Après 2 heures d’ouvertures, belle finesse, pruneau, cuir léger, en pleine maturité. Aurait pu s’ouvrir encore. Pas encore tuilé, les tannins sont complètement fondus. À boire sur les 10ans à venir.
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Decanted for four hours. First bottle of a case. Nice fruit but not that complex - some tannin evident still on finish. I think could use some more time in bottle so will retaste in a year or so.
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This bottle was still very much alive and dynamic. Vibrant crimson color. Bouquet of stewed fruit and leather on the nose. Plump ripe plum and berry on the palate. Very rich and elegant. Tannins fully resolved and not evident. Drink immediately.
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Dark brooding colour, no real sign of age but also, not bright with youth. Nose shows a little more age with some light smoke, white pepper alongside blackcurrants and blackberries. Palate is beautifully integrated and in balance, fruit’s still there and tannins now fully integrated. Good balanced acidity and room to develop more secondary notes. Decent finish, sort of lingers more than keeps going but has length.
This is drinking superbly now and has a few more years ahead at it’s peak. Wonderful
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Not an Ordinary Monday (Lorenzo's , London): A good 7(!) years since we had this last ( Papies 91) and great to cross paths with it again with a bit more evolution and indeed this is now drinking beautifully and with so much more to evolve too. Already showing secondary notes, light earthy side, herbs de Provence , light spice. The fruit is still there more darker and smokier at this stage than the bright red fruited 2009 we had also on the day ( Papies 91 and young) . A very pretty bottle that is now well into the drinking window and will not fail! very good 92-93 and this definitely will be even more with 5yrs more.
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Second of 2 and further to my TN of 3/21. Short TN here, both because of the prior note and that this was consumed in one sitting at 1601 Bar & Kitchen with Aaron and friends. Opened and given about 45 minutes of air while we consumed various whites and bubbles with veggie and fish courses while we waited for the duck dish this would accompany. By the time we drank, this was an altogether more harmonious experience than the prior bottle with tannins and acidity well integrated with still vibrant fruit and secondary notes but still present enough structure to really complement the dish. Drank consistently during the 45 minutes-hour of consumption. Still, there’s been considerable maturity in this bottle in the past 2.5 years so that I’d now drink this sooner, though not necessarily immediately (although I suspect it’s at peak), than later. With that in mind, I’m taking my drinking window in 6 years. Very enjoyable, but telling me no rush on my ‘15 and later bottles. 94+
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Subsequent notes on this wine form 8 years ago. Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & kirsch with overtones of floral notes & Provençal herbs, earthy/dusty, spice notes, some garrigue notes, anise, beefy, tobacco, leather, minerals, pepper & a hint of cedar. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, cranberries & pomegranate with herbs, exotic spices, anise, pepper, minerals & oak/vanilla. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but at 18 years of age is close to or at its peak of development. Although it should hold here for a several more years, I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was mid-neck; cork was clean & intact. I am finding the 18-year-old mark is a good sweet spot for aging most modern Chateauneuf-du-Papes.
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Just entering its drinking window. Wonderful nose, of noble cask, tobacco and ripe fruit. Dark, mature cassis, violet, leather, chocolate, herbal tones, plum, balsamico, pepper, roast and menthol notes. A very well structured and balanced bottle proving the superior ageing potential of this wine. Drink now and over 5-7 years.
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Nice nose with blackberry and garrique. Fullbodied, juicy and dense, with a nice touch of sweetness. A long finish with fine structure and also a touch of heat. Impressive to make a big wine like this, thats balanced and also keeps the elegance.
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Oh wow, beautiful wine at the 18-year mark and why I love aged CdP. Up front fruit profile of red plums and dark raspberries but has mainly given way to the tertiary notes of earth, baking spice, dried herbs and leather. Still has some nice acidity and wonderful long finish. Great now and over the next couple of years. Still one of my favorites.
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Fabulous wine with morel/pasta dish. Super yummy combo. Great wine with great fruit, different falvors. Great length. this will last a few more yrs. Yummy
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A good condition bottle. Colour showing appropriate to age. Some raspberries on the nose, but mostly a salty-estuary character. Not exactly unpleasant, but I think others might find more delicious descriptors come to them. Good palate weight and fully resolved palate as to be expected, but no sense of frailty either.
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Pours garnet with slightly faded edges. On the nose lavender, baking spices, and rosemary. On the palate very balanced BlackBerry, raspberry and dried figs. The tannins are integrated and soft. Balanced acidity. A great GSM blend from the southern Rhone. I loved this and enjoyed with Beau J Cota of Redlands and his wife JO and my wife. With a cheese platter and fruit.
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Translucent ruby garnet. Hearty smells of black pepper, heady garrigue, voluptuous red plum, and beef blood on the fragrant nose. Layers of extroverted plum, Bing cherry, blackberry, and hints of strawberry on the palate grounded by saline-inflected pepper and rocky depths. Smoothed off tannin and ample acidity. Long finish of chiming spicy red fruit and pepper. Delicious! From a 375.
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Consistent to my tasting note 5 years ago. dark ruby. Nose of dark and red fruit, torrefaction, spices, cake. There is quite a bit of heat here as well both on nose and palate. Full bodied on the palate but not overbearing, good, but not the most sophisticated CdP. Mature, drink up.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS; Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (By VD and @ VD): Beautiful and special bouquet with a lot of garrigue and medicine impressions. Same on the palate, clove, some green herbs, chocolate, elegance, juicy acidity and a slight touch of sweetness. The tannin still has a soft bite. Complex and elegant wine which has a completely different character than all other wines of this evening, but certainly is a beauty.
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Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas initially showing a little jammy raspberry backed by peppery spice and earthy notes, with time a little meaty note, garrigue, sweet and peppery spice, touch of leather, cream, orange peel. Juicy, fleshy, savoury, slight meaty, dried herbs, a little non-delineated red fruits, leathery, tight tannic grip on the mid palate. A touch of non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Balanced. Okay.
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Another delicious bottle. Enjoyed at a nice restaurant dinner with some friends who also brought great wines. The longer the bottle is open the better the wine gets
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Color of medium red, slight browning and slight clear edges. Scents of raspberry and a little funk. Tastes are definitely consistent with scents, and still has nice acidity and balance
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Wonderful wine. First of 6 I've opened so I had to open the crate. Perfect balance of fruit, depth, full but not too much like a cab, good finish. Wine is drinking perfectly.
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Decanted for 6 hours, and the tannin was well integrated. Cherries, clove, star anise and a hint of sweetness on the finish. No funk. Has 8-10 years of life left. Delightful. First of four bottles. I will wait several years before having another.
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Nice spice, still some red fruits, but this was purchased at auction (Winebid), so being unsure of storage it felt like it was kind of falling apart. I’ll withhold a score but not as strong as I would have hoped from the vintage.
3rd time with this wine and it is just terrific, again. Textbook CNP. Beautiful cherry fruit, sweet tannins, a touch of spice and tobacco. Just great wine.
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Raisin, plum, sweet spice on the nose. On the palet, high acidity and length, tannins are medium at highest and very well Integrated. Not a wine I have drank much of in the past so not much to compare to, but a very neat wine to enjoy for a special occasion.
After 2 hours in glass this wine is drastically changing for the better, tannins are now present, but still well integrated, length is much longer, similar flavor profile, however just goes to show how much longer this wine could last.
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Medium ruby with a bit of garnet, but this looks a bit younger than I would have expected for a 2005 CNDP. Refined nose of baked red fruits, a bit of fig, hint of tobacco. Lovely fresh palate, again a bit younger and fresher than expected on the entry, but also with a depth to it, and the rich loam and tobacco notes on the mid palate that belie its age. The perfect balance of youth and maturity in my view. A lovely long and slightly sweet finish, with plum, tobacco, red licorice and mild red spices. Can last a few years yet but at the peak of its powers. Excellent and highly recommended.
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Penultimate bottle from a 4 pack, last consumed 2 yrs prior. The wine was gorgeous this evening, showing off an elegant, soil-driven flavor profile with concentrated black and red fruits, a lifted perfume with mint and spices, the characteristic rocky garrigue flavors and scents, alongside a fresh meaty flavor that adds interest. I am careful these days about not letting my CdP's age too long, as I have found that they can become blousy and lose interest with extended bottle age, but the Beaucastel (and VT) are my 2 favorites, and they can certainly push the envelope of positive evolution with bottle age. Still, I think this is at a nice plateau and will drink my remaining bottle within the next 2 years or so. Quite good.
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Deep dark red color. Very complex nose, red berries. Still a bit hidden/backward on the palate: it takes a while to discover the complex layers on the tongue: blackberries, black currant, licorice, rosemary, vanilla. Very intense and long finish, harmonious, silky. Wonderfully balanced. Still young, many more years ahead.
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This is impressive. There's asian spice, cassis and dark fruit on the nose. Palate is dense and quite powerfull with the most wonderful sweet fruit. This is really balanced. A pretty long finish with nice structure, that you almost dont feel because of the quality of the fruit. This has evolved quite a bit since i last tasted it in 2018 and although its exceptionel Im wondering if it could improve? I have had some amazing mature Beaucastels, like 1989 in the past.
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Siggy's Annual BBQ (Chez Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Small glass. Same bottle as Chablis28, I will refer you to him for his detailed note and prep. This definitely benefited from the air and showed better than any of the other Beaucastel's tonight. Excellent and well balanced.
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My btl at Siggy's gathering for his Seatle buddies. I gave this a 2-1/2hr decant then back in the btl & removed the cork again at Siggys upon arrival. I didn't taste at Siggys for at least another hour past my arrival as I stuck to champagne & whites first. So this got the correct amount of air to show well. With Siggys permission I pulled the corks on his 4 CDPs ( '09 &'10 Beucastel / '09 & '10 Pegau) shortly after arrival too. Those 4 saw much less air but got at least an hour w/o the corks in.
My '05 Beaucastel drank beautifully w/ a classic nose & a notably lifted palate w/ excellent fruit purity & elegance. I've turned my back on most CDP producers but Beaucastel with its lower % of grenache & old school style still rocks my world. I have two more of these and in no rush to open the next. These likely have at least another 10yrs of positive evolution. Now till 2035?
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Best bottle (Weindorf Kirchheim, Waldhorn Laube): Glass: Sophienwald Bordeaux Popped and poured. Outside temperature of ~30 degrees celsius. The wine was not chilled. Hence it tasted like sweet marmelade. What a pitty, not able to enjoy this bottle.
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Complex fresh cherries and spice bouquet. Rich, superb fruit entry and mid-palate. Complex herbs and spices flavor. Medium length. Beautiful drinking right now!
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Tasted over 2 hrs, from 375mL obtained from secondary market -dark red minimal bricking -full on sous bois molasses smoked meat -med acidity keeps it vibrant, med/med+ weight nicely concentrated focused remnant dark fruit smoked meat tar, mostly resolved tannins on long finish -fully mature drinking very well now, much better than the sister bottle tasted a couple months ago which must have been flawed
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Decanted through a coffee filter for 45 minutes with moderate to heavy sediment removed. Musty nose followed by strong cherry notes. Good acidity. This reminds me of a red burgundy and it paired quite well with salmon. Definitely a lighter style with less garrigue than, say, the 2007.
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A hint of maderization in the nose gives way to rich, plummy fruit and a suave mouthfeel. Showing differently from Beaucastels of the previous decade, but still a wine of classic proportions. Quite delicious with an Easter leg of lamb
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Showed well. Dark fruited, spicy, with iron blood notes ans a bit of menthol mixed in. Tannins are rather mild at this point. A little sandalwood on the finish mixed with blacks and a little pepper. Solid. Still has some upside I think (but this was my last one)
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Super Bowl 2022 (Alpharetta, GA): Reddish violet, still looks young; deep cherry and cedar, sweet mix of red and dark fruit, structured, Italian...but it has French structure, berries green herb, red currant, tea; very interesting than pleasurable tonight but its had stiff competition.
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Super Bowl 2022 (Alpharetta, GA): Tasted blind. A very nice wine with an easily detectable Grenache finish. I called it CdP, but didn't place it as Beaucastel. Palate fatigue was starting to set in for the evening.
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NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 3 hours. This was dense and full bodied, blackberry and blackberry liqueur, tons of garrigue and bold spices with a peppery and anise laden finish. There's a little shot of heat on the end. I favored the '07 tonight by a hair.
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New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): Almost too much fruit here, at least compared to some older CDP's from this lineup. Smoke, dark black fruits, some floral components but less than I'm used to with Beaucastel. There was a raisined quality to the fruit that bothered me a bit, it didn't seem to bother others.
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Bought this wine on the close out list from the wine distributor I used to work for, Grand Vin. If my memory serves, it was $25-$30 @ bottle. I opened it because the 2004 Pegau sucked, and the 2001 Tardieu-Laurent CNP sucked as well. This wine was on point.
From a split: Deep ruby fading to garnet. Fully developed. Pronounced Eucalyptus and menthol, dark black fruits, kirsch, violets, butterscotch, caramel, dried blackberries, tobacco, savoury, garrigue. M+ acidity, M integrated tannins, 14%, M+ body, M+ intensity, Long finish. Quality outstanding. Drink now but still got some years left.
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This is one of those rare CDP's that is built for the long haul.
Still deep ruby in appearance with very little lightening.
Takes a while to open up, but there are gorgeous aromas of black fruits, smoked meats and plenty of herbal elements such as thyme and "garrigue". Very elegant on the nose which has a freshness one would expect from 2015 not 2005.....
Medium plus in body with plenty of structure and medium plus to long fresh and delicious finish.
No idea if this will get better with age (my guess is that it will) but this wine will last another decade plus in a cold cellar.
Very well done.
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At Torrenal St Remy. A good balance of fruit tannin acidity, with some secondary earthy flavors. Great balance and in its window. What’s missing? Depth and complexity. Still nice with dinner
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My first bottle of 6 I had in the back of my wine cellar. Deep garnet color with a tinge of orange. The bottle hasn't even thrown off any sediment to speak of. I decanted for an hour and a half. The nose was blackberry and black raspberry. Slight current and even some camphor. The wine was extremely well balanced with moderate acidity and very smooth tannin. From beginning to the long finish totally enjoyable. Paired with lamb shank. After 3 hours the wine opened up even more. Ready to drink and should last several more years.
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Took about an hour to open up and continued to take on weight for the next two hours. Sweet fruits, blackberry, spice, pepper, mushroom, liquorish and earth attributes. Medium bodied and mild resolve tannins. I believe the wine can last 5 years without much fruit fade. Wine held its own with filet, horseradish sauce, and a medium brie. Highly recommend and great value.
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Brambly blackberry nose with notes of smoked meat. Still very fresh and intense. Nice acidity and superfine tannins. Medium body with a bit of alcohol on the finish.
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Drinking well, young, dark, brooding. Glowing robe. Cranberry, garrigue, dark, brooding elements. Quite pure and driven. The youthful fruit and energy of 10 years ago have given way to a clean, sulky, brooding young monster of a wine. No hurry here. We have 20 years to even begin to play.
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Dinner at B&A (B&A's): Blind. Dark and brooding. Obviously Chateauneuf, but beyond that no idea, though surprised to learn it’s Beau. Very deep and dark. Quite tight and dense, and maybe somewhat closed currently. Time will tell, but for my palate it’s ***1/2 with scope to go either way.
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Stored since release. This bottle was shut down. Opened up somewhat on the second night, but I would recommend more time. Dark berry, full bodied, and tannic.
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Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red core, lighter at the rim. Opens in the glass quickly after pop-n-pour to show great mix of cherries, red berries, moist earth, mushrooms/truffle. Medium-full body, great balance, fresh ripe fruit, beautifully balanced with acid and subtle tannins. Moderate tertiary. Just as good after the next day after a night in the fridge. Drinking really well and should continue to do so for another decade. Excellent.
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This was a great wine, had 1 bottle couple years ago from the 6 pack I purchased in 2011 but thought it was not quite ready. This one was, nice hints of tobacco, oak and earth on the nose. On the palate big dark dried fruit, mostly blackberry, some licorice. I thought a nice long finish. Needs 2-3 hours at minimum to decant thoug and I believe has plenty of legs for more years in the bottle.
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Can’t say if this was an off bottle, but there was a distinct raisin smell taste. I’m worried that this half case was cooked. I’ll open another bottle in the next week to see. BC CdP should be virile at 16.
Cork was perfect, bright ruby with no signs of bricking. Powerful open nose of blackberry, pepper, hint of leather, wine is perfectly balanced, big body with raspberry, black cherry and herbs. Long lovely finish, not showing any signs of age. The wine could easily handle another 10 years in the cellar but is so good right now I doubt if my last 3 bottles will make it that far.
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A deep colour, mid-red/brick; full, slightly sweet, dark fruit with spice and a slightly raisiny flavour; intense and long. Now mature and probably at its peak, although still quite vigorous. An excellent Beaucastel.
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de Beaucastel is so consistent in quality that it ii difficult to separate the vintages. But For me, this was a slightly understated wine. Although very enjoyable, it lacked a little in depth or complexity. If that is the case, then it is certainly the fault of the vintage and not the winemakers.
If you have some in your cellar, I would drink up (the familiar CNP dark tones were certainly showing signs of maderisation).
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Surprised to find this wine somewhat lighter on its feet than some other mature CNdPs that I have drunk in recent months (mainly Vieux Télégraphe and Pegau).
The expected dark cherry, spiced plums with an undercurrent of tar and some smokiness all present but the tannins and acidity meant it all felt still quite primary. No iodine or bone meal here. Good length but not the full on depth of body I was expecting. Little in the way of Grenache heat noticeable to my palate nor was the alcohol hugely evident.
No noticeable evolution over the evening and sadly I didn’t save any to re-visit today.
Don’t get me wrong, this was a smashing wine but not quite what I was expecting
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One of two (about $70@) from the large, CdP-heavy private purchase last fall. On the nose, intense perfume, and more generally on the nose and palate, black cherry, mixed red and dark berries, earth, smoke, cedar, spice, figs, and an intensely tarry, tannic note on the back end. Dark garnet, medium to full-bodied, thick legs. Almost overwhelming tannins, medium++ acidity, a bit of heat with a boozy note. Intense, medium+ persistent, and complex. A small taste out of the bottle came out fractious and unbalanced, and even a larger glass 2 hours later, while showing welcome signs of integration, still seemed rather inhospitable, and I feared that this wine might be in a weird phase like the '06 Clos Des Papes I had last summer. The wine definitely relaxed with another 2.5+ hours of air on night 2, with the boozy note and heat abating, becoming richer and deeper, which has continued on night 3. Still, other than the broken cork--why do I keep forgetting my own rule about only using the 2 prong on 10+ year old bottles?--there was nothing about this that seemed like anything other than something that had just come off the presses. This worked well with rack of lamb, less so with seared swordfish, but is less of a food wine than other recent CdPs, in part because the acidity, while not inconsiderable, seems eclipsed at this point by the tannins, even as they integrated. While I'm not sure that this wine can be as transcendent as the '98 Pegau or Clos Des Papes or the '01 Tardieu-Laurent which I've had recently because I don't think it will ever have the lift of those bottlings, if the tannins can relax a bit without the fruit or acidity dropping off, maybe the secondary notes can assert themselves further and this can be a mid 90s wine, which would be consistent with past bottlings I've had. But as for me, I'll hold my remaining bottle for 2-3 years--I have plenty of other CdPs--and see where this goes. With a lot of air, a very good, delicious bottle of wine right now, but ever so slightly disappointing. It's very rare I'm below CT consensus, albeit it slightly, on a CdP.
Consumed back to back with '05 Vieux Telegraphe. This wine has similarly-well-developed aromas with pleasant gaminess and a bit of underbrush. But this is much more dark-fruited and obvious with blackberry liqueur than the VT. This carries through in the flavors, where the blackberry ripeness reminds me of good Ridge Zinfandel. Not that this is bad but the more restrained and aromatic VT is rather more interesting. I have just one left and will let it go quite a bit longer to see how this evolves.
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Although previous bottles from the same purchase were quite good, this particular bottle is a little disappointing. Clean, with a lovely fragrant nose showing all sorts of red fruits and herbs, but somehow flat and rather dull on the palate.
The wine improved with air, and went from maybe 89pts to the 91 I’m sticking with. Still not as awesome as past bottles, but very enjoyable with braised lamb shanks.
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Stubbornly unevolved and primary. Surprisingly little sign of bricking or secondary complexity despite decanting. Characteristic dark fruits and Provençal herbs on the nose. Was giving more 24 hours later. Needs more time, 2-3 years minimum. Alcohol and tannins winning over fruit right now, feels like it should have the stuffing to develop into something more complex and interesting.
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This is in about as perfect a spot as I imagine it will ever be. Most importantly, this did not start strutting its stuff until about 3 hours in the decanter, and over the next 2 hours was singing. On opening, would have rated 90 but I could absolutely tell at that point that it would open up with some time. Sediment was certainly in the bottle but surprisingly less than I was expecting.
The usual suspects of barnyard, rustic but rich and a bitg spicy syrah/cinsault/grenache/mourvedre (not too cloying which is nice) and the rest, with a bit of garrigue were present and danced happily together, as did the wine on the whole with a braised lamb shank in a tomato-rosemary-sage-rosemary-garlic-bay leaf-celery-onion-salt-pepper-chicken stock mix with mashed potatoes. Pretty glorious.
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Cellared since purchase in 2008. Drank over 3 days. Color of black cherry. Vanilla, almond and even hints of chocolate on the nose. Rounded mouthfeel with medium to full body. Notes of black cherry and tart cherry over a base layer of tannins. Medium finish.
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No sign of funk or bret - actually would prefer that. Makes the wine despite the otherwise sound characteristics rather boring and not like how the wines of this winery used to be.
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Thankfully this bottle, from the same OWC as the flawed one, was just fine. Plenty of life here. Dark black fruits, raisins, spices and some game on the nose. Similar on the palate, plus black olives. Very smooth mouthfeel. Still didn't live up to my memory of the bottle poured several years ago at the Beaucastel tasting room, but that may be my palate shifting a little. Very solid wine.
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red core, slight lightning at the rim. Opens in the glass over the course of an hour after pop-n-pour. In a really nice place with wonderful nose of cherries, red berries, moist earth and mushrooms/truffle. Medium-full body, great balance with fresh ripe fruit playing well with acid and tannins. Not much complexity yet - good chance this will get even better over time. Remains stored in fridge show no deterioration the next day. Excellent.
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Was looking forward to include this in our Christmas dinner. Had to open another CDP as the Beucastel was a dissappointment. My vin ordianire costing $10 is better than the famous B. Nose is faint, not aluring, taste rather thin not inspiring, some fruit and acidity, lacks body, and none of that lingering aftertaste I was hoping for. Opened it at 3PM and did not improve througout the night. Saved the rest for cooking wine.
This is drinking perfectly right now. Decant for 3-5 hours before enjoying. Lovely Grenache fruit is supple and elegant on the pallet. Pretty wonderful.
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From magnum, silky smooth, beautifully fruited, rich wine with a touch of pepper. Still so youthful, took a few hours in the decanter to open up. Sweet fruit, with just the start of tertiary flavours. Magnums holding well.
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This was nothing like the amazing pour we tried at the Beaucastel tasting room in CdP a couple years ago. Very pruney and only borderline drinkable. Suspect poor storage.
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2nd of 4 bottles, last tasted 3 years ago. I scored this wine 93 pts back then...dropping my score a bit and agreeing with JG's professional assessment from 2008. The wine seems a bit cooked and overdone, wanting for more acidity and tannic bite on the finish. Just kinda chewy tonight and blah. I really kept wanting to see the best in this one but it never rose to the occasion. Drink now through 2024 or so.
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YES. Very classy wine ; almost bdx-like in its mix of austerity, fruit and debts. Very distinctive and not typical of B at all. Interesting. I guess a sort of pinnacle for CNF.
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This is a wine that will likely never become an open knit CDP. Rather it is a structured, finesse driven effort with more black fruits, savory smoked meat and herbal elements (thyme, rosemary etc.) as opposed to the red fruit profile in many other CDP cuvees.
Very food friendly and stood up to some rich dishes that would have overwhelmed a more fruit forward CDP.
This will hold for years (and years) in a cold cellar, but no need to wait. Very well done for the vintage and style.
Beaucastel reprise (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): From Coravin. Aromas of leather, earth, dark fruits, slight alcohol warmth. Leather and juicy on the palate, alcohol warmth on the palate as well, opens over time to show a little garrigue. Nice.
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C’est clairement la plus belle bouteille de 2005 bue à ce jour. J’avais toujours trouvé ce 2005 sur la retenue, alors que cette fois-ci le vin semblait bien ouvert, épanoui, complexe. Un beau Beaucastel, épicé, avec une bonne longueur. Débute son plateau et y restera pour 5-10 ans
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MEA CULPA. So I bought a lot of B and developed a very negative view of it because no matter how long I waited (<10 yrs) it always seemed mute and disappointing compared to others (eg Pegau) . So I just left them. Then in Covid I started opening them; now 15 yrs in and guess what? They are really very good. I guess I was just not waiting long enough.
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Noble wine with complete package; early in the drinking window. Nose: spices, tobacco. Flavors: blackberry, black cherry, spices, hint of licorice. Structure: well pronounced, but integrated.
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Medium ruby/purple color, slightly cloudy. Nose showing red fruits, blackberry, truffles, spice, damp earth, licorice. Elegant palate of dark cherry, blackcurrant, baking spice/cinnamon, tar, rose petal. Spice persists through the mid palate. Medium body, medium/long finish.
This was brilliant on this evening. Guessing the 3L has this drinking at a younger stage. A taste when opened, it was very good. the air time really allows it to open, secondary flavors evolved over the evening. Went great with a nicely spiced entree...star of the show for me.
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This is now fairly mature and noticeably less vigorous than some earlier bottles, but still quite intense, with smoky fruit and good length. Should mature gracefully over the next few years.
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Almost the best wine I’ve tasted Yes I know it’s a “popular Chateneuf du Pape” For good reason This was amazing with notes of everything and I mean everything Brown sugar to loganberry Everything!
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Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Blackberry, blue berry, hints of black pepper and a sense of denseness. Leather, herbaceous notes but freshens with time in the glass. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, talc textured tannins accompany pretty black fruits. Balanced. Lovely
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Rich and concentrated showing excellent depth and complexity along with mid-palate intensity. A superb vintage for Beaucastel and CDP. Kirsch cherries, black raspberry liquor, damp earth, red flowers and balanced acidity. Finishes with excellent length while tannins continue to retain grip and firmness. Lots of life left but drinking beautifully now. 90 min decant minimum. I’d say similar to 95 and 98 for them in terms of structure and age-ability.
Beautiful clear bright purple colour - no garnet. Thick legs. Nose bright and fresh, redcurrants. Palate soft and very jammy with an explosion of red and black fruits; blackberries very prominent. Smooth and luscious. No hard edges at all but hint of tannins at the end. Really beautiful.
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A gorgeous bottle. Different from the last in that it was approachable immediately upon opening. Rich red fruit, some old world stank, lots of earthy minerality with an interesting hint of bitterness that I can't tell whether adds or detracts from the overall impression. Long finish.
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A deep colour; still quite vigorous on the palate, with brambly, smoky, tarry fruit, quite intense and with good length. Now drinking very well, but will keep.
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Rosebuds, tar and licorice mixed with strawberries and garigue spices. A bit of heat on the finish initially but it mellowed with a few hours in the glass. This still feels a bit monolithic and closed but the complexity is there. Could use another few years.
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Took 2+ hours to open fully. Initially not offering much on the nose at all but with time it opened beautifully with an attack of black pepper followed by lavender, red plum, cigar ash, and finally some orange peel. Same story on the palate; very subdued for the first few hours and then opened dramatically with black peppercorns, under-ripe cherry and a nice deep layer of warm leather. Patience is required and a long decant will be rewarded. Excellent pairing with rare steaks and a herbes de provence rub.
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Wow a real surprise here. Great open blackberry, raspberry, kirsch like nose. Very energetic and floral and perfumed. Glossy and heathy and crunchy fruit with a lovely glycerin that coats the palate. Wonderful length and balance. No hint of heat and has an elegance and subtlety that I rarely find in Rhône wines which just seem to bludgeon you with a wall of fruit and alcohol unless you leave it for 30 years! Great QPR and will look out for this again. Thank you Thomas!
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Sadly, my last bottle of the 05, and while I think there has been some bottle variation over the years, I have to say that this bottle was pristine with an abundance of penetrating, earthy, dark, leathery fruit, some tobacco undertones and some hints of violets and while Beaucastels often leave me marveling at how such a big wine can have such a light, sometimes, delicate mouthfeel, this bottle had no such subtlety. It was big, dense and delicious. Quite delightful!!
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When I opened this wine 2.5 hrs back, the nose was total rotten eggs. But after 2.5hrs it converted into a classic CDP. With cigar, mushrooms, and lime on the nose. Silky berries on the palate. This feels like a warm blanket wrapping you on a cold winter night and sitting next to a fireplace!
Note: I scored this 85 points last time because of the smell of rotten eggs.
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W easter lamb from oven. yummy dinner and yummy combo. This was really great from opening. Great but restraint fruit flavopr on the nose. Beautiful aged (but still young color). On palate all that a CNP should be all about. You taste blend which is pure elegance. Grenache, Mouvedre its all there. Great elegant finish, nnothing bold but yummy. This will be pretty god for another 10 years. (This bottle had drowned because of hurricane irene (2011).
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My first delve into this vintage. Absolutely on song. Almost viscous concentrated dark berries/stoned fruits and crammed with desert and dry spices, earth, smokey nuances and charred oak. Velvety but intense. Immensely complex. Drinking superbly now, and while I can't see any likelihood of further improvement should hold at this level whilst ageing elegantly over the next 10yrs+.
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A lovely wine, the 2005 Beaucastel is really in its window now. Deeply colored, the nose is extremely complex and spicy with a mix of ripe cassis, plums, red licorice, and cherry pastilles. There is a hint of freshly mowed hay too, but barely perceptible. On the palate, tart and Burgundian, like a Syrah, with the fruit just barely ripe and the soft tannins and lifting acidity really telling the main story. Long mineral support... a sensational wine!
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Floral nose. Structured and full with black and red fruits, pepper, minerals. Has heft, acidic balance and grainy tannins. Long finish. It's drinking well. Better the second day. Has plenty of life ahead.
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Nez intense de fruits noirs confiturés et d'épices. C'est très mûr, très chaleureux, un peu monolithique et ça manque clairement de charme et de personnalité juste après avoir bu une Fonsalette syrah 2000 peu avant. Peut-être à attendre encore 3-5 ans ?
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Fantastic wine. Drinking well … again. So smooth and elegant (yes, elegant … for a CdP). Tantalizing berry aromas, figs, tar, earthiness, spices, and freshly ground coffee beans. Flavours repeat …. dusty drying tannins, licorice coming in at the end with a long finish. Beautifully balanced
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Delicious aromas of sweet red fruits and spices. Sweet and intense fruit also in the mouth. Rich, concentrated and impressive. Not very elegant, though.
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Decanted two hours prior to consumption. Nose was perfumed and full of bright ripe fruit. The palate subdued. Tannins resolved, acid perfectly in check, but the fruit seemed tired. Flavors of cherry, meat juices, and a hint of tobacco.
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Wines that F**k to kick off the new year (Bob's, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL): Nose: Finally the nose is open and this time it's fully ready for business filling the glass with black cherries, raspberries, blackberries, licorice, tobacco, mesquite, hot stones, violets, leather, and black currants. There is excellent depth with an emerging savory quality to it.
Taste: The feel is Medium/full bodied with silky, medium+ tannins and medium acidity. There is a good bit of weight to the feel but it is also well balanced with black cherries, raspberries, blackberries, mesquite, tobacco, leather, hot stones, and violets.
Overall: I've been waiting for a long time to come across a bottle of 05 Beaucastel that is drinking. And I'm completely glad it finally happened as it was utterly worth it. There is a real dark and searching side to it along with a great, lengthy finish.
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Dark fruited, spicy and still showing lovely floral notes but balanced by dry earth, old leather and bloody roast meat with hints of animal sweat and really good hot chocolate. Acid, fruit, tannin, secondary and tertiary flavors, everything in balance.
What a great bottle in just a great place. Was easily the wine of the night with some pretty big hitters (i.e. 78 Cos from a Mag).
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This seems more evolved than previous bottles, with a slight brown tinge to the colour. It has mature damson fruit, medium plus weight and good length. An attractive wine for current drinking.
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Pop ‘n pour from 55 degree cellar. Dark chocolate, plums and raisins. Dense with lots of depth and still very youthful. Very fine grained tannins give it excellent structure. Still has many years ahead of it and should get even better once it starts showing signs of secondary development.
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For me, a WOW wine. Drinking perfectly now. Bright and fresh bouquet, plum and raisin-y upon entry, so good with food. Then to leather, maybe a little Brett? Medium to full bodied. Such a finish, with old leather, earth and a touch of funk and rich dark fruit. Amazing the changes, how bright in the glass to start, how dark and rich to finish. I don't know how that happens. Wonderful complexity and evolution over dinner and an hour afterwards. Loved it. I must have caught a great bottle.
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Nice wine but ultimately a bit disappointing given name and vintage. I found it fruit first (and fruit last, if that makes sense) - this seemed way less rustic than older Beaucastel and I cant say I like that switch. If you like a rich and smooth red-fruited wine, upgrade this.
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Good but not great. Not convinced of this vintage. Beaucastel always hard to assess because of bottle variability. Perhaps this a weak bottle but no obvious signs of any flaw.
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On nose : med+ intensity, mostly secondary aroma : sweet vanilla, tertiary aroma: thyme, leather, peppery spiciness
On palate : dry, med acidity, red and black fruit: cherry, lichorice, tea leaves, leather, herbal tea, sweet and very fine tannin, with med finishing.
It is good match with lamb chop, very complex and it is a very typical CDP, everyone loves it. Sweet tannin and herbal taste is the significance. Good structure and very lovely! Drink it now to enjoy the peak of this!
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In perfect place now: only secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. Very refined and approachable. Not much acidity or tannins left though, will start deteriorating soon. I would not age any further, drink up now!!!! Cheers!!!
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Annual Summer wine event featuring Brisket (Steve and Jennie's): This was drinking very well for a young Beaucastel. I feel that a few more years will allow this wine to turn the corner. Garrigue, stones, anise, good structure and shows a lot of fruit right now.
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From magnum decanted 2hrs prior by Kate the sommelier at the Rex Whistler restaurant at the Tate Britain. Purpley-black and clear. Nose of leather, vanilla, and prunes. On the front of the palette this is all soft black cherry and liquorice. This wine saunters to the back of the tongue leaving dark chocolate and wild tarry notes as it goes. This stuff is rocket fuel, the smoothest and most balanced you have tasted, leaving a long toasty finish and giant grin on the lips. Stunning.
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Best as a pop and pour—seemed to close up after a few hours air. Iron and blood notes mixed with dark red fruit. Still on the primary side but starting to show some smoke and leather notes. Form acidity, tannins have softened. Really enjoyed this butnprobabky still have a few years to reach its peak plateau phase.
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Decanted for 4 hours. I tasted it along the way and during the first couple of hours it was really unapproachable. At 4 hours it was rich, smooth, and tasty. I wish I had opened two bottles! The nose smells of dark fruit, plums perhaps, but that is only slightly present on the palate which is dominated by garrigue and stony mineral flavors. Hints of anise and tobacco also. Smooth, well balanced, with a lengthy finish.
We had this with a roast lamb shoulder that was quite pronounced in its flavors and it was a nice pairing.
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Classic Beaucastel here, if not the best bottle that I have had. Nice balance between red fruits and minerality, although not particularly expressive on either front like you see in top CdPs. Still, you can't complain about a bottle of this juice with a roasted rack of lamb and grilled vegetables, just a lovely pairing with enough acidity and body to cut right through all of the smoke of the veggies and fat and gaminess of the lamb.
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First couple of glasses were quite tightly wound and monolithic but returning to this wine later it had opened up beautifully to reveal an fragrant and evolved wine. Nice aromatics with a rich but not heavy palate and a nice sweetness to the fruit. A great example of Chateauneuf.
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Haven't had this one for a while either. Deep ruby red with candy apple red highlights and just beginning to turn garnet at the rim. Initial scents of porcini mushroom and dark fruits underneath. Once allowed more air come notes of concentrated dark berry paste, mulberry, licorice, spice, subtle garrigue, and some lovely tertiary notes of game and mulch. Still quite full bodied with barely any sediment. Entry is big and bold and sweet and delicious! Ripe red plum skin, black berry compote, more garrigue on the palate than on the nose, sandlewood, with old leather in the background. Powerful and athletic but controlled at the same time. Everything is in check and harmonious. This wine demands attention when it enters a room by its sheer magnificence! Just a baby still at 14 and has a long life ahead of it still.
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Friday Tasting Group: In HONOR of 1 of the Group's Mentors (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): "Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-ha vyd with one single plot at the N of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay, & limestone deeper down. Each variety is harvested manually & separately. Vinification is completed in truncated oak barrels for the reductive grapes (Mourvèdre & Syrah) & in traditional tiled cement tanks for the oxidative grapes (such as Grenache). After the malolactic fermentations, the Perrin family blends the different varieties, & then the wine ages in oak Foudres for a yr before being bottled." 30% ea Grenache & Mourvèdre, 10% ea Counoise & Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and 15% Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, & Roussanne;
N: DEFINITE barnyrd funkiness which DOES blow off into notes of mint (at least breiefly) slightly atop berries
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, *ult* pleasant finish, but with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. The wine's astringency SHOULD work well with food. For now, though may still improve for a yr or 2, then hold for 5 yrs more? 14% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 95 pts Decanter (2x in '17), 93 & 94 RJonWine, 88+? John Gilman, 18.5+, 17, & 18/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding), and NUMEROUS other *solid* reviews & medals on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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A deep colour; still a little raw on the palate, with deep, rich, spicy fruit that needs another year or two to soften. Even so, drinkable now, although the 2006 is probably better for current enjoyment.
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Had 1-2 ounces per night for several nights, closing the bottle each time immediately after pouring, before consuming the remainder (about 80% of the bottle) over a few hours with dinner.
On PnP it was a bit muted though hinted at ripe fruit. It showed more depth each night until the final night when it opened seeming to show too much baked / cooked fruit aromas, which was disappointing. But it quickly drew me in and settled down in the glass. This was always a touch too too ripe and nearly confectionery for my taste, but at the same time it was irresistible. The initial perception of heaviness could never win out, because it has an underlying structure and acidity to carry it. Showed mint and dried herbs, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, espresso bean, plum and just generally dark fruits. Some dusty earth.
Very nice, recommend a decant. If stored well, I figure this will cruise for years to come.
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the first bottle from the case last month was corked (on a disappointing night for '05 cdp's in general). this one, decanted for one hour & consumed over three, is excellent; youthful color; nose more mature, mourvèdre stands out in the earthy, plummy aromatic profile; refined weight on palate; like many drinkers of this recently, it seems to be in its (potentially broad) window of deliciousness, with generous fruit & silky balance, tannins in the background & enough acidity to keep it enjoyable w/food. comfortable w/drinking & holding over the next 8 -10 years.
gigante beans w/garlic sausage, thyme & tomato
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After a two hour decant at 62°F, this Beaucastel developed a rather fresh nose, and offered generous and wonderfully spiced fruit balanced by the noticeable tannins and good acidity. The nice, long finish delivered peppery and earthy notes. Clearly this wine has time to further develop although it's drinking well right now. I'll hold my last bottle of this classic vintage for another few years.
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Magnificent. Had it chilled and it opened reserved. But then full throttle on wonderful complicated nose, berries, pepper, a bit tobacco. long, long aftertaste for up to 5 minutes. Classy wine.
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Aging well - prob nearing it’s peak. Hints of menthol, tea, raspberry, black pepper, some earth and spice notes - deep red in color / this has a few more years!
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BBQ night at Changi. Pop and poured. Drank over 1.5 hours. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fragrant tea leaves, garrigue, earth, Provencal herbs, dark red cherries, warm spices. Developed. on the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of earth, sweet tea leaves, dark red cherries, kirsh, Provencal herbs, sweet spices. Long finish. Very good quality. Seems to be losing some intensity and more tertiary than when I last tasted this. I think time to drink up before it declines more.
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Dyp farge, dufter friske frukter, lær, urter og mye annet. Sødmefull, brettfri og lekker vin med god lengde. Er på et fint sted i utviklingen nå, men holder i massevis.
Aromas of ripe red fruits and some spices. Intense, fruity and quite tannic on the palate. Concentrated and impressive, but not very elegant. A bit coarse and rustique.
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This really did drink beautifully. Young and with time in hand, but lovely now. Dense and powerful but with fabulous complexity and real finesse, broad textured palate, serious yet refined tannins and very good length. Quite superb. 94+
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Based on this bottle, I would let these rest more.
It took an hour in the decanter to start to come together and was continuing to improve when we finished it a couple of hours later. Not a typical CdP. Very rich fruit with both plum and red berry hints, earthy, lots of structure. At the end the nose was really beautiful with red berry flavors quite pronounced and maybe starting to show some hints of wild spice.
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Wow! Initially, I would have never guessed this as a CnP. after an hour double decant, my initial thoughts were that this wine was quite over-rated. Seemed one dimensional and almost flat. An hour later, the next glass was exceptional, almost Bordeaux like (left bank). I still don't think this tastes like a classic CnP ....no currants, missing some of the normal southern Rhone sweetness and terroir, but still outstanding.
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Decanted 3 hrs. Took a good hr in the decanter to get the nose up and running but once it did, great CdP aromatics of X-Mas spices emerged among other pleasant scents. By far one of the better Beaucastels I have had in recent memory, this is a pretty strong customer in its flexing of its Mourvedre muscle, still very impactful tannic structure, and good acidity as well. The big allure for me was the freshness, no porty or raisn-esque shenanigans going on, the fruit delivered a clear cut kirsch liquor wrapped around a bed of exotic spices and iron notes. Back half saw the emergence of a peppery quality and all the while this was light on its feet for being such a powerful wine. Like many, I drink less CdP than I used too, but this was most excellent, borderline superb. My .02 I if you have 1 to 2 bottles, hold for 3 to 5 years, otherwise take a peek for yourself.
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This is always a favorite of mine and nice to see it with a touch of age. No detailed notes unfortunately, but I do remember thinking it was still very much on the young side. We opened and decanted for prob 45 minutes before pouring. Went really well as we got to the meat dishes in the menu (esp with the steak). Great fruit. A hint of stable, but almost the fresh smells there (versus the barnyard). Very tasty.
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Brought from house to drink during evening shift at Oinoscent. Much better than the one tasted at the vertical a few months before. Elegant, refined, with real depth, ripe red and black fruit, floral notes, forest floor, beautifully decadent. In the palate the wine shows the same character, with loads of ripe fruit, bright , balanced, smooth velvety tannins, elegant, notes of tobacco, medium length. Simply outstanding. Purchased this upon release, worth the wait. I wouldn't keep this much longer though
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This wine is clear with a deep garnet color. It shows a clean nose of medium intensity of black, ripe cherry, plums and ripe blueberries. secondary aromas of cedar box and vanilla are also present. The nose has certain "meaty" smell to it. On the palate, it is dry with pleasant medium plus acidity and well integrated medium tannins. The alcohol is definitely there but is not over aggressive, it is 14% but I would call it "Medium". The body of this wine is silky and well defined but not overly strong, call it medium as well. On the palate the flavors of dark cherry, cured meat, plums with a hint of black pepper are all well represented. There finish is long and satisfying. This wine is very good now. It should be drunk over the next 2-4 years as the fruit is starting to be less pronounced. A bottle of 2000 Beaucastel I had yesterday had no fruit left on the nose or on the palate. So I think that 2005 should be drunk by 2022 by the latest.
In a great spot right now. Not sure there will be much more development but also not fading any time soon. Was one of the highlights at a wine dinner before someone opened a 2001 of the same bottle - that one blew this away with its concentration and increased complexity. The 05 is very light in body for a cdp/beaucastel, but powerful enough to pair with a wide variety of dishes including steak. Lots of red fruit, classic beaucastel rustic funkiness, balanced acidity and lovely with or without food.
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Decanted at the Union League. Soft cedary bouquet, with leather and berries. The palate has bright berries, cedar and a long satisfying finish. Consistent with my previous note.
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Decanted for an hour at Sundance in Palo Alto. Soft cedar, tobacco and leather nose. The palate is smooth red fruit, again leather and a velvety finish. Was expecting spices and pepper but these were nowhere to be found, at least not in this bottle. Faint earthy tones that paired extremely well with mushroom tempura. A great first wine of the evening.
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I don’t know if it’s only me, but i find major variation among beaucastel CDPs with some age. Perhaps due to storage, although I don’t find them to be flawed necessarily. But I will find two bottles same vintage and one will be ripe fruit dominated (with a whiff of flabbiness) and the other will have far more spice/structure/depth.
This one was a bit flabby and too fruity. Good, but not great.
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Famille Perrin tasting (Vintage): Cinsault 5%, Grenache 30%, Mourvedre 30%, Vaccarese, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne 15%, Counoise 10%, Syrah 10% Developed in the nose, overripe fruit, old oak, balsamic, earthy, jammy, red fruit chutney, spicy. In the palate is again developed, dried red fruit, spicy, leather, oaky, powerful acidity. The palate feels drier, med to long finish. I don't know whether I should be expecting more, but I feel slightly dissapointed
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Some may say we had this too early, but this is why you should buy full cases of excellent wines. This would be amazing to enjoy regularly over the next few years.
Bright like a new Napa Cab, but dirty berries and bark like on the nose with a lot of spices on the palette, mixed with bright peppers (without the citrus) and lots of fresh farm aromatics as the wine opened through dinner. Gentle hints of vanilla, but this was well integrated and balanced right away.
The wine was popped and poured into a small decanter and decanted for about 30 minutes before we really got into it.
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a little disappointing, a little past its prime. structure still good/young--medium bodied, polished, feminine, delicate, but not much of a finish...but not much flavor complexity and a lot of port, syrup, raisin showing up, so hard to get into....
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I just popped and poured from a new case. Was not as good as previous bottles. It seemed tight and lacking freshness. After about 90 minutes of air it started coalescing and made me wish I hadn’t been so eager when I cracked the bottle.
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This is a very Chateau De Beaucastel. It's silky it's very powerful and the color is super dark. Considering past vintages like 2001 and 1990 this one is right up there with it. Highly recommend drinking it in the next 2-4 years.
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Carafé 3 heures en enlevant les lies (il y en avait peu toutefois). Un CH9 puissant, tributaire du millésime, mais accessible, avec des tannins modérés, une aromatique sur les fruits noirs mais aussi des épices. Une belle longueur. Bien équilibré.
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Open for business after less than one hour decant. Smooth as silk with a great nose and plenty of structure. Don't believe this can integrate any better with more cellaring time.
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This is still a little shy, thought the acidity has smoothed out and the tannins have integrated. Still quite youthful with mostly primary dark fruit. Nice aromatics, if subdued of iron and tobacco leaf. Palate shows a darker fruit profile, moving into a complex finish of sanadalwood, blood, and spice notes. Quite good. Enjoyable now but I think still on the upswing.
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sublime! plum, asian spices, acidity to keep it all together and smooth tannins. this has the stuffing to last another 5 to 10 years but is enjoyable today.
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Ruby; nose of cinnamon, cassis and graphite; pfn with addition of leather, nutmeg and tar; thinner on finish than we were expecting; balanced with noticeable tannins
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Great bouquet of leather, dark fruit, garrigue, smoke, and violets. Vibrant, clear color of deep ruby red. Still grippy for a CdP with a great streak of mineral tinged acidity. I’ll hang on to the rest of those for a few years.
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Tres bon apres plusieurs heures en carafe, semblait disjoint au depart mais le tout s'est remis en place au courant de la soirée. Une petit chauffe alcooloque en fin de bouche lui fait perdre 1 point ou deux
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dark ruby. Nose of dark and red fruit, torrefaction, spices, cake. There is quite a bit of heat here as well both on nose and palate. Full bodied on the palate but not overbearing, lacks sophistication of the best CdP though. Good but not great.
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Impressive showing with dark berry, oak, vanilla, and black olive notes. High alcohol, high tannin experience. Better after an hour or two. This is on the early side of the drinking window. Should improve with time.
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Wow wine! Unbelievably intense and saturated. This is overflowing with dark stewed berries and figs with a chocolately finish. A massive but ultra fine tannic structure will ensure that this wine will last several more decades. A real head turner.
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Quite structured and very long. Silky and elegant. White pepper with ho sin, licorice, raspberry, and strawberry fruit. Wild and brooding. Lots left to go here. Green olives and celery stalk and tar on the finish. Hold a little longer. It is heavy on the alcohol, but it carries it well. Drink 2020-2030.
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Decanted for an hour. This was a very fragrant wine, lots of fine red fruit, with lilac and lavender, very inviting. The palate was also on the red fruit side, with some sweetness, but elegant with lots of tannins. Quality was clear here and I think the wine will last for many more years in the cellar, but won't necessarily get better.
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No formal TN on this beauty, but it was in a perfect, early part of it's drinkability. Gorgeous garrigue and spice, with kirsch, dark cherry and plum, as well as great soil signature. Drink now through 2028+.
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Red cherry, kirsch liqueur, touch of brett. Very typical of Beaucastel. Taught tannin on the finish even after 2 hours in the decanter. A solid effort, but could still use 3-5 more years in bottle.
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dark red barely showing any evolution, nose on dark cherry , dried plum, herbs , liquorice, leather. Tannins are silken, the wine is layered, with retro on fruits, liquorice and leather. Good acidity frame providing a good finish.
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Beaucastel nous offre toujours un produit de qualité avec beaucoup de consistance à travers les années. Ce 2005 est un plaisir à boire. Magnifiquement équilibré avec des tannins bien intégrés, il est prêt a boire. Un beau mélange de fruits, d'épices avec des petits accent de tabac. Une certaine fraîcheur demeure présenté dans le vin me faisant penser que je n'attendrai pas trop longtemps pour mes autres bouteilles.
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Mid-garnet, brick edges; old world nose; earth, Grenache, cedar; mid-body; semi-tight tannins; good structure; complex flavors; long refined finish. w/pork tenderloin and ratatouille
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Last bottle of a case of 6. This had a tough stance following of a beautiful 1990 Clerc Milon (scored 95) and 2002 Bollinger Grand Annee (scored 94). Decanted for one hour in wide decanter, it actually was a point. Lovely complexity, full throttle CNDP, paired well with Gruyere but was also a treat on its own. Not sure how much better this will get but it certainly is going to be superb for another decade. Good value!
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This is the best Beaucastel since at least the 1995 and the otherwordly 1990 or earlier Beaucastels. This is drinking very well right now and will last another decade or more.
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Theme (blind) was 10 years old or older French Rouge. I brought an older Morgon, as an experiment. Rosalie brought this one to make up for that. The Morgon was a pleasant surprise, this was magnificent. We put in in a decanter for about three hours prior to the tasting, based on other's notes. The wine was absolutely singing when we drank it. Almost uniformly considered the WON, against some stiff competition from Bordeaux. Dark, brooding color, no signs of age. Rich, complex nose. Lots of flavors on the palate, seemed like all the varieties contributed. Long, pleasant finish. One interesting comment: This renews my faith in Beaucastel.
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First of a six-pack I've been hoarding for nearly ten years. Decanted about an hour (perhaps slightly less). Quite a full colour - showing some development at the rim but otherwise quite youthful and intense. Quite closed on the nose. Some hints of primary black confit fruit; also some subtler elements when worked. But it is in quite an awkward phase just now. The same is true on the palate. Really quite difficult to get much out of this in terms of flavour profile. However, the building blocks for a super wine are there - lovely ripe tannins, lush mouthfeel without any loss of structure, excellent acidity gives it poise. Good minerality on the finish. The only mystery is where is the fruit hiding?! Although it clearly has the potential to be superior, on the day this didn't compare particularly favourably to the 2007 Ch la Nerthe tasted alongside. Wait a few years before trying another.
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Really excellent Beaucastel. Maybe underrated? Seems to have hardly budged in the 2 years since I last tried this. Was really showing well (in a young way) with USDA Prime grilled strips and porcini mushroom/black truffle ravioli. Had this with Roy, who thinks this is yet a baby...he suggested not touching another for at least 5 years. I can see his point, but it is not a crime to drink now - and the wine delivers considerable pleasure at the table already.
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Drank straight from the cellar without decanting. A gorgeously balanced CDP. Full saturated body with a beautiful nose of Grenache and Provençal herbs. Big yet elegant. This should continue to age very nicely. Today it is still a young adolescent but very accessible.
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Dense wine, with smooth tannins and a complexity of flavours from red berry to smokey and bacon. I did feel like it was still improving - in 3-5 years this will be really very good...
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Beautiful rose nose with no bricking around glass. At opening there was smoke, barnyard. and black pepper. I sensed some fruit cake too. Wine was balanced with bright red fruit, reasonable tannin's and alcohol. Two days later the wine smoothed out with no alcohol or black pepper. Wine was chewy with intense black cherry fruit - a real delight.
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I bought this wine right from the vineyard. It's game changing. Yes it's a popular producer who make killer wine, but this vintage is amazing. So well balanced, cherry, herbs de Provence, awesome plum with a touch of leather
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Tasted next to the 2007. Darker in colour, quite savoury on the nose. A bit barnyardy, showing notes of iodine, earth, spices, bacon, darker fruit. On the palate more structure than the 2007; the tannins are firmer and more powerful, the fruit is more restrained. Again very good length. Approachable, but probably best to wait a little longer. 91-92+
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Abit reticent on opening, but after an hour or two of double decanting it was hitting on all cylinders. Lots of dark red fruit, earth, garrigue, some anise notes and chalky tannins on the long finish. For my tastes, this bottle was in a good place tonight, but reading other CT notes seems to indicate that there is a lot of evolutionary variation in this wine, which really isn't all that surprising given the large production and what I would assume to be varied handling through all the different distribution channels.
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Really nice showing of this wine again. Decanted for 1 hour, did it good - it drank great after that and was probably at its best right then. Lovely broad shouldered smooth CdP. I am a bit surprised by some comments on CT as to this not being in its drinking window - I think this really is singing already, but yes, it certainly can go for another 10 years.
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dark opaque red-purple; excellent fruity spicy nose; soft firm tannins, excellent structure and complexity, tobacco, toasted flavours, excellent by all means
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Dark red, animale barnyard earth meaty bouquet, spices, hoisin, full bodied, very good balance, just entering its window but if you have the patience wait for another 2-3 years 94
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Mala suerte para mi. This is a first. I opened a 1998 and it was full of brett. So out of spite I opened a 2005. Incredibly, cork taint. I drink a lot of CDP and a lot of CDP from Beaucastel, just not my night. Waited 1.5 hours to ensure. Not good. Might as well drink a Napa cab at this point or sangria. Just plain bad luck. Happens to all of us.
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Sweet cherry fruit and kirsch on the nose, complemented by some lemon spice. The palate shows resolved tannins, maybe a little thin and watery for a Beaucastel, but ultimately lively and tasty.
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This wine is currently all about potential. Although you could drink it now, you'd be missing out on the wonderful secondary characteristics that will develop over time. It's displaying great fruit and is already delicious but the tannins are dominant. Only tried half a glass by Coravin but immediately concluded it needs another 5 years.
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Color is bright and clear garnet and dense but not quite opaque. The smells are raspberry, garrigue, cherry, and exotic spices. The tastes are earthy, cherry, raspberry, sour red fruit, spices and Provencal herbs. The acidity is noteworthy and the tannins are fine satin like with a very lengthy finish.
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Medium red, savory, meaty nose, has a tannic backbone, good balance & structure, approachable now, really solid Cdp, I really enjoyed this beaucastel, and will get even better 93+
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thoughtful aromas of cigar box, tar, wet stones, and bramble with a medium palate and well integrated but present tannins. medium finish. Great wine. It should be noted that the wine preceding this was an E. Guigal La Landonne thus it may have suffered a bit in rating due to this preceding wine.
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Min favorit C9dP var med även i kvällens batalj. Förutom denna härliga 05:a provades 99 och 01 som jag kommenterat och höjt till skyarna tidigare. Ikväll var konkurrensen tuffast tänkbara från C9dP med starka Clos des Papes och Pegau i startfältet. Beaucastellen står sig dock väl och sticker ut med sin klassiska autentiska framtoning med silkeslen ljus fruktig känsla. Lätta körsbär och inslag av röda bär. Snyggt integrerade fat, gillar den grumliga ofiltrerade känslan.
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EWG 10 Years On Tasting at Conrad's: Lightly stewed red plum, black cherry, lavender, garrigue, and light white pepper; silky fine entry, medium + body, fine chalky tannins, softer and rounded at this point; good balance at 14%, dusty herbs and cherry in the finish. EWG 10 years on tasting.
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Vol en diep rood. Oppervlakkig in de neus, flets. Proef een echte du Pape. Warm, stevig een mystérieux. Lange, daar wel iets scherpe afdronk. Mooie wijn, geen vuurwerk. Nog een jaar of twee in de kelder?
Fully deep red color. Simple in the nose, a bit pale. Taste a real du Pape. Warm, fully bodied and mysterious. Long, a bit sharp finish. A good wine, no fireworks though. Probably needs some more years in your cellar.
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This wine is still very young. Decanted it for 2hrs and left a Glass in decanter overnight. The richness of nose is solid essence of allspice, anise, chocolate, with red current fruit. The taste is an lot of fresh cherry pie, Christmas cake, and Carmel toffee. The is smooth, and tannins still present but fading off. Truly benefits from extended decanting. The glass 20hrs later was sublime.
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Opened 2 bottles of the '05 from different suppliers and the bottle from CWC was much further along on its evolutionary track than the bottle from EWR, that being said, both were excellent, displaying deep, penetrating, bright red cherry, almost like cherry fruit roll ups, earth, garrigue and chalky tannins. The bottle from CWC was showing some early stewed notes that added an intriguing nuance, the other bottle was darker and more reticent. The bottle variation makes it difficult to say if this is indeed ready to drink or is still just shy of its window.
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This was very good, yet not as good as I had hoped. Sometimes I feel that high expectations can reduce my joy of a bottle. This was a delicate bottle, which is not my usual experience with CDP. Perfumed with everything from floral notes to hints of leather. This was a feminine bottle and really was quite lovely, but not as "funky" as I like in my CDP. Good fruit and acidity and the tannins seem virtually non existent at this point. I thinking this is not going to go anywhere from here, but I will continue to hold my last bottle for education purposes.
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Lifted, ethereal nose of dark fruits, spice box, the odd tang of leather, some smoke. This is hugley complex and hard to pin down to individual flavours or grape varieties. The occasional waft of Grenache still comes through, but this continues to shape-shift and gain weight in the glass. Beautiful, elegant. The Beau '05 feels like it has only just entered its drinking window. Still purple to the core with only slightly tawny edges. Tertiary notes and flavours only just beginning to form, and this still leans quite strongly on its abundant primary and secondary melange. Full and weighty and meaty and wonderfully balanced and poised in the mouth. Masterful wine with decades ahead of it. 94+
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Decanted for 3 hours before serving - showed ok but felt tight, much tighter then the previous bottles, short finish. Decided to go with something else and pour the wine back into the washed bottle and left in fridge with cork on for 2 days. Had it with a T-Bone and it was a different story the second time round - great showing, beautiful fruit, medium long finish, ladder, earth, much more rewarding then on Day 1. Confirms that this one will certainly be going for longer, and probably judging by this bottle, has not hit its peak yet...
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Relatively inexpressive right now, though enjoyable. Concentrated black fruit, garrigue, tea, and black olives on the nose. Medium length with ripe tannins, but the volume is turned down to 50%. A slightly raisiny character I find in some Beaucastels. Not noticeably "hot" but this feels like a powerful wine with a fair amount of alcohol. I'd wait at least 3 years before revisiting.
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Deep, dark garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges; almost opaque. Full, fragrant, attractive & complex nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & blueberries with kirsch & garrigue overtones, floral notes, dried Provençal herbs, earthy, dusty, spice notes, some sandalwood & mint, licorice, beefy, leather, minerals, a hint of pepper followed by cedar. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of complex, smooth textured, well balanced, seamless, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & dark plums with herbs, exotic spices, anise, pepper, mint, minerals & toasted oak. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but it is still in its ascendency with the potential for further development from additional 5-8 years of aging.
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A real beauty, just on the cusp of maturity - with tobacco and earth notes go along with blackberry and cherry notes. Utterly seemless, it still bursts with energy and life. No where near done, but drinking very well now.
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45 minute decant. Excellent wine that improved in the glass. Ripe with black cherries, blackberry, prune, and hints of licorice with slight leather on the back end. Balance, texture and nose were classic CdP with a pleasant lasting finish. Just now approachable 2015 - 2029.
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Open 12 hours. Majestic rich ruby. Copious legs. Nose deep, rich, even a little primary still. Showing off its Mourvèdre side. Full mouth, with broad, tasty fruit that fills every corner of the palate. Very rich, tasty, seems to be drinking at peak, yet with absolutely no hint of seeing the end of its plateau. Long finish, with iron backbone showing its perfect balance. This is a luscious Beaucastel, about all one could hope for in the "regular" bottle. 4-13-17-9: 93/100.
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A Mixed Bag in Toronto on a Wednesday (Jay's Place - Toronto, On): Really tough showing here from Beaucastel. The nose is all port, prunes, figs, dried strawberries and dates. The palate is overripe and lacking any kind of refinement or balance. I'll withhold judgement until I taste a bottle from another source, however this is concerning as this bottle was bought on release from the LCBO and stored properly.
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Blackberry and licorice, with some coffee. Deep purple color, long finish. This hit spot with beef dish served by friends for Super Bowl. Open in bottle for an hour. Drank over next hour-- got better the longer it was in the glass.
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Color: medium dark red Nose: dark cherries, black truffles, funky barnyard in the background Palate: gave this a 2 hour decant, full bodied, powerful, still tannic, spicy peppery after taste, built for the long run, not much difference compared to bottle drunk 2 years ago, not short of fruit, masculine, this is a very good beaucastel that will merit an even higher score as it matures Rating: 93+
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Extremely drinkable - really enjoyed this. Very balanced in terms of acid, sugar and alcohol. Mix of fruit, leather, mushroom, forest floor - but nothing out of proportion. Drinking extremely well right now. Served w/ 60 min decant.
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This is really coming together right now, with beautiful, compact fruit - there is a density but also purity on the palate and the nose. Black fruit, graphite, minerals, cherry and crushed stones. An assured quality.
Lovely concentration, ripe fruit, complex & layered. From magnum, still not much development, suggest waiting longer to maximise, but a joy to drink today
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Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): Really beautiful bouquet with toast, dark forest fruits, tobacco and some garrigue. On the palate a lot of concentrated sweet berry fruit juice, some earthy and autumn flavors, beautiful acidity and tannin with a pleasant bite. Fantastic wine already and plenty of future. Would like to taste again around 2020+
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5 hours decant before serving. Colour was brown, nose of herbs. I guess the time in the decanter helped, this was so very soft on the palate, no hard edges whatsoever, drank much more developed than what I expected from a 9 year old - aromas of caramel, licorice, port, some mocha and saddle leather, so many nuances in this wine and drank incredibly smooth. Really loved it. Only criticism maybe a tad short... but that is looking for reasons why not to score it higher. Dilemma now is what to do with the remaining bottles. It drinks too good now after decant in my view to stay away and everything was so well integrated I am not sure what to wait for. If you have a couple bottles I recommend you try one now-ish.
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It was four years since I've tried a bottle of this and while this still has a long, long way to go, it's come a fair distance already. It's seamless now; black nugat, tobacco leaf, fig jam, ripe blackberries, new leather, licorice, wild thyme, turkish spice. Beautiful textbook Beaucastel!
shows some Brett right up from coming after the 2011 and 2007. barny, moist barn floor. all the same, much more suave fruit to the palate. red vitamin aromas. palate isn't nearly as funk driven as the nose. great acid. med/++. starting to shed some of its exotic pepper notes seen in the younger vintages. still med/+ tannin, but not super grippy.
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Just had to try a btl again after late summer's face plant.
Maybe this wine was just never intended for early drinking? Having enjoyed this megamix of grapes throughout my wine days, I conclude this is at least 15 yrs from happiness. Unless it's more "modern" and ... then I have no clue.
Small Brett upon opening, decanted: it filled the whole wine cellar with its beautiful aromas of red fruits, small leather and beautiful Brett.
After 5 hrs, nose had closed down, but on the palate, it showed off in an ... ahum ... ok+ way. Nothing extravagant, but much better than the late Summer's btl of this year. Red fruits, distinct physionomy and rather lame tannins, if you ask me...
With the food, though, it really started to sing hymns! Sporting fabulous concentration and a distinct transparency that is not showing much today, other than some muddy minerality, but obviously keeping the window open for fantastic future pleasures. The intensity derived from the combo of its youth and concentration have the potential to be mind-bending, but are today unrelieved and tightly enclosed.
Maybe my notions stem from WANTING this expensive wine to deliver? I will be patient and report back some 6-8 years later on the next btl.
Will stash and hide these for a much later date of pleasures. 3 btls to go. Wish they had the decency and riches to invest in screw corks...
Had with Wagyu, obento, fried chicken, greens with sesame sauce etc. Also with a Rhinegau Spätlese of the same vintage. Followed by a lighter, young Red Languedoc. Fabulous Saturday Eve :-)
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Garnet, initially dry and acidic, then black fruits, licorice and spice lead to a long, warm finish. Decanted two hours and should have given it more time, tannins are still medium plus and cloaking the full potential here.
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Wine Buzz Kakis Night 2 (Pine Close): Tasted blind. Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of toasted oak, chocolate, ripe dark cherries and blackberries. Developing. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol, medium tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of vanilla oak, chocolate, ripe dark cherries, blackberries, licorice, spice. Long finish. Only started to open up after about 2 hours slow-ox in the bottle. I thought it was a Spanish Tempranillo-Grenache blend. Very good quality. Probably just entering its drinking window now. Give this another 5 years and it could be even better.
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A little rough and tarry but evolving nicely. Deep berry core providing long finish. Meat, bacon, cola, talc, olive, green pepper. Acid are more defined on day 2 suggesting a longer decant would help. Leathery is spot on.
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Wow! This is singing tonight. Double decanted for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, then it was displaying penetrating black fruit earth, garrigue, leather, Asian spice, sanguine notes, black pepper and firm, bold tannins on the almost 90 second finish. Full bodied but with a more mid weight mouthfeel. Tonight, this seems to be just hitting its stride with a lot of life ahead of it.
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From half-bottle, served to Camille blind alongside 2009 Giulia Negri La Tartufaia Camille's blind note below, tasted over 2-3 hours.
C:Garnet-purple to the rim. Nearly opaque. N:Blueberry, blackberry, jammy fruit, vanilla, bit of black pepper, menthol, not much earthiness, driven by super intense fruit. Intense on the nose. Heavy oak, new world style. P:Blueberry jam, vanilla, little bit of pepper. Dry, full bodied, medium acid, medium plus alcohol, medium plus tannin, medium plus finish.
Camille's guess: New world, Aussie or California Syrah.
Overall an intense, oaky, new world but well balanced wine. Perfect if you're in the mood for a big monster. Surprised since this is 9 years old and came from half-bottle (maybe it's the cold cellar). Tastes like a hot vintage that Michel Rolland got a hold of. Have had other 05 CNDPs lately (Vieux Donjon, Telegraphe, Clos des Papes) and this one is the least characteristic of the location of any of them. Great if you're in the mood for Aussie Syrah, but we were both pretty shocked by this one, especially having had many Beaucastels in the past.
This wine is dense colored and garnet in the glass with ruby to the edge. This wine is nearly opaque and clear. The smells are blackberry, stone, damp earth, tar, and anise. The tastes are cherry, pepper, brushy notes, exotic spice, stony, blackberry, red licorice, and provençal herbs. The acidity is notable and the tannins are dry and satin like.
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- Ruby color with medium forming legs and aromas of cedar and mushroom. It's balanced and has flavours of cedar and mushroom with a full body. Leathery texture with a long finish - Wonderful. Earthy and rich
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This is the third of six bottles. It was less the monolithic fruit bomb than previous outings for me but seemed to lack some of the weight and complexity I have come to appreciate in Beaucastel (My experience being limited mostly to vintages from the 90s). This had a two hour decant and drank beside the 2003. In comparison it had no oxidation and was deeper and more complete wine. It is still excellent with a fairly vivid cherry grapiness but too clean and almost lean to be a great wine. I saw very little sediment and have no idea if this is going to fall apart or go on to greater glory. I will try to check in 3 years hence
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Wow. This wine is really coming into its own. Clear dark garnet. Nose of black cherry, garrigue, menthol, and leather. Ripe, refreshing palate of black cherry, blackberry, plum, leather, and smoked meat. Superb length. Mouthwatering acidity. Young, sweet tannins. Excellent with food. Added bonus: my wife LOVED it.
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Red with some signs of maturity. Nose of loamy parsnip with deep notes. On the palate it is apparent it spent some time on barrels, displaying a round, warm-vintage character that is still elegant, even if acids and tannins ar both M.
Compared to prior experiences, this is either a rather odd bird or this btl (1st of 5) just under-performed. No apparent fault. Four to go, next one ~2018.
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888 Seafood Chinese Restaurant: I really liked this: cooked plum, red sour cherry, some barnyard-leather, and licorice. Good concentration not overly alcoholic, great balance and complexity.
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It's been a while since I've had a beaucastel. So plucked a 375 ml to see how this vintage is get on.
Deep, dark brooding, and still very young. There is a ton of fruit in there, very generous, ripe smooth and polished in its delivery (especially for a Beaucastel). Open, some leather, earthy notes but slighlty behin the fruit. Nose has a nice floral note as well. Apparently 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and 20% other.
Looking good and well early in its life. Good point to see it though.
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Love this wine. Bold,powerful,complex, needs to decant for a few hours. Likely could use several years more aging. Brought to a nice restaurant with good friends, good times.
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From magnum , very closed , giving very little , 2 hours in some blueberries started showing through if i were wearing very strong glasses , most of this bottle went unfinished, so we will try again later in the weekend
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A Flight of 2005 CDPs: The 2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is dense purple in colou r witha nose of boysenberries, sweet dark red currants, stewed prunes and some nuttiness.
On the palate, the wine enters with flavours of stewed prunes. Pretty refined in style and tannins are pleasurably soft. Very elegant with a medium finish. Sheer class. Ready to drink today, but better drinking in the years ahead for sure. Brilliantly made.
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See previous notes. She is evolving rather nicely, yet still seems young. I get more Turkish coffee, truffle, dark berries, camphor and river rock. Endowed, long and full-figured; elastic tannins emerge. Drink 2015 -.
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New Year's Beaucastel Verticle: Of the flight, this was perhaps the tightest of the bunch. The fruit is dark and brooding with the expected garrigue and leather notes. The depth is a little on the shy side, but all in all, this was quite nice. The tannins are still rather firm and aggressive. I think this one needs abit more time.
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Had a bottle as second wine for christmas. Huge dissapointment. Maybe - hopefully - because ist seems still young, but currently it tastes for alcohol and hard spicy fruits only. Have some more bottles and will wait for a couple of years minimum. But will not have it fir christmas again ...
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Still very young and primary and could have done with a bit of a decant.
Tobacco, methol, black fruits in abundance but it didn't really translate onto the palette where everything was a bit too jumbled - very drinkable nonetheless. Would love to have a couple of bottles to try this over the next decade or so...
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I have only drunk older Beaucastel CdP that showed all kinds of secondary changes. This is still young and a bit primary, nose of pepper, menthol, dark fruit. Taste directly after opening was a bit tight showing some harsh edges, later on these completely dissapeared and the wine opened up: beautiful black fruit, concentrated, velvety, integrated tannins, good acidity. Long finish.
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Grilled rib eye for dinner, drank over 2.5 hours. Definitely improved with time. Probably should've given it more time to breathe. Maybe still a bit young? Classic CdP flavor without bursting over the top with fruit. A bit less funky in the nose than most. Long finish, subtle complexity. Really wasnt intending to drink this bottle last night and didn't really prepare for it the way I normally would. Looking forward to trying again in a few months.
Incredibly elegant wine. All of the earth, anise, tobacco of a well made Chateauneuf but layered with dark fruit. Great on the palate and the finish just kept going. Some say this is too young now but I loved it.
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Gorgeous wine. On the young side still but still plenty expressive. Deep nose and multi-layered on the palate. Well balanced and not over the top in the least bit. It's so refreshing to have a CDP that isn't Parkerized! Very interesting wine that has plenty of life ahead of it.
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Dark ruby colour, floral nose still a bit subdued, dark berry and spice taste. Tannins still strong just staring to drink well but still a couple of decades of cellar life left.
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A real mouthful. I broke out a magnum for a special occasion knowing it should probably sit for another 5 years, but after an hour or so it opened up and was fabulous. Rich and velvety texture, with lots of dark read fruit but also muscle and tannins and some spice. There's something wild and a little gamy (as in game-y, not gamay) in there. A masculine Châteauneuf. Love it. Wish I had more.
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Clear dark ruby in the glass. Thin, slow tears. Clean, medium intensity nose of bramble fruits, earth, cured meat, leather and herbs. Barnyard note on decant. In the mouth: medium body, medium alcohol, medium acidity, medium + astringent tannin; medium flavor intensity of strawberry, cranberry, black plum, spice, meat, anise. Medium length finish with cranberry, unripe peach, bit of toastiness. Drinking well at this point but still evolving.
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(Mostly) Northern Rhone Night (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Wow, this is young. This has the typical spicy red fruits and earthiness you'd expect from Beaucastel. The palate still has its youthful richness and probably a bit of baby fat. Should be a great wine with time.
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A night of (mostly) Northern Rhones (The Bristol, Chicago IL): I'm not sure what was up with this bottle. It was very tight, but also was showing a lot of simplicity on both the nose and palate. I'm not going to bother with any of my other bottles for another few years.
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Wow! Just a beautiful wine. Graphite, barnyard, leather, black fruit, beautifully balanced with a fabulous aroma, solid flavor and a long finish. One of the best wines I've had in some time.
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La bouteille a été décantée et remise en bouteille pour une aération lente sur 7h. Le nez est timide sur la truffe et l'anise. La bouche est ample et massive avec des tannins asséchant et une finale astringente. À revoir dans 4-5 ans minimum.
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February 2013, Seattle. Stunning. I opened this wine and left it in the decanter in the next room. The air became perfumed. Even before my first swish I knew this was going to be a powerful wine. Yes, of course there is the obvious black fruit and plum thing going on, but the foreplay was terrific. Still a trifle pronounced on the tannins --- this IS an 8 year old CNP --- but a full mouth swish will linger like a third date. No doubt there are some awesome food pairings, but consider drinking this wine in reflective solitude. Very pleased.
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Mini Beaucastel Vertical: This is my first bottle of 05 Beaucastel and it needed every bit of 3 hours of double decanting to open. This was firm, muscular and full bodied with rich black cherry, garrigue and black pepper. This was the tightest of tonight's 3 bottles but eventually opened very well. The tannins were still quite firm. This is drinking fine tonight but ideally needs more time, but it does have a lot going on.
As a side note, of the three bottles opened, on day two, this bottle showed the greatest improvement. Rich, deep, dark fruit, firm tannins and really good complexity. It was quite stunning. Yesterday I picked the 07 as the WOTN, but today the 05 clearly surpassed it.
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A disappointing evening of Beaucastel 1995 - 2005. (Snooth.): Whoah! What happened here? Brett bomb city and completely surprising given how Beaucastel cleaned up with the '95. This was seriously Bretty at the onset, as in '83, '85 Bretty, both on the nose and palate. Thankfully, with air, the band-aid and poop aromas subsided to reveal a tightly coiled wine that exhibited beautiful balance and savory red fruit, game and spice flavors and aromas. Nice persistence to the wine across the palate and with extended air it took on a distinct coffee note, which seemed a bit unusual. I've had better showings, but this tied with the '00 for my WOTN. Solid A-.
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Stunning CDP. Balanced. Lovely red fruit - both nose and palate. Utterly smooth, with enough gentle tannin to go on for many years. Best to decant 1-2 hours.
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5/13/18/10 - This is simply a spectacular wine. Consumed over the course of two days, the score was consistent for both. More traditional in style and absolutely throwing down all of the flavors and smells that distinguish top CDP. It had deep, rich profile of red fruit with additional notes of earthy forest floor and hints of menthol coming through. This wine was utterly stunning and will only continue to improve although it is in a fantastic place right now. Drink now with a decant or hold 5-10+ more years. For my taste, this wine is hard to beat.
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With leg of lamb No detailed notes. This was an awesome bottle of wine. The winne is coming of age and all flavours and tannins were well net grated and balanced. The only negative was that the sadly was my last bottle from this vintage. Amazing
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This is a belated tasting note. Opened this bottle for dinner with a friend back September. Somewhat closed on both the palate and nose right after opening. Pleasant, but not remarkable. Over the next hour it opened up gaining depth and complexity. By the last glass, spouses across the table could smell the bouquet. It was extraordinary. It was one of those bottles of wine that creates an experience that keeps you coming back. I can't go into detail, but I remember plush tannins, deep rich flavors on the palate, and a nose to knock your socks off. And I still have two bottles left of this vintage!
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Concentrated and perfumed, the 2005 is a deep wine with aromas of licorice, cherries, spices, and hints of chocolate and flowers. The palate is very dense and the wine needs a few more years to become better integrated. However, there is heat, with substantial alcohol on the nose, which I would have preferred if that component was a bit less prominent. Drink from now 2014 until 2022.
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- Crimsom color and aromas of blackberry, bacon and cherry. It's balanced and has flavours of hazelnut with a full body. Fleshy texture with a long finish - Great nose of cherries, smoke and some menthol. Fullbodied wine with a long finish. We decanted it for about an hour and than followed its evolution over the next 5 hours. This is great stuff and will hold for at least 20 years.
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Very disappointing showing on this night. The first half of the bottle tasted somewhat carbonated and fizzy. There was one drag, only, during the evening where this wine seemed to show its potential. Had I tasted it blind I would have guessed a spoiled Pinot Noir. At this price and with this result, I'm a seller.
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Nice with Mother's Day buffet, funny my ratings have gone down the last 3 tastings and went up in earlier years...nice wine just not great. Buying a lot more Janasse lately.
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Decided to try even though I should know better. Still too tight to enjoy, needs at least two years to reach it's prime. It should be ready starting in 2014.
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Had at Chinese BYOB so food pairing might have been the issue. Everyone enjoyed so will be optimitic on next tasting, was looking for more of a bold pop
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Beautiful, stylish, peppery, cherry, kirsch, raspberry, earth and spice filled perfume, good concentration of flavor with a bright, fresh, red berry and peppery finish. Give it a few more years to come around.
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Beautiful bouquet with ripe re berry fruits, some good cherries and pleasant spiciness. Lush fruits on the palate, a touch of sweetness and also beautiful tannin and acidity. Good concentration. A beautiful and complex wine which will improve with some more ageing. Next try in 2015. 93+
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Decanted for three hours. Full garnet color with a purple hue, gleaming and clear with no sediment. Still somewhat restrained on the nose with ripe red fruit, spices, liquorice, ganache and gamy notes. Grenache seems to show the most at the moment. Medium to full bodied and balanced on the palate, impressively long with refreshing acidity and high-quality tannins. The aftertaste is long but simple for now. Paired well with entrecôte but definitely needs more time in the cellar. 93++
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Absolutely delicious, 'popped and poured' strangely enough and I guess 'I like'em young' as this was fabulous just out of the bottle but as I'm reading the other reviews I wished that perhaps I decanted this for further complexity but the fact is this is a great bottle of wine after only 6 years of bottle age and I really wonder how much better it could get (or different for that matter) - Dark, full bodied with a nose of sweet cherry, plum, meat, garrigue, spice, pepper and vanilla, amazing structure and integration, very interesting, sweet, velvety smooth on the palate with outstanding length, classic! (94 Points).
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Way too young but a pleasure to try. Some clean and bright red fruit, ink, olive, game, and a nice dash of pepper on the nose. Pepper, meat, olive tapenade, smoked earth, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, and rockin tannins on the palate. Nicely balanced with a medium plus finish. Went well with some bison. Would hold for everything to integrate a bit more.
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This was the poorest showing of this case...seemed somewhat devoid of fruit and with some hard tannic edges...not quite a negative but not up to previous bottles. With thick lamb chops, steamed artichokes and Israeli Cous-Cous all of which were wonderful.
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Decanted for three hours. A deep garnet that turns almost black towards the core. This is beautiful and balanced on every floor that one could imagine. Excessively long and captures your attention; conemplative to the ninth degree. Needs a decant, however, not too young at all, yet, worth watching. Cotton-fiber tannins that just draw you in and the finish truly sails for over a minute. Diverese and evident layers - not to be seen easily. Espresso bean, plum, bacon, chinese five spice, river bed and cookie dough. Better than I remember. Drink 2012 - 2029.
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Medium ruby color. Dried cherry, spicebox, licorice, herbs, with moderate oak and tannins. No barnyard earthiness, at least not yet. This wine will no doubt improve with age.
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This wine was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by Tim Ryan. Opaque ruby, with moderately intense aromas of black raspberries, garrigue, licorice and earth. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, medium dry tannins and well-integrated alcohol. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle is rock-solid. Long, albeit somewhat astringent finish. This wine is certainly pleasurable at this point, but some additional cellaring will likely be rewarded. Accordingly, it may merit a higher score if my hunch is correct. Drink 1/15-12/22.
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Charlie's Retirement Party: Followed the '04 Beaucastel at dinner (seared Ahi tuna, sauteed shitake mushrooms, wholegrain rice and portabella pilaf, asparagus). This was a clear step up from the '04 (as good as that wine was). Medium to full body. Wonderful tannins and structure. Strong, rich dark fruit. It was gone before any of the secondary flavors could show through. Very clean and pure. Fantastic.
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Pretty tight, not giving much first night. Second night, it shows a bit more, dark black fruit, licorice and garrigue, good concentration and silky palate but not expressive at the moment. Also a hint of alcohol despite serving at the cellar temperature.
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We ordered the 99 at a restaurant in the Yorkshire Dales but when we went to our table they had opened an 05. Quite strange that they didn't think there is any difference! Never mind, hefty discount secured we went with the 05. Mid-colour garnet, bright, obviously young. Expressive nose, hedgerow fruit, smoke, little bit of leather. Medium long finish and nicely drinkable, but to drink this now seems a waste - there are plenty of cheaper CNdPs that can match this now at 30-50% less cost. In another 10 years I would be confident that this wine will start to show the Beaucastel class.
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The wines of Beaucastel are lost on me. My palate must lack a receptor to appreciate them. I get no elegance or finish from them. There must be Beaucastel tasters and non-tasters. Regrettably, I am the latter. I've tasted the 2005 Beaucastel on several occasions, and I just don't get it.
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Color: Medium purple Nose: Wow cherry, smoke, very clean without funk Taste: Smooth tannins with cherry, smoke, licorice, figs Finish: Really nice and drinking well right now Evaluation: Not an overpowering wine and everything was in perfect harmony
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I think this is a way from being ready to drink. It had a lot of the qualities one would expect from a Beaucastel from a strong year, but it's not complete.
First Day: strangely smooth, black tea, leather, dark (almost brown), without a lot of discernible fruit, interesting, somehow compelling, but disjointed.
Second Day: red fruit peeking out; raspberry, a nougat/ cola quality starting to develop, also smooth, but different, and fruit has replaced the black tea almost entirely.
Both days seemed to me to be flashing qualities that one would expect, but not all together, but I have little doubt that this will come together with time and be an extraordinary wine.
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CellarTracker Texas Offline II - Part One (oskiwawa's house in McKinney, Texas): Tasted non blind. Opened and decanted about 4 hours before serving. Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Lovely but slightly tight nose of flowers, berries, plums and a hint of barnyard. Tight flavors of berries only at this point. Bright acidity, firm tannins, medium bodied. Hold a minimum of 5 more years before trying again, I'd lean closer to 10 myself based on personal preference. No rating simply because I feel it is too young and not showing its potential.
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Dark red; spiced nose, dense dark fruit; stringent, lean, slightly acid, somewhat tannic, some fruit but hidden; not optimal (mid 80es). Day two; quite a difference, still lean but multiple bouquet, saddle leather, some soft caramel (90+)
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Minneapolis Wine Club does Chateauneuf-Du-Pape; 9/17/2010-9/19/2010: This should evolve into a super wine but is good right now. Decanted 4 hours. Floral, raspberries, plums, cranberry and minerals on the nose. The spices add greatly to the palate and finish. The decanted really allowed this wine to open up and the finish was showing a balance of fruit and earth components.
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Minneapolis Wine Club Does CDP (Shari's house): Dark Red. Somewhat closed, but is opening up. Spice, black raspberry, black cherries, light earth notes, floral on the nose. Good weight on the palate, nice black fruit bursting, spice and game. As good as this wine is right now, it still seems a bit backwards and I think will benefit from several more years of bottle age.
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Decanted one hour. A bit of browning at the edges. Dark fruits on the nose, with licorice, cedar and black tea. Plums and red fruits on the palate, with leather, forest floor, rosemary and a hit of black pepper. Long finish. Started to thin after an hour. Delicious, but I would drink up whatever is left.
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nose; blackberries, tar, plum, cigar tobacco, and dark chocolate. palate; black currants, black pepper, black tea, espresso, and black truffles. full bodied and medium tannins. medium plus length finish. i don't find this to be too young. drinking well right now. maybe will become more integrated in a few years.
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Consumed at Brother Sebastian's with my wife, Linda, and visiting friend, Tony (thanks!). It was decanted in the kitchen for about 30 minutes before being served with our meals. Consumed over 1.5 hours. Nose: Initially stinky barnyard with dark fruit - later the stinkiness mellowed and very nice aromas of black berry and currant dominated. Palate: Medium to full bodied, gripping tanins with spice and black pepper. Finish: Long lingering sense of spicey black fruit with the last sip being the best. Overall a very nice wine that likely would have been better with a few more hours of air.
Surprisingly accessible, but still quite young. Let it breath... Cherries, pepper, liquorice, leather, did I mention the cherries? Still quite a bit of tannins, but they are starting to integrate. No 'Beaucastel funk' at all...
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Offered as an alternate off a wine list at the same price as a Perrin & Fils 2004 Les Sinards which they didn't have. Nice jesture.
Wine was tight as a drum. Loads of structure. After decanting for about an hour and a half still very reticent nose and palate. Red berry fruit, earth spices, minerals. Tasty.
Le vin a passé environ 2 heures en carafe, aucun dépot est noté. Bu seul sans bouffe, en méditant et en discutant!!! L’œil : La robe est d’un rouge violet très foncé, presque d’encre!
Le nez : Le bouquet est assez puissant. Il y a des notes de cerises à l’eau de vie, de l’encre et du poivre. Un très beau nez!!!
La bouche : En bouche c’est ample, c’est riche, c’est rond. La bouche est tapissée de cerises, de mures, les épices et réglisse! Il y a pas mal de matière mais le tout est en équilibre. Les tannins sont ample, présent mais pas asséchants. La finale est très longue et sur le poivre, un vin qui mérite une belle pièce de viande rouges ou sauvage. J’ai adoré ce vin, puissant, fin, structuré et profond, un vin immense qui ne saura que s'améliorer avec le temps!!!
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Opened the night before, it showed classic Beaucastel pitch on the nose (perfumed cherry and boysenberry with hints of bramble and underbrush, but hardly developed). It was an interesting showing, as I had drank 05 Coudulet several months prior and found it quite appealing and perhaps more sensible to open in the near term; The 05 Beau seemed to be a bit more reticent, demanding more patience, while the 05 Coudulet engenders good will out the gate.
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drank along side 2006 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses - it beat it - but guess what - it costs 6 times as much - it should. A few hours later the nose is growing - but still unsure if this is in the 'shut down' phase the pro's talk about - have more awaiting some time to grow
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A bit too stinky and vegital farmlike for me. Got better after a day since I couldn't drink it after opening it. Getting better as I go, but not my favorite... Guess I should stick to Napa.
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Deep color. The nose is very tight, featuring subtle aromas of spice, oak, dark berries, herbs and a hint of char. This is medium full bodied on the palate with excellent concentration and good class. The medium plus length finish features robust tannins.
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Dark ruby to purple. Nose of briary fruits, smoke, cedar. Palate of blackberries, plum, cigar box, spice, black pepper, tar. Good tannic structure. Wanted to try young. Great potential for the long haul.
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This as a G*R*E*A*T baby-killing of a young beast of a wine. Great nose, smoke, mineral, truffle, mint, and black pepper. Crazily complex, earthy, pure and intense. Great palate, very tightly wound, a gorgeous core of fruit to this, embryonic Beaucastel flavors, bitter chocolate, cranberry. Smacks of young Mourvedre. Gorgeous young wine. DAY 2: Kept about 1/5 of the bottle overnight. Still quite fresh, bright red fruit, not showing any oxidation. Really great young Beau.
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Same as first bottle, a beautiful wine. A bit of barnyard funk on opening but not detracting and blew off pretty quickly. Medium bodied and not an over the wall fruit bomb. Seems like flavors of both red and black fruits but no one stood out to me.
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Had 1/2 bottle at Celestin with Erica for b-day, no formal notes. This is very approachable but has the stuffing to last and improve with age. Well balanced with great concentration. Fine tannins abound but do not overpower, makes me want to find some to put in the cellar.
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Churchill's: 2007 Cotes du Rhone (Maumee, OH): Meaty black plum nose. Huge, but balanced. Tannic, acidic, medium bodied. Smooth and crazy long. This is clearly a special wine, but it's a little early and dumb at the moment. $100
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An absolute blockbuster. Red licorice, cherry, plum flavors, layered and ripe, nuanced as well. This is long on the finish, has tannin, acidity, and layers of ripe fruit. Not only the best Beaucastel I've ever had, but the most remarkable Rhone I've ever had. Fruit flavors abound: plum, licorice, fresh figs, cherry. Despite all this power, ripeness, structure, there is grace, acidity, verve.
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Not expecting this, a very new world style, ripe, straightforward style. Gave this a few days to evolve----but did not change much. Not at all like other vintages I have tasted...no terroir! I don't know if this will age for the better, desperately needs complexity at this time in its young life. Disappointing. Bottleshock?
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Too early, I guess, judging by the drinking witndow that begins in 2013. Not to my liking, at least not yet. A waste of money, at least at this stage. Old-world syle, obviously, but the dryness is not yet well enough developed. Good (81.5).
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Full bodied and very potent. Dark violet color. Could age for years. Drank on the same day of Rayas, what made the comparison very interesting. Plenty of berries, but yet velvety. Nose of cherries, plum and strawberries. At the mouth it showed the red fruits, but very spicy notes, specially black pepper, and a very long finish that lasted for hours.
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A relatively pure expression of Beaucastel (a bit unusual, in the style of the 98). Clean, garnet colour throughout, nose of cherry, red flowers and a bit of animal funk. Flavours of strawberry, cherry. Extra points for structure that is simultaneously firm and yet subsumed under the significant fruit. Long finish of red fruits, rose petal and mushroom. Fantastic stuff, although not as interesting as I would expect from a Beaucastel.
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Wow! This is an outstanding to almost extraordinary young Beaucastel. This wine was decanted and poured about 20 minutes later. This showed exceptionally well from start to finish. There was a lot going on with this wine and it showed multiple profiles over the course of consuming the bottle. The aromatics are stunning and complex for a young wine. The bouquet shows notes of granite, smoke, raspberry, black fruits, tar, grilled meats, thyme and lavender. The color is a dark ruby to almost black. It is correct of the wines age. The medium/full bodied palate packs a lot of everything but keeps everything in balance. The wines continuously evolved during it consumption and really showed a complex and nuanced profile about an hour after opening. Based on previous experiences with Beaucastel this should age effortlessly for at least the next decade.
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Leather from the aroma; strawberry flavors; structured tannins will improve; compared it to the 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek; very similar wines;
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Specs - Southern Rhone Tasting 2009 (L'ALLIANCE FRANCAISE): Bright deep ruby red hues. As soon as this glass was poured, the aromas filled the room. Violet, lavender, sweet red raspberry were bursting out of the glass. The wine was tight on the palate with deep black cherry, raspberry, and fresh strawberry. After a while in the glass secondary flavors began to pop up of cedar box, Asian spices, and hints of vanilla bean. Extremely elegant even at such a young age. Hang on to this bottle for a while before opening. WOTN for me even over the Jacques Perrin at this time. 95pts.
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New Year's Eve; 12/31/2008-1/1/2009 (The Farm): Bottle # 1 -- New Year's Eve. Popped and poured. COLOR: Deep, clear ruby or garnet. NOSE: Blackberries, some faint floral notes. Very subtle, not much there. Perhaps it would open up with decanting. TASTE: Sweet, smooth, very well balanced tannins. Light in the nouth. Long, long finish. OVERALL: This was a very enjoyable wine. I think it terrific now and will only get better with age. Although decanting might open the nose, I love the way this tasted from the bottle. (5+12+18+9)
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This deep ruby wine is a classic - excellant value - deep tanins- full bodied powerful - we let it breathe for over 4 hours - the meal was osso in bucco - the terroir was brought to life in the glass - the aroma filled the room. It did not disappoint and is expected to get better for the years to come. Thank goodness I stocked up.-- Salute!!!
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Trip to France; 10/13/2008-10/24/2008 (Burgundy, Rhone Valley (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), Paris): Closed nose, but could pull out some tobacco, mushroom and black cherry. palate with firm fine tannins, closed, some fruit up front with cassiss, black cherry, blackberry. Finish saves it some, with a long dense complex line of mineral and fruit flavors. Really tight and dense and while approachable now, doesn't seem to do anything but hint at its potential. Hold.
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From 375 one bottle opened and recorked three days before tasting.
Dark and brooding, with blackness and depth to the fruit that has me captivated. Liquid minerality and floral notes come out of the blackness. Dark fruits, blackberry essence, meats, and a very tannic, (albeit fine tannins with this much air) presence. I flat out love this wine, and this vintage. I can't wait to follow this over time. 95 pts
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I drank yesterday alone within 6 hours. It needs around 30-60 minute decating time. After 1 and half hour, it,s best. But After 3 hours, it becomes so so.
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This wine is way too young to drink now but what promise it shows for great things down the road! Normally I would have tried not to touch this but a friend brought it over for dinner so we had to pop it and see what it was like. Even at this young stage, it is extremely balanced and smooth with a great bit of smoked meat and tobacco on the nose mixed with some dark fruit and licorice flavors. Just got better and better with time. Yes, this is an expensive CdP but if you can pick one up and hang on to it for a few years, you will be well rewarded on whatever occasion you chose to celebrate with it.
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This is just a baby and I killed it. Very tight, and brooding. Half the bottle saved for the next day was still very tight and closed. Deep dark red in color. The nose is not giving a lot right now. Some dark fruits, a little leather, and maybe some herbs. The palate is big with sweet grenache fruit nicely balanced with acidity and a tannic dusty finish. Paired nicely with Quail. This shows lots of promise but I think it will take 5+ years to get there. 92 for now with lots of room for improvement.
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Extraordinary and smooth. Nose waf of reticent autumn leaves, mineral and crushed berry fruit. Palate was complex, with silky tannins, and some tar, leather, crushed raspberry, and wild forest fruit. Finish was long, with hints of oak and elderberry. I really liked this wine. Missing a characteristic cigar box i commonly taste in CDP but who cares!
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Way too young but thought I would try a .375 with a long decant, Very tight and took about 4-5 hours to open up. Complex flavors of leather, horse sweat, sweet bing cherries and spice. Hold for 5-10 years. This will reward those with patience.
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Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 horizontal (Crystal Wines): Deep plush purple colour. Garrigue, licorice and red meat on the nose, with an edge of tar and just the slightest hint of mint. Some sweet oaky scents began to come to the fore after time in the glass. On the palate, dark black fruits, tar and spice of the pepper variety. A long lasting, mouthwatering finish which was a little bitter at first, but less so over time. This was an extremely tannic wine, but with great balance coming from a good fresh acidity. It is a round, full wine, very concentrated. Certainly demands time in the bottle, and should be quite a stunner 8-10 years or so down the road. I completely agree with the previous poster of the slight lack in "wow" factor compared to other wines in this really strong CdP vintage though, particular when compared with the Clos des Papes, Janasse VV and Usseglio Mon Aieul which I tasted together with this.
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Medium to dark ruby garnet color, and on opening and decanting a first whiff of clean fruit with a strong dark berry and even an element of cherry. In time there evolved more earthy components and herbal elements. Not as open as I had hoped, but still a good vibrant fruit preseance and adequate structure that did help frame it...I have been spoiled by previous vintages, and tended to expect a little more. This was tasted with other 05 CdP's and some 03's that carried with them more "wow" factor...and that may be what I missed here, and may have tainted my view. Obvious substance here...that I am sure will evolve with time.
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Février 2008: dégustation verticale du Château Beaucastel (Steaf Frites Saint Paul (avenue Laurier)): Nez discret, épicé. Texture admirable, la richesse du fruit est évidente. Belle richesse et finale longue sur les épices, même si peu expressif. C'est un pur sang bien dompté qui partira au galop dans dix ans. L'ensemble est dissocié, plus puissant que 2004, mais je n'ai aucun doute que tout va s'intégrer. 91-94 pts
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Tasted at VVW in Palo Alto. Rich nose with deep black berry jam, provence spice and a little funk on the nose. On the palate the wine is tight, tart and not giving much. I get a touch of saline, some minerals in addition to the concentrated berry taste. The medium length finish sports prominent but supple tannins.
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Some Loire and Rhone for a Rainy Winter Day (San Francisco Bay Area): Dark ruby. Closed but a whiff of black cherry and smoke emerge with vigorous shaking. This is so young and stern in the mouth that there is much more of a tactile impression than actual flavor, but it is impressive-round, powerful, and you can sense the great acid/tannin structure balanced by tremendous underlying fruit. None of the funk that often appears in young Beaucastel. It would be a shame to open one of these before its 10th or 15th birthday. I am not generally a Beaucastel fan, but this was one of the cleanest, best balanced, and most promising young vintages I've ever tasted (with experience extending back to the 1981). Great potential.
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Tasted from 1/2 bottle. Very tight at first. Very dark purple. After an hour decant, some nose of black fruit and smoke. Clean.
Big mouthfeel, alcohol,again mostly black fuit concentrated and sweet. Tar. Long long taste, you know this is a noble wine, substantial but needs to come together somewhat. Tannins are sweet and silky, and only just noted on the end. Better with food.
Potential is there, this is quite nice, but needs time. I am happy to cellar it.
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5/5/2024 - Joelene wrote: 90 Points
Not much complexity, rather boring, disappointing
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4/7/2024 - Yannou Likes this wine: 92 Points
Après 2 heures d’ouvertures, belle finesse, pruneau, cuir léger, en pleine maturité. Aurait pu s’ouvrir encore. Pas encore tuilé, les tannins sont complètement fondus. À boire sur les 10ans à venir.
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3/27/2024 - TheGreenFrog Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for four hours. First bottle of a case. Nice fruit but not that complex - some tannin evident still on finish. I think could use some more time in bottle so will retaste in a year or so.
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3/9/2024 - AaronMaxwell Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at Niku. Perfect bottle of this wine. Peaked at about 90-120 minutes of air.
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3/1/2024 - texaslonghorn Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was still very much alive and dynamic. Vibrant crimson color. Bouquet of stewed fruit and leather on the nose. Plump ripe plum and berry on the palate. Very rich and elegant. Tannins fully resolved and not evident. Drink immediately.
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2/8/2024 - Toshu wrote: flawed
Held too long and it was passed it's peak. Let it air for a few hours
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1/13/2024 - slywka7 wrote: flawed
Corked pretty badly. Saved since 2012. Beyond disappointed.
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12/29/2023 - Wrighty Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark brooding colour, no real sign of age but also, not bright with youth. Nose shows a little more age with some light smoke, white pepper alongside blackcurrants and blackberries. Palate is beautifully integrated and in balance, fruit’s still there and tannins now fully integrated. Good balanced acidity and room to develop more secondary notes. Decent finish, sort of lingers more than keeps going but has length.
This is drinking superbly now and has a few more years ahead at it’s peak. Wonderful
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12/25/2023 - CHarder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really great CdP. Perfect for christmas eve. In a perfect spot right now and for the coming 3-5yrs I think.
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12/17/2023 - Rond Likes this wine: 94 Points
Still bright in color and fresh on the palate. Notes of fig, tar, and potting soil. Drinking really well.
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12/1/2023 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Lots of black olive with notes of plum, prunes, game and mineral. Better with some air.
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11/13/2023 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
Not an Ordinary Monday (Lorenzo's , London): A good 7(!) years since we had this last ( Papies 91) and great to cross paths with it again with a bit more evolution and indeed this is now drinking beautifully and with so much more to evolve too. Already showing secondary notes, light earthy side, herbs de Provence , light spice. The fruit is still there more darker and smokier at this stage than the bright red fruited 2009 we had also on the day ( Papies 91 and young) . A very pretty bottle that is now well into the drinking window and will not fail! very good 92-93 and this definitely will be even more with 5yrs more.
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9/18/2023 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Second of 2 and further to my TN of 3/21. Short TN here, both because of the prior note and that this was consumed in one sitting at 1601 Bar & Kitchen with Aaron and friends. Opened and given about 45 minutes of air while we consumed various whites and bubbles with veggie and fish courses while we waited for the duck dish this would accompany. By the time we drank, this was an altogether more harmonious experience than the prior bottle with tannins and acidity well integrated with still vibrant fruit and secondary notes but still present enough structure to really complement the dish. Drank consistently during the 45 minutes-hour of consumption. Still, there’s been considerable maturity in this bottle in the past 2.5 years so that I’d now drink this sooner, though not necessarily immediately (although I suspect it’s at peak), than later. With that in mind, I’m taking my drinking window in 6 years. Very enjoyable, but telling me no rush on my ‘15 and later bottles. 94+
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9/13/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Subsequent notes on this wine form 8 years ago. Dark garnet in color with slight clearing at the edges. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & kirsch with overtones of floral notes & Provençal herbs, earthy/dusty, spice notes, some garrigue notes, anise, beefy, tobacco, leather, minerals, pepper & a hint of cedar. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, cranberries & pomegranate with herbs, exotic spices, anise, pepper, minerals & oak/vanilla. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but at 18 years of age is close to or at its peak of development. Although it should hold here for a several more years, I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was mid-neck; cork was clean & intact. I am finding the 18-year-old mark is a good sweet spot for aging most modern Chateauneuf-du-Papes.
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8/15/2023 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 90 Points
Very nice CdP if on the light side for my tastes. I would say drink.
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8/11/2023 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine: 93 Points
Just entering its drinking window. Wonderful nose, of noble cask, tobacco and ripe fruit. Dark, mature cassis, violet, leather, chocolate, herbal tones, plum, balsamico, pepper, roast and menthol notes. A very well structured and balanced bottle proving the superior ageing potential of this wine. Drink now and over 5-7 years.
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7/1/2023 - spillwine wrote: 94 Points
Encore parfaitement frais
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6/28/2023 - Whitman wrote: 94 Points
Nice nose with blackberry and garrique. Fullbodied, juicy and dense, with a nice touch of sweetness. A long finish with fine structure and also a touch of heat.
Impressive to make a big wine like this, thats balanced and also keeps the elegance.
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6/16/2023 - CHarder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Great CdP. Classic and in a lovely spot. Drink now-5yrs
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6/8/2023 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Oh wow, beautiful wine at the 18-year mark and why I love aged CdP. Up front fruit profile of red plums and dark raspberries but has mainly given way to the tertiary notes of earth, baking spice, dried herbs and leather. Still has some nice acidity and wonderful long finish. Great now and over the next couple of years. Still one of my favorites.
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5/14/2023 - MichielV wrote: 92 Points
Fabulous wine with morel/pasta dish. Super yummy combo. Great wine with great fruit, different falvors. Great length. this will last a few more yrs. Yummy
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5/11/2023 - winetobealive wrote: 91 Points
Robe violette sombre. Nez poivré sur les notes de cassis, zan. Encore tanique et jeune, un peu fermé même. Attendre 5 ans au moins.
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4/22/2023 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
decanted one hour, in the glass for two hours; color & nose youthful, a bit wild & gritty, still tense, red - berried & plummy, now.
like it. a lot.
garlicky, spicy & fishy broc rabe; pork loin, thyme & mustard
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4/16/2023 - rwpalmer wrote: 91 Points
A good condition bottle. Colour showing appropriate to age. Some raspberries on the nose, but mostly a salty-estuary character. Not exactly unpleasant, but I think others might find more delicious descriptors come to them. Good palate weight and fully resolved palate as to be expected, but no sense of frailty either.
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4/7/2023 - Christian De Lafoye Likes this wine: 93 Points
Pours garnet with slightly faded edges. On the nose lavender, baking spices, and rosemary. On the palate very balanced BlackBerry, raspberry and dried figs. The tannins are integrated and soft. Balanced acidity. A great GSM blend from the southern Rhone. I loved this and enjoyed with Beau J Cota of Redlands and his wife JO and my wife. With a cheese platter and fruit.
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4/2/2023 - DougLee wrote: 93 Points
Translucent ruby garnet. Hearty smells of black pepper, heady garrigue, voluptuous red plum, and beef blood on the fragrant nose. Layers of extroverted plum, Bing cherry, blackberry, and hints of strawberry on the palate grounded by saline-inflected pepper and rocky depths. Smoothed off tannin and ample acidity. Long finish of chiming spicy red fruit and pepper. Delicious! From a 375.
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3/19/2023 - Nontaco Likes this wine: 93 Points
At Blackberry Farm (Dogwood). Solid, if unspectacular, CdP with some age. Good background music to a nice meal.
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2/27/2023 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
Consistent to my tasting note 5 years ago. dark ruby. Nose of dark and red fruit, torrefaction, spices, cake. There is quite a bit of heat here as well both on nose and palate. Full bodied on the palate but not overbearing, good, but not the most sophisticated CdP. Mature, drink up.
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2/16/2023 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lots of strawberries on the nose and palate, otherwise consistent with my previous notes. Enjoyed with ribeye in Salt Lake City.
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2/8/2023 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS; Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape (By VD and @ VD): Beautiful and special bouquet with a lot of garrigue and medicine impressions. Same on the palate, clove, some green herbs, chocolate, elegance, juicy acidity and a slight touch of sweetness. The tannin still has a soft bite. Complex and elegant wine which has a completely different character than all other wines of this evening, but certainly is a beauty.
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1/18/2023 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas initially showing a little jammy raspberry backed by peppery spice and earthy notes, with time a little meaty note, garrigue, sweet and peppery spice, touch of leather, cream, orange peel. Juicy, fleshy, savoury, slight meaty, dried herbs, a little non-delineated red fruits, leathery, tight tannic grip on the mid palate. A touch of non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Balanced. Okay.
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1/12/2023 - marcstevens45 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking really well right out of the bottle. Super tasty.
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1/6/2023 - nkirsch Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another delicious bottle. Enjoyed at a nice restaurant dinner with some friends who also brought great wines. The longer the bottle is open the better the wine gets
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12/30/2022 - dase13 wrote: 93 Points
Color of medium red, slight browning and slight clear edges. Scents of raspberry and a little funk. Tastes are definitely consistent with scents, and still has nice acidity and balance
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12/25/2022 - nkirsch Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wonderful wine. First of 6 I've opened so I had to open the crate. Perfect balance of fruit, depth, full but not too much like a cab, good finish. Wine is drinking perfectly.
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12/24/2022 - CHarder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Superb CdP. Drink now - 7yrs. Perfectly balanced between spice, fruit and smooth tannins
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12/4/2022 - derrington wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for 6 hours, and the tannin was well integrated. Cherries, clove, star anise and a hint of sweetness on the finish. No funk. Has 8-10 years of life left. Delightful. First of four bottles. I will wait several years before having another.
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10/30/2022 - jviz wrote:
Nice spice, still some red fruits, but this was purchased at auction (Winebid), so being unsure of storage it felt like it was kind of falling apart. I’ll withhold a score but not as strong as I would have hoped from the vintage.
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10/20/2022 - Drinkslogger Likes this wine: 96 Points
Ready now and should continue to drink well for at least the next 10 years.
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10/16/2022 - Topper wrote: 95 Points
3rd time with this wine and it is just terrific, again. Textbook CNP. Beautiful cherry fruit, sweet tannins, a touch of spice and tobacco. Just great wine.
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10/9/2022 - Dwolfordwines wrote: 92 Points
Raisin, plum, sweet spice on the nose. On the palet, high acidity and length, tannins are medium at highest and very well Integrated. Not a wine I have drank much of in the past so not much to compare to, but a very neat wine to enjoy for a special occasion.
After 2 hours in glass this wine is drastically changing for the better, tannins are now present, but still well integrated, length is much longer, similar flavor profile, however just goes to show how much longer this wine could last.
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10/4/2022 - Hendmo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Medium ruby with a bit of garnet, but this looks a bit younger than I would have expected for a 2005 CNDP. Refined nose of baked red fruits, a bit of fig, hint of tobacco. Lovely fresh palate, again a bit younger and fresher than expected on the entry, but also with a depth to it, and the rich loam and tobacco notes on the mid palate that belie its age. The perfect balance of youth and maturity in my view. A lovely long and slightly sweet finish, with plum, tobacco, red licorice and mild red spices. Can last a few years yet but at the peak of its powers. Excellent and highly recommended.
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9/29/2022 - drrobvino wrote: 92 Points
Penultimate bottle from a 4 pack, last consumed 2 yrs prior.
The wine was gorgeous this evening, showing off an elegant, soil-driven flavor profile with concentrated black and red fruits, a lifted perfume with mint and spices, the characteristic rocky garrigue flavors and scents, alongside a fresh meaty flavor that adds interest.
I am careful these days about not letting my CdP's age too long, as I have found that they can become blousy and lose interest with extended bottle age, but the Beaucastel (and VT) are my 2 favorites, and they can certainly push the envelope of positive evolution with bottle age. Still, I think this is at a nice plateau and will drink my remaining bottle within the next 2 years or so. Quite good.
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9/26/2022 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Deep dark red color. Very complex nose, red berries. Still a bit hidden/backward on the palate: it takes a while to discover the complex layers on the tongue: blackberries, black currant, licorice, rosemary, vanilla. Very intense and long finish, harmonious, silky. Wonderfully balanced. Still young, many more years ahead.
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9/25/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
Same as last note.
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9/9/2022 - Whitman wrote: 95 Points
This is impressive. There's asian spice, cassis and dark fruit on the nose. Palate is dense and quite powerfull with the most wonderful sweet fruit. This is really balanced. A pretty long finish with nice structure, that you almost dont feel because of the quality of the fruit.
This has evolved quite a bit since i last tasted it in 2018 and although its exceptionel Im wondering if it could improve? I have had some amazing mature Beaucastels, like 1989 in the past.
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8/27/2022 - dase13 wrote: 93 Points
Color of dark red. Scents of red fruits. Tastes of red fruits and some earthiness or light spice or something to that effect.
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8/20/2022 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Siggy's Annual BBQ (Chez Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Small glass. Same bottle as Chablis28, I will refer you to him for his detailed note and prep. This definitely benefited from the air and showed better than any of the other Beaucastel's tonight. Excellent and well balanced.
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8/20/2022 - chablis28 wrote: 93 Points
My btl at Siggy's gathering for his Seatle buddies. I gave this a 2-1/2hr decant then back in the btl & removed the cork again at Siggys upon arrival. I didn't taste at Siggys for at least another hour past my arrival as I stuck to champagne & whites first. So this got the correct amount of air to show well. With Siggys permission I pulled the corks on his 4 CDPs ( '09 &'10 Beucastel / '09 & '10 Pegau) shortly after arrival too. Those 4 saw much less air but got at least an hour w/o the corks in.
My '05 Beaucastel drank beautifully w/ a classic nose & a notably lifted palate w/ excellent fruit purity & elegance. I've turned my back on most CDP producers but Beaucastel with its lower % of grenache & old school style still rocks my world. I have two more of these and in no rush to open the next. These likely have at least another 10yrs of positive evolution. Now till 2035?
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8/11/2022 - NoTrollingerPlease wrote:
Best bottle (Weindorf Kirchheim, Waldhorn Laube): Glass: Sophienwald Bordeaux
Popped and poured. Outside temperature of ~30 degrees celsius. The wine was not chilled. Hence it tasted like sweet marmelade. What a pitty, not able to enjoy this bottle.
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7/10/2022 - Hanibal Likes this wine: 92 Points
I think this is topping here... very good c9p
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6/11/2022 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine: 92 Points
Complex fresh cherries and spice bouquet. Rich, superb fruit entry and mid-palate. Complex herbs and spices flavor. Medium length. Beautiful drinking right now!
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5/29/2022 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:
Tasted over 2 hrs, from 375mL obtained from secondary market
-dark red minimal bricking
-full on sous bois molasses smoked meat
-med acidity keeps it vibrant, med/med+ weight nicely concentrated focused remnant dark fruit smoked meat tar, mostly resolved tannins on long finish
-fully mature drinking very well now, much better than the sister bottle tasted a couple months ago which must have been flawed
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4/24/2022 - Jaws4096 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted through a coffee filter for 45 minutes with moderate to heavy sediment removed. Musty nose followed by strong cherry notes. Good acidity. This reminds me of a red burgundy and it paired quite well with salmon. Definitely a lighter style with less garrigue than, say, the 2007.
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4/23/2022 - aquacongas wrote: 92 Points
blind, Magnum
I guessed older, could be fresher and less alcohol dominated. Nice spicy finish. 92
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4/16/2022 - MLipton wrote:
A hint of maderization in the nose gives way to rich, plummy fruit and a suave mouthfeel. Showing differently from Beaucastels of the previous decade, but still a wine of classic proportions. Quite delicious with an Easter leg of lamb
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3/11/2022 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Showed well. Dark fruited, spicy, with iron blood notes ans a bit of menthol mixed in. Tannins are rather mild at this point. A little sandalwood on the finish mixed with blacks and a little pepper. Solid. Still has some upside I think (but this was my last one)
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3/8/2022 - Cote d'Or wrote: flawed
From 375mL from secondary market. Raisiny, maderized.
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2/25/2022 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Dark red. Fairly warm, ripe nose. Black cherry, berry, and tilled earth nose. Rich dry dark fruit flavours and a very dry tannic finish.
This reminds me of the 95 ten or so years ago. Will be great but needs time.
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2/19/2022 - benny wrote: 94 Points
Do not need to decant.
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2/6/2022 - Rezy13 wrote:
Super Bowl 2022 (Alpharetta, GA): Reddish violet, still looks young; deep cherry and cedar, sweet mix of red and dark fruit, structured, Italian...but it has French structure, berries green herb, red currant, tea; very interesting than pleasurable tonight but its had stiff competition.
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2/6/2022 - Francophile1 Likes this wine:
Super Bowl 2022 (Alpharetta, GA): Tasted blind. A very nice wine with an easily detectable Grenache finish. I called it CdP, but didn't place it as Beaucastel. Palate fatigue was starting to set in for the evening.
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1/23/2022 - Raizes Likes this wine: 90 Points
黑莓、李子和黑樱桃,甘草、百里香、咖啡和一点点潮湿灌木的气息,果味轻柔而酒精较高,Grenache和Syrah主次分明。醒酒后,原本浓郁略显沉闷的风格开始逐渐清晰鲜活,尽管偏饱满的主基调未变,却增加了一些优雅的感觉。
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12/31/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 92 Points
NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 3 hours. This was dense and full bodied, blackberry and blackberry liqueur, tons of garrigue and bold spices with a peppery and anise laden finish. There's a little shot of heat on the end. I favored the '07 tonight by a hair.
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12/31/2021 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): Almost too much fruit here, at least compared to some older CDP's from this lineup. Smoke, dark black fruits, some floral components but less than I'm used to with Beaucastel. There was a raisined quality to the fruit that bothered me a bit, it didn't seem to bother others.
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12/29/2021 - RichardsEric1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bought this wine on the close out list from the wine distributor I used to work for, Grand Vin. If my memory serves, it was $25-$30 @ bottle. I opened it because the 2004 Pegau sucked, and the 2001 Tardieu-Laurent CNP sucked as well. This wine was on point.
Color. Rich red garnet.
Nose. Strawberries, grilled meat, violets, earth, graphite, creosote. It's magnificent.
Palate. Cherries, kirsch, grilled meats, persistent woody tones. Finish lasts 30+ seconds.
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12/25/2021 - Professor_Budge Likes this wine:
From a split: Deep ruby fading to garnet. Fully developed. Pronounced Eucalyptus and menthol, dark black fruits, kirsch, violets, butterscotch, caramel, dried blackberries, tobacco, savoury, garrigue. M+ acidity, M integrated tannins, 14%, M+ body, M+ intensity, Long finish. Quality outstanding. Drink now but still got some years left.
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12/25/2021 - wabi47 wrote: 91 Points
bricking is evident; dry, with fading elegant fruit, plenty of complexity, holding up well; a great match with Christmas dinner.
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12/5/2021 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 94 Points
Bottle 3 or 4 of a 1/2 case purchased on release.
This is one of those rare CDP's that is built for the long haul.
Still deep ruby in appearance with very little lightening.
Takes a while to open up, but there are gorgeous aromas of black fruits, smoked meats and plenty of herbal elements such as thyme and "garrigue". Very elegant on the nose which has a freshness one would expect from 2015 not 2005.....
Medium plus in body with plenty of structure and medium plus to long fresh and delicious finish.
No idea if this will get better with age (my guess is that it will) but this wine will last another decade plus in a cold cellar.
Very well done.
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11/20/2021 - CHarder Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is cassic cdp. Putstanding stuff
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11/2/2021 - Kevnzworld wrote: 93 Points
At Torrenal St Remy.
A good balance of fruit tannin acidity, with some secondary earthy flavors.
Great balance and in its window.
What’s missing? Depth and complexity.
Still nice with dinner
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10/30/2021 - Doanebob Likes this wine: 95 Points
My first bottle of 6 I had in the back of my wine cellar. Deep garnet color with a tinge of orange. The bottle hasn't even thrown off any sediment to speak of. I decanted for an hour and a half. The nose was blackberry and black raspberry. Slight current and even some camphor. The wine was extremely well balanced with moderate acidity and very smooth tannin. From beginning to the long finish totally enjoyable. Paired with lamb shank. After 3 hours the wine opened up even more. Ready to drink and should last several more years.
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9/25/2021 - Jimaronson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Took about an hour to open up and continued to take on weight for the next two hours. Sweet fruits, blackberry, spice, pepper, mushroom, liquorish and earth attributes. Medium bodied and mild resolve tannins. I believe the wine can last 5 years without much fruit fade. Wine held its own with filet, horseradish sauce, and a medium brie. Highly recommend and great value.
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9/5/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Brambly blackberry nose with notes of smoked meat. Still very fresh and intense. Nice acidity and superfine tannins. Medium body with a bit of alcohol on the finish.
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8/31/2021 - JCGuthrie wrote:
Very similar experience to my last bottle. Showed considerably better with some air - much more nuance and layers in the flavor profile.
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8/13/2021 - drmandel Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice. A bit spicy with lots of fruit.
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7/16/2021 - Ridgerunner Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was stored directly next to a bottle of 04 that was corked... go figure. This was lovely classic gorgeous Beaucastel.
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7/8/2021 - Eric wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well, young, dark, brooding. Glowing robe. Cranberry, garrigue, dark, brooding elements. Quite pure and driven. The youthful fruit and energy of 10 years ago have given way to a clean, sulky, brooding young monster of a wine. No hurry here. We have 20 years to even begin to play.
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6/21/2021 - ctc wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. You can't go wrong with this.
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6/12/2021 - SimonG wrote: 90 Points
Dinner at B&A (B&A's): Blind. Dark and brooding. Obviously Chateauneuf, but beyond that no idea, though surprised to learn it’s Beau. Very deep and dark. Quite tight and dense, and maybe somewhat closed currently. Time will tell, but for my palate it’s ***1/2 with scope to go either way.
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6/4/2021 - Matt T wrote: 90 Points
Stored since release. This bottle was shut down. Opened up somewhat on the second night, but I would recommend more time. Dark berry, full bodied, and tannic.
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6/2/2021 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red core, lighter at the rim. Opens in the glass quickly after pop-n-pour to show great mix of cherries, red berries, moist earth, mushrooms/truffle. Medium-full body, great balance, fresh ripe fruit, beautifully balanced with acid and subtle tannins. Moderate tertiary. Just as good after the next day after a night in the fridge. Drinking really well and should continue to do so for another decade. Excellent.
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5/9/2021 - jrhaynie wrote: 94 Points
This was a great wine, had 1 bottle couple years ago from the 6 pack I purchased in 2011 but thought it was not quite ready. This one was, nice hints of tobacco, oak and earth on the nose. On the palate big dark dried fruit, mostly blackberry, some licorice. I thought a nice long finish. Needs 2-3 hours at minimum to decant thoug and I believe has plenty of legs for more years in the bottle.
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5/7/2021 - O'Meara wrote:
Can’t say if this was an off bottle, but there was a distinct raisin smell taste. I’m worried that this half case was cooked. I’ll open another bottle in the next week to see. BC CdP should be virile at 16.
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5/2/2021 - Wine4Life Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cork was perfect, bright ruby with no signs of bricking. Powerful open nose of blackberry, pepper, hint of leather, wine is perfectly balanced, big body with raspberry, black cherry and herbs. Long lovely finish, not showing any signs of age. The wine could easily handle another 10 years in the cellar but is so good right now I doubt if my last 3 bottles will make it that far.
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4/30/2021 - La Grappe wrote: 94 Points
A deep colour, mid-red/brick; full, slightly sweet, dark fruit with spice and a slightly raisiny flavour; intense and long. Now mature and probably at its peak, although still quite vigorous. An excellent Beaucastel.
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4/4/2021 - vide Likes this wine: 92 Points
de Beaucastel is so consistent in quality that it ii difficult to separate the vintages. But For me, this was a slightly understated wine. Although very enjoyable, it lacked a little in depth or complexity. If that is the case, then it is certainly the fault of the vintage and not the winemakers.
If you have some in your cellar, I would drink up (the familiar CNP dark tones were certainly showing signs of maderisation).
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4/1/2021 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Surprised to find this wine somewhat lighter on its feet than some other mature CNdPs that I have drunk in recent months (mainly Vieux Télégraphe and Pegau).
The expected dark cherry, spiced plums with an undercurrent of tar and some smokiness all present but the tannins and acidity meant it all felt still quite primary. No iodine or bone meal here. Good length but not the full on depth of body I was expecting. Little in the way of Grenache heat noticeable to my palate nor was the alcohol hugely evident.
No noticeable evolution over the evening and sadly I didn’t save any to re-visit today.
Don’t get me wrong, this was a smashing wine but not quite what I was expecting
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3/28/2021 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
One of two (about $70@) from the large, CdP-heavy private purchase last fall. On the nose, intense perfume, and more generally on the nose and palate, black cherry, mixed red and dark berries, earth, smoke, cedar, spice, figs, and an intensely tarry, tannic note on the back end. Dark garnet, medium to full-bodied, thick legs. Almost overwhelming tannins, medium++ acidity, a bit of heat with a boozy note. Intense, medium+ persistent, and complex. A small taste out of the bottle came out fractious and unbalanced, and even a larger glass 2 hours later, while showing welcome signs of integration, still seemed rather inhospitable, and I feared that this wine might be in a weird phase like the '06 Clos Des Papes I had last summer. The wine definitely relaxed with another 2.5+ hours of air on night 2, with the boozy note and heat abating, becoming richer and deeper, which has continued on night 3. Still, other than the broken cork--why do I keep forgetting my own rule about only using the 2 prong on 10+ year old bottles?--there was nothing about this that seemed like anything other than something that had just come off the presses. This worked well with rack of lamb, less so with seared swordfish, but is less of a food wine than other recent CdPs, in part because the acidity, while not inconsiderable, seems eclipsed at this point by the tannins, even as they integrated. While I'm not sure that this wine can be as transcendent as the '98 Pegau or Clos Des Papes or the '01 Tardieu-Laurent which I've had recently because I don't think it will ever have the lift of those bottlings, if the tannins can relax a bit without the fruit or acidity dropping off, maybe the secondary notes can assert themselves further and this can be a mid 90s wine, which would be consistent with past bottlings I've had. But as for me, I'll hold my remaining bottle for 2-3 years--I have plenty of other CdPs--and see where this goes. With a lot of air, a very good, delicious bottle of wine right now, but ever so slightly disappointing. It's very rare I'm below CT consensus, albeit it slightly, on a CdP.
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3/28/2021 - Rond Likes this wine: 94 Points
After being decanted for several hours, this wine opened up beautifully.
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3/21/2021 - Force5 wrote:
Consumed back to back with '05 Vieux Telegraphe. This wine has similarly-well-developed aromas with pleasant gaminess and a bit of underbrush. But this is much more dark-fruited and obvious with blackberry liqueur than the VT. This carries through in the flavors, where the blackberry ripeness reminds me of good Ridge Zinfandel. Not that this is bad but the more restrained and aromatic VT is rather more interesting. I have just one left and will let it go quite a bit longer to see how this evolves.
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2/22/2021 - KPB wrote: 91 Points
Although previous bottles from the same purchase were quite good, this particular bottle is a little disappointing. Clean, with a lovely fragrant nose showing all sorts of red fruits and herbs, but somehow flat and rather dull on the palate.
The wine improved with air, and went from maybe 89pts to the 91 I’m sticking with. Still not as awesome as past bottles, but very enjoyable with braised lamb shanks.
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2/21/2021 - WestBerkshire Likes this wine: 92 Points
Stubbornly unevolved and primary. Surprisingly little sign of bricking or secondary complexity despite decanting. Characteristic dark fruits and Provençal herbs on the nose. Was giving more 24 hours later. Needs more time, 2-3 years minimum. Alcohol and tannins winning over fruit right now, feels like it should have the stuffing to develop into something more complex and interesting.
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2/20/2021 - PJHaveron Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding
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2/14/2021 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is in about as perfect a spot as I imagine it will ever be. Most importantly, this did not start strutting its stuff until about 3 hours in the decanter, and over the next 2 hours was singing. On opening, would have rated 90 but I could absolutely tell at that point that it would open up with some time. Sediment was certainly in the bottle but surprisingly less than I was expecting.
The usual suspects of barnyard, rustic but rich and a bitg spicy syrah/cinsault/grenache/mourvedre (not too cloying which is nice) and the rest, with a bit of garrigue were present and danced happily together, as did the wine on the whole with a braised lamb shank in a tomato-rosemary-sage-rosemary-garlic-bay leaf-celery-onion-salt-pepper-chicken stock mix with mashed potatoes. Pretty glorious.
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2/1/2021 - 312 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Cellared since purchase in 2008. Drank over 3 days. Color of black cherry. Vanilla, almond and even hints of chocolate on the nose. Rounded mouthfeel with medium to full body. Notes of black cherry and tart cherry over a base layer of tannins. Medium finish.
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2/1/2021 - sharonandroland wrote: 90 Points
No sign of funk or bret - actually would prefer that. Makes the wine despite the otherwise sound characteristics rather boring and not like how the wines of this winery used to be.
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1/30/2021 - JCGuthrie wrote: 92 Points
Thankfully this bottle, from the same OWC as the flawed one, was just fine. Plenty of life here. Dark black fruits, raisins, spices and some game on the nose. Similar on the palate, plus black olives. Very smooth mouthfeel. Still didn't live up to my memory of the bottle poured several years ago at the Beaucastel tasting room, but that may be my palate shifting a little. Very solid wine.
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1/24/2021 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release, perfect cork and fill. Dark red core, slight lightning at the rim. Opens in the glass over the course of an hour after pop-n-pour. In a really nice place with wonderful nose of cherries, red berries, moist earth and mushrooms/truffle. Medium-full body, great balance with fresh ripe fruit playing well with acid and tannins. Not much complexity yet - good chance this will get even better over time. Remains stored in fridge show no deterioration the next day. Excellent.
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12/31/2020 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 93 Points
A fantastic wine, beautiful fruit and in a perfect spot now.
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12/27/2020 - camben wrote:
Another magical bottle
Perfectly in its prime (for me) this could go longer
Fruit and spice are amazingly warming
No cloying Grenache
Amazing balance
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12/26/2020 - likegoodwine wrote: 88 Points
Was looking forward to include this in our Christmas dinner. Had to open another CDP as the Beucastel was a dissappointment. My vin ordianire costing $10 is better than the famous B. Nose is faint, not aluring, taste rather thin not inspiring, some fruit and acidity, lacks body, and none of that lingering aftertaste I was hoping for. Opened it at 3PM and did not improve througout the night. Saved the rest for cooking wine.
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12/25/2020 - Chkkelley Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is drinking perfectly right now. Decant for 3-5 hours before enjoying. Lovely Grenache fruit is supple and elegant on the pallet. Pretty wonderful.
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12/25/2020 - PaulHig wrote: 95 Points
From magnum, silky smooth, beautifully fruited, rich wine with a touch of pepper. Still so youthful, took a few hours in the decanter to open up. Sweet fruit, with just the start of tertiary flavours. Magnums holding well.
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12/7/2020 - JCGuthrie wrote: flawed
This was nothing like the amazing pour we tried at the Beaucastel tasting room in CdP a couple years ago. Very pruney and only borderline drinkable. Suspect poor storage.
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12/5/2020 - drrobvino wrote: 89 Points
2nd of 4 bottles, last tasted 3 years ago. I scored this wine 93 pts back then...dropping my score a bit and agreeing with JG's professional assessment from 2008. The wine seems a bit cooked and overdone, wanting for more acidity and tannic bite on the finish. Just kinda chewy tonight and blah. I really kept wanting to see the best in this one but it never rose to the occasion. Drink now through 2024 or so.
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12/5/2020 - mukden wrote: 93 Points
YES. Very classy wine ; almost bdx-like in its mix of austerity, fruit and debts. Very distinctive and not typical of B at all. Interesting. I guess a sort of pinnacle for CNF.
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11/29/2020 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 93 Points
Extremely structured.
This is a wine that will likely never become an open knit CDP. Rather it is a structured, finesse driven effort with more black fruits, savory smoked meat and herbal elements (thyme, rosemary etc.) as opposed to the red fruit profile in many other CDP cuvees.
Very food friendly and stood up to some rich dishes that would have overwhelmed a more fruit forward CDP.
This will hold for years (and years) in a cold cellar, but no need to wait. Very well done for the vintage and style.
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10/25/2020 - chatters wrote:
Beaucastel reprise (Ben and Estella's place, Parramatta): From Coravin. Aromas of leather, earth, dark fruits, slight alcohol warmth. Leather and juicy on the palate, alcohol warmth on the palate as well, opens over time to show a little garrigue. Nice.
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10/23/2020 - ManhattanBeach Likes this wine:
From magnum. At LBH with roast partridge - great match. Red fruit, richness, a bit of smoke.
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10/8/2020 - fontaine wrote: 93 Points
C’est clairement la plus belle bouteille de 2005 bue à ce jour. J’avais toujours trouvé ce 2005 sur la retenue, alors que cette fois-ci le vin semblait bien ouvert, épanoui, complexe. Un beau Beaucastel, épicé, avec une bonne longueur. Débute son plateau et y restera pour 5-10 ans
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9/25/2020 - mukden wrote: 93 Points
MEA CULPA. So I bought a lot of B and developed a very negative view of it because no matter how long I waited (<10 yrs) it always seemed mute and disappointing compared to others (eg Pegau) . So I just left them. Then in Covid I started opening them; now 15 yrs in and guess what? They are really very good. I guess I was just not waiting long enough.
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9/20/2020 - martin_e Likes this wine: 95 Points
Noble wine with complete package; early in the drinking window. Nose: spices, tobacco. Flavors: blackberry, black cherry, spices, hint of licorice. Structure: well pronounced, but integrated.
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9/18/2020 - mukden wrote: 91 Points
YES. Never thought I would say this but this is really good. Ch B clearly takes 15 yrs to get to anywhere good!
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9/12/2020 - walkerjfw wrote: 94 Points
Dinner hosted by Ashley and Bill...playing the part of somm for the evening, wine from my cellar (Chez Schofiled - Princeton, NJ): From a 3L, purchased at auction ~2012. Decanted and rebottled 3 hours prior. Served with main course of garlic spiced Cornish hens, couscous and greek potatoes.
Medium ruby/purple color, slightly cloudy. Nose showing red fruits, blackberry, truffles, spice, damp earth, licorice. Elegant palate of dark cherry, blackcurrant, baking spice/cinnamon, tar, rose petal. Spice persists through the mid palate. Medium body, medium/long finish.
This was brilliant on this evening. Guessing the 3L has this drinking at a younger stage. A taste when opened, it was very good. the air time really allows it to open, secondary flavors evolved over the evening. Went great with a nicely spiced entree...star of the show for me.
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8/30/2020 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
This is now fairly mature and noticeably less vigorous than some earlier bottles, but still quite intense, with smoky fruit and good length. Should mature gracefully over the next few years.
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8/29/2020 - camben Likes this wine:
Almost the best wine I’ve tasted
Yes I know it’s a “popular Chateneuf du Pape”
For good reason
This was amazing with notes of everything and
I mean everything
Brown sugar to loganberry
Everything!
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8/25/2020 - Tsliwinski Likes this wine: 94 Points
Classic CdP. Full range of mouthfeel from red fruit to game. Nice plum tart and smooth finish, Plenty of bang to store for a long tome.
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8/23/2020 - chatters wrote:
Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Blackberry, blue berry, hints of black pepper and a sense of denseness. Leather, herbaceous notes but freshens with time in the glass. In the mouth it's juicy, fleshy, talc textured tannins accompany pretty black fruits. Balanced. Lovely
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8/14/2020 - finediningnyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rich and concentrated showing excellent depth and complexity along with mid-palate intensity. A superb vintage for Beaucastel and CDP. Kirsch cherries, black raspberry liquor, damp earth, red flowers and balanced acidity. Finishes with excellent length while tannins continue to retain grip and firmness. Lots of life left but drinking beautifully now. 90 min decant minimum. I’d say similar to 95 and 98 for them in terms of structure and age-ability.
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8/3/2020 - Shoebox Likes this wine: 95 Points
Beautiful clear bright purple colour - no garnet. Thick legs. Nose bright and fresh, redcurrants. Palate soft and very jammy with an explosion of red and black fruits; blackberries very prominent. Smooth and luscious. No hard edges at all but hint of tannins at the end. Really beautiful.
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8/1/2020 - enomarco wrote:
bevuta con berna e maicol
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7/27/2020 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
A gorgeous bottle. Different from the last in that it was approachable immediately upon opening. Rich red fruit, some old world stank, lots of earthy minerality with an interesting hint of bitterness that I can't tell whether adds or detracts from the overall impression. Long finish.
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7/12/2020 - JMellet Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delicious
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7/5/2020 - La Grappe wrote: 92 Points
A deep colour; still quite vigorous on the palate, with brambly, smoky, tarry fruit, quite intense and with good length. Now drinking very well, but will keep.
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7/3/2020 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Sweet-and-sour dark and earthy fruit on the nose. Very intense and concentrated, with coarse and structured tannins.
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6/30/2020 - petermoley Likes this wine: 93 Points
Subtle with little nose and upfront action. Nice back end fruit. Opened slowly and was great two hours later. Should do well with another 5-10 years.
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6/25/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Rosebuds, tar and licorice mixed with strawberries and garigue spices. A bit of heat on the finish initially but it mellowed with a few hours in the glass. This still feels a bit monolithic and closed but the complexity is there. Could use another few years.
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6/17/2020 - Tri Wine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Super smooth, not overpowering in the least. But full of big red and black fruit flavors. Man do I love good CDPs and this is one for sure.
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5/24/2020 - drmarclevine wrote: 92 Points
Took 2+ hours to open fully. Initially not offering much on the nose at all but with time it opened beautifully with an attack of black pepper followed by lavender, red plum, cigar ash, and finally some orange peel. Same story on the palate; very subdued for the first few hours and then opened dramatically with black peppercorns, under-ripe cherry and a nice deep layer of warm leather. Patience is required and a long decant will be rewarded. Excellent pairing with rare steaks and a herbes de provence rub.
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5/19/2020 - dchain Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow a real surprise here. Great open blackberry, raspberry, kirsch like nose. Very energetic and floral and perfumed. Glossy and heathy and crunchy fruit with a lovely glycerin that coats the palate. Wonderful length and balance. No hint of heat and has an elegance and subtlety that I rarely find in Rhône wines which just seem to bludgeon you with a wall of fruit and alcohol unless you leave it for 30 years! Great QPR and will look out for this again. Thank you Thomas!
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5/6/2020 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sadly, my last bottle of the 05, and while I think there has been some bottle variation over the years, I have to say that this bottle was pristine with an abundance of penetrating, earthy, dark, leathery fruit, some tobacco undertones and some hints of violets and while Beaucastels often leave me marveling at how such a big wine can have such a light, sometimes, delicate mouthfeel, this bottle had no such subtlety. It was big, dense and delicious. Quite delightful!!
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4/24/2020 - winecoffee wrote: 91 Points
My opinion of Beaucastel has changed.
When I opened this wine 2.5 hrs back, the nose was total rotten eggs. But after 2.5hrs it converted into a classic CDP. With cigar, mushrooms, and lime on the nose. Silky berries on the palate. This feels like a warm blanket wrapping you on a cold winter night and sitting next to a fireplace!
Note: I scored this 85 points last time because of the smell of rotten eggs.
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4/18/2020 - GFischmann wrote: 94 Points
Well balanced with still residual red fruit, with vanilla and leather
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4/12/2020 - MichielV wrote: 93 Points
W easter lamb from oven. yummy dinner and yummy combo. This was really great from opening. Great but restraint fruit flavopr on the nose. Beautiful aged (but still young color). On palate all that a CNP should be all about. You taste blend which is pure elegance. Grenache, Mouvedre its all there. Great elegant finish, nnothing bold but yummy. This will be pretty god for another 10 years. (This bottle had drowned because of hurricane irene (2011).
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4/10/2020 - Miceri Likes this wine: 96 Points
Medium brick red; caramel, cinnamon; soft, inviting; really nice, clearly ready
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4/9/2020 - NickBurwood Likes this wine: 93 Points
My first delve into this vintage.
Absolutely on song. Almost viscous concentrated dark berries/stoned fruits and crammed with desert and dry spices, earth, smokey nuances and charred oak. Velvety but intense. Immensely complex.
Drinking superbly now, and while I can't see any likelihood of further improvement should hold at this level whilst ageing elegantly over the next 10yrs+.
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4/5/2020 - KPB Likes this wine: 95 Points
A lovely wine, the 2005 Beaucastel is really in its window now. Deeply colored, the nose is extremely complex and spicy with a mix of ripe cassis, plums, red licorice, and cherry pastilles. There is a hint of freshly mowed hay too, but barely perceptible. On the palate, tart and Burgundian, like a Syrah, with the fruit just barely ripe and the soft tannins and lifting acidity really telling the main story. Long mineral support... a sensational wine!
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4/3/2020 - mvande21 wrote: 94 Points
Floral nose. Structured and full with black and red fruits, pepper, minerals. Has heft, acidic balance and grainy tannins. Long finish. It's drinking well. Better the second day. Has plenty of life ahead.
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3/25/2020 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Agree with all other recent reviews. This is on top of its game right now. Don't think it could get any better
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3/2/2020 - SonnyChiba wrote: 93 Points
Really beautiful wine. Love where this is at right now.
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2/24/2020 - Jeanda Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nez intense de fruits noirs confiturés et d'épices. C'est très mûr, très chaleureux, un peu monolithique et ça manque clairement de charme et de personnalité juste après avoir bu une Fonsalette syrah 2000 peu avant. Peut-être à attendre encore 3-5 ans ?
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2/20/2020 - OttawaB Likes this wine: 95 Points
Fantastic wine. Drinking well … again. So smooth and elegant (yes, elegant … for a CdP). Tantalizing berry aromas, figs, tar, earthiness, spices, and freshly ground coffee beans.
Flavours repeat …. dusty drying tannins, licorice coming in at the end with a long finish. Beautifully balanced
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2/2/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
Big wine with lots of life ahead!
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2/1/2020 - AudunG wrote: 92 Points
Delicious aromas of sweet red fruits and spices. Sweet and intense fruit also in the mouth. Rich, concentrated and impressive. Not very elegant, though.
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1/31/2020 - Laurentcg Likes this wine: 94 Points
Magnifique!
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1/20/2020 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nicely evolving 2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($83 in 2008). Light-mid brick, amber edges; complex earthy, red fruit, floral, Grenache nose; mid-body; balanced; fine flavors; round, semi-chewy finish. w/cassoulet. 17 UC Davis scale, 92 others.
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1/17/2020 - cawineaux wrote: 91 Points
Decanted two hours prior to consumption. Nose was perfumed and full of bright ripe fruit. The palate subdued. Tannins resolved, acid perfectly in check, but the fruit seemed tired. Flavors of cherry, meat juices, and a hint of tobacco.
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1/4/2020 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Wines that F**k to kick off the new year (Bob's, Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL): Nose: Finally the nose is open and this time it's fully ready for business filling the glass with black cherries, raspberries, blackberries, licorice, tobacco, mesquite, hot stones, violets, leather, and black currants. There is excellent depth with an emerging savory quality to it.
Taste: The feel is Medium/full bodied with silky, medium+ tannins and medium acidity. There is a good bit of weight to the feel but it is also well balanced with black cherries, raspberries, blackberries, mesquite, tobacco, leather, hot stones, and violets.
Overall: I've been waiting for a long time to come across a bottle of 05 Beaucastel that is drinking. And I'm completely glad it finally happened as it was utterly worth it. There is a real dark and searching side to it along with a great, lengthy finish.
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12/18/2019 - mikered Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wow, in a really special place right now.
Dark fruited, spicy and still showing lovely floral notes but balanced by dry earth, old leather and bloody roast meat with hints of animal sweat and really good hot chocolate. Acid, fruit, tannin, secondary and tertiary flavors, everything in balance.
What a great bottle in just a great place. Was easily the wine of the night with some pretty big hitters (i.e. 78 Cos from a Mag).
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11/24/2019 - carstenf wrote: 92 Points
As other CT says : Raisin , plum and sweet vanilla. Good bottle.
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11/17/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 90 Points
This seems more evolved than previous bottles, with a slight brown tinge to the colour. It has mature damson fruit, medium plus weight and good length. An attractive wine for current drinking.
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11/15/2019 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
Pop ‘n pour from 55 degree cellar. Dark chocolate, plums and raisins. Dense with lots of depth and still very youthful. Very fine grained tannins give it excellent structure. Still has many years ahead of it and should get even better once it starts showing signs of secondary development.
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11/12/2019 - Carlisa88 Likes this wine: 96 Points
For me, a WOW wine. Drinking perfectly now. Bright and fresh bouquet, plum and raisin-y upon entry, so good with food. Then to leather, maybe a little Brett? Medium to full bodied. Such a finish, with old leather, earth and a touch of funk and rich dark fruit. Amazing the changes, how bright in the glass to start, how dark and rich to finish. I don't know how that happens. Wonderful complexity and evolution over dinner and an hour afterwards. Loved it. I must have caught a great bottle.
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11/4/2019 - il_diavolo wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine but ultimately a bit disappointing given name and vintage. I found it fruit first (and fruit last, if that makes sense) - this seemed way less rustic than older Beaucastel and I cant say I like that switch. If you like a rich and smooth red-fruited wine, upgrade this.
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10/18/2019 - Wadham Cellar wrote: 85 Points
Good but not great. Not convinced of this vintage. Beaucastel always hard to assess because of bottle variability. Perhaps this a weak bottle but no obvious signs of any flaw.
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9/30/2019 - HL Pong Likes this wine: 94 Points
Descant for 1.5 hrs.
Appearance : med ruby, with legs
On nose : med+ intensity, mostly secondary aroma : sweet vanilla, tertiary aroma: thyme, leather, peppery spiciness
On palate : dry, med acidity, red and black fruit: cherry, lichorice, tea leaves, leather, herbal tea, sweet and very fine tannin, with med finishing.
It is good match with lamb chop, very complex and it is a very typical CDP, everyone loves it. Sweet tannin and herbal taste is the significance. Good structure and very lovely! Drink it now to enjoy the peak of this!
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9/28/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 93 Points
A dark colour; intense, raisiny fruit, with spice, a touch of sweetness and good length. Just about ready and should keep well. A fine Beaucastel.
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9/21/2019 - henrik33 wrote: 95 Points
1 hour decant. In a great place.
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9/20/2019 - Tpairing wrote: 93 Points
Intense with floral and a fruity wine. Powerful and so pleasant to drink. Top end wine!
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9/2/2019 - vpoms wrote: 91 Points
In perfect place now: only secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. Very refined and approachable. Not much acidity or tannins left though, will start deteriorating soon. I would not age any further, drink up now!!!! Cheers!!!
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8/18/2019 - galewskj wrote: 92 Points
Annual Summer wine event featuring Brisket (Steve and Jennie's): This was drinking very well for a young Beaucastel. I feel that a few more years will allow this wine to turn the corner. Garrigue, stones, anise, good structure and shows a lot of fruit right now.
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8/10/2019 - Weinberg Falls wrote: 95 Points
From magnum decanted 2hrs prior by Kate the sommelier at the Rex Whistler restaurant at the Tate Britain. Purpley-black and clear. Nose of leather, vanilla, and prunes. On the front of the palette this is all soft black cherry and liquorice. This wine saunters to the back of the tongue leaving dark chocolate and wild tarry notes as it goes. This stuff is rocket fuel, the smoothest and most balanced you have tasted, leaving a long toasty finish and giant grin on the lips. Stunning.
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7/20/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Best as a pop and pour—seemed to close up after a few hours air. Iron and blood notes mixed with dark red fruit. Still on the primary side but starting to show some smoke and leather notes. Form acidity, tannins have softened. Really enjoyed this butnprobabky still have a few years to reach its peak plateau phase.
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7/3/2019 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Moreish.
Decanted for 4 hours. I tasted it along the way and during the first couple of hours it was really unapproachable. At 4 hours it was rich, smooth, and tasty. I wish I had opened two bottles! The nose smells of dark fruit, plums perhaps, but that is only slightly present on the palate which is dominated by garrigue and stony mineral flavors. Hints of anise and tobacco also. Smooth, well balanced, with a lengthy finish.
We had this with a roast lamb shoulder that was quite pronounced in its flavors and it was a nice pairing.
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6/22/2019 - D'Yquembe Mutumbo wrote: 93 Points
Classic Beaucastel here, if not the best bottle that I have had. Nice balance between red fruits and minerality, although not particularly expressive on either front like you see in top CdPs. Still, you can't complain about a bottle of this juice with a roasted rack of lamb and grilled vegetables, just a lovely pairing with enough acidity and body to cut right through all of the smoke of the veggies and fat and gaminess of the lamb.
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6/5/2019 - rayq wrote: 93 Points
First couple of glasses were quite tightly wound and monolithic but returning to this wine later it had opened up beautifully to reveal an fragrant and evolved wine. Nice aromatics with a rich but not heavy palate and a nice sweetness to the fruit. A great example of Chateauneuf.
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5/11/2019 - kfrench150 Likes this wine: 98 Points
Haven't had this one for a while either. Deep ruby red with candy apple red highlights and just beginning to turn garnet at the rim. Initial scents of porcini mushroom and dark fruits underneath. Once allowed more air come notes of concentrated dark berry paste, mulberry, licorice, spice, subtle garrigue, and some lovely tertiary notes of game and mulch. Still quite full bodied with barely any sediment. Entry is big and bold and sweet and delicious! Ripe red plum skin, black berry compote, more garrigue on the palate than on the nose, sandlewood, with old leather in the background. Powerful and athletic but controlled at the same time. Everything is in check and harmonious. This wine demands attention when it enters a room by its sheer magnificence! Just a baby still at 14 and has a long life ahead of it still.
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5/10/2019 - srh Likes this wine:
Friday Tasting Group: In HONOR of 1 of the Group's Mentors (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): "Château de Beaucastel red is a 70-ha vyd with one single plot at the N of the appellation. The terroir is archetypal of the best terroirs in Châteauneuf: rolled pebbles on the surface, sand, clay, & limestone deeper down. Each variety is harvested manually & separately. Vinification is completed in truncated oak barrels for the reductive grapes (Mourvèdre & Syrah) & in traditional tiled cement tanks for the oxidative grapes (such as Grenache). After the malolactic fermentations, the Perrin family blends the different varieties, & then the wine ages in oak Foudres for a yr before being bottled." 30% ea Grenache & Mourvèdre, 10% ea Counoise & Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and 15% Vaccarèse, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, & Roussanne;
N: DEFINITE barnyrd funkiness which DOES blow off into notes of mint (at least breiefly) slightly atop berries
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by astringent pucker which pretty much resolves by the LONG, *ult* pleasant finish, but with a bitter/swtness to the dusty tannins. The wine's astringency SHOULD work well with food. For now, though may still improve for a yr or 2, then hold for 5 yrs more? 14% ABV; My EXC/EXC+. 95 pts Decanter (2x in '17), 93 & 94 RJonWine, 88+? John Gilman, 18.5+, 17, & 18/20 Jancis Robinson (Harding), and NUMEROUS other *solid* reviews & medals on wine-searcher's "Tasting Notes" pg.
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4/20/2019 - Slics wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well but no rush.
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4/18/2019 - Topper wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyed this greatly with a pork tenderloin. Drinking well now and with just the right amount of stuffing to go perfectly with this meal.
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3/31/2019 - Matt T wrote: 93 Points
Rounding into form. Dark berry, bitter chocolate, and spices. Better with a couple hours of air.
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3/31/2019 - southpaw25 Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a great place right now. Lots of life left in it too.
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3/2/2019 - La Grappe wrote: 92 Points
A deep colour; still a little raw on the palate, with deep, rich, spicy fruit that needs another year or two to soften. Even so, drinkable now, although the 2006 is probably better for current enjoyment.
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3/2/2019 - jcomm wrote: 90 Points
Pretty much ready to drink IMO.
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2/16/2019 - tward Likes this wine: 91 Points
Had 1-2 ounces per night for several nights, closing the bottle each time immediately after pouring, before consuming the remainder (about 80% of the bottle) over a few hours with dinner.
On PnP it was a bit muted though hinted at ripe fruit. It showed more depth each night until the final night when it opened seeming to show too much baked / cooked fruit aromas, which was disappointing. But it quickly drew me in and settled down in the glass. This was always a touch too too ripe and nearly confectionery for my taste, but at the same time it was irresistible. The initial perception of heaviness could never win out, because it has an underlying structure and acidity to carry it. Showed mint and dried herbs, cocoa nibs, dark chocolate, espresso bean, plum and just generally dark fruits. Some dusty earth.
Very nice, recommend a decant. If stored well, I figure this will cruise for years to come.
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1/31/2019 - pigdaddy wrote: 93 Points
the first bottle from the case last month was corked (on a disappointing night for '05 cdp's in general). this one, decanted for one hour & consumed over three, is excellent; youthful color; nose more mature, mourvèdre stands out in the earthy, plummy aromatic profile; refined weight on palate; like many drinkers of this recently, it seems to be in its (potentially broad) window of deliciousness, with generous fruit & silky balance, tannins in the background & enough acidity to keep it enjoyable w/food. comfortable w/drinking & holding over the next 8 -10 years.
gigante beans w/garlic sausage, thyme & tomato
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1/28/2019 - Jean-Philippe M Likes this wine:
Sans notes.
Bien mais sans plus. Dans un entre-deux d'évolution Ch9 pas jasant.
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1/14/2019 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
Delicious, Drank with a slow cooker pot roast. Elegant fruit, beautiful balance. Drink or hold.
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1/11/2019 - GQG Likes this wine: 93 Points
After a two hour decant at 62°F, this Beaucastel developed a rather fresh nose, and offered generous and wonderfully spiced fruit balanced by the noticeable tannins and good acidity. The nice, long finish delivered peppery and earthy notes. Clearly this wine has time to further develop although it's drinking well right now. I'll hold my last bottle of this classic vintage for another few years.
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1/9/2019 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 93 Points
In an excellent drinking window. Still lots of fruit combined with plenty tertiary evolution and softened tannins.
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1/8/2019 - jcomm wrote: 93 Points
Superb and at its sweet spot, can hold on for another 10-15 years
but really showing well now.
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12/25/2018 - Morten Andersen wrote: 94 Points
Magnificent. Had it chilled and it opened reserved. But then full throttle on wonderful complicated nose, berries, pepper, a bit tobacco. long, long aftertaste for up to 5 minutes. Classy wine.
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12/18/2018 - vwsmaltz Likes this wine: 94 Points
Aging well - prob nearing it’s peak. Hints of menthol, tea, raspberry, black pepper, some earth and spice notes - deep red in color / this has a few more years!
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12/17/2018 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Weekly tasting group RWP #314; Mysterious theme: What could be Christmas wines….. (@ VD): In the bouquet dark berries, leather and good garrigue. On the palate chocolate, dark and red berries, some green impressions, a lot of herbs, good acidity and slightly sticky tannin, Overall a beautifully balanced and complex wine with great precision.
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12/8/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 92 Points
BBQ night at Changi. Pop and poured. Drank over 1.5 hours.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of fragrant tea leaves, garrigue, earth, Provencal herbs, dark red cherries, warm spices. Developed.
on the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), fine medium+ tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of earth, sweet tea leaves, dark red cherries, kirsh, Provencal herbs, sweet spices. Long finish.
Very good quality. Seems to be losing some intensity and more tertiary than when I last tasted this. I think time to drink up before it declines more.
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12/2/2018 - olemski wrote: 93 Points
Dyp farge, dufter friske frukter, lær, urter og mye annet. Sødmefull, brettfri og lekker vin med god lengde. Er på et fint sted i utviklingen nå, men holder i massevis.
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12/1/2018 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Aromas of ripe red fruits and some spices. Intense, fruity and quite tannic on the palate. Concentrated and impressive, but not very elegant. A bit coarse and rustique.
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10/25/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP at Bicci in Ramsey. Excellent and a crowd pleaser, otherwise consistent with my previous notes.
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10/25/2018 - Mark van Delft Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fig, balsamic, earthy note, mature cherries, raspberry, dark chocolate, chewy soft tannins, medium to full body, great long finish
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9/22/2018 - petec-s Likes this wine: 94 Points
This really did drink beautifully. Young and with time in hand, but lovely now. Dense and powerful but with fabulous complexity and real finesse, broad textured palate, serious yet refined tannins and very good length. Quite superb. 94+
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9/14/2018 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Based on this bottle, I would let these rest more.
It took an hour in the decanter to start to come together and was continuing to improve when we finished it a couple of hours later. Not a typical CdP. Very rich fruit with both plum and red berry hints, earthy, lots of structure. At the end the nose was really beautiful with red berry flavors quite pronounced and maybe starting to show some hints of wild spice.
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9/2/2018 - hadlieh2 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Enjoyed w veal oso Buco but still a liirtle hot. Didn’t finish bottle. Enjoyed but don’t take another for another two years
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8/28/2018 - Highlander wrote:
Wow! Initially, I would have never guessed this as a CnP. after an hour double decant, my initial thoughts were that this wine was quite over-rated. Seemed one dimensional and almost flat. An hour later, the next glass was exceptional, almost Bordeaux like (left bank). I still don't think this tastes like a classic CnP ....no currants, missing some of the normal southern Rhone sweetness and terroir, but still outstanding.
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8/19/2018 - Dale M wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 3 hrs. Took a good hr in the decanter to get the nose up and running but once it did, great CdP aromatics of X-Mas spices emerged among other pleasant scents. By far one of the better Beaucastels I have had in recent memory, this is a pretty strong customer in its flexing of its Mourvedre muscle, still very impactful tannic structure, and good acidity as well. The big allure for me was the freshness, no porty or raisn-esque shenanigans going on, the fruit delivered a clear cut kirsch liquor wrapped around a bed of exotic spices and iron notes. Back half saw the emergence of a peppery quality and all the while this was light on its feet for being such a powerful wine. Like many, I drink less CdP than I used too, but this was most excellent, borderline superb. My .02 I if you have 1 to 2 bottles, hold for 3 to 5 years, otherwise take a peek for yourself.
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8/18/2018 - hhyder Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking amazingly well right now. Vibrant fruit and perfectly integrated.
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8/15/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is always a favorite of mine and nice to see it with a touch of age. No detailed notes unfortunately, but I do remember thinking it was still very much on the young side. We opened and decanted for prob 45 minutes before pouring. Went really well as we got to the meat dishes in the menu (esp with the steak). Great fruit. A hint of stable, but almost the fresh smells there (versus the barnyard). Very tasty.
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8/11/2018 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Brought from house to drink during evening shift at Oinoscent.
Much better than the one tasted at the vertical a few months before. Elegant, refined, with real depth, ripe red and black fruit, floral notes, forest floor, beautifully decadent.
In the palate the wine shows the same character, with loads of ripe fruit, bright , balanced, smooth velvety tannins, elegant, notes of tobacco, medium length.
Simply outstanding. Purchased this upon release, worth the wait. I wouldn't keep this much longer though
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8/7/2018 - dulcamara wrote: 95 Points
Time to drink this one. Not ready the last time I tried one (2016) but very nice today.
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7/29/2018 - vpoms wrote: 91 Points
This wine is clear with a deep garnet color. It shows a clean nose of medium intensity of black, ripe cherry, plums and ripe blueberries. secondary aromas of cedar box and vanilla are also present. The nose has certain "meaty" smell to it. On the palate, it is dry with pleasant medium plus acidity and well integrated medium tannins. The alcohol is definitely there but is not over aggressive, it is 14% but I would call it "Medium". The body of this wine is silky and well defined but not overly strong, call it medium as well. On the palate the flavors of dark cherry, cured meat, plums with a hint of black pepper are all well represented. There finish is long and satisfying. This wine is very good now. It should be drunk over the next 2-4 years as the fruit is starting to be less pronounced. A bottle of 2000 Beaucastel I had yesterday had no fruit left on the nose or on the palate. So I think that 2005 should be drunk by 2022 by the latest.
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7/28/2018 - jrkennedy37 wrote:
In a great spot right now. Not sure there will be much more development but also not fading any time soon. Was one of the highlights at a wine dinner before someone opened a 2001 of the same bottle - that one blew this away with its concentration and increased complexity. The 05 is very light in body for a cdp/beaucastel, but powerful enough to pair with a wide variety of dishes including steak. Lots of red fruit, classic beaucastel rustic funkiness, balanced acidity and lovely with or without food.
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7/23/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted at the Union League. Soft cedary bouquet, with leather and berries. The palate has bright berries, cedar and a long satisfying finish. Consistent with my previous note.
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7/13/2018 - sbajaj10 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium to Full bodied, quite some fruit at the front, lots of flavour. Decanted for an hour but had low tannins even at bottle opening. Very nice
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6/30/2018 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Just lovely all around. Drink now.
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5/30/2018 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour at Sundance in Palo Alto. Soft cedar, tobacco and leather nose. The palate is smooth red fruit, again leather and a velvety finish. Was expecting spices and pepper but these were nowhere to be found, at least not in this bottle. Faint earthy tones that paired extremely well with mushroom tempura. A great first wine of the evening.
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5/2/2018 - Kevinmfranklin Likes this wine: 89 Points
Slow ox’d for about 8 hours
I don’t know if it’s only me, but i find major variation among beaucastel CDPs with some age. Perhaps due to storage, although I don’t find them to be flawed necessarily. But I will find two bottles same vintage and one will be ripe fruit dominated (with a whiff of flabbiness) and the other will have far more spice/structure/depth.
This one was a bit flabby and too fruity. Good, but not great.
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4/26/2018 - kostaslonis wrote: 90 Points
Famille Perrin tasting (Vintage): Cinsault 5%, Grenache 30%, Mourvedre 30%, Vaccarese, Terret Noir, Muscardin, Clairette, Picpoul, Picardan, Bourboulenc, Roussanne 15%, Counoise 10%, Syrah 10%
Developed in the nose, overripe fruit, old oak, balsamic, earthy, jammy, red fruit chutney, spicy.
In the palate is again developed, dried red fruit, spicy, leather, oaky, powerful acidity. The palate feels drier, med to long finish.
I don't know whether I should be expecting more, but I feel slightly dissapointed
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4/25/2018 - jcomm wrote: 92 Points
Really in a good place presently. Nice brambly fruit with some nice acids,
smooth and very long ending.
Quite nice and will only improve.
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4/18/2018 - HueBreCellars Likes this wine: 92 Points
Amazing.
Some may say we had this too early, but this is why you should buy full cases of excellent wines. This would be amazing to enjoy regularly over the next few years.
Bright like a new Napa Cab, but dirty berries and bark like on the nose with a lot of spices on the palette, mixed with bright peppers (without the citrus) and lots of fresh farm aromatics as the wine opened through dinner. Gentle hints of vanilla, but this was well integrated and balanced right away.
The wine was popped and poured into a small decanter and decanted for about 30 minutes before we really got into it.
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4/14/2018 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big, deep garnet color, very nice nose, lovely finish. Youthful.
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4/13/2018 - dsimmons Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really nice CdP from .375. Lots of fruit and spice plus some secondary flavors. Great balance. Plenty of backbone. I would say drink or hold.
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4/4/2018 - richshoes Likes this wine: 90 Points
a little disappointing, a little past its prime. structure still good/young--medium bodied, polished, feminine, delicate, but not much of a finish...but not much flavor complexity and a lot of port, syrup, raisin showing up, so hard to get into....
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3/31/2018 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
I just popped and poured from a new case. Was not as good as previous bottles. It seemed tight and lacking freshness. After about 90 minutes of air it started coalescing and made me wish I hadn’t been so eager when I cracked the bottle.
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3/24/2018 - Sen4469 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice showing today. Wine has open up. Very good wine with a great future.
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3/19/2018 - mmcdds Likes this wine:
Short note from memory. Closed and muddy on opening, but after about an hour in the decanter, it opened and was drinking beautifully.
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1/15/2018 - RichardsEric1 wrote: 93 Points
This is a very Chateau De Beaucastel. It's silky it's very powerful and the color is super dark. Considering past vintages like 2001 and 1990 this one is right up there with it. Highly recommend drinking it in the next 2-4 years.
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1/13/2018 - Mazy Likes this wine: 90 Points
Carafé 3 heures en enlevant les lies (il y en avait peu toutefois). Un CH9 puissant, tributaire du millésime, mais accessible, avec des tannins modérés, une aromatique sur les fruits noirs mais aussi des épices. Une belle longueur. Bien équilibré.
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12/31/2017 - PJHaveron Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding
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12/23/2017 - Al-Vino Likes this wine: 93 Points
Open for business after less than one hour decant. Smooth as silk with a great nose and plenty of structure. Don't believe this can integrate any better with more cellaring time.
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12/21/2017 - Vancouver Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank over three days.
Classic Beaucastel. Drink now or hold "indefinitely" in a cold cellar.
Great stuff.
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12/17/2017 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is still a little shy, thought the acidity has smoothed out and the tannins have integrated. Still quite youthful with mostly primary dark fruit. Nice aromatics, if subdued of iron and tobacco leaf. Palate shows a darker fruit profile, moving into a complex finish of sanadalwood, blood, and spice notes. Quite good. Enjoyable now but I think still on the upswing.
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12/3/2017 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine: 93 Points
Gamey nose. Bright fruit. Part of a big flight with other wines and didn't have much time but I did write down "lovely" in my notebook.
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11/26/2017 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 95 Points
sublime! plum, asian spices, acidity to keep it all together and smooth tannins. this has the stuffing to last another 5 to 10 years but is enjoyable today.
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11/7/2017 - Brent25 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Ruby; nose of cinnamon, cassis and graphite; pfn with addition of leather, nutmeg and tar; thinner on finish than we were expecting; balanced with noticeable tannins
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10/20/2017 - Lype Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes, very promising, I would prefer to cellar this 5+ years before consuming the next bottle.
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10/11/2017 - O'Meara Likes this wine:
Great bouquet of leather, dark fruit, garrigue, smoke, and violets. Vibrant, clear color of deep ruby red. Still grippy for a CdP with a great streak of mineral tinged acidity. I’ll hang on to the rest of those for a few years.
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10/5/2017 - paul canet wrote: 91 Points
Tres bon apres plusieurs heures en carafe, semblait disjoint au depart mais le tout s'est remis en place au courant de la soirée. Une petit chauffe alcooloque en fin de bouche lui fait perdre 1 point ou deux
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8/30/2017 - Collector1855 wrote: 93 Points
dark ruby. Nose of dark and red fruit, torrefaction, spices, cake. There is quite a bit of heat here as well both on nose and palate. Full bodied on the palate but not overbearing, lacks sophistication of the best CdP though. Good but not great.
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8/6/2017 - Matt T wrote: 93 Points
Impressive showing with dark berry, oak, vanilla, and black olive notes. High alcohol, high tannin experience. Better after an hour or two. This is on the early side of the drinking window. Should improve with time.
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7/28/2017 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow wine! Unbelievably intense and saturated. This is overflowing with dark stewed berries and figs with a chocolately finish. A massive but ultra fine tannic structure will ensure that this wine will last several more decades. A real head turner.
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7/22/2017 - wineappreciation wrote: 91 Points
Raspberry, plum, some brett; light, expansive, a certain elegance, classic Beaucastel, long lived, but slightly vapid
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7/14/2017 - Raizes Likes this wine: 92 Points
依旧年轻而内敛,和当天的03形成了很好的对比。开瓶是经典的隆河味道——红色水果、厚重香料和潮湿灌木,但入口有些沉闷。醒酒三个小时左右,渐渐在口感中展现实力,饱满而丰富,复杂度的提升十分明显,结构感并未因逐渐变得甜美浓郁而被削弱。
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7/2/2017 - Poisey wrote: 95 Points
Quite structured and very long. Silky and elegant. White pepper with ho sin, licorice, raspberry, and strawberry fruit. Wild and brooding. Lots left to go here. Green olives and celery stalk and tar on the finish. Hold a little longer. It is heavy on the alcohol, but it carries it well. Drink 2020-2030.
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6/27/2017 - themki wrote: 94 Points
Spectacular nose - but be careful with temperature! - huge improvement going from 57F to 63F
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6/23/2017 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Light caramel
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6/18/2017 - NiklasW Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for an hour. This was a very fragrant wine, lots of fine red fruit, with lilac and lavender, very inviting. The palate was also on the red fruit side, with some sweetness, but elegant with lots of tannins. Quality was clear here and I think the wine will last for many more years in the cellar, but won't necessarily get better.
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5/28/2017 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
No formal TN on this beauty, but it was in a perfect, early part of it's drinkability. Gorgeous garrigue and spice, with kirsch, dark cherry and plum, as well as great soil signature. Drink now through 2028+.
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5/6/2017 - Francophile1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red cherry, kirsch liqueur, touch of brett. Very typical of Beaucastel. Taught tannin on the finish even after 2 hours in the decanter. A solid effort, but could still use 3-5 more years in bottle.
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4/17/2017 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is in a good place and drinking beautifully after a couple hours of air.
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4/16/2017 - Plabella Likes this wine: 96 Points
always a great wine
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4/15/2017 - fipile Likes this wine: 93 Points
dark red barely showing any evolution, nose on dark cherry , dried plum, herbs , liquorice, leather. Tannins are silken, the wine is layered, with retro on fruits, liquorice and leather. Good acidity frame providing a good finish.
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3/31/2017 - giba ochman wrote: 92 Points
Closed. Wait at least 3-5y. But good juice here (potential: 93-4).
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3/25/2017 - Morrisson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Beaucastel nous offre toujours un produit de qualité avec beaucoup de consistance à travers les années. Ce 2005 est un plaisir à boire. Magnifiquement équilibré avec des tannins bien intégrés, il est prêt a boire. Un beau mélange de fruits, d'épices avec des petits accent de tabac. Une certaine fraîcheur demeure présenté dans le vin me faisant penser que je n'attendrai pas trop longtemps pour mes autres bouteilles.
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3/15/2017 - giba ochman Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nice. Early signs of maturity. Good value wine. Wait 3-5y
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2/19/2017 - sdwineguru Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mid-garnet, brick edges; old world nose; earth, Grenache, cedar; mid-body; semi-tight tannins; good structure; complex flavors; long refined finish. w/pork tenderloin and ratatouille
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2/18/2017 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Last bottle of a case of 6. This had a tough stance following of a beautiful 1990 Clerc Milon (scored 95) and 2002 Bollinger Grand Annee (scored 94). Decanted for one hour in wide decanter, it actually was a point. Lovely complexity, full throttle CNDP, paired well with Gruyere but was also a treat on its own. Not sure how much better this will get but it certainly is going to be superb for another decade. Good value!
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2/14/2017 - acheng wrote: 92 Points
Drinking nicely with red fruit, kirsch, earthy and early in its development.
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2/12/2017 - Chuck Miller wrote:
This is the best Beaucastel since at least the 1995 and the otherwordly 1990 or earlier Beaucastels. This is drinking very well right now and will last another decade or more.
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2/10/2017 - Tony Poli Likes this wine: 97 Points
Theme (blind) was 10 years old or older French Rouge. I brought an older Morgon, as an experiment. Rosalie brought this one to make up for that. The Morgon was a pleasant surprise, this was magnificent. We put in in a decanter for about three hours prior to the tasting, based on other's notes. The wine was absolutely singing when we drank it. Almost uniformly considered the WON, against some stiff competition from Bordeaux. Dark, brooding color, no signs of age. Rich, complex nose. Lots of flavors on the palate, seemed like all the varieties contributed. Long, pleasant finish. One interesting comment: This renews my faith in Beaucastel.
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2/1/2017 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
A full bodied rich brawny Cdp, ripe dark fruits, this has just entered its drinking window, a beautiful wine
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1/2/2017 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine:
Still dark, classic Beaucastel nose, nice, meaty, masculine, but balanced
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12/27/2016 - Eating is Cheating wrote:
First of a six-pack I've been hoarding for nearly ten years. Decanted about an hour (perhaps slightly less). Quite a full colour - showing some development at the rim but otherwise quite youthful and intense. Quite closed on the nose. Some hints of primary black confit fruit; also some subtler elements when worked. But it is in quite an awkward phase just now. The same is true on the palate. Really quite difficult to get much out of this in terms of flavour profile. However, the building blocks for a super wine are there - lovely ripe tannins, lush mouthfeel without any loss of structure, excellent acidity gives it poise. Good minerality on the finish. The only mystery is where is the fruit hiding?! Although it clearly has the potential to be superior, on the day this didn't compare particularly favourably to the 2007 Ch la Nerthe tasted alongside. Wait a few years before trying another.
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12/20/2016 - Vancouver wrote: 95 Points
Deep Ruby appearance.
Evolved and pronounced nose of black fruits- blackberry, cassis: smoke, vanilla , herbs- balsam and garrigue and smoked meats.
Full bodied palate with surprisingly high acidity and structure and plenty of tannin. Lots of black fruit and meat flavors with a long finish.
Very structured for a CDP- drinking fine now, but will last for another two decades in a cold cellar. Wow!
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12/13/2016 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
Really excellent Beaucastel. Maybe underrated? Seems to have hardly budged in the 2 years since I last tried this. Was really showing well (in a young way) with USDA Prime grilled strips and porcini mushroom/black truffle ravioli. Had this with Roy, who thinks this is yet a baby...he suggested not touching another for at least 5 years. I can see his point, but it is not a crime to drink now - and the wine delivers considerable pleasure at the table already.
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12/9/2016 - nywine68 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank straight from the cellar without decanting. A gorgeously balanced CDP. Full saturated body with a beautiful nose of Grenache and Provençal herbs. Big yet elegant. This should continue to age very nicely. Today it is still a young adolescent but very accessible.
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11/10/2016 - barolo300 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dense wine, with smooth tannins and a complexity of flavours from red berry to smokey and bacon. I did feel like it was still improving - in 3-5 years this will be really very good...
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11/5/2016 - Jimaronson wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful rose nose with no bricking around glass. At opening there was smoke, barnyard. and black pepper. I sensed some fruit cake too. Wine was balanced with bright red fruit, reasonable tannin's and alcohol. Two days later the wine smoothed out with no alcohol or black pepper. Wine was chewy with intense black cherry fruit - a real delight.
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10/29/2016 - The Captain 11 Likes this wine: 97 Points
I bought this wine right from the vineyard. It's game changing. Yes it's a popular producer who make killer wine, but this vintage is amazing. So well balanced, cherry, herbs de Provence, awesome plum with a touch of leather
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10/23/2016 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I think this is drinking very well right now.
Spice, bacon, red fruits. Already some secondary characteristics.
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10/20/2016 - Papies wrote: 91 Points
4 Decades of Chateau de Beaucastel with a touch of Hommage with Richard Brazier (Handford Wines, London): After the jammy 2007 we had before this was a happy return to the usual style of CdB. Very much a young wine, a touch on the restrained side, white pepper feel, firm, youthful, good fruit more classic in style. Very elegant and with a few more years this would be a great wine. 91-92 for now.
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10/20/2016 - rossi.wine wrote: 92 Points
Tasted next to the 2007. Darker in colour, quite savoury on the nose. A bit barnyardy, showing notes of iodine, earth, spices, bacon, darker fruit. On the palate more structure than the 2007; the tannins are firmer and more powerful, the fruit is more restrained. Again very good length. Approachable, but probably best to wait a little longer. 91-92+
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10/13/2016 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 94 Points
Abit reticent on opening, but after an hour or two of double decanting it was hitting on all cylinders. Lots of dark red fruit, earth, garrigue, some anise notes and chalky tannins on the long finish. For my tastes, this bottle was in a good place tonight, but reading other CT notes seems to indicate that there is a lot of evolutionary variation in this wine, which really isn't all that surprising given the large production and what I would assume to be varied handling through all the different distribution channels.
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8/10/2016 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really nice showing of this wine again. Decanted for 1 hour, did it good - it drank great after that and was probably at its best right then. Lovely broad shouldered smooth CdP. I am a bit surprised by some comments on CT as to this not being in its drinking window - I think this really is singing already, but yes, it certainly can go for another 10 years.
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7/26/2016 - rmalloy wrote:
For me, this wine is inferior to the 2007 Beaucastel, which I've drunk on two recent occasions. It tastes thick, smoky, alcoholic, and unexpressive.
This wine has huge concentration though. Perhaps it will evolve into something extraordinary in five years. I lack the experience to know.
I do know that to my tastes, for drinking right now, the 2007 Beaucastel is overwhelmingly better than the 2005 Beaucastel.
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7/20/2016 - Yagil wrote: 94 Points
dark opaque red-purple; excellent fruity spicy nose; soft firm tannins, excellent structure and complexity, tobacco, toasted flavours, excellent by all means
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6/24/2016 - acheng wrote: 91 Points
Still very young even with a half bottle. Plenty of potential.
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5/20/2016 - KeithAkers wrote:
Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): This is a wine that keeps on never wanting to come out and play for me. This was decanted and open for almost 6 hours before I got to it and it was still tough as nails.
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5/13/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark red, animale barnyard earth meaty bouquet, spices, hoisin, full bodied, very good balance, just entering its window but if you have the patience wait for another 2-3 years
94
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5/5/2016 - Texoenophile Does not like this wine:
Mala suerte para mi. This is a first. I opened a 1998 and it was full of brett. So out of spite I opened a 2005. Incredibly, cork taint. I drink a lot of CDP and a lot of CDP from Beaucastel, just not my night. Waited 1.5 hours to ensure. Not good. Might as well drink a Napa cab at this point or sangria. Just plain bad luck. Happens to all of us.
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3/17/2016 - llink wrote: 92 Points
Sweet cherry fruit and kirsch on the nose, complemented by some lemon spice. The palate shows resolved tannins, maybe a little thin and watery for a Beaucastel, but ultimately lively and tasty.
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2/3/2016 - HongKongPhooey Likes this wine: 92 Points
This wine is currently all about potential. Although you could drink it now, you'd be missing out on the wonderful secondary characteristics that will develop over time. It's displaying great fruit and is already delicious but the tannins are dominant. Only tried half a glass by Coravin but immediately concluded it needs another 5 years.
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1/30/2016 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Color is bright and clear garnet and dense but not quite opaque. The smells are raspberry, garrigue, cherry, and exotic spices. The tastes are earthy, cherry, raspberry, sour red fruit, spices and Provencal herbs. The acidity is noteworthy and the tannins are fine satin like with a very lengthy finish.
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1/26/2016 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium red, savory, meaty nose, has a tannic backbone, good balance & structure, approachable now, really solid Cdp, I really enjoyed this beaucastel, and will get even better
93+
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1/23/2016 - J-Sho Likes this wine: 93 Points
thoughtful aromas of cigar box, tar, wet stones, and bramble with a medium palate and well integrated but present tannins. medium finish. Great wine. It should be noted that the wine preceding this was an E. Guigal La Landonne thus it may have suffered a bit in rating due to this preceding wine.
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1/10/2016 - Markus IWC wrote: 96 Points
Min favorit C9dP var med även i kvällens batalj. Förutom denna härliga 05:a provades 99 och 01 som jag kommenterat och höjt till skyarna tidigare. Ikväll var konkurrensen tuffast tänkbara från C9dP med starka Clos des Papes och Pegau i startfältet. Beaucastellen står sig dock väl och sticker ut med sin klassiska autentiska framtoning med silkeslen ljus fruktig känsla. Lätta körsbär och inslag av röda bär. Snyggt integrerade fat, gillar den grumliga ofiltrerade känslan.
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12/25/2015 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 91 Points
Good color, light feel on the palate, in the glass over time developed some thickness, good finish, not great.
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12/24/2015 - BernieMSY wrote: 92 Points
Very dark purple. Violet nose. Dried currants. Very integrated, no rough edges, umami.
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12/6/2015 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
EWG 10 Years On Tasting at Conrad's: Lightly stewed red plum, black cherry, lavender, garrigue, and light white pepper; silky fine entry, medium + body, fine chalky tannins, softer and rounded at this point; good balance at 14%, dusty herbs and cherry in the finish. EWG 10 years on tasting.
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12/6/2015 - Pacherant wrote: 91 Points
Dark, rich and still compact. Inky with roasted fruit. Still young and intense. Good stuff, but probably worth waiting another 5 years
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12/6/2015 - Aram wrote: 92 Points
Vol en diep rood. Oppervlakkig in de neus, flets. Proef een echte du Pape. Warm, stevig een mystérieux. Lange, daar wel iets scherpe afdronk. Mooie wijn, geen vuurwerk. Nog een jaar of twee in de kelder?
Fully deep red color. Simple in the nose, a bit pale. Taste a real du Pape. Warm, fully bodied and mysterious. Long, a bit sharp finish. A good wine, no fireworks though. Probably needs some more years in your cellar.
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11/14/2015 - Jeffrey Silver Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine is still very young. Decanted it for 2hrs and left a Glass in decanter overnight. The richness of nose is solid essence of allspice, anise, chocolate, with red current fruit. The taste is an lot of fresh cherry pie, Christmas cake, and Carmel toffee. The is smooth, and tannins still present but fading off. Truly benefits from extended decanting. The glass 20hrs later was sublime.
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11/4/2015 - keepitreal wrote: 89 Points
In a disjointed and awkward place. Enjoyable, but disharmonious. Leave alone for another couple of years.
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10/31/2015 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened 2 bottles of the '05 from different suppliers and the bottle from CWC was much further along on its evolutionary track than the bottle from EWR, that being said, both were excellent, displaying deep, penetrating, bright red cherry, almost like cherry fruit roll ups, earth, garrigue and chalky tannins. The bottle from CWC was showing some early stewed notes that added an intriguing nuance, the other bottle was darker and more reticent. The bottle variation makes it difficult to say if this is indeed ready to drink or is still just shy of its window.
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9/28/2015 - geppetto Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was very good, yet not as good as I had hoped. Sometimes I feel that high expectations can reduce my joy of a bottle. This was a delicate bottle, which is not my usual experience with CDP. Perfumed with everything from floral notes to hints of leather. This was a feminine bottle and really was quite lovely, but not as "funky" as I like in my CDP. Good fruit and acidity and the tannins seem virtually non existent at this point. I thinking this is not going to go anywhere from here, but I will continue to hold my last bottle for education purposes.
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9/8/2015 - Scottlmatthews Likes this wine: 95 Points
Loved this wine.
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9/6/2015 - Phenol73 Likes this wine: 94 Points
(Grenache: 30%, Mourvèdre: 30%, Syrah: 10%, Counoise: 10% Cinsault: 5%, Others: 15%.)
Lifted, ethereal nose of dark fruits, spice box, the odd tang of leather, some smoke. This is hugley complex and hard to pin down to individual flavours or grape varieties. The occasional waft of Grenache still comes through, but this continues to shape-shift and gain weight in the glass. Beautiful, elegant. The Beau '05 feels like it has only just entered its drinking window. Still purple to the core with only slightly tawny edges. Tertiary notes and flavours only just beginning to form, and this still leans quite strongly on its abundant primary and secondary melange. Full and weighty and meaty and wonderfully balanced and poised in the mouth. Masterful wine with decades ahead of it. 94+
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8/8/2015 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 3 hours before serving - showed ok but felt tight, much tighter then the previous bottles, short finish. Decided to go with something else and pour the wine back into the washed bottle and left in fridge with cork on for 2 days. Had it with a T-Bone and it was a different story the second time round - great showing, beautiful fruit, medium long finish, ladder, earth, much more rewarding then on Day 1. Confirms that this one will certainly be going for longer, and probably judging by this bottle, has not hit its peak yet...
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7/23/2015 - ccn wrote: 90 Points
Relatively inexpressive right now, though enjoyable. Concentrated black fruit, garrigue, tea, and black olives on the nose. Medium length with ripe tannins, but the volume is turned down to 50%. A slightly raisiny character I find in some Beaucastels. Not noticeably "hot" but this feels like a powerful wine with a fair amount of alcohol. I'd wait at least 3 years before revisiting.
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7/11/2015 - Meneley wrote:
Ripe red berries, spice. Loads of fruit on finish with pleasant tannins. Drink over the next 10 yrs. LO
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7/7/2015 - jcomm wrote: 88 Points
Not as good as previous bottles, a bit closed and muted. Harsh and a bit hot on the back end, needs time I guess.
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7/4/2015 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, dark garnet in color with ever-so-slight clearing at the edges; almost opaque. Full, fragrant, attractive & complex nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & blueberries with kirsch & garrigue overtones, floral notes, dried Provençal herbs, earthy, dusty, spice notes, some sandalwood & mint, licorice, beefy, leather, minerals, a hint of pepper followed by cedar. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of complex, smooth textured, well balanced, seamless, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & dark plums with herbs, exotic spices, anise, pepper, mint, minerals & toasted oak. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but it is still in its ascendency with the potential for further development from additional 5-8 years of aging.
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6/4/2015 - KeithAkers wrote:
This just wouldn't come out and play. It was dumb and grumpy. Will have to check back in in another 2-3 years
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5/28/2015 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 95 Points
A real beauty, just on the cusp of maturity - with tobacco and earth notes go along with blackberry and cherry notes. Utterly seemless, it still bursts with energy and life. No where near done, but drinking very well now.
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5/16/2015 - Matt D Likes this wine: 93 Points
45 minute decant. Excellent wine that improved in the glass. Ripe with black cherries, blackberry, prune, and hints of licorice with slight leather on the back end. Balance, texture and nose were classic CdP with a pleasant lasting finish. Just now approachable 2015 - 2029.
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5/2/2015 - PC73 wrote: 87 Points
Big powerful wine. Sweetness of fruit, but not overly jammy. Slightly lacking of focus, a bit fuzzy on the finish. Perhaps needs more time.
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4/23/2015 - irish95 Likes this wine: 94 Points
What a CDP should be. Great.
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4/19/2015 - lebo9968@gmail.com wrote: 88 Points
Moderately dark red color. Nose and palate somewhat muted. Typically aged rhone nose and palate. Dried fruit. Raisin.
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4/19/2015 - irish95 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning. A bit of funk (good) on the nose. Then balanced and gorgeous. Loved it.
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4/11/2015 - unionst wrote: flawed
VERY disappointing for this wine to be corked.
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3/28/2015 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 93 Points
Open 12 hours. Majestic rich ruby. Copious legs. Nose deep, rich, even a little primary still. Showing off its Mourvèdre side. Full mouth, with broad, tasty fruit that fills every corner of the palate. Very rich, tasty, seems to be drinking at peak, yet with absolutely no hint of seeing the end of its plateau. Long finish, with iron backbone showing its perfect balance. This is a luscious Beaucastel, about all one could hope for in the "regular" bottle. 4-13-17-9: 93/100.
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3/25/2015 - Wine Canuck wrote: flawed
A Mixed Bag in Toronto on a Wednesday (Jay's Place - Toronto, On): Really tough showing here from Beaucastel. The nose is all port, prunes, figs, dried strawberries and dates. The palate is overripe and lacking any kind of refinement or balance. I'll withhold judgement until I taste a bottle from another source, however this is concerning as this bottle was bought on release from the LCBO and stored properly.
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3/21/2015 - irish95 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely gorgeous. Ready to drink. Perfect balance.
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2/1/2015 - gew71walsh wrote: 93 Points
Blackberry and licorice, with some coffee. Deep purple color, long finish. This hit spot with beef dish served by friends for Super Bowl. Open in bottle for an hour. Drank over next hour-- got better the longer it was in the glass.
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1/31/2015 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 93 Points
Color: medium dark red
Nose: dark cherries, black truffles, funky barnyard in the background
Palate: gave this a 2 hour decant, full bodied, powerful, still tannic, spicy peppery after taste, built for the long run, not much difference compared to bottle drunk 2 years ago, not short of fruit, masculine, this is a very good beaucastel that will merit an even higher score as it matures
Rating: 93+
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1/21/2015 - Steven A wrote: 92 Points
drank on my birthday, nose was a bit muted. i should have decanted longer than an hour, great texture though.
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1/19/2015 - daniel.jay wrote: 93 Points
Extremely drinkable - really enjoyed this. Very balanced in terms of acid, sugar and alcohol. Mix of fruit, leather, mushroom, forest floor - but nothing out of proportion. Drinking extremely well right now. Served w/ 60 min decant.
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1/19/2015 - pjaines Likes this wine:
This is really coming together right now, with beautiful, compact fruit - there is a density but also purity on the palate and the nose. Black fruit, graphite, minerals, cherry and crushed stones. An assured quality.
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12/27/2014 - PaulHig Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely concentration, ripe fruit, complex & layered. From magnum, still not much development, suggest waiting longer to maximise, but a joy to drink today
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12/1/2014 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): Really beautiful bouquet with toast, dark forest fruits, tobacco and some garrigue. On the palate a lot of concentrated sweet berry fruit juice, some earthy and autumn flavors, beautiful acidity and tannin with a pleasant bite. Fantastic wine already and plenty of future. Would like to taste again around 2020+
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11/29/2014 - BenBlu Likes this wine: 95 Points
5 hours decant before serving. Colour was brown, nose of herbs. I guess the time in the decanter helped, this was so very soft on the palate, no hard edges whatsoever, drank much more developed than what I expected from a 9 year old - aromas of caramel, licorice, port, some mocha and saddle leather, so many nuances in this wine and drank incredibly smooth. Really loved it. Only criticism maybe a tad short... but that is looking for reasons why not to score it higher. Dilemma now is what to do with the remaining bottles. It drinks too good now after decant in my view to stay away and everything was so well integrated I am not sure what to wait for. If you have a couple bottles I recommend you try one now-ish.
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11/15/2014 - ekenneth wrote: 97 Points
It was four years since I've tried a bottle of this and while this still has a long, long way to go, it's come a fair distance already. It's seamless now; black nugat, tobacco leaf, fig jam, ripe blackberries, new leather, licorice, wild thyme, turkish spice. Beautiful textbook Beaucastel!
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10/27/2014 - nzinkgraf wrote:
shows some Brett right up from coming after the 2011 and 2007. barny, moist barn floor. all the same, much more suave fruit to the palate. red vitamin aromas. palate isn't nearly as funk driven as the nose. great acid. med/++. starting to shed some of its exotic pepper notes seen in the younger vintages. still med/+ tannin, but not super grippy.
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10/18/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 92 Points
Just had to try a btl again after late summer's face plant.
Maybe this wine was just never intended for early drinking? Having enjoyed this megamix of grapes throughout my wine days, I conclude this is at least 15 yrs from happiness. Unless it's more "modern" and ... then I have no clue.
Small Brett upon opening, decanted: it filled the whole wine cellar with its beautiful aromas of red fruits, small leather and beautiful Brett.
After 5 hrs, nose had closed down, but on the palate, it showed off in an ... ahum ... ok+ way. Nothing extravagant, but much better than the late Summer's btl of this year. Red fruits, distinct physionomy and rather lame tannins, if you ask me...
With the food, though, it really started to sing hymns! Sporting fabulous concentration and a distinct transparency that is not showing much today, other than some muddy minerality, but obviously keeping the window open for fantastic future pleasures. The intensity derived from the combo of its youth and concentration have the potential to be mind-bending, but are today unrelieved and tightly enclosed.
Maybe my notions stem from WANTING this expensive wine to deliver? I will be patient and report back some 6-8 years later on the next btl.
Will stash and hide these for a much later date of pleasures. 3 btls to go. Wish they had the decency and riches to invest in screw corks...
Had with Wagyu, obento, fried chicken, greens with sesame sauce etc. Also with a Rhinegau Spätlese of the same vintage. Followed by a lighter, young Red Languedoc. Fabulous Saturday Eve :-)
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10/12/2014 - winejnky wrote: 91 Points
Garnet, initially dry and acidic, then black fruits, licorice and spice lead to a long, warm finish. Decanted two hours and should have given it more time, tannins are still medium plus and cloaking the full potential here.
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9/9/2014 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 93 Points
Wine Buzz Kakis Night 2 (Pine Close): Tasted blind.
Appearance is clear, deep intensity, garnet colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of toasted oak, chocolate, ripe dark cherries and blackberries. Developing.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ alcohol, medium tannins, full body. Pronounced flavor intensity, with flavours of vanilla oak, chocolate, ripe dark cherries, blackberries, licorice, spice. Long finish.
Only started to open up after about 2 hours slow-ox in the bottle.
I thought it was a Spanish Tempranillo-Grenache blend.
Very good quality. Probably just entering its drinking window now. Give this another 5 years and it could be even better.
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9/1/2014 - ljl203 wrote: 93 Points
A little rough and tarry but evolving nicely. Deep berry core providing long finish. Meat, bacon, cola, talc, olive, green pepper. Acid are more defined on day 2 suggesting a longer decant would help. Leathery is spot on.
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8/30/2014 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow! This is singing tonight. Double decanted for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, then it was displaying penetrating black fruit earth, garrigue, leather, Asian spice, sanguine notes, black pepper and firm, bold tannins on the almost 90 second finish. Full bodied but with a more mid weight mouthfeel. Tonight, this seems to be just hitting its stride with a lot of life ahead of it.
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8/26/2014 - cmbond Likes this wine:
From half-bottle, served to Camille blind alongside 2009 Giulia Negri La Tartufaia
Camille's blind note below, tasted over 2-3 hours.
C:Garnet-purple to the rim. Nearly opaque.
N:Blueberry, blackberry, jammy fruit, vanilla, bit of black pepper, menthol, not much earthiness, driven by super intense fruit. Intense on the nose. Heavy oak, new world style.
P:Blueberry jam, vanilla, little bit of pepper. Dry, full bodied, medium acid, medium plus alcohol, medium plus tannin, medium plus finish.
Camille's guess: New world, Aussie or California Syrah.
Overall an intense, oaky, new world but well balanced wine. Perfect if you're in the mood for a big monster. Surprised since this is 9 years old and came from half-bottle (maybe it's the cold cellar). Tastes like a hot vintage that Michel Rolland got a hold of. Have had other 05 CNDPs lately (Vieux Donjon, Telegraphe, Clos des Papes) and this one is the least characteristic of the location of any of them. Great if you're in the mood for Aussie Syrah, but we were both pretty shocked by this one, especially having had many Beaucastels in the past.
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8/17/2014 - winecoffee wrote: 85 Points
Quite disappointed by this wine. Very pungent nose.
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7/29/2014 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine is dense colored and garnet in the glass with ruby to the edge. This wine is nearly opaque and clear. The smells are blackberry, stone, damp earth, tar, and anise. The tastes are cherry, pepper, brushy notes, exotic spice, stony, blackberry, red licorice, and provençal herbs. The acidity is notable and the tannins are dry and satin like.
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7/15/2014 - Bbaldinger wrote: 95 Points
- Ruby color with medium forming legs and aromas of cedar and mushroom. It's balanced and has flavours of cedar and mushroom with a full body. Leathery texture with a long finish - Wonderful. Earthy and rich
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6/27/2014 - VoteferPedro wrote: 91 Points
This is the third of six bottles. It was less the monolithic fruit bomb than previous outings for me but seemed to lack some of the weight and complexity I have come to appreciate in Beaucastel (My experience being limited mostly to vintages from the 90s). This had a two hour decant and drank beside the 2003. In comparison it had no oxidation and was deeper and more complete wine. It is still excellent with a fairly vivid cherry grapiness but too clean and almost lean to be a great wine. I saw very little sediment and have no idea if this is going to fall apart or go on to greater glory. I will try to check in 3 years hence
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6/25/2014 - Wink Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. This wine is really coming into its own. Clear dark garnet. Nose of black cherry, garrigue, menthol, and leather. Ripe, refreshing palate of black cherry, blackberry, plum, leather, and smoked meat. Superb length. Mouthwatering acidity. Young, sweet tannins. Excellent with food. Added bonus: my wife LOVED it.
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6/14/2014 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 90 Points
World Cup Football BBQ wine dinner (Zorg's place, Umeå, Sweden): Not sure this wine was completely on par. Started out with a foul "corked" stench that thankfully blew off after some hours of dbl decanting. No problems with the taste.
Red with some signs of maturity.
Nose of loamy parsnip with deep notes.
On the palate it is apparent it spent some time on barrels, displaying a round, warm-vintage character that is still elegant, even if acids and tannins ar both M.
Compared to prior experiences, this is either a rather odd bird or this btl (1st of 5) just under-performed. No apparent fault.
Four to go, next one ~2018.
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6/8/2014 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
888 Seafood Chinese Restaurant: I really liked this: cooked plum, red sour cherry, some barnyard-leather, and licorice. Good concentration not overly alcoholic, great balance and complexity.
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6/6/2014 - TheEngineer Likes this wine: 91 Points
It's been a while since I've had a beaucastel. So plucked a 375 ml to see how this vintage is get on.
Deep, dark brooding, and still very young. There is a ton of fruit in there, very generous, ripe smooth and polished in its delivery (especially for a Beaucastel). Open, some leather, earthy notes but slighlty behin the fruit. Nose has a nice floral note as well. Apparently 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and 20% other.
Looking good and well early in its life. Good point to see it though.
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5/31/2014 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Excellent. Complex, delicious
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5/28/2014 - Swottri wrote: 94 Points
Love this wine. Bold,powerful,complex, needs to decant for a few hours. Likely could use several years more aging. Brought to a nice restaurant with good friends, good times.
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5/3/2014 - jsebiri wrote:
From magnum , very closed , giving very little , 2 hours in some blueberries started showing through if i were wearing very strong glasses , most of this bottle went unfinished, so we will try again later in the weekend
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4/5/2014 - Average Wine Guy (MH) wrote: 91 Points
A Flight of 2005 CDPs: The 2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape is dense purple in colou r witha nose of boysenberries, sweet dark red currants, stewed prunes and some nuttiness.
On the palate, the wine enters with flavours of stewed prunes. Pretty refined in style and tannins are pleasurably soft. Very elegant with a medium finish. Sheer class. Ready to drink today, but better drinking in the years ahead for sure. Brilliantly made.
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3/30/2014 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 96 Points
See previous notes. She is evolving rather nicely, yet still seems young. I get more Turkish coffee, truffle, dark berries, camphor and river rock. Endowed, long and full-figured; elastic tannins emerge. Drink 2015 -.
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2/6/2014 - Ivan Savov Likes this wine:
Dark fruit, needs time, rude, spicy
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1/23/2014 - fingers wrote: flawed
This was either lightly corked or a dirty leather jacket was used to clean my glass.
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1/1/2014 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
New Year's Beaucastel Verticle: Of the flight, this was perhaps the tightest of the bunch. The fruit is dark and brooding with the expected garrigue and leather notes. The depth is a little on the shy side, but all in all, this was quite nice. The tannins are still rather firm and aggressive. I think this one needs abit more time.
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1/1/2014 - mmcdds wrote: flawed
New Year's Beaucastel Verticle: Corked.
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12/27/2013 - habemus Does not like this wine: 88 Points
Had a bottle as second wine for christmas. Huge dissapointment. Maybe - hopefully - because ist seems still young, but currently it tastes for alcohol and hard spicy fruits only. Have some more bottles and will wait for a couple of years minimum. But will not have it fir christmas again ...
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11/22/2013 - Cooky474 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still very young and primary and could have done with a bit of a decant.
Tobacco, methol, black fruits in abundance but it didn't really translate onto the palette where everything was a bit too jumbled - very drinkable nonetheless. Would love to have a couple of bottles to try this over the next decade or so...
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11/20/2013 - Wine Fool wrote: flawed
A bottle flawed by brett: barnyard, sweat, horse manure, and putrid Raclette cheese. Simply too vile to even consider tasting.
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9/2/2013 - Sonoma-W Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent -- well balanced, drinking better than expected at this age.
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8/9/2013 - Burgaddict wrote: 92 Points
I have only drunk older Beaucastel CdP that showed all kinds of secondary changes. This is still young and a bit primary, nose of pepper, menthol, dark fruit. Taste directly after opening was a bit tight showing some harsh edges, later on these completely dissapeared and the wine opened up: beautiful black fruit, concentrated, velvety, integrated tannins, good acidity. Long finish.
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8/8/2013 - Dobbs Likes this wine: 90 Points
Grilled rib eye for dinner, drank over 2.5 hours. Definitely improved with time. Probably should've given it more time to breathe. Maybe still a bit young? Classic CdP flavor without bursting over the top with fruit. A bit less funky in the nose than most. Long finish, subtle complexity. Really wasnt intending to drink this bottle last night and didn't really prepare for it the way I normally would. Looking forward to trying again in a few months.
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7/27/2013 - hammie1234 wrote: 95 Points
Incredibly elegant wine. All of the earth, anise, tobacco of a well made Chateauneuf but layered with dark fruit. Great on the palate and the finish just kept going. Some say this is too young now but I loved it.
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5/27/2013 - the godfather wrote:
Beau always delivers
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5/26/2013 - JOsgood wrote: 93 Points
Gorgeous wine. On the young side still but still plenty expressive. Deep nose and multi-layered on the palate. Well balanced and not over the top in the least bit. It's so refreshing to have a CDP that isn't Parkerized! Very interesting wine that has plenty of life ahead of it.
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5/20/2013 - Wine4Life Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark ruby colour, floral nose still a bit subdued, dark berry and spice taste. Tannins still strong just staring to drink well but still a couple of decades of cellar life left.
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5/2/2013 - Punt wrote: 94 Points
A real mouthful. I broke out a magnum for a special occasion knowing it should probably sit for another 5 years, but after an hour or so it opened up and was fabulous. Rich and velvety texture, with lots of dark read fruit but also muscle and tannins and some spice. There's something wild and a little gamy (as in game-y, not gamay) in there. A masculine Châteauneuf. Love it. Wish I had more.
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5/1/2013 - mattyboy_ wrote: 91 Points
McCarthy & Schiering - Chateau de Beaucastel Tasting (Seattle Wine Storage): Very aromatic- menthol, eucalyptus, lilac, cedar. in fact, very woody. Very backwards on the palate with tall chewy tannins. Too primary at this stage. Similar style to 2009 offering a leaner fruit profile.
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4/22/2013 - suzanna9452000 wrote: 91 Points
Clear dark ruby in the glass. Thin, slow tears. Clean, medium intensity nose of bramble fruits, earth, cured meat, leather and herbs. Barnyard note on decant. In the mouth: medium body, medium alcohol, medium acidity, medium + astringent tannin; medium flavor intensity of strawberry, cranberry, black plum, spice, meat, anise. Medium length finish with cranberry, unripe peach, bit of toastiness. Drinking well at this point but still evolving.
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4/6/2013 - tooch wrote: 90 Points
(Mostly) Northern Rhone Night (The Bristol - Chicago, IL): Wow, this is young. This has the typical spicy red fruits and earthiness you'd expect from Beaucastel. The palate still has its youthful richness and probably a bit of baby fat. Should be a great wine with time.
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4/5/2013 - KeithAkers wrote:
A night of (mostly) Northern Rhones (The Bristol, Chicago IL): I'm not sure what was up with this bottle. It was very tight, but also was showing a lot of simplicity on both the nose and palate. I'm not going to bother with any of my other bottles for another few years.
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3/18/2013 - Jayarr wrote: 94 Points
Wow! Just a beautiful wine. Graphite, barnyard, leather, black fruit, beautifully balanced with a fabulous aroma, solid flavor and a long finish. One of the best wines I've had in some time.
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3/2/2013 - jigy wrote:
La bouteille a été décantée et remise en bouteille pour une aération lente sur 7h. Le nez est timide sur la truffe et l'anise. La bouche est ample et massive avec des tannins asséchant et une finale astringente. À revoir dans 4-5 ans minimum.
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2/10/2013 - Palette49 Likes this wine: 96 Points
February 2013, Seattle. Stunning. I opened this wine and left it in the decanter in the next room. The air became perfumed. Even before my first swish I knew this was going to be a powerful wine. Yes, of course there is the obvious black fruit and plum thing going on, but the foreplay was terrific. Still a trifle pronounced on the tannins --- this IS an 8 year old CNP --- but a full mouth swish will linger like a third date. No doubt there are some awesome food pairings, but consider drinking this wine in reflective solitude. Very pleased.
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1/26/2013 - mmcdds wrote: 95 Points
Mini Beaucastel Vertical: This is my first bottle of 05 Beaucastel and it needed every bit of 3 hours of double decanting to open. This was firm, muscular and full bodied with rich black cherry, garrigue and black pepper. This was the tightest of tonight's 3 bottles but eventually opened very well. The tannins were still quite firm. This is drinking fine tonight but ideally needs more time, but it does have a lot going on.
As a side note, of the three bottles opened, on day two, this bottle showed the greatest improvement. Rich, deep, dark fruit, firm tannins and really good complexity. It was quite stunning. Yesterday I picked the 07 as the WOTN, but today the 05 clearly surpassed it.
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1/21/2013 - BradKNYC wrote:
A disappointing evening of Beaucastel 1995 - 2005. (Snooth.): Whoah! What happened here? Brett bomb city and completely surprising given how Beaucastel cleaned up with the '95. This was seriously Bretty at the onset, as in '83, '85 Bretty, both on the nose and palate. Thankfully, with air, the band-aid and poop aromas subsided to reveal a tightly coiled wine that exhibited beautiful balance and savory red fruit, game and spice flavors and aromas. Nice persistence to the wine across the palate and with extended air it took on a distinct coffee note, which seemed a bit unusual. I've had better showings, but this tied with the '00 for my WOTN. Solid A-.
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1/15/2013 - EJKIII wrote: 95 Points
Stunning CDP. Balanced. Lovely red fruit - both nose and palate. Utterly smooth, with enough gentle tannin to go on for many years. Best to decant 1-2 hours.
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1/10/2013 - junglejuice wrote: 96 Points
5/13/18/10 - This is simply a spectacular wine. Consumed over the course of two days, the score was consistent for both. More traditional in style and absolutely throwing down all of the flavors and smells that distinguish top CDP. It had deep, rich profile of red fruit with additional notes of earthy forest floor and hints of menthol coming through. This wine was utterly stunning and will only continue to improve although it is in a fantastic place right now. Drink now with a decant or hold 5-10+ more years. For my taste, this wine is hard to beat.
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12/25/2012 - Tag01 wrote: 97 Points
With leg of lamb
No detailed notes.
This was an awesome bottle of wine. The winne is coming of age and all flavours and tannins were well net grated and balanced. The only negative was that the sadly was my last bottle from this vintage.
Amazing
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12/25/2012 - gmartin78 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is a belated tasting note. Opened this bottle for dinner with a friend back September. Somewhat closed on both the palate and nose right after opening. Pleasant, but not remarkable. Over the next hour it opened up gaining depth and complexity. By the last glass, spouses across the table could smell the bouquet. It was extraordinary. It was one of those bottles of wine that creates an experience that keeps you coming back. I can't go into detail, but I remember plush tannins, deep rich flavors on the palate, and a nose to knock your socks off. And I still have two bottles left of this vintage!
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10/15/2012 - Maestro wrote: 92 Points
Concentrated and perfumed, the 2005 is a deep wine with aromas of licorice, cherries, spices, and hints of chocolate and flowers. The palate is very dense and the wine needs a few more years to become better integrated. However, there is heat, with substantial alcohol on the nose, which I would have preferred if that component was a bit less prominent. Drink from now 2014 until 2022.
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9/29/2012 - Klugi Wine wrote: 94 Points
- Crimsom color and aromas of blackberry, bacon and cherry. It's balanced and has flavours of hazelnut with a full body. Fleshy texture with a long finish - Great nose of cherries, smoke and some menthol. Fullbodied wine with a long finish. We decanted it for about an hour and than followed its evolution over the next 5 hours.
This is great stuff and will hold for at least 20 years.
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9/23/2012 - otisabdul wrote: flawed
Mildly corked, but definitely flawed.
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9/9/2012 - beachbum wrote: 92 Points
concentrated cherry fruit, highlighted with cherry fruit and tobacco, hints of tar
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8/19/2012 - pikemasterflash wrote: 88 Points
Very disappointing showing on this night. The first half of the bottle tasted somewhat carbonated and fizzy. There was one drag, only, during the evening where this wine seemed to show its potential. Had I tasted it blind I would have guessed a spoiled Pinot Noir. At this price and with this result, I'm a seller.
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5/13/2012 - Double D wrote: 92 Points
Nice with Mother's Day buffet, funny my ratings have gone down the last 3 tastings and went up in earlier years...nice wine just not great. Buying a lot more Janasse lately.
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4/21/2012 - dst wrote: 91 Points
Decided to try even though I should know better. Still too tight to enjoy, needs at least two years to reach it's prime. It should be ready starting in 2014.
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2/19/2012 - Santaliz wrote: 92 Points
Had at Chinese BYOB so food pairing might have been the issue. Everyone enjoyed so will be optimitic on next tasting, was looking for more of a bold pop
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1/22/2012 - bluedog wrote: 94 Points
Like it. Extremely well balanced, berries and pepper. Have one more bottle and will allow it to mature, as I should have with one.
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1/11/2012 - Birch wrote: flawed
Horribly corked.
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1/8/2012 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, rich and concentrated. Just beginning to reach its maturational plateau.
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12/25/2011 - Jeff Leve wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful, stylish, peppery, cherry, kirsch, raspberry, earth and spice filled perfume, good concentration of flavor with a bright, fresh, red berry and peppery finish. Give it a few more years to come around.
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12/24/2011 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful bouquet with ripe re berry fruits, some good cherries and pleasant spiciness. Lush fruits on the palate, a touch of sweetness and also beautiful tannin and acidity. Good concentration. A beautiful and complex wine which will improve with some more ageing. Next try in 2015. 93+
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12/3/2011 - Weston3220 wrote:
Vertical of Beaucastel [94-08 minus cpl yrs] (Vancouver, BC): Looks like I skipped over this wine. Is that good or bad?
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11/21/2011 - PatrickinKW wrote: 93 Points
From a 375. Showing very well at the moment with lots of tannins muting the midpalate. Potential 95pts.
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11/12/2011 - Rubicante wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for three hours. Full garnet color with a purple hue, gleaming and clear with no sediment. Still somewhat restrained on the nose with ripe red fruit, spices, liquorice, ganache and gamy notes. Grenache seems to show the most at the moment. Medium to full bodied and balanced on the palate, impressively long with refreshing acidity and high-quality tannins. The aftertaste is long but simple for now. Paired well with entrecôte but definitely needs more time in the cellar. 93++
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11/6/2011 - Tarrant wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely delicious, 'popped and poured' strangely enough and I guess 'I like'em young' as this was fabulous just out of the bottle but as I'm reading the other reviews I wished that perhaps I decanted this for further complexity but the fact is this is a great bottle of wine after only 6 years of bottle age and I really wonder how much better it could get (or different for that matter) - Dark, full bodied with a nose of sweet cherry, plum, meat, garrigue, spice, pepper and vanilla, amazing structure and integration, very interesting, sweet, velvety smooth on the palate with outstanding length, classic! (94 Points).
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10/30/2011 - Vinsant wrote:
Way too young but a pleasure to try. Some clean and bright red fruit, ink, olive, game, and a nice dash of pepper on the nose. Pepper, meat, olive tapenade, smoked earth, strawberries, cherries, blackberries, and rockin tannins on the palate. Nicely balanced with a medium plus finish. Went well with some bison. Would hold for everything to integrate a bit more.
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10/24/2011 - Double D wrote: 91 Points
This was the poorest showing of this case...seemed somewhat devoid of fruit and with some hard tannic edges...not quite a negative but not up to previous bottles. With thick lamb chops, steamed artichokes and Israeli Cous-Cous all of which were wonderful.
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10/23/2011 - Matt Scott wrote: 96 Points
Decanted for three hours. A deep garnet that turns almost black towards the core. This is beautiful and balanced on every floor that one could imagine. Excessively long and captures your attention; conemplative to the ninth degree. Needs a decant, however, not too young at all, yet, worth watching. Cotton-fiber tannins that just draw you in and the finish truly sails for over a minute. Diverese and evident layers - not to be seen easily. Espresso bean, plum, bacon, chinese five spice, river bed and cookie dough. Better than I remember. Drink 2012 - 2029.
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9/12/2011 - hammie1234 wrote: 95 Points
Wow. This wine was firing on all pistons: wine of the night. It had the earthy, barnyard nose and structure, and ample dark fruit and fig. Big winner.
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8/13/2011 - JDB wrote: 89 Points
patience ( which obviously I do not have will be rewarded)
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7/3/2011 - StainedGlass wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby color. Dried cherry, spicebox, licorice, herbs, with moderate oak and tannins. No barnyard earthiness, at least not yet. This wine will no doubt improve with age.
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6/24/2011 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 92 Points
This wine was tasted in double-blind fashion at Vintage Wines, Ltd. The bottle was kindly provided by Tim Ryan. Opaque ruby, with moderately intense aromas of black raspberries, garrigue, licorice and earth. Full-bodied on the palate, with low-to-medium acidity, medium dry tannins and well-integrated alcohol. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle is rock-solid. Long, albeit somewhat astringent finish. This wine is certainly pleasurable at this point, but some additional cellaring will likely be rewarded. Accordingly, it may merit a higher score if my hunch is correct. Drink 1/15-12/22.
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5/14/2011 - 2Travel wrote: 96 Points
Charlie's Retirement Party: Followed the '04 Beaucastel at dinner (seared Ahi tuna, sauteed shitake mushrooms, wholegrain rice and portabella pilaf, asparagus). This was a clear step up from the '04 (as good as that wine was). Medium to full body. Wonderful tannins and structure. Strong, rich dark fruit. It was gone before any of the secondary flavors could show through. Very clean and pure. Fantastic.
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4/30/2011 - dcwino wrote: 91 Points
Pretty tight, not giving much first night. Second night, it shows a bit more, dark black fruit, licorice and garrigue, good concentration and silky palate but not expressive at the moment. Also a hint of alcohol despite serving at the cellar temperature.
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4/30/2011 - Jozefs wrote: 93 Points
Consistent notes.
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4/18/2011 - Nohedes wrote: 90 Points
We ordered the 99 at a restaurant in the Yorkshire Dales but when we went to our table they had opened an 05. Quite strange that they didn't think there is any difference! Never mind, hefty discount secured we went with the 05. Mid-colour garnet, bright, obviously young. Expressive nose, hedgerow fruit, smoke, little bit of leather. Medium long finish and nicely drinkable, but to drink this now seems a waste - there are plenty of cheaper CNdPs that can match this now at 30-50% less cost. In another 10 years I would be confident that this wine will start to show the Beaucastel class.
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3/20/2011 - magnusvinum wrote: 90 Points
Very fresh and mineral with red fruits and spices. Oak and alcohol well managed. Very fine.
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2/25/2011 - J-Sho wrote: 95 Points
Dark in color with notes of dark currant, cigar box, tar, and a bit of clove. Well balanced with layers of complexity. Lingering finish.
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12/25/2010 - ChinonRouge wrote: 83 Points
The wines of Beaucastel are lost on me. My palate must lack a receptor to appreciate them. I get no elegance or finish from them. There must be Beaucastel tasters and non-tasters. Regrettably, I am the latter. I've tasted the 2005 Beaucastel on several occasions, and I just don't get it.
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11/22/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 94 Points
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Wow cherry, smoke, very clean without funk
Taste: Smooth tannins with cherry, smoke, licorice, figs
Finish: Really nice and drinking well right now
Evaluation: Not an overpowering wine and everything was in perfect harmony
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11/14/2010 - Niagara wrote:
I think this is entering a dumb phase just now. Better to leave it alone for a couple more years.
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11/7/2010 - ekenneth wrote: 94 Points
I think this is a way from being ready to drink. It had a lot of the qualities one would expect from a Beaucastel from a strong year, but it's not complete.
First Day: strangely smooth, black tea, leather, dark (almost brown), without a lot of discernible fruit, interesting, somehow compelling, but disjointed.
Second Day: red fruit peeking out; raspberry, a nougat/ cola quality starting to develop, also smooth, but different, and fruit has replaced the black tea almost entirely.
Both days seemed to me to be flashing qualities that one would expect, but not all together, but I have little doubt that this will come together with time and be an extraordinary wine.
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11/5/2010 - wineismylife Likes this wine:
CellarTracker Texas Offline II - Part One (oskiwawa's house in McKinney, Texas): Tasted non blind. Opened and decanted about 4 hours before serving. Garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Lovely but slightly tight nose of flowers, berries, plums and a hint of barnyard. Tight flavors of berries only at this point. Bright acidity, firm tannins, medium bodied. Hold a minimum of 5 more years before trying again, I'd lean closer to 10 myself based on personal preference. No rating simply because I feel it is too young and not showing its potential.
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11/5/2010 - petitblanc wrote:
CT Texas Offline #2; 11/5/2010-11/6/2010 (McKinney, TX): Showing some power and complexity already, the fruit may not outlive the alcohol and this still may not surpass the 2004 in the long run. No score for now.
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11/5/2010 - GalvezGuy wrote: 94 Points
CT Texas Offline #2 Oskiwawa Raises The Bar; 11/5/2010-11/6/2010 (McKinney, TX): Explosive nose of red fruit, leather, roasted meats, black olive, and great florals. On the palate, sweet red fruit, olive, leather, smoked meats. Finishes with great acidity and tannins. Great showing for this wine.
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10/13/2010 - bburke13 wrote: 92 Points
Great fruit upon opening. Not as good next day.
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10/1/2010 - Miceri wrote: 89 Points
Dark red; spiced nose, dense dark fruit; stringent, lean, slightly acid, somewhat tannic, some fruit but hidden; not optimal (mid 80es). Day two; quite a difference, still lean but multiple bouquet, saddle leather, some soft caramel (90+)
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10/1/2010 - bluedog wrote: 95 Points
Really nice. Blackberry, black cherries, hint of tobacco. Medium finish. Not too young to drink now, but will improve.
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9/19/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club does Chateauneuf-Du-Pape; 9/17/2010-9/19/2010: This should evolve into a super wine but is good right now. Decanted 4 hours. Floral, raspberries, plums, cranberry and minerals on the nose. The spices add greatly to the palate and finish. The decanted really allowed this wine to open up and the finish was showing a balance of fruit and earth components.
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9/18/2010 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Minneapolis Wine Club Does CDP (Shari's house): Dark Red. Somewhat closed, but is opening up. Spice, black raspberry, black cherries, light earth notes, floral on the nose. Good weight on the palate, nice black fruit bursting, spice and game. As good as this wine is right now, it still seems a bit backwards and I think will benefit from several more years of bottle age.
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9/10/2010 - Fielding wrote: 93 Points
Decanted one hour. A bit of browning at the edges. Dark fruits on the nose, with licorice, cedar and black tea. Plums and red fruits on the palate, with leather, forest floor, rosemary and a hit of black pepper. Long finish. Started to thin after an hour. Delicious, but I would drink up whatever is left.
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8/11/2010 - goofy Yno wrote: 94 Points
great nose, blackberry, licorice,tar. nice fruit and balance, good complexity, still a tad tight, but good
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7/21/2010 - botrytisvirtuoso1819 wrote: 96 Points
nose; blackberries, tar, plum, cigar tobacco, and dark chocolate.
palate; black currants, black pepper, black tea, espresso, and black truffles.
full bodied and medium tannins.
medium plus length finish.
i don't find this to be too young.
drinking well right now.
maybe will become more integrated in a few years.
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4/2/2010 - prasm wrote: 92 Points
Consumed at Brother Sebastian's with my wife, Linda, and visiting friend, Tony (thanks!). It was decanted in the kitchen for about 30 minutes before being served with our meals. Consumed over 1.5 hours. Nose: Initially stinky barnyard with dark fruit - later the stinkiness mellowed and very nice aromas of black berry and currant dominated. Palate: Medium to full bodied, gripping tanins with spice and black pepper. Finish: Long lingering sense of spicey black fruit with the last sip being the best. Overall a very nice wine that likely would have been better with a few more hours of air.
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3/26/2010 - Jozefs wrote: 93 Points
Surprisingly accessible, but still quite young. Let it breath... Cherries, pepper, liquorice, leather, did I mention the cherries? Still quite a bit of tannins, but they are starting to integrate. No 'Beaucastel funk' at all...
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3/26/2010 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Offered as an alternate off a wine list at the same price as a Perrin & Fils 2004 Les Sinards which they didn't have. Nice jesture.
Wine was tight as a drum. Loads of structure. After decanting for about an hour and a half still very reticent nose and palate. Red berry fruit, earth spices, minerals. Tasty.
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3/21/2010 - maxima wrote: 93 Points
Le vin a passé environ 2 heures en carafe, aucun dépot est noté. Bu seul sans bouffe, en méditant et en discutant!!!
L’œil : La robe est d’un rouge violet très foncé, presque d’encre!
Le nez : Le bouquet est assez puissant. Il y a des notes de cerises à l’eau de vie, de l’encre et du poivre.
Un très beau nez!!!
La bouche : En bouche c’est ample, c’est riche, c’est rond. La bouche est tapissée de cerises, de mures, les épices et réglisse! Il y a pas mal de matière mais le tout est en équilibre. Les tannins sont ample, présent mais pas asséchants. La finale est très longue et sur le poivre, un vin qui mérite une belle pièce de viande rouges ou sauvage.
J’ai adoré ce vin, puissant, fin, structuré et profond, un vin immense qui ne saura que s'améliorer avec le temps!!!
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2/21/2010 - rexmerlot wrote: 90 Points
Great wine. No formal notes taken. Drank wine on its own. Will try again with food.
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2/14/2010 - lowereastscott wrote: 90 Points
No formal tasting note. Had with dinner at Inn at Little Washington.
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2/13/2010 - Faryan wrote: 92 Points
Opened the night before, it showed classic Beaucastel pitch on the nose (perfumed cherry and boysenberry with hints of bramble and underbrush, but hardly developed). It was an interesting showing, as I had drank 05 Coudulet several months prior and found it quite appealing and perhaps more sensible to open in the near term; The 05 Beau seemed to be a bit more reticent, demanding more patience, while the 05 Coudulet engenders good will out the gate.
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1/29/2010 - GregGH wrote: 92 Points
drank along side 2006 Château Pesquié Côtes du Ventoux Terrasses - it beat it - but guess what - it costs 6 times as much - it should. A few hours later the nose is growing - but still unsure if this is in the 'shut down' phase the pro's talk about - have more awaiting some time to grow
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1/18/2010 - txfireman wrote: 94 Points
Silky smooth. Vibrant nose at such a young age. Sleeper.
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1/15/2010 - mccartykj wrote: 89 Points
A bit too stinky and vegital farmlike for me. Got better after a day since I couldn't drink it after opening it. Getting better as I go, but not my favorite... Guess I should stick to Napa.
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1/14/2010 - aajder wrote: 89 Points
Deep color. The nose is very tight, featuring subtle aromas of spice, oak, dark berries, herbs and a hint of char. This is medium full bodied on the palate with excellent concentration and good class. The medium plus length finish features robust tannins.
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1/1/2010 - cgrimes wrote: 91 Points
Dark ruby to purple. Nose of briary fruits, smoke, cedar. Palate of blackberries, plum, cigar box, spice, black pepper, tar. Good tannic structure. Wanted to try young. Great potential for the long haul.
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11/23/2009 - Eric wrote: 94 Points
This as a G*R*E*A*T baby-killing of a young beast of a wine. Great nose, smoke, mineral, truffle, mint, and black pepper. Crazily complex, earthy, pure and intense. Great palate, very tightly wound, a gorgeous core of fruit to this, embryonic Beaucastel flavors, bitter chocolate, cranberry. Smacks of young Mourvedre. Gorgeous young wine.
DAY 2: Kept about 1/5 of the bottle overnight. Still quite fresh, bright red fruit, not showing any oxidation. Really great young Beau.
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11/23/2009 - Double D wrote: 93 Points
Same as first bottle, a beautiful wine. A bit of barnyard funk on opening but not detracting and blew off pretty quickly. Medium bodied and not an over the wall fruit bomb. Seems like flavors of both red and black fruits but no one stood out to me.
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11/18/2009 - pjaines wrote:
Farr Vintners Tasting - London; 11/17/2009-11/18/2009 (Vintners Hall - London): Very deep both in colour, nose and taste - much more brooding that the 2006 and 2007 and the palate has a more noticeable hint of alcohol and heat which distracts from the fruit. Okay but no more.
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11/15/2009 - Red Loki wrote: 90 Points
Very nice Chateauneuf. Got sense of higher alcohol than was actually present - perhaps it needs more time to integrate.
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11/13/2009 - KevinMc wrote: 93 Points
Nose - Smoky bacon, anise, blackberries. Palate - Tart, young, grippy, very full.
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11/10/2009 - golfman wrote: 93 Points
Opened quickly. Delicious
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10/24/2009 - lumpyelbow wrote: 92 Points
Had 1/2 bottle at Celestin with Erica for b-day, no formal notes. This is very approachable but has the stuffing to last and improve with age. Well balanced with great concentration. Fine tannins abound but do not overpower, makes me want to find some to put in the cellar.
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10/10/2009 - joshwoodward wrote: 93 Points
Churchill's: 2007 Cotes du Rhone (Maumee, OH): Meaty black plum nose. Huge, but balanced. Tannic, acidic, medium bodied. Smooth and crazy long. This is clearly a special wine, but it's a little early and dumb at the moment. $100
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9/12/2009 - Double D wrote: 94 Points
Brambly and smoky, very rich and smooth, will last for years, I hope!
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9/3/2009 - FieldingYost wrote: 94 Points
An absolute blockbuster. Red licorice, cherry, plum flavors, layered and ripe, nuanced as well. This is long on the finish, has tannin, acidity, and layers of ripe fruit. Not only the best Beaucastel I've ever had, but the most remarkable Rhone I've ever had. Fruit flavors abound: plum, licorice, fresh figs, cherry. Despite all this power, ripeness, structure, there is grace, acidity, verve.
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8/13/2009 - wineotim wrote: 84 Points
Not expecting this, a very new world style, ripe, straightforward style. Gave this a few days to evolve----but did not change much. Not at all like other vintages I have tasted...no terroir! I don't know if this will age for the better, desperately needs complexity at this time in its young life. Disappointing. Bottleshock?
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7/10/2009 - Ombibulous wrote: 81 Points
Too early, I guess, judging by the drinking witndow that begins in 2013. Not to my liking, at least not yet. A waste of money, at least at this stage. Old-world syle, obviously, but the dryness is not yet well enough developed. Good (81.5).
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6/27/2009 - MarcoAzevedo wrote: 92 Points
Full bodied and very potent. Dark violet color. Could age for years. Drank on the same day of Rayas, what made the comparison very interesting. Plenty of berries, but yet velvety. Nose of cherries, plum and strawberries. At the mouth it showed the red fruits, but very spicy notes, specially black pepper, and a very long finish that lasted for hours.
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5/29/2009 - trankin wrote: 88 Points
Started out best of the 3 but went downhill throughout the evening. Huge and one-dimensional.
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4/10/2009 - VinumCA wrote: 92 Points
A relatively pure expression of Beaucastel (a bit unusual, in the style of the 98). Clean, garnet colour throughout, nose of cherry, red flowers and a bit of animal funk. Flavours of strawberry, cherry. Extra points for structure that is simultaneously firm and yet subsumed under the significant fruit. Long finish of red fruits, rose petal and mushroom. Fantastic stuff, although not as interesting as I would expect from a Beaucastel.
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4/9/2009 - europat55 wrote: 84 Points
Weak nose, unpleasant taste, no balance. Disappointing.
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4/4/2009 - sehill wrote: 95 Points
Wow! This is an outstanding to almost extraordinary young Beaucastel. This wine was decanted and poured about 20 minutes later. This showed exceptionally well from start to finish. There was a lot going on with this wine and it showed multiple profiles over the course of consuming the bottle. The aromatics are stunning and complex for a young wine. The bouquet shows notes of granite, smoke, raspberry, black fruits, tar, grilled meats, thyme and lavender. The color is a dark ruby to almost black. It is correct of the wines age. The medium/full bodied palate packs a lot of everything but keeps everything in balance. The wines continuously evolved during it consumption and really showed a complex and nuanced profile about an hour after opening. Based on previous experiences with Beaucastel this should age effortlessly for at least the next decade.
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3/26/2009 - chiliman96 wrote: 91 Points
Leather from the aroma; strawberry flavors; structured tannins will improve; compared it to the 2005 Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek; very similar wines;
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3/24/2009 - Niagara wrote: 92 Points
Very nice wine, smooth but good grip.
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3/16/2009 - polimeri wrote: 95 Points
Specs - Southern Rhone Tasting 2009 (L'ALLIANCE FRANCAISE): Bright deep ruby red hues. As soon as this glass was poured, the aromas filled the room. Violet, lavender, sweet red raspberry were bursting out of the glass. The wine was tight on the palate with deep black cherry, raspberry, and fresh strawberry. After a while in the glass secondary flavors began to pop up of cedar box, Asian spices, and hints of vanilla bean. Extremely elegant even at such a young age. Hang on to this bottle for a while before opening. WOTN for me even over the Jacques Perrin at this time. 95pts.
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2/26/2009 - ChinonRouge wrote: 86 Points
Am I drinking wine or water? Minimal bouquet and zero finish. Must be consuming it too soon, but no thunder at present.
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1/1/2009 - gbm wrote: 94 Points
New Year's Eve; 12/31/2008-1/1/2009 (The Farm): Bottle # 1 -- New Year's Eve. Popped and poured. COLOR: Deep, clear ruby or garnet. NOSE: Blackberries, some faint floral notes. Very subtle, not much there. Perhaps it would open up with decanting. TASTE: Sweet, smooth, very well balanced tannins. Light in the nouth. Long, long finish. OVERALL: This was a very enjoyable wine. I think it terrific now and will only get better with age. Although decanting might open the nose, I love the way this tasted from the bottle. (5+12+18+9)
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11/22/2008 - in namorato wrote: 98 Points
This deep ruby wine is a classic - excellant value - deep tanins- full bodied powerful - we let it breathe for over 4 hours - the meal was osso in bucco - the terroir was brought to life in the glass - the aroma filled the room. It did not disappoint and is expected to get better for the years to come. Thank goodness I stocked up.-- Salute!!!
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11/14/2008 - T.U wrote: 82 Points
Mondo Vino (Wiener Hofburg): wenig intensive Nase und Gaumen, fast leicht wässrig - sicher viel zu früh verkostet
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10/20/2008 - Nutty08 wrote: 92 Points
Trip to France; 10/13/2008-10/24/2008 (Burgundy, Rhone Valley (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), Paris): Closed nose, but could pull out some tobacco, mushroom and black cherry. palate with firm fine tannins, closed, some fruit up front with cassiss, black cherry, blackberry. Finish saves it some, with a long dense complex line of mineral and fruit flavors. Really tight and dense and while approachable now, doesn't seem to do anything but hint at its potential. Hold.
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10/12/2008 - cct wrote: 95 Points
From 375 one bottle opened and recorked three days before tasting.
Dark and brooding, with blackness and depth to the fruit that has me captivated. Liquid minerality and floral notes come out of the blackness. Dark fruits, blackberry essence, meats, and a very tannic, (albeit fine tannins with this much air) presence. I flat out love this wine, and this vintage. I can't wait to follow this over time. 95 pts
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10/12/2008 - ludwigbpm wrote: 94 Points
Dégustation Collin
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10/9/2008 - LeechDogg wrote: 82 Points
DEVO meeting. Barnyard, brett, metalic finish.
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9/7/2008 - hshdream wrote: 90 Points
I drank yesterday alone within 6 hours. It needs around 30-60 minute decating time. After 1 and half hour, it,s best. But After 3 hours, it becomes so so.
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8/31/2008 - Rob MacKay wrote: 94 Points
This wine is way too young to drink now but what promise it shows for great things down the road! Normally I would have tried not to touch this but a friend brought it over for dinner so we had to pop it and see what it was like. Even at this young stage, it is extremely balanced and smooth with a great bit of smoked meat and tobacco on the nose mixed with some dark fruit and licorice flavors. Just got better and better with time. Yes, this is an expensive CdP but if you can pick one up and hang on to it for a few years, you will be well rewarded on whatever occasion you chose to celebrate with it.
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8/8/2008 - peternelson wrote: 92 Points
Winery: Cocoa, frt cake, plum, cherry , coffee; generous, complex, fine, nice bal. Grt stuff--keep for 4 years before trying.
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8/4/2008 - kris.h wrote: 92 Points
This is just a baby and I killed it. Very tight, and brooding. Half the bottle saved for the next day was still very tight and closed. Deep dark red in color. The nose is not giving a lot right now. Some dark fruits, a little leather, and maybe some herbs. The palate is big with sweet grenache fruit nicely balanced with acidity and a tannic dusty finish. Paired nicely with Quail. This shows lots of promise but I think it will take 5+ years to get there. 92 for now with lots of room for improvement.
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7/18/2008 - GregGH wrote: 92 Points
a bit light on the nose - very drinkable - expecting a tighter taste - will fond it interesting to see how the years do to it
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7/13/2008 - mmyette wrote: 94 Points
Extraordinary and smooth. Nose waf of reticent autumn leaves, mineral and crushed berry fruit. Palate was complex, with silky tannins, and some tar, leather, crushed raspberry, and wild forest fruit. Finish was long, with hints of oak and elderberry. I really liked this wine. Missing a characteristic cigar box i commonly taste in CDP but who cares!
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6/19/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 94 Points
licorice, dark fruits, earthiness nose, mouth with raspberry, blueberry good balance, spicy long finish.
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3/31/2008 - orcharddude22 wrote: 94 Points
Way too young but thought I would try a .375 with a long decant, Very tight and took about 4-5 hours to open up. Complex flavors of leather, horse sweat, sweet bing cherries and spice. Hold for 5-10 years. This will reward those with patience.
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3/27/2008 - Paul S wrote: 93 Points
Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 horizontal (Crystal Wines): Deep plush purple colour. Garrigue, licorice and red meat on the nose, with an edge of tar and just the slightest hint of mint. Some sweet oaky scents began to come to the fore after time in the glass. On the palate, dark black fruits, tar and spice of the pepper variety. A long lasting, mouthwatering finish which was a little bitter at first, but less so over time. This was an extremely tannic wine, but with great balance coming from a good fresh acidity. It is a round, full wine, very concentrated. Certainly demands time in the bottle, and should be quite a stunner 8-10 years or so down the road. I completely agree with the previous poster of the slight lack in "wow" factor compared to other wines in this really strong CdP vintage though, particular when compared with the Clos des Papes, Janasse VV and Usseglio Mon Aieul which I tasted together with this.
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2/20/2008 - Tejano wrote:
Medium to dark ruby garnet color, and on opening and decanting a first whiff of clean fruit with a strong dark berry and even an element of cherry. In time there evolved more earthy components and herbal elements. Not as open as I had hoped, but still a good vibrant fruit preseance and adequate structure that did help frame it...I have been spoiled by previous vintages, and tended to expect a little more. This was tasted with other 05 CdP's and some 03's that carried with them more "wow" factor...and that may be what I missed here, and may have tainted my view. Obvious substance here...that I am sure will evolve with time.
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2/6/2008 - d'Artagnan wrote:
Février 2008: dégustation verticale du Château Beaucastel (Steaf Frites Saint Paul (avenue Laurier)): Nez discret, épicé. Texture admirable, la richesse du fruit est évidente. Belle richesse et finale longue sur les épices, même si peu expressif. C'est un pur sang bien dompté qui partira au galop dans dix ans. L'ensemble est dissocié, plus puissant que 2004, mais je n'ai aucun doute que tout va s'intégrer. 91-94 pts
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1/25/2008 - llink wrote:
Tasted at VVW in Palo Alto. Rich nose with deep black berry jam, provence spice and a little funk on the nose. On the palate the wine is tight, tart and not giving much. I get a touch of saline, some minerals in addition to the concentrated berry taste. The medium length finish sports prominent but supple tannins.
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1/5/2008 - drwine2001 wrote:
Some Loire and Rhone for a Rainy Winter Day (San Francisco Bay Area): Dark ruby. Closed but a whiff of black cherry and smoke emerge with vigorous shaking. This is so young and stern in the mouth that there is much more of a tactile impression than actual flavor, but it is impressive-round, powerful, and you can sense the great acid/tannin structure balanced by tremendous underlying fruit. None of the funk that often appears in young Beaucastel. It would be a shame to open one of these before its 10th or 15th birthday. I am not generally a Beaucastel fan, but this was one of the cleanest, best balanced, and most promising young vintages I've ever tasted (with experience extending back to the 1981). Great potential.
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11/16/2007 - beachbum wrote: 93 Points
Tasted from 1/2 bottle. Very tight at first. Very dark purple. After an hour decant, some nose of black fruit and smoke. Clean.
Big mouthfeel, alcohol,again mostly black fuit concentrated and sweet. Tar. Long long taste, you know this is a noble wine, substantial but needs to come together somewhat. Tannins are sweet and silky, and only just noted on the end. Better with food.
Potential is there, this is quite nice, but needs time. I am happy to cellar it.
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11/7/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 87 Points
vanilla, raspberry, nice mouth, more rustic . touch hot on the finish
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10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Full red/pink color. Tight black friut with a hint of spice. nice round black fruit with good spiciness. Round and sweet on the palate. Surprisingly open in my opinion.
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5/9/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Beaucastel, Ferrand, Vielle Julienne, Grand Veneur (Southern Rhone): Complex black fruits on the nose. Ripe tannins. Smoke. Surprisingly approachable at this stage. Well-balanced. Excellent.
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2/6/2007 - Double-A wrote:
Youthful, grapey nose with some floral and spice notes. Big, ripe, glycerined palate; focused, fruity finish.
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