Too old for my taste. Not over the hill but little fruit left and lots of charcoal, soak, earth and leather. Soft tannins, lower acid, full bodied, medium finish.
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Monthly Tasting Group: All the Rhones (A - Side Public House, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Slow-O for an hour plus and then spash double decanted before the event. Oddly, I've never had the '98 vintage before. I loved the nose with its fresh garrigue up front; dillweed, scorched earth, leather, black cherry and kirsch. The palate is full bodied with dark fruits, black raspberry, cassis, scorched earth, garrigue, tar, and lots of gravelly minerality. Should last for another 5 yrears. 93+ to 94pts.
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Palate: tart dried cherry, leather; long finish of dried leaves, bit of pepper, dried herbs (finishes a bit bitter); dry; medium body; medium dusty tannin; medium+ acidity; low heat
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The wine has a beautiful garnet color. Blackberry, red currant and mushroom on the nose, and blackberry, licorice, leather, red currant and some herb that I can't identify on the palate. Medium body with a silky texture. This is a great CDP. Really nice after 1 hour decant but fun along the way.
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Some amber on the rim, lite garnet in the middle. Cooked black fruits on the nose with hints of leather and herbs. More of the same on the palate, showing fine, resolved tannins and acids.Medium finish with more leather and black cherry. This wine has seen better days. Drink up!
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Its appearance shows its age with a very developed brick-colored hue. On the nose, prune and raisin, some tobacco and leather. Starting to show some signs of oxidation. Despite this, the wine is very enjoyable on the palate, spicy and warm but also some sweetness. Light to medium bodied, quite balanced for its age and good length.
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A good showing for this wine, but not as stellar as my last bottle from Jan 2016. Perfectly resolved tannins, plums, herbs and iodine. Nice savory notes with a whiff of smoke and camphor.
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Decanted at Wigwam in Chicago. Wonderful musty cedar, earthy complex and impressive. The palate is soft red and black fruit, cedar box, some pepper too. Mature and savory. A lovely classy old wine.
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This bottle was surprisingly advanced. The color was cloudy, and there was a lot of sediment. The nose was subdued. Initially the wine was rather thin and lifeless on the palate. After about 45 minutes, it gained some weight and complexity and rallied enough to be enjoyable, although well below the experience of drinking this wine when it is in its prime. Maybe this bottle was an outlier, as recent CT reviews indicate the wine should still be at its peak.
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Not usually my style (not a huge Grenache fan) but this wine surprisingly maintained its balance and interest until the last glass (when sediment and too much air tipped into riper territory). Held together well and suited food nicely. (2 bottles decanted about 45 min before starting to drink.)
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A beauty at its peak of maturity, shouting out its spicy, kinky, kirsch and earthy personality for all to see. Soft and silky, medium bodied, fresh and sweet, this is drinking perfectly with no decanting.
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Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): Nose: There was a good amount of power and richness to the nose right away with raspberries, licorice, kirsch, black cherries, and leather tones. While there is power to the nose, it's more like a light-heavyweight rather than being monolithic.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. There is a lot of polish, but with power behind it as well as raspberries, licorice, kirsch, black cherries, black fruits, and leather notes.
Overall: This was a fantastic showing. This had a refined power to it that was beguiling at each turn.
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An absolutely perfect wine for a snowy night. This is in a great drinking spot, still showing raspberry and plumy fruit; with pepper, licorice, iodine and iron. Deep, savory and layered, with a lengthy finish. Nicely resolved tannins. While this can probably go a bit longer, it will be hard to resist now.
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The breathtaking excitement, presence, and slope of a Rocky Mountain downhill. Multi-dimensional and harmonious; long. Palate entry like a strong warm embrace from a jolly gregarious friend. Iron, dry-aged prime rib, citrus and rind; chocolate truffle and spice; perfectly harmonious structure.
More advanced than most recent bottle; these are at the perfect crossroads of maturity. Best enjoyed now.
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Fully mature, this blend of spicy, black raspberries, cherry, licorice, pepper and earth gets even better, with its lush, fleshy, opulent palate presence. There is no reason to age this any longer.
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Beautiful bottle of wine with lovely spices and herbs on the nose. Floral notes start to emerge with time in the glass. On the delicate side for CDP. Balanced and delicious. Shame they don't make them this way as much...
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after about a 2 hr decant this became an elegant but still firm beauty, lots of Mourvèdre character, cherry and earthy notes, silky attack and firm finish, a wonderful wine I'm rarely seeing.
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Coravin 2/8/15: Youthful medium ruby color; intense nose with great complexity, black and red fruits, smoky, rustic in a way that provides interest and balance; palate is light bodied, medium tannins throughout, bright red fruit with good density to give the palate a elegant plush feel at first, a bit of meaty game, clean fruit persists through to very nice medium length finish, clean finish. This is a very well balanced classically-styled CnDP still on the edge of early maturity with a lot of time ahead of it (a decade at least). Very nice wine, though the pricing has gotten expensive. 93++ 2/10: Similar to initial day. Fleshes out a bit on the palate, and clearly has the density to go for much longer. Immensely enjoyable now, but clearly has a lot of potential for the future. One of my favorite CnDPs that I own. 2/16/15: Finished. Similar to when first opened. Nose just has great complexity, density, meatiness without being over-ripe. I think I've under-rated this. 94+
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Galoots Lunch (Double Zero Napoletano- Sandy Springs): Definitely at or near peak; lots of sediment, classic aged CdP, raspberry, leather, fig, not overripe like some in '98, lighter body; this had to be well stored.
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Throwing off quite a bit of sediment, so definitely decant, dark red / purple in the glass, bright with darker red and blue fruit and terrific acidity, not a lot of tannins or structure, has some layers to it, very nice indeed
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Loads of fresh, ripe, jammy black raspberries, fresh cracked pepper, earth and kirsch. the wine is full bodied, deep, concentrated, long and drinking in the sweet spot.
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Chateauneuf-Du Pape, The 1998 Vintage, A 15 Year Retrospective: Wonderful wine in a good place right now. No notes at the time but after a flight of 8 high end 1998s this was clearly in that league and fresher and livelier than several, with a silky texture and complex layers of red and black fruits, spice, pepper and tobacco.
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Lots of wines at Tommy's Clambake (Tommy's): From Magnum. One of the WOTN's. This was decanted and there was enough that I tried it a couple of times during the evening. It was just as good later on. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is complex with spice, dark cherries and a slight gamey note. Layered on the palate as well. Complex. Delicious. This bottle seemed at peak and I doubt it gets better, but it was glorious.
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Awesome wine, drinking beautifully and still plenty of years ahead of it. Earthy, little funky, didn't pick up any Brett as per others comments. Wish this wasnt my last bottle!
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Last bottle of this too. Still amazingly deep and primary appearing. Rich red fruit balanced by a good lashing of green herbs and garrigue. Round, large scaled and quite inviting with undertone of licorice lozenge and perhaps a touch of brett. I was very happy with the way this showed, but my 2 fellow drinkers found much more heat on the finish than I did. We all agreed that it is not a shy wine.
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Peppery red and black fruits, earth, spice and kirsch make up the perfume. The wine is round and soft on the palate, finishing with cherries and pepper. I bought a case of this Chateauneuf du Pape on release and it's not the explosive wine it was. It's lost some of its power and freshness. This was a better wine a few years ago. I'm going to finish my remaining bottles over the next 2-3 years. This vintage of Mon Aieul needs to be drunk up sooner than later.
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Hmmmm...very young I guess. Huge mouth drying tannins remain. Sweet initially, eventually more standard garrigue, barnyard, raspberry and tobacco flavors come out, thought it is hard to get past the drying aspects. Can't believe the fruit will live long enough for the tannins to subside. Also tastes like it cannot decide if it wants to be modern or traditional, decent elements of both, both not going to be great with either.
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Decanted x 2 hours--really helped the aromatics. Deep ruby with aromas of raspberry and herbs initially, then also tobacco and dark spices. Very smooth befitting its alcohol, but not at all hot. On the palate, there was nice secondary development beyond the fruit; this included plum (though it never seemed jammy), garrigue, black pepper and earth. Tannins were present but fine. Overall, this wine hit the right balance of red and brown/black aromas and flavors for me--my perfect drinking window.
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Harry Karris and co at Againn (Againn, Washington DC): Either flawed or showing dumb. Harry noted that MA shows a lot of variability for some odd reason out of production, so provenance (which was questioned) may not be the culprit. It just was a bit off-kilt and didn't have any depth, complexity or harmony. Shame.
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I'm hoping this showing was for this specific bottle, as this did not feature the same body or length as other bottles have shown in past. Ruby in color, with pepper, black raspberry, herb, fennel and black cherry aromas making up the perfume. Medium bodied with a spicy plum and jammy berry finish. All my bottles are from the original case. I'm going to pop another in the next few weeks to see if this bottle was correct or not.
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Fairly tight and slow to open. Deep dark red verging on purple. Black fruits. Jammy. Hot finish. Hopefully just too young, but certainly not my style at present. 1998 Vieux Donjon consumed beside it was absolutely singing. Try again in 2-3 years.
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Unchanged since my TN from 2 years ago: The wine is a deep grenadine color with a brown hue. The nose is very intense with a dominating aroma of tobacco and licorice, then extremely ripe raspberries, vanilla, garrigue. You could probably add balsamic vinegar, creosote and toffee to that list if you are so inclined. Almost savage on the palate, with powerful, concentrated fruits, substantial tannins, a bit of the bitterness one finds on many 1998 reds, and a slightly hot, noticably acidic finish. Eventually could reach 96 points (but not there yet!)
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Dark red;closed nose, sauvage and a little blue berry; tight dark berry fruit flavors,tannic, hint of white pepper at the edges, extracted international style-still CdP but you have to hunt for the typicity; tannic finish promising more age but I'm not sure
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I dunno. Maybe this wasn't a good bottle. Or maybe this is at an awkward stage. Or maybe it is getting old? I doubt the latter. I bought this at auction, so it could be the first. In any event, this wasn't very good. Not obviously spoiled. Just closed, a bit harsh, a bit hot, and not showing a lot of fruit or . . . anything. After a decant and some time in the glass, it did take on some weight and start to show a little fruit. But I didn't find anything to merit the accolades this wine has received. I've had recent vintages of this wine - 2003 through 2007 - and have enjoyed all of those, although I find the wine a bit simple. But the recent vintages show great fruit with fair balance. This 1998 was my first experience with a vintage prior to 2003.
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Enourmous and stunning nose of horses and farm, leather, ripe black cherries... in the mounth, very meaty, loads of ripe red fruit, meaty and very very long aftertaste... fabulous wine!!
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Leisurely Easter Lunch (Napa Valley): Deep and primary looking. Behind a whiff of surmaturite and prune is some lively raspberry. Full, round, not overly alcoholic, but very '98 in style. Delicious fruit, little in the way of secondary development, and in the end, a tad dull for my taste.
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Ah, now this bottle showed just how off the last bottle tasted this fall was. None of the offputting VA this time around, just a sensuous, sinuous aromatic mix of caramel, strawberry, prune, and a light herbal element. Medium bodied, in fact with a sense of some lightness for such a ripe wine, seamless, wonderful fruit, and melting tannins. At its peak and a marvelous example of hot vintage Chateauneuf, retaining great complexity and some delicacy to balance the notes of surmaturite.
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First 98 I've opened. Bought on release. Bretty haze over the wine. Leather and mushroom instead of the bright grenache I've experienced with other vintages. Big tannic spine, so no rush. Much prefer the 00,01
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Riesling and Rhone (Range, San Francisco): Medium red. VA bracketed the wine at beginning and end, and it showed little of the glorious fruit of the last bottle. Very disappointing.
12/30 addendum-Having just tried a great bottle of this, there is no question that this was flawed and I have checked it off as such.
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(Panama Hatties wine dinner) Drank with 2001 Pegau Cuvee Laurence. Lots of black pepper, garrigue, and dark fruits on the nose. Carries through on the palate, juicy wine, open, great finish. Drinking well.
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Still fairly tight. Both red and dark fruit coupled with some rusticity. Nose needs to open more but palate is nicely complex with a classy and long finish. Developing quite nicely and should revisit around 2010. Tasted alongside '95 and '98 Bonneau Marie Berrier.
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Magenta-purple in color. Nose was outstanding, with pepper, garrigue, tar, plum, and raspberries in a piercing perfumed mix. Very structured on the palate with ferocious tannins still present, just about balanced by exuberant and still seemingly somewhat primary fruit, mainly strawberry and damson plum. Lots of pepper on the tongue also. Dusty, grippy, and slightly astringent on the finish. Very young, and still tight, but what a load of potential this wine has.
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The wine is a deep grenadine color with a brown hue. The nose is very intense with a dominating aroma of tobacco and licorice, then extremely ripe raspberries, vanilla, garrigue. You could probably add balsamic vinegar, creosote and toffee to that list if you are so inclined. Almost savage on the palate, with powerful, concentrated fruits, substantial tannins, a bit of the bitterness one finds on many 1998 reds, and a slightly hot, noticably acidic finish. Eventually could reach 96 points (but not there yet!)
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Bistro K: EWG; Jason: Sicepy, gamey; super silky, med. bod, complex, very fine. Big t’s, but well bal overall. Wonderful CdP. W/Roasted Venison, Blood sausage crumble
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Dark grenadine. Complex nose of ripe black and red fruits with a significant overlay of tobacco, vanilla, musk. Some evidence of the hot summer here -- a note of surmaturite but well integrated with the wine, giving a briary effect. Medium bodied but flavorful with sweet fruit, good tannic balance, again that slightly roasted tone but in an attractive package.
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Dense, dark and brooding. A bit closed on the nose. Meaty and ripe, with lots of fleshy back fruits and pepper, but way too tannic to really enjoy right now. Shows promise.
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3/21/2024 - Volleyball wrote: 90 Points
Too old for my taste. Not over the hill but little fruit left and lots of charcoal, soak, earth and leather. Soft tannins, lower acid, full bodied, medium finish.
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2/28/2024 - galewskj wrote: 90 Points
Any Rhone (A Side Public House): There's a lot to like in this CDP, but it is definitely on the rustic side and remains quite big in its old age.
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2/25/2024 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: All the Rhones (A - Side Public House, St. Paul, MN): Very dark red color. Slow-O for an hour plus and then spash double decanted before the event. Oddly, I've never had the '98 vintage before. I loved the nose with its fresh garrigue up front; dillweed, scorched earth, leather, black cherry and kirsch. The palate is full bodied with dark fruits, black raspberry, cassis, scorched earth, garrigue, tar, and lots of gravelly minerality. Should last for another 5 yrears. 93+ to 94pts.
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7/16/2023 - JRockEsq Likes this wine: 88 Points
Nose: forest floor, dried leaves, woodsmoke, dried cherry
Palate: tart dried cherry, leather; long finish of dried leaves, bit of pepper, dried herbs (finishes a bit bitter); dry; medium body; medium dusty tannin; medium+ acidity; low heat
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3/9/2023 - Templeuve Likes this wine: 94 Points
The wine has a beautiful garnet color. Blackberry, red currant and mushroom on the nose, and blackberry, licorice, leather, red currant and some herb that I can't identify on the palate. Medium body with a silky texture. This is a great CDP. Really nice after 1 hour decant but fun along the way.
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11/7/2022 - JimSlatin Likes this wine: 89 Points
This CDP has aged well; Still some darker fruit and tannic structure left; No need to hold on to it, but also no big hurry.
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11/12/2021 - grub94 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Some amber on the rim, lite garnet in the middle. Cooked black fruits on the nose with hints of leather and herbs. More of the same on the palate, showing fine, resolved tannins and acids.Medium finish with more leather and black cherry. This wine has seen better days. Drink up!
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11/26/2019 - wsammons wrote: 92 Points
Admittedly did not give this enough time to aerate; came back to it twice over the course of 3-4 hours. Really started taking shape by the end
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2/20/2019 - tmagsmaken wrote: 91 Points
Its appearance shows its age with a very developed brick-colored hue.
On the nose, prune and raisin, some tobacco and leather. Starting to show some signs of oxidation.
Despite this, the wine is very enjoyable on the palate, spicy and warm but also some sweetness. Light to medium bodied, quite balanced for its age and good length.
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12/30/2018 - mrbry83 wrote: flawed
Corked
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7/19/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
At Varka. Outstanding, consistent with my previous notes. WOTN.
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7/13/2018 - mdefreitas wrote: 92 Points
Mature, leafy, savory and floral (dried flowers). Ready to drink.
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5/30/2018 - mdefreitas wrote: 91 Points
A good showing for this wine, but not as stellar as my last bottle from Jan 2016. Perfectly resolved tannins, plums, herbs and iodine. Nice savory notes with a whiff of smoke and camphor.
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11/7/2017 - skurtz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at Wigwam in Chicago. Wonderful musty cedar, earthy complex and impressive. The palate is soft red and black fruit, cedar box, some pepper too. Mature and savory. A lovely classy old wine.
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4/29/2017 - CHINACAT wrote: 90 Points
This bottle was surprisingly advanced. The color was cloudy, and there was a lot of sediment. The nose was subdued. Initially the wine was rather thin and lifeless on the palate. After about 45 minutes, it gained some weight and complexity and rallied enough to be enjoyable, although well below the experience of drinking this wine when it is in its prime. Maybe this bottle was an outlier, as recent CT reviews indicate the wine should still be at its peak.
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1/7/2017 - LW31 Likes this wine:
Not usually my style (not a huge Grenache fan) but this wine surprisingly maintained its balance and interest until the last glass (when sediment and too much air tipped into riper territory). Held together well and suited food nicely. (2 bottles decanted about 45 min before starting to drink.)
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10/2/2016 - YourFanNan wrote: 97 Points
Turns out I do like old wine! Perfect weight for early fall.
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10/2/2016 - Rollerball wrote: 95 Points
Beautiful. Perfectly weighted. Supreme.
But still, I'd give it another three years (if I had another bottle, which I don't). This is a historic wine.
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7/27/2016 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
A beauty at its peak of maturity, shouting out its spicy, kinky, kirsch and earthy personality for all to see. Soft and silky, medium bodied, fresh and sweet, this is drinking perfectly with no decanting.
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5/20/2016 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): Nose: There was a good amount of power and richness to the nose right away with raspberries, licorice, kirsch, black cherries, and leather tones. While there is power to the nose, it's more like a light-heavyweight rather than being monolithic.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. There is a lot of polish, but with power behind it as well as raspberries, licorice, kirsch, black cherries, black fruits, and leather notes.
Overall: This was a fantastic showing. This had a refined power to it that was beguiling at each turn.
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1/23/2016 - mdefreitas wrote: 95 Points
An absolutely perfect wine for a snowy night. This is in a great drinking spot, still showing raspberry and plumy fruit; with pepper, licorice, iodine and iron. Deep, savory and layered, with a lengthy finish. Nicely resolved tannins. While this can probably go a bit longer, it will be hard to resist now.
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1/16/2016 - Rollerball wrote: 95 Points
The breathtaking excitement, presence, and slope of a Rocky Mountain downhill. Multi-dimensional and harmonious; long. Palate entry like a strong warm embrace from a jolly gregarious friend. Iron, dry-aged prime rib, citrus and rind; chocolate truffle and spice; perfectly harmonious structure.
More advanced than most recent bottle; these are at the perfect crossroads of maturity. Best enjoyed now.
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11/20/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Fully mature, this blend of spicy, black raspberries, cherry, licorice, pepper and earth gets even better, with its lush, fleshy, opulent palate presence. There is no reason to age this any longer.
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4/16/2015 - Sennma wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful bottle of wine with lovely spices and herbs on the nose. Floral notes start to emerge with time in the glass. On the delicate side for CDP. Balanced and delicious. Shame they don't make them this way as much...
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4/13/2015 - gblacave wrote: 93 Points
Ethereal nose, balanced, great length. If only they still made it this way...
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4/11/2015 - Rollerball wrote: 96 Points
Multi-dimensional and harmonious; long. Endlessly shifting bouquet. Iron aged beef, citrus and rind; chocolate; faint thai pepper; visceral alcohol; wood; roast lamb and onion/pepper souvlaki; confection; tannic structure rises and softens.
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2/9/2015 - Louvin Likes this wine: 97 Points
after about a 2 hr decant this became an elegant but still firm beauty, lots of Mourvèdre character, cherry and earthy notes, silky attack and firm finish, a wonderful wine I'm rarely seeing.
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2/8/2015 - aagrawal wrote: 94 Points
Coravin 2/8/15: Youthful medium ruby color; intense nose with great complexity, black and red fruits, smoky, rustic in a way that provides interest and balance; palate is light bodied, medium tannins throughout, bright red fruit with good density to give the palate a elegant plush feel at first, a bit of meaty game, clean fruit persists through to very nice medium length finish, clean finish. This is a very well balanced classically-styled CnDP still on the edge of early maturity with a lot of time ahead of it (a decade at least). Very nice wine, though the pricing has gotten expensive. 93++
2/10: Similar to initial day. Fleshes out a bit on the palate, and clearly has the density to go for much longer. Immensely enjoyable now, but clearly has a lot of potential for the future. One of my favorite CnDPs that I own.
2/16/15: Finished. Similar to when first opened. Nose just has great complexity, density, meatiness without being over-ripe. I think I've under-rated this. 94+
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12/12/2014 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Galoots Lunch (Double Zero Napoletano- Sandy Springs): Definitely at or near peak; lots of sediment, classic aged CdP, raspberry, leather, fig, not overripe like some in '98, lighter body; this had to be well stored.
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7/13/2014 - Federsin Likes this wine:
Throwing off quite a bit of sediment, so definitely decant, dark red / purple in the glass, bright with darker red and blue fruit and terrific acidity, not a lot of tannins or structure, has some layers to it, very nice indeed
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5/31/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Loads of fresh, ripe, jammy black raspberries, fresh cracked pepper, earth and kirsch. the wine is full bodied, deep, concentrated, long and drinking in the sweet spot.
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11/20/2013 - Munch Likes this wine: 94 Points
Chateauneuf-Du Pape, The 1998 Vintage, A 15 Year Retrospective: Wonderful wine in a good place right now. No notes at the time but after a flight of 8 high end 1998s this was clearly in that league and fresher and livelier than several, with a silky texture and complex layers of red and black fruits, spice, pepper and tobacco.
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9/15/2013 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 94 Points
Lots of wines at Tommy's Clambake (Tommy's): From Magnum. One of the WOTN's. This was decanted and there was enough that I tried it a couple of times during the evening. It was just as good later on. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is complex with spice, dark cherries and a slight gamey note. Layered on the palate as well. Complex. Delicious. This bottle seemed at peak and I doubt it gets better, but it was glorious.
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3/9/2013 - NY Wino wrote: 95 Points
Delicious meaty nose, excellent spice, silky tannins and drinking beautifully right now. Bummed this is my last bottle.
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6/23/2012 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 95 Points
Awesome wine, drinking beautifully and still plenty of years ahead of it. Earthy, little funky, didn't pick up any Brett as per others comments. Wish this wasnt my last bottle!
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5/20/2012 - cubswinws wrote: 94 Points
My last bottle and maybe its best showing. Nice earth, spice and soft round tannins. Excellent
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5/5/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Last bottle of this too. Still amazingly deep and primary appearing. Rich red fruit balanced by a good lashing of green herbs and garrigue. Round, large scaled and quite inviting with undertone of licorice lozenge and perhaps a touch of brett. I was very happy with the way this showed, but my 2 fellow drinkers found much more heat on the finish than I did. We all agreed that it is not a shy wine.
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12/28/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Peppery red and black fruits, earth, spice and kirsch make up the perfume. The wine is round and soft on the palate, finishing with cherries and pepper. I bought a case of this Chateauneuf du Pape on release and it's not the explosive wine it was. It's lost some of its power and freshness. This was a better wine a few years ago. I'm going to finish my remaining bottles over the next 2-3 years. This vintage of Mon Aieul needs to be drunk up sooner than later.
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7/31/2011 - cubswinws wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious. Great mushroom nose and a nice bit of funk but plenty of fruit to pull it off. Just wonderful.
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7/10/2011 - salil wrote: 77 Points
Not particularly enjoyable; very modern in style with incredibly ripe, dense fruit dominated by a strange vinyl-like topnote.
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6/11/2011 - randalleron wrote:
Rainy night in SI w Balthazar Roast Chx.
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5/8/2011 - cadamson wrote: 87 Points
Hmmmm...very young I guess. Huge mouth drying tannins remain. Sweet initially, eventually more standard garrigue, barnyard, raspberry and tobacco flavors come out, thought it is hard to get past the drying aspects. Can't believe the fruit will live long enough for the tannins to subside. Also tastes like it cannot decide if it wants to be modern or traditional, decent elements of both, both not going to be great with either.
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3/20/2011 - Mistress of Wine wrote:
Decanted x 2 hours--really helped the aromatics. Deep ruby with aromas of raspberry and herbs initially, then also tobacco and dark spices. Very smooth befitting its alcohol, but not at all hot. On the palate, there was nice secondary development beyond the fruit; this included plum (though it never seemed jammy), garrigue, black pepper and earth. Tannins were present but fine. Overall, this wine hit the right balance of red and brown/black aromas and flavors for me--my perfect drinking window.
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11/30/2010 - Faryan wrote: flawed
Harry Karris and co at Againn (Againn, Washington DC): Either flawed or showing dumb. Harry noted that MA shows a lot of variability for some odd reason out of production, so provenance (which was questioned) may not be the culprit. It just was a bit off-kilt and didn't have any depth, complexity or harmony. Shame.
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11/30/2010 - tooch wrote: flawed
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner with Harry Karis (Againn, Washington DC): Probably an off bottle. Nose never developed and the wine was backwards. Some thought it was cooked, but no one thought it was "right".
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7/26/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
I'm hoping this showing was for this specific bottle, as this did not feature the same body or length as other bottles have shown in past. Ruby in color, with pepper, black raspberry, herb, fennel and black cherry aromas making up the perfume. Medium bodied with a spicy plum and jammy berry finish. All my bottles are from the original case. I'm going to pop another in the next few weeks to see if this bottle was correct or not.
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1/27/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
1998 Chateauneuf Retrospective-Part Deux (Rivoli Restaurant, Albany, California): Medium ruby without lightening. Ripe but not overripe nose. Full, unctuous but not over the top. Excellent.
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12/28/2009 - teekayfl wrote: 90 Points
Fairly tight and slow to open. Deep dark red verging on purple. Black fruits. Jammy. Hot finish. Hopefully just too young, but certainly not my style at present. 1998 Vieux Donjon consumed beside it was absolutely singing. Try again in 2-3 years.
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10/29/2009 - EMichels wrote: 94 Points
Rhones at Snaps: My wine of the night; Unfortunately, I was enjoying the wine and not taking notes
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10/7/2009 - KPB wrote: 93 Points
Unchanged since my TN from 2 years ago: The wine is a deep grenadine color with a brown hue. The nose is very intense with a dominating aroma of tobacco and licorice, then extremely ripe raspberries, vanilla, garrigue. You could probably add balsamic vinegar, creosote and toffee to that list if you are so inclined. Almost savage on the palate, with powerful, concentrated fruits, substantial tannins, a bit of the bitterness one finds on many 1998 reds, and a slightly hot, noticably acidic finish. Eventually could reach 96 points (but not there yet!)
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8/30/2009 - vinojones wrote: 89 Points
Dark red;closed nose, sauvage and a little blue berry; tight dark berry fruit flavors,tannic, hint of white pepper at the edges, extracted international style-still CdP but you have to hunt for the typicity; tannic finish promising more age but I'm not sure
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4/28/2009 - herberto wrote:
I dunno. Maybe this wasn't a good bottle. Or maybe this is at an awkward stage. Or maybe it is getting old? I doubt the latter. I bought this at auction, so it could be the first. In any event, this wasn't very good. Not obviously spoiled. Just closed, a bit harsh, a bit hot, and not showing a lot of fruit or . . . anything. After a decant and some time in the glass, it did take on some weight and start to show a little fruit. But I didn't find anything to merit the accolades this wine has received. I've had recent vintages of this wine - 2003 through 2007 - and have enjoyed all of those, although I find the wine a bit simple. But the recent vintages show great fruit with fair balance. This 1998 was my first experience with a vintage prior to 2003.
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4/26/2009 - Philippe_C wrote: 99 Points
Enourmous and stunning nose of horses and farm, leather, ripe black cherries... in the mounth, very meaty, loads of ripe red fruit, meaty and very very long aftertaste... fabulous wine!!
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4/12/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Leisurely Easter Lunch (Napa Valley): Deep and primary looking. Behind a whiff of surmaturite and prune is some lively raspberry. Full, round, not overly alcoholic, but very '98 in style. Delicious fruit, little in the way of secondary development, and in the end, a tad dull for my taste.
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12/29/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
Ah, now this bottle showed just how off the last bottle tasted this fall was. None of the offputting VA this time around, just a sensuous, sinuous aromatic mix of caramel, strawberry, prune, and a light herbal element. Medium bodied, in fact with a sense of some lightness for such a ripe wine, seamless, wonderful fruit, and melting tannins. At its peak and a marvelous example of hot vintage Chateauneuf, retaining great complexity and some delicacy to balance the notes of surmaturite.
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12/10/2008 - John McCabe wrote: 96 Points
Huge wine, elegant and classy. Ready to drink but may benefit from a few more years too.
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11/28/2008 - Milhous wrote:
First 98 I've opened. Bought on release. Bretty haze over the wine. Leather and mushroom instead of the bright grenache I've experienced with other vintages. Big tannic spine, so no rush. Much prefer the 00,01
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9/2/2008 - drwine2001 wrote: flawed
Riesling and Rhone (Range, San Francisco): Medium red. VA bracketed the wine at beginning and end, and it showed little of the glorious fruit of the last bottle. Very disappointing.
12/30 addendum-Having just tried a great bottle of this, there is no question that this was flawed and I have checked it off as such.
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6/13/2008 - Totatalitarian wrote:
I really dig this wine. Along with the ’01, just two of my favorite Chateauneufs
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2/23/2008 - davergny wrote: 94 Points
(Panama Hatties wine dinner) Drank with 2001 Pegau Cuvee Laurence. Lots of black pepper, garrigue, and dark fruits on the nose. Carries through on the palate, juicy wine, open, great finish. Drinking well.
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9/17/2007 - ski695 wrote: 95 Points
Still fairly tight. Both red and dark fruit coupled with some rusticity. Nose needs to open more but palate is nicely complex with a classy and long finish. Developing quite nicely and should revisit around 2010. Tasted alongside '95 and '98 Bonneau Marie Berrier.
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8/20/2007 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Magenta-purple in color. Nose was outstanding, with pepper, garrigue, tar, plum, and raspberries in a piercing perfumed mix. Very structured on the palate with ferocious tannins still present, just about balanced by exuberant and still seemingly somewhat primary fruit, mainly strawberry and damson plum. Lots of pepper on the tongue also. Dusty, grippy, and slightly astringent on the finish. Very young, and still tight, but what a load of potential this wine has.
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3/23/2007 - KPB wrote: 93 Points
The wine is a deep grenadine color with a brown hue. The nose is very intense with a dominating aroma of tobacco and licorice, then extremely ripe raspberries, vanilla, garrigue. You could probably add balsamic vinegar, creosote and toffee to that list if you are so inclined. Almost savage on the palate, with powerful, concentrated fruits, substantial tannins, a bit of the bitterness one finds on many 1998 reds, and a slightly hot, noticably acidic finish. Eventually could reach 96 points (but not there yet!)
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1/20/2007 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Bistro K: EWG; Jason: Sicepy, gamey; super silky, med. bod, complex, very fine. Big t’s, but well bal overall. Wonderful CdP. W/Roasted Venison, Blood sausage crumble
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4/22/2006 - KPB wrote: 93 Points
Dark grenadine. Complex nose of ripe black and red fruits with a significant overlay of tobacco, vanilla, musk. Some evidence of the hot summer here -- a note of surmaturite but well integrated with the wine, giving a briary effect. Medium bodied but flavorful with sweet fruit, good tannic balance, again that slightly roasted tone but in an attractive package.
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2/18/2006 - Eric wrote:
Legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Oh dear. This has HUGE structure, the most tannic wine of the tasting. Nearly punishing at this point after 28 other wines.
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8/24/2000 - mdefreitas wrote: 94 Points
Dense, dark and brooding. A bit closed on the nose. Meaty and ripe, with lots of fleshy back fruits and pepper, but way too tannic to really enjoy right now. Shows promise.
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