Monday Night Blinds (Home (Noe st)): (blind) Slightly cloudy. moderately minus red, out to a garnet rim, with some signs of sediment, moderate tears.
nose: showing significant development, bitter apple core, browned apple core, sweet vanilla and toast from oak, savory tobacco and sweet tobacco, herbaceous quality to it--stewed possible green bell peppers but very developed so hard to tell.
palate: medium + body, elevated 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid, moderate minus tannins, very rounded, very developed, on the nose there's a very sweet, figgy note, also chocolate-covered blackcurrants. Change tannins to moderate (very developed). Finish is long (TKH note: is it really long? how many flavors can you get?). Lots of spice on the palate--cinnamon, nutmeg, baking spices, some freshly sanded wood.
conclusion: This is a touch one! no noticeable brett so could be a new world wine. With this amount of oak, acid, thinking this could be cabernet from california or modern style bordeaux.
Too lean / acidic to be a merlot based wine from California. Going between right bank bordeaux and an aged california cab. There's some intense sweetness and blackcurrant taking me to California Cab.
Final: cabernet from Napa from the 1990s…1993 Cali Cab. Good quality producer.
Paul Autard 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Very weird. But I like it. Developed. Atypical though. A little tired. Drink now. 13.5% 8.5
Recent notes (not this particular vintage): Composition : 70% Grenache 20% Syrah 10% Mourvèdre Vinification : Tri de la vendange par le vendangeur, plus un autre tri avant un égrappage total, macération de 20 à 30 jours dans des cuves à pigeage. Elevage : 12 mois en barriques.
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Deductive Tasting (Blind) (Rajiv's House, San Francisco): Coravin 4/18/16: Cloudy ruby with notable bricking; light to moderately aromatic with stewed red fruits, slight bramble; palate is light bodied, medium to high alcohol, low acid, moderate bitterness throughout that is distracting; short finish. 84, markedly more advanced than my last bottle in 2013, or perhaps this is an off bottle. Will drink my last bottle this year and find out. With 30 minutes and more tasting, the bitterness resolves. Definitely has some interesting qualities, but not as enjoyable as I would like it to be. 85-86
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998 (Chez moi): Just ok; balanced, quite light, bot some roasted, even boiled notes at the end, that put me off. Utterly forgetable in the line up...
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Better than last go around (bottle variation or more patience on my part...?).
When uncorked and poured through a sieve/funnel into a decanter, it smelled like sewer and had enough mud to tile a bathroom. Seriously considered pouring it down the sink. After 45 minutes, the fog cleared a bit. Rusty color, nose of camphor, mixed with candied cherries. Not clean and pure, but interesting and utterly drinkable nonetheless. With more time it became more complex, showing coffee and cocoa notes as well. Would not be my first choice, but an intersting drinking experience. Full disclosure: I am fortunate enough to drink a lot of aged CdP, so it is in that context..
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3rd or 4th bottle in a row over the last 3 months that smells terrible. Sour cherries that have been fermented along with scrap metal. I did not leave a score as it is a flawed bottle. However, of the case I have bought upon release and stored in pristine temp/humidity ever since, the last few have been undrinkable. I have many 98 Rhones left and while not all have held up great, this one is extremely disappointing. 4 more in the cellar. Expectation level re-set to 0. Can only win from this starting point...
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Color is a pale-medium clear ruby with some caramel bricking at the edges; nose has candied strawberry, cherry, savory notes, a little meaty but in a light sense; palate has bright red fruits, midpalate has some structure, juicy fruit throughout; short-medium finish. This is quite well balanced, plenty of fruit, fresh, obviously grenache based, and drinking well now but will likely last for a few years without substantially improving. At this price, it's not a bad idea to have a few around. 88 Day 2: No real change. Enjoyable, good fruit, has a few years, but nothing special.
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The nose showed black fruits and earth with black pepper, animal musk and hints of graphite. On the palate, it showed vibrant acidity with soft ripe berries, earthy minerals and spices. It’s a joy to drink and ready to go. The finish showed lingering pepper notes that lasted on the senses.
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The nose showed black fruits and earth with black pepper, animal musk and hints of graphite. On the palate, it showed vibrant acidity with soft ripe berries, earthy minerals and spices. It’s a joy to drink and ready to go. The finish showed lingering pepper notes that lasted on the senses.
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Ran through a sieved funnel into a decanter. Tons of pasty sediments (as opposed to the grainy type which we more commonly encounter). Very cloudy, garnet/brown. Muddy waters-looking. Smells ripe with smoky and sweet notes. I was expecting it to be way over-the-hill. Surprisingly complex, with classic CDP character. Cherries and other fruits still evident. Overall, if you have any left - drink up. Tasted alongside a 1999 La Milliere CDP (North Berkeley Wines cuvee), which was much fresher looking and tasting. Both bought upon release and stored in ideal conditions since.
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Enjoyed over a couple of nights. On the first night I got both a vegetal and a metallic note. A fairly thin wine with an off-putting flavor of canned tomatoes from a bad can. On the second night, a bit better, more firm cherry and dark plum, garrigue and spices but also a mark of cedar and a drying finish which would suggest that this sees some new wood? I'm not a fan of Autard at all. His basic cuvée tends to be better than his over oaked, over manipulated special made-for-RP-the-man cuvees, but this one was nothing special to say the least.
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Brick color. Quite cloudy. Right out of the bottle, smell of kirsch, with a metalic note. After about 30 minutes in the glass, the wine came together to show mature black chrries, with a hint of garrigue and a harmonious, reasonably long finish. At, or slightly past, its peak. Drink up over the next couple of years.
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Had this at an RWS directors meeting with Veal Shanks with Honey. the food pairing worked well. We had three 1998 CdP and this was my least favorite. The wine had a nice color and flavors. Medium bodied.
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Kind of an earthier Chateauneuf-du-pape. The peppery/cigar flavors dominate the nose and the palate. A little bit of sweet black cherry or maybe raspberry on the finish. Despite the earthiness, very soft on the palate. Balanced. This is my first Autard. Clearly much better than the 72 or whatever the Wine Spectator gave it. I don't think it measures up to the 89 from Parker or 90 from IWC. My suspicion is this wine was drinking better a year ago. Parker's estimate is that is should age until 2010 or 2015. I think it will be lucky to reach 2010. Based on this one bottle, I'd say it's a drink now wine. I bought this wine from a wine store who bought it from a collection, so I can't vouch for its storage.
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Definite signs of maturity with bricking at rim and a watery edge. Mouvedre is singing now. Beautiful gamey notes with fading Grenache fruit and syrah acids and tar notes. This wine has become minerally and gamey with a distant fuzz to it. Acids are still bright, body/ tannins slightly silky, slightly antiqued. A genuine rustic quality, refined with age. Perhaps peaking at this very moment for a moderate ranged basic ch-du-pape from '98.
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11/18/2023 - Captain806 wrote: 88 Points
Guava on the nose. Acidic. Medium bodied. Really jammy in the front, with light to medium tannins. Past its prime.
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3/4/2023 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Decant for sediment ou pour gently. Doesn't need air, delicate and elegant. Fully mature and quite savoury.
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9/26/2022 - sroseiz Does not like this wine:
Not drinkable-Musty off-odors, maybe cooked or oxidized?
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1/9/2021 - ChairmanKao wrote: flawed
Corked. 😞
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12/27/2018 - guribh Does not like this wine: 78 Points
Unpleasant. Stewed black cherry with hard funk.
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8/18/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 88 Points
Wedding Week; 8/16/2017-8/20/2017 (Fremont, CA): Briefer than usual impressions: Nice mature Chateauneuf, surprisingly approachable immediately after decant. Nice. 88
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7/13/2016 - guribh wrote: 85 Points
Consistent with previous notes. Quite funky...
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4/18/2016 - RajivAyyangar wrote: 85 Points
Monday Night Blinds (Home (Noe st)): (blind)
Slightly cloudy. moderately minus red, out to a garnet rim, with some signs of sediment, moderate tears.
nose: showing significant development, bitter apple core, browned apple core, sweet vanilla and toast from oak, savory tobacco and sweet tobacco, herbaceous quality to it--stewed possible green bell peppers but very developed so hard to tell.
palate: medium + body, elevated 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid, moderate minus tannins, very rounded, very developed, on the nose there's a very sweet, figgy note, also chocolate-covered blackcurrants. Change tannins to moderate (very developed). Finish is long (TKH note: is it really long? how many flavors can you get?). Lots of spice on the palate--cinnamon, nutmeg, baking spices, some freshly sanded wood.
conclusion: This is a touch one! no noticeable brett so could be a new world wine. With this amount of oak, acid, thinking this could be cabernet from california or modern style bordeaux.
Too lean / acidic to be a merlot based wine from California. Going between right bank bordeaux and an aged california cab. There's some intense sweetness and blackcurrant taking me to California Cab.
Final: cabernet from Napa from the 1990s…1993 Cali Cab. Good quality producer.
Paul Autard 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Very weird. But I like it. Developed. Atypical though. A little tired. Drink now.
13.5%
8.5
Recent notes (not this particular vintage):
Composition : 70% Grenache 20% Syrah 10% Mourvèdre
Vinification : Tri de la vendange par le vendangeur, plus un autre tri avant un égrappage total, macération de 20 à 30 jours dans des cuves à pigeage.
Elevage : 12 mois en barriques.
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4/18/2016 - aagrawal wrote: 86 Points
Deductive Tasting (Blind) (Rajiv's House, San Francisco): Coravin 4/18/16: Cloudy ruby with notable bricking; light to moderately aromatic with stewed red fruits, slight bramble; palate is light bodied, medium to high alcohol, low acid, moderate bitterness throughout that is distracting; short finish. 84, markedly more advanced than my last bottle in 2013, or perhaps this is an off bottle. Will drink my last bottle this year and find out.
With 30 minutes and more tasting, the bitterness resolves. Definitely has some interesting qualities, but not as enjoyable as I would like it to be. 85-86
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3/8/2016 - beatles Does not like this wine:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998 (Chez moi): Just ok; balanced, quite light, bot some roasted, even boiled notes at the end, that put me off. Utterly forgetable in the line up...
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12/16/2015 - guribh Does not like this wine: 84 Points
Better than last go around (bottle variation or more patience on my part...?).
When uncorked and poured through a sieve/funnel into a decanter, it smelled like sewer and had enough mud to tile a bathroom. Seriously considered pouring it down the sink. After 45 minutes, the fog cleared a bit. Rusty color, nose of camphor, mixed with candied cherries. Not clean and pure, but interesting and utterly drinkable nonetheless. With more time it became more complex, showing coffee and cocoa notes as well. Would not be my first choice, but an intersting drinking experience. Full disclosure: I am fortunate enough to drink a lot of aged CdP, so it is in that context..
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11/9/2015 - MedocMad wrote: 86 Points
passed its best
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9/11/2013 - guribh wrote: flawed
3rd or 4th bottle in a row over the last 3 months that smells terrible. Sour cherries that have been fermented along with scrap metal. I did not leave a score as it is a flawed bottle. However, of the case I have bought upon release and stored in pristine temp/humidity ever since, the last few have been undrinkable. I have many 98 Rhones left and while not all have held up great, this one is extremely disappointing. 4 more in the cellar. Expectation level re-set to 0. Can only win from this starting point...
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1/15/2013 - aagrawal wrote: 88 Points
Color is a pale-medium clear ruby with some caramel bricking at the edges; nose has candied strawberry, cherry, savory notes, a little meaty but in a light sense; palate has bright red fruits, midpalate has some structure, juicy fruit throughout; short-medium finish. This is quite well balanced, plenty of fruit, fresh, obviously grenache based, and drinking well now but will likely last for a few years without substantially improving. At this price, it's not a bad idea to have a few around. 88
Day 2: No real change. Enjoyable, good fruit, has a few years, but nothing special.
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5/21/2012 - MedocMad wrote: 90 Points
Good fresh nose, still plenty of fruit with a good length, cranberry / raspberry twist should still last for another 5+ years.
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5/6/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 91 Points
The nose showed black fruits and earth with black pepper, animal musk and hints of graphite. On the palate, it showed vibrant acidity with soft ripe berries, earthy minerals and spices. It’s a joy to drink and ready to go. The finish showed lingering pepper notes that lasted on the senses.
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5/2/2012 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 89 Points
The nose showed black fruits and earth with black pepper, animal musk and hints of graphite. On the palate, it showed vibrant acidity with soft ripe berries, earthy minerals and spices. It’s a joy to drink and ready to go. The finish showed lingering pepper notes that lasted on the senses.
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2/26/2012 - guribh wrote: 88 Points
Ran through a sieved funnel into a decanter. Tons of pasty sediments (as opposed to the grainy type which we more commonly encounter). Very cloudy, garnet/brown. Muddy waters-looking. Smells ripe with smoky and sweet notes. I was expecting it to be way over-the-hill. Surprisingly complex, with classic CDP character. Cherries and other fruits still evident. Overall, if you have any left - drink up. Tasted alongside a 1999 La Milliere CDP (North Berkeley Wines cuvee), which was much fresher looking and tasting. Both bought upon release and stored in ideal conditions since.
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1/9/2012 - pbaek wrote:
Enjoyed over a couple of nights. On the first night I got both a vegetal and a metallic note. A fairly thin wine with an off-putting flavor of canned tomatoes from a bad can. On the second night, a bit better, more firm cherry and dark plum, garrigue and spices but also a mark of cedar and a drying finish which would suggest that this sees some new wood? I'm not a fan of Autard at all. His basic cuvée tends to be better than his over oaked, over manipulated special made-for-RP-the-man cuvees, but this one was nothing special to say the least.
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11/23/2011 - guribh wrote: 88 Points
Brick color. Quite cloudy. Right out of the bottle, smell of kirsch, with a metalic note. After about 30 minutes in the glass, the wine came together to show mature black chrries, with a hint of garrigue and a harmonious, reasonably long finish. At, or slightly past, its peak. Drink up over the next couple of years.
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11/5/2011 - winepog wrote: 88 Points
I agree with others - our bottle was underachieving, did not turn the corner well
...
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12/14/2009 - Zinlady wrote: 87 Points
Had this at an RWS directors meeting with Veal Shanks with Honey. the food pairing worked well. We had three 1998 CdP and this was my least favorite. The wine had a nice color and flavors. Medium bodied.
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5/15/2009 - matro wrote: 87 Points
More vegetal than fruity. Probably not worth the 8 years of cellaring. Not really bad, but not much beyond a decent Cotes Du Rhone.
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2/12/2008 - dfeiner wrote: 88 Points
Tomato red, herby spiciness cherry berry fruit and nice finish. Definitely ready.
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9/16/2007 - stevetimko wrote: 86 Points
Kind of an earthier Chateauneuf-du-pape. The peppery/cigar flavors dominate the nose and the palate. A little bit of sweet black cherry or maybe raspberry on the finish. Despite the earthiness, very soft on the palate. Balanced. This is my first Autard. Clearly much better than the 72 or whatever the Wine Spectator gave it. I don't think it measures up to the 89 from Parker or 90 from IWC. My suspicion is this wine was drinking better a year ago. Parker's estimate is that is should age until 2010 or 2015. I think it will be lucky to reach 2010.
Based on this one bottle, I'd say it's a drink now wine. I bought this wine from a wine store who bought it from a collection, so I can't vouch for its storage.
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1/29/2007 - ArieS wrote: 87 Points
Drink up
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12/26/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 87 Points
At Andiamo. With pizza, ok but hasn't shown any development, Was much better when 1st released.
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6/29/2006 - Pilot wrote:
Definite signs of maturity with bricking at rim and a watery edge. Mouvedre is singing now. Beautiful gamey notes with fading Grenache fruit and syrah acids and tar notes. This wine has become minerally and gamey with a distant fuzz to it. Acids are still bright, body/ tannins slightly silky, slightly antiqued. A genuine rustic quality, refined with age. Perhaps peaking at this very moment for a moderate ranged basic ch-du-pape from '98.
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3/5/2006 - T&A wrote: flawed
Corked
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