasting Group - No Theme - Oct. 12, 2019 (Classic): Kirsch aromas with red and black cherries, herbs and garrigue. Ripe blackberries and some blueberries on the palate, with kirsch, mild garrigue, and a hint of dark chocolate. Acids are on the lower side. This tasted younger and beefier than the 2000 Usseglio.
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5/23/2019 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
2016 CdP (and some other wines over dinner) (NY Racquet and Tennis Club): Yep - definitely a fan of this wine. Perhaps contender for me as WOTN although part of that is we had some trouble with other bottles. This was delicious. Well structured. Well aged although lots of life left (and actually I think it might benefit from some more years). Great fruit, great spice. I really enjoyed it.
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5/20/2019 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
P&p, powerful nose but a nice mature mouthfeel, classical cdp, masculine, beef blood, hard to follow after the 3 burgundies - 76 Ampeau Santenots, 96 Ampeau Santenots & 12 Mortet Gevrey 1er Cru
92
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12/24/2018 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Upon opening lots of iron and beefblood here; cool, calm and collected no signs iof aging, at twenty years, this is still a quite young wine with primary fruit intact. A Bordeaux-lovers neuf, this one, classy wine.
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10/11/2018 - europat55 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: B++ Palate: B++/A-
My #8, Group's #9 (101 pts). Tasted Blind.
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4/7/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker Auction - April 2018 (Marea in NYC): This was a pleasant surprise for me (and did make me consider bidding on these). Really nice spot. Tasted like a ripe sour red fruit so there was a nice balance between the sweet and sour sides. In a very good spot. Had expected it to be a bit over the top given other '98s, but not at all.
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3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 93 Points
2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Jeff opened this after the tasting. Ruby/purple in color. This smells like it should. Some cherries, macerated cherries and barnyard. It hit me that this is what was missing from all the 2015's. Love that earthiness. Does it develop? I doubt it. Anyway, on the palate, this is very nice with layers of black cherry fruit and damp earth. Tannins are resolved. It seems to be at peak or slightly past but drinking quite well. 20 years from vintage with plenty of life left it all one can ask. Thanks Jeff for the treat.
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1/25/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Still youthful, the wine is full bodied, rich, deep, long, concentrated and complex. Meaty, with loads of spice and dark red fruits, this full bodied, should continue giving pleasure for at least a decade, if not longer.
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10/8/2017 - fclarity wrote: 94 Points
This bottle, which was purchased on release, had a lot of sediment. The red/purple center and light red rims were bright and impressive. However, medium intensity nose was rather wood oriented (toasty) at first. However, after several hours of air it showed blackberries, smoked meat, brown spices, and raspberries.
In the mouth, this wine was silky and suave with light rounded tannin, solid acidity, and very good length. As the wine aired, the smoked wood flavors receded and the fruit flavors strengthened. It had an attractive jammy quality in the mouth that was rich but never heavy.
While not the most sophisticated wine, this was a lovely mouthful. While it was certainly in the drinking zone, I would guess it will remain at this level for 10 years or so. Enjoy!
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11/29/2016 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
Lively fruity bouquet; in the mouth it is concentrated, cool with kirsch galore. Dry style, certainly. On day 2, it remains a cool cat, broadens just a bit with more local feel, Grand Vin, certainly, but less embracing than Pegau.
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10/26/2016 - robferguson1 wrote: 93 Points
Nose very sappy and fruity , a bit of age smell on nose but not unpleasant, deep colour some age in the colour by disguised by the depth of colour , excellent taste on palate, no aclcohol note despite 14 pc.Hot on the nose after a while which comes with the territory.
Really good drink and tops from the region but the south via its heaviness and robustness is never going to give u brilliant wines
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10/14/2016 - Ericsson wrote: 91 Points
Bouteille et bouchon parfaits. Non carafé mais laissé respirer pendant 2 heures.
Couleur amarante avec nuances brique.
Arômes de vieille cave, d'écurie pour débuter, ensuite mieux sur la prune, l'eau-de-vie mais nez jamais totalement pur.
En bouche, le vin est moyennement corsé et complexe, assez simple et monocorde même mais agréable à boire. Tanins fondus, bonne longueur.
Apogée dépassé selon moi.
Trop cher pour ce que c'est !
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9/6/2016 - robferguson1 wrote: 95 Points
This is mature,deep colour ,long after taste, drink up .Enjoyed greatly ,no notice of high alcohol ,subdued by age?
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8/30/2016 - King Julien wrote: 95 Points
Nothing on the nose when first poured, but after 30 min in the decanter it was much improved and an hour later it was singing. All good.
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3/23/2016 - canan wrote: 96 Points
BYO Easter (Birkerød): Great stuff and peaking right now!
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2/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 90 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): Ripe black berries and jam, dark chocolate, liqueur and leather. Rich, ripe and concentrated black fruit flavors that are mature, but still well balanced. Just slightly one-note for me.
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11/9/2015 - gsquireh Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank W&FSNY dinner at Zuma, this wine can use decanting of at least an hour to soften the gorgeous support the tannins provide this big, beautiful, rich and textured ripe cherry, plum and blackberry combo. Herbs, fig, chocolate flower, olive, lead pencil, this delicious wine seduces all the senses.
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10/14/2015 - Pknut wrote:
Spice on the nose. Fruit is waning. Didn't like this. Christie's Rhone dinner, Amali.
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4/13/2015 - gblacave wrote: 89 Points
Decent wine - good fruit, nice balance; just not as much going on as the Mon Aieul next to it.
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10/29/2014 - Ericsson wrote:
Dégustation GEEU chez Enrico (Geneva): Non décanté mais ouvert environ 2 heures avant de déguster.
Robe grenat avec reflets brique. Nez étrange, pas net, de bois mouillé, de serpillière, ne s'améliorant pas à l'aération.
En bouche, le vin est nettement meilleur, proposant une belle suavité et une bonne longueur.
A revoir.
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9/1/2014 - PeterH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ok. I was hoping for so much more. This is still pretty primary for a 16yo bottle of wine. Somewhat big, somewhat grapey, etc. If I'd gone to someone's house for a barbecue and they'd handed me a glass of this, I'd have said "This is a tasty glass of wine". But is it classic aged CDP? I think not. I could have guessed all day and not picked CDP here. I guess this was the beginning of the Parker Internationalization Of All Wine stage. Again, this is very well made and tasty wine, but no way to tell CDP vs all the other possibilities.
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2/22/2014 - Cooky474 wrote: 94 Points
Amazing nose, full-bodied in the mouth. Only decanted for half and hour and I suspect could have done with more as the final glass was the best of the lot...
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11/29/2013 - ggj wrote: 94 Points
Bouchon in Las Vegas
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8/10/2013 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 98 Points
With so many of my end of the century CDPs showing badly, thank God for this wine. It had a purple color with a wonderful bouquet of sweet leather, and with a sweet leather and plum taste. It had wonderful balance with lots of nuance and a long finish. A wine to be remembered.
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5/19/2013 - beezer6 wrote: 90 Points
Wine Berserker's Sunday BBQ (Jordan Whitehead's Crib in Northbrook): Off bottle.
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4/13/2013 - winesnout Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark red; nose a bit closed first but opened up nicely after an hour in the decanter; ripe cherries and plums, some garrigue; thick and full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel, smooth tannins. Long finish. Still excellent!
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6/16/2012 - canan wrote: 94 Points
KYD #1.3: Very earthy nose that is very closed with just a little lavender shining through.
The palate is compact and concentrated with very powerful harsh tannins.
Very spicy and a wild and crazy structure with an acidity that is through the roof.
Huge potential but not showing at its best this evening. 94-97p
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12/29/2010 - BradE wrote:
Dark, but opened nicely with a few hours of decanting. A roasted note that bordered on heat damage that kind of spoiled it for me. Most liked it - I was in the minority.
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8/15/2010 - Burgfreak wrote:
Dark and dense. A lot going on. Difficult to judge at first. Decanting and time helped, but even after 3 hours still evolving.
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12/26/2009 - essconsults wrote: 94 Points
See note from April, but just less so. I think this bottle was a little underdeveloped, or may have needed more time in the decanter (@3 and 1/2 hrs.). Still an excellent wine with great potential, just not quite showing it tonight.
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12/18/2009 - gondrik wrote: 90 Points
Opened for 2 hours and drank over next two. Pleasant but not great. Tasted like a second growth Bordeaux from a solid year. Not much on the nose. Very reserved on the palate. Tanins noticible but not unpleasant. Some notes of cedar and black fruit.
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12/16/2009 - drwine2001 wrote: flawed
A 1998 Chateauneuf Dinner (Rivoli Restaurant, Albany, California): Totally, irreparably corked.
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5/22/2009 - gorm wrote: 95 Points
Uncorked.dk does 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (and a few other gems) (Restaurant Premisse, Copenhagen): Dark red. Intense nose of sour cherries, hints of stables, juniper and pepper. Big and round mouthfeel with taste of muskox and sweet fruit. Nice balance and acidity.
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4/24/2009 - essconsults wrote: 98 Points
A magnificent, virtually perfect wine, and WOTN against 23 other 1998 Chateauneufs, including Hommage Jacques Perrin, Bonneau Celestins, and many others of that calibre. Unlike many of the others tasted that evening, no hint of heat stress, no soupiness. Olive tapenade, leather, some maraschino cherry, good barnyard, not bretty. Tannins ripe but still holding everything in check for further glory.
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3/30/2009 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours ahead. Very dark reddish violet. Tight nose of deep, dense black fruit, forest floor, spice and earth that just never opened up despite multiple swirlings and shakings of the decanter. Palate also shows a powerrful fruit density and firm balanced tannins with decent acidty and a strong mineral presence. We were aching for this to match 'expressiveness' to go with its formidable structure. I suppose it will take 5-10 years to become truly charming (unlike its 'little brother' which we recently enjoyed the heck out of). 93++
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2/9/2009 - DAN BAILEY wrote: 96 Points
Nose screamed of grenache - lots of provencal spices/garrigue. With time, some blueberries appeared as well. Some real depth still hidden here.
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3/5/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
Dark and completely undeveloped appearance. Deep, lush, pure fruit on the nose and palate without being overwhelming, but there is a hint of surmaturite here. Very long and seemingly with a lot of development ahead of it as it is still not showing a great deal of complexity. I was much more impressed with the balance and restraint of this wine than I was with my one prior bottle, which was soupy and less focused.
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1/18/2007 - stephen locke wrote:
Drunk after the standard Caillou CNDP '98.
Had been decanted 2 hours. Deep red / purple no signs of aging. Very expressive nose spice, fruit even some forest floor. Huge sweet fruit on the palate - some tannins, bet sweet and integrated. Very smooth mouthfeel and no heat, some spice and pepper and good balancing acidity supporting the swett fruit and tannins. The finish just went on and on truely impressive. This was a wine I just sniffed and sipped for ages. Much more complexity than the standard bottling (which is good enough!)
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5/14/2006 - JJA wrote: 97 Points
This is a terrific CDP. It softened up after the first day. Full-bodied and elegant. Wonderful taste. Unfortunately, the "syrupy" style of the CDPs is not my cup of tea. But I'll probably keep a few bottles around to drink.
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2/18/2006 - Eric wrote:
Legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Huge raspberry, sweet, over the top.
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5/19/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 98 Points
Dinner With Mainly Rhones ('98 Centenaire, Caillou Res., Vieille Jul. Res.) (Vancouver): This is a huge wine. On the nose, peat moss, iron and clean horse. On the palate, superfine tannins, but surprisingly open and accessible. Needs time, but drinks well now. Big red fruit, dried herbs and minerals. Very smooth in the mouth with a long finish. Towards the end of the night, this wine opens even more and was improving still. A great wine.
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3/16/2005 - Alpine wrote: 99 Points
WOW, this is concentrated...a friend at the tasting said I want to start with the notes for this flight (de Capo, Centenaire also) "100, 100 , 100 that is all I have to say" to which someone called him a furit whore and he thought that way ok. The Caillou Reserve was rich, elegant and major league concentrated. Maybe the best nose of the flight this wine also just lingered on the palate. I look forward to drinking the three of these again in 15 years for my taste I have to believe that the time will only help them.
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12/18/2004 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Aromas of ginger bread, raisin box, black cherry, and prune; light tobacco and licorice notes as well. The texture is just amazing - with a finish that goes on forever. Great now, this will be even better in a few years. Although highly extracted, this wine seems to be outgrowing the flashiness I noted - and was concerned about - when I opened an experimental bottle upon release; the '98 is evolving into what I would consider a more typical, though still large scaled, Chateauneuf. This wine is teaching me a lesson about how some of these super-concentrated Chateauneufs might show as the fruit starts to fall away...
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11/14/2004 - Jeff Leve wrote: 96 Points
Midnight black color. Deep dark, ripe fruit and black raspberry along with pepper and spice. Thick, rich and dense. The long, pepper, black and red fruit finish lasts over sixty seconds.
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2/20/2001 - Ben Andersen wrote:
BIG, fat and lush. In the same style as Mordoree CNP Reine des Bois '98. Tons of fruit (black/red), a touch of oak -a bit flashy, but the extraction and freshness are impressive. The tannins and acid are well-burried within the juicy fruit. There is no denying that this is very good wine - made in a new-school style. I assume this wine will age well - not sure what kind of evolution to expect from these more modern, super-extracted CNPs. Purchased four more bottles just to see what happens...
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