A bit past it's prime but held up well. Still had some nice fruit flavor and really mellowed out after about 1 hour. Still have a couple of bottles and I know they will be OK for the next year or so.
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Well contained and structured wine with a palate of pretty cherry fruit, lavender, pepper and licorice. As I wrote in my note from 2010, this reminds me of a Rayas - this time I specifically thought about Fonsalette due to the marks of white pepper and the refined, elegant fruit. A great wine actually, no heat, no jammy fruit, Grenache as it could and should be.
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This wine improved dramatically after sitting in the opened bottle for a couple hours. Fairly decent ruby with some amber at the rim Initially had no bouquet, only high-toned, oxidized fruit in the nose. Yuk! Better on the palate, but not much. With air, still had an off-putting bubble gum aroma, but with at least a hint of red fruit and half-way pleasant secondary aromas. Dried fruit on the palate, leathery and medium bodied. This is clearly on the decline and should have been opened years ago. Still drinkable-barely. 5-3-5-3:66/100
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Another great bottle of this wine. Much more refined and 'clean' compared to the 1998 Pierre Usseglio I drank the other day, the VJ shows pure, lively, precise cherry fruit and cracked white pepper in spades. The fruit is very sweet and Grenachy and the wine is elegant and much lighter in style compared to the Usseglio. I'm tempted to compare this style to the style of Rayas and Charvin I must admit. I'm pleasantly surprised how well this wine is showing right now.
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Listen, this is a great bottle of wine. In many ways this reminds me of Beaucastel of recent vintages (1996/97 and up). The red fruit is bright and polished. It's almost like it's coated with teflon - all the 'dirty' flavors are being rejected. So here we have pretty red cherry fruit, raspberry and a ton of lavender and thyme. Very precise and focused on the palate, with a good tannic spine. There is no excessive alcohol, no baked fruit - just a young, balanced, focused wine with years to go. In the semi-modern mold, but I can easily live with that. Decant for a couple of hours or wait another 2-3 years.
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Excellent with mediterranean stuffed tomatoes. Not expected to evolve futher. Good fruit remains with nice balance between syrah and grenache. Long finish.
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An apparently old but slight cork leakage MAY have affected this vs. something else. Fruit was generally MIA, tho' no major off scents/tastes could be picked up by 12 tasters.
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This was outstanding. We opened it as it had the lowest score from the CT reviewers and we wanted a cdp to go with a quick filet and roasted vegetables barbecue. Exceptional peppery nose and dark fruit tastes. THis certainly has some time left in it but it is drinking very well now. Sadly this was our last bottle of this wine but we have a lot of other 98 cdp's left in the cellar to enjoy over the next decade or more.
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This is the first Châteauneuf-du-Pape R and I have had. The first taste quickly demonstrated why people like this appellation so much, a unique and wonderful taste with a very gentle start and a long nuanced finish. Sadly this wine quickly seemed to become quite muted though it got better over time and after a few hours it was once again really good through still muted. Still being new to this whole fine wine business I am not sure what to say caused this. In general this was a learning expierence for the palate.
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12/14/2016 - pbaek wrote:
Tired and over the hill. Notes of prunes and popcorn. Over sweet Grenache with sprinkles of white pepper. Should have been drunk up 4-5 years ago.
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11/8/2016 - Ary wrote: 92 Points
Tasting of Condrieus by Andre Perret followed by Pape 1998 during dinner (Goodman in Mayfair): Fairly light in color. Great nose with herbs, dark fruits and mushroom. Well balanced on the palate, attractive and holding well. Best to finish your bottles.
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6/17/2016 - Neverlayup Likes this wine: 90 Points
A bit past it's prime but held up well. Still had some nice fruit flavor and really mellowed out after about 1 hour. Still have a couple of bottles and I know they will be OK for the next year or so.
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12/16/2011 - pbaek wrote:
Well contained and structured wine with a palate of pretty cherry fruit, lavender, pepper and licorice. As I wrote in my note from 2010, this reminds me of a Rayas - this time I specifically thought about Fonsalette due to the marks of white pepper and the refined, elegant fruit. A great wine actually, no heat, no jammy fruit, Grenache as it could and should be.
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2/24/2011 - MicklethePickle wrote: 66 Points
This wine improved dramatically after sitting in the opened bottle for a couple hours. Fairly decent ruby with some amber at the rim Initially had no bouquet, only high-toned, oxidized fruit in the nose. Yuk! Better on the palate, but not much. With air, still had an off-putting bubble gum aroma, but with at least a hint of red fruit and half-way pleasant secondary aromas. Dried fruit on the palate, leathery and medium bodied. This is clearly on the decline and should have been opened years ago. Still drinkable-barely. 5-3-5-3:66/100
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3/2/2010 - pbaek wrote:
Another great bottle of this wine. Much more refined and 'clean' compared to the 1998 Pierre Usseglio I drank the other day, the VJ shows pure, lively, precise cherry fruit and cracked white pepper in spades. The fruit is very sweet and Grenachy and the wine is elegant and much lighter in style compared to the Usseglio. I'm tempted to compare this style to the style of Rayas and Charvin I must admit. I'm pleasantly surprised how well this wine is showing right now.
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10/16/2009 - pbaek wrote:
Listen, this is a great bottle of wine. In many ways this reminds me of Beaucastel of recent vintages (1996/97 and up). The red fruit is bright and polished. It's almost like it's coated with teflon - all the 'dirty' flavors are being rejected. So here we have pretty red cherry fruit, raspberry and a ton of lavender and thyme. Very precise and focused on the palate, with a good tannic spine. There is no excessive alcohol, no baked fruit - just a young, balanced, focused wine with years to go. In the semi-modern mold, but I can easily live with that. Decant for a couple of hours or wait another 2-3 years.
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8/8/2009 - winecat9 wrote: 87 Points
Excellent with mediterranean stuffed tomatoes. Not expected to evolve futher. Good fruit remains with nice balance between syrah and grenache. Long finish.
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2/26/2009 - norsktorsk wrote: 88 Points
Color is decent, thin nose and mid palate and a sharp tannic finish. I don't see more time making any difference.
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11/9/2008 - Grinner wrote: 82 Points
An apparently old but slight cork leakage MAY have affected this vs. something else. Fruit was generally MIA, tho' no major off scents/tastes could be picked up by 12 tasters.
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10/28/2008 - Teamcrev wrote: 92 Points
This was outstanding. We opened it as it had the lowest score from the CT reviewers and we wanted a cdp to go with a quick filet and roasted vegetables barbecue. Exceptional peppery nose and dark fruit tastes. THis certainly has some time left in it but it is drinking very well now. Sadly this was our last bottle of this wine but we have a lot of other 98 cdp's left in the cellar to enjoy over the next decade or more.
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4/18/2008 - sleepyhaus wrote:
Drink this now if you have it. This won't get better, and may be done, though I suspect a storage issue was to blame for this bottle, thus no score
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3/3/2007 - zcoelius wrote: 86 Points
This is the first Châteauneuf-du-Pape R and I have had. The first taste quickly demonstrated why people like this appellation so much, a unique and wonderful taste with a very gentle start and a long nuanced finish. Sadly this wine quickly seemed to become quite muted though it got better over time and after a few hours it was once again really good through still muted. Still being new to this whole fine wine business I am not sure what to say caused this. In general this was a learning expierence for the palate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment