Decanted for ~2+hrs before serving. Wow! It had been 6-yrs since I last had this... but boy, this is now showing much better than I recalled it to be (that slight oxidative note seemed to have further diminished)! Golden-coloured, that typically represents wines with some age... this was anything but; So fresh, despite the colour, it certainly did not taste like a wine of (its colour/age). Nice aromas of tropical fruits, nectarines, peaches that kept coming forth out of the glass. Great expansive mouthfeel & texture - waxy, almost unctous but so fresh at the same time with notes of honey, apricots, more peaches. This is now a wine of great depth, multi-layered with a long fresh finish! Very very delicious, and should continue keeping well (or even improve) for a good time to come...!
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Popped and poured. Aromas are waxy with cream, apricot, honey, touches of marzipan/almond paste, a little almost mushroom note in the background. In the mouth it's rich, fleshy, tiny touch of bitterness, similar flavours to the nose but with the honey more to the fore, quite glycerol fatness here as well as a smidge of alcohol warmth on the finish. Probably right to tidy this up now but it is still rather lovely. And, unfortunately as this now retails in Australia at 500 AUD, this may well be one of the last times I get to try this rather wonderful wine.
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Interesting to see this next it's older brother the '06 (and a bit sad as we've got a bunch of '06 in our cellar but fewer '07s). This was drinking very well. Bright and fresh and honey and flowers and almost a bit on the young side. Missing any of the oxidative qualities these wines often get with age.
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Consensus round the table was that this tastes expensive and certainly it does. A luxurious, pillowy nose of apricot and orange, marzipan, a waxy note, just a touch of vanilla. As I often do with Southern Rhone whites I found it a bit directionless on the palate - broad and soft with a touch of pithy bitterness and a little spike of alcohol. Tasty but not aligned with my taste.
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Krotida Wine Gang Tasting, 2007 Tour de France white wine tasting (Jerar restaurant): 6000 bottles, harvested slightly overripe, 30% oak, 70% tanks, bottled after 8 months, 14% The wine shows deep golden color The wine shows extraordinary perfume, high intensity, overripe tropical and stone fruit notes, nectarine, orange peel, orange marmalade, peach, apricot jam, a few nutty oak notes, honey notes. In the palate, the wine shows a heavier profile, great texture, impressive depth, a touch warm, endless finish
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Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Honey, bees wax, a little stone fruit (apricot) and touch of cream, marzipan and alcohol prickle, smidge of almost of orange peel. Juicy, softly engaging but with a touch of almost volatile sharpness, stone fruit, non intrusive alcohol warmth, a little apricot stone bitterness, waxy textured burr, honey in support. medium plus intensity length, slightly disjointed. Hmm. Drink up?
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Commanderie des Costes du Rhone - Fall 2022 Kick-off (Claud): Continues to be a favorite wine of mine. This was just a nice little honeypot. All round and full. Yet somehow balanced. Nice pairing with crudo which had just a touch of salt that brought out the sweet in the wine.
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What a wine. I believe at nearly 15 years of age it has returned to a place where it can be safely approached. Lucky !! It definitely was not shut down. Beautiful beautiful wine. Sauterne like on the nose but deliciously dry and oozing of fruit, great balance, paired amazing with scallops and it was loved and admired by all at Chruchill's Southern Rhone wine night!
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Ripe orchard fruit, oaky, oily, great weight still coming together. According to the official notice the bottle should be aged for at least fifteen years--slightly early indeed. 94
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Crazy wine. Decanted for 1 hour before serving. Medium golden colour, full of complexity on nose - nuts, apricots, tropical fruits but it's backed by good acidity for a Rhone white. On palate it keeps evolving and is very complexy, mix of fruits and mineral with a oily texture that is so balanced and comfortable to drink. Who needs a Montrachet? Still plenty of life ahead. 18+/20
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Dark waxy apricot and peach aromas. Fat and uncoutous with enough acid to still create reasonable lift. Interesting and good, yet not mind blowing. This showed better than previous bottles, but would be drinking up.
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From Coravin - Golden yellow, deep nose of waxy honey and preserved lemons. Palate Starts off with a bitter lemon twist, then lifts into an unctous honeyed finish, although not sweet at all, but does have a brace of acidity that straightens the back. Clear layers, and long finish. A real treat for the senses.
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Visitors from Wellington brave the Queensberry hills (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): A great wine of extraordinary depth, richness and complexity. Without question a wine that is at a qualitative level equal to the finest Grand Cru Burgundy. Totally clean, fully subsumed oak, an opulence of fruit expression that finishes in a beautifully modulated and complex finish. Rich, but balanced, floral, and balanced. Ageing effortlessly. Grand wine.
Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of bees wax, slight citrus and almond meal with a very slight stone fruit note. in the mouth it's quite rich, waxy textured with a little almond paste and honey. Despite the inherent richness there is still an impression of elegance.
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From Coravin. bees wax, an almost lime and orange peel note, sweet spice and woodiness. A nutty, almondy almost oxidative note. Waxy textured, peachy, sweetly spiced and alcohol warmth, fleshy and broadly wax textured. Nice.
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Big and complex but with a creamy, flowing mouthfeel and decent acidic balance. Expansive aromas of honeysuckle, papaya, pear, marizpan, toasted hazelnuts, and nutmeg. Despite the nut notes, this wine isn't overtly oxidized; it still tastes fruity and fresh. Long finish with only moderate acidity; lingering sensations of cream and spice. Lacks exuberance.
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Acker BYO 2018 (Tribeca Grille): I always love this wine. It's beautiful. Structured. Lots of white blossoms. Lots of white fleshy fruit. Still more full bodied. Very pretty. Lovely.
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Deep nose of citrus, yellow fruit, chamomile, brioche, fresh florals, savory, hazelnut, coconut, honey and stone. Great depth and just one touch short of body. 94
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Fascinating white Rhone just in a good window showing development but maintaining freshness. Medium gold color. Heady nose of hazelnut, marzipan, argan oils... Super nutty exotic palate, not a ton of acidity but loaded with fruit. Would probably be overwhelmed by dishes wanting Chablis type acidity. Those who like it tho this is the bomb.
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Beaucastel Birthday dinner (Bistro Moncur, Sydney): Medium minus intensity aromas...quite closed initially but, with food, opens to show stone fruit, honey, slight oxidised notes, almond meal and bees wax, it's softly fleshy, broad and very good with a simple crab linguine with a touch of chilli
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Coravin fun - Beaucastel review (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Almonds ,waxy, apricot…smells quite rich, slightly buttery, oaky. On the palate it's juicy, fleshy, almost a little peach stone bitterness with some mid palate burr. Medium plus length. Hmm.
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Nose of honey, white-flowers, plus a slight oxidative note, leading some to guess this was a Burg (on the nose). The palate was where it differentiated itself - oily/waxy, unctuous texture, with ripe pear, honey and a bit of pineapples. This finished long & fresh. Will be interesting to see how this develops further with more bottle ageing.
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This is such a complex wine and it’s medium acidity for such a rich flavour profile polarises views. At this age the peach has a honeyed note and mouthfeel is unctuous and at 14% no dancer but not not a bruiser. So many opinions about its age worthiness but to be honest so much bottle variation it is difficult to generalise. This one was a delight of power richness but balance. Colour is straw gold and honey and peach and even a hint of very ripe melon is a delight. Food pairing is essential but difficult. Oh joy
Full bodied and unctuous with high alcohol and just medium acidity and yet supremely balanced. Not a 'refreshing' white but not cloying either. Classy wine with nuanced flavours of pear, quince, herbs minerals. Great Rhone white.
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Big Boy Bordeaux Spring Dinner (Morton's Northbrook): Unusual aromas of buttered corn on the cob with a edge sweet honey. Fat oily texture with a sweet peachy quality I find waxy and earthy. I find this flavor profile simply weird, others liked it more.
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Back to on form bottles after 1-2 so so bottles. Decanted and served, and as we so many times have done with relatively heavy cheeses (not blue) and we def believe this is one of the bets combinations. We would like to reiterate that when this wine has the freshness in it, the brightness is a mesmerising bottle. And here it was the case , 10yrs young, fresh ,bright, citrus, light waxy feel, good fruit core. Lovely depth and complexity , very mineral with the lightest touch of honey. Drink NOW! 94-95
Monthly Tuesday group #008: Southern Rhône White. (By PV): Intriguing bouquet which shows some development, yellow fruits and beautifully dosed oak. On the palate yellow fruits, minerals, honey, butter, a touch of sweetness and beautiful acidity. Pleasant bitterness in the finish. I think this wine is in an intermediate phase; young it is great, then it shuts down for several years and after it opens up again it comes back with great complexity. If I had any I would probably wait until 2020. Score for this evening just 92, but what will it be 5 years from now? 94+? Hope so!
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Quite a few friends visited for the actual birthday sipping ’n snacking event at home. The 24 previous days and the next five days only warm-ups and warm-downs, respectively. Whew, getting old is hard work…but we try to do it with style!
A 100% Roussanne and only 6000 bottles produced, this Rhone stunner has the look, smell and taste of a white Burgundy. Golden yellow on the eye. Aromas of ripe citrus, toasty almonds and vanilla cream. Rich, full-bodied, slightly oxidised palate. Tres yummy. Long, smooth finish that never seemed to finish...perhaps the most awesome part of this awesome wine was waiting forever between sips while enjoying the silky feel in the mouth! She is the full-package you take home to mom and dad, for whom you buy flowers and with whom you dance...Bruno Mars When I Was Your Man...do not forget, fellas!
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Au QG. Joli nez explosif, de poires, des épices, c'est séduisant. Belle bouche fraiche mais non tendue, épicée, c'est complexe et minéral, un équilibre incroyable, ample gras et profond. Toujours adoré ce vin monumental, mais j'étais surpris de voir qu'il s'agissait du 2007. 97 pts
A lot better than when we tried it 4 months ago. We did decant for about an hour and it does help. As we always say these wines are better young and fresh. This was a lot more lively than the one in May but still had a lot of evolution. It was however (unlike the one in May) full of life, energy which is what we liked. The fruit was evolved but not dull and the length was there in bucket loads. We do feel that the wine for our palate had peeked and we would look to have our last bottle sooner than later. 91-92
At home with swordfish, opening in anticipation of visiting the Vineyards...
Gorgeous gold color, looks like an well aged Mersault. Slight chill and let open for 20 minutes. Really comes alive after 30-45 minutes. Consistent with prior notes: "Rich nose, floral, honeysuckle, lemon. Beautiful mouth feel, rich and layered." Adding to this apple, butterscotch and wet stone.
This bottle was open and drinking nicely, last bottle seemed a bit closed. The trick on these wines is figuring out when to drink them - very young or after some bottle age. Either way, when you get it right white Rhone/Roussanne its a great experience.
This bottle was in a good place, seems to be entering a good drinking window, still fresh, should hold at this level for some time (5+ years).
TROPICAL FRUITS IN THE NOSE WITH A HINT OF BUTTERSCOTCH. FLAVOR OF CRISP FRUIT, MELONS, AND A TOUCH OF SPICE. NICE ADIDITY AND COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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We always question the when to try these wines and the more we try the more we believe that we should have them young, fresh and vibrant. At least for our taste this is when they are at best. Once they mature they drift away to what we like. And we appreciate the whole idea that in future the come around. We have yet to come across the revival of one of these. Maybe a marketing trick? We hope that we are wrong and cynical... We now fully question whether we should be buying these, for our taste that is. Rich and textured, good acidity and that bitterness of roussanne. Lacks the freshness of youth and the complexity/excitement. More questions than answers.
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Slightly pale golden yellow. Ripe apricots on the nose with some honey and licorice. Unctuous pear and peach nectar on the palate with some harmonious spice and citrus rind. This stuff was wonderful. I had it about a year ago but had had too much wine ready that evening to really appreciate it. It came earlier in the line up this time and I was grateful.
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Quite mute, only showing hints of nose and a little bitter on the palate, so decided to pour the wine into the decanter
After half an hour:
Opened brilliantly, great nose of butterscotch, peanut butter, apple and stonefruit, together with a hint of lemon and petrol. Quite smooth on the palate, and going well with the kind crab and the red pasta (surprise surprise!!).
Still yet to reach its peak and will keep the remaining bottles on hold for a couple years at least.
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Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pale yellow gold. White and yellow fruits, floral notes, citrus, classic oily palate feel, great balance, nice complexity, medium finish. No hints of premox. Outstanding.
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At Verve in Sommerville with Tom and Susan. Great place (BYO), very big night for the wines.
This bottle seems to be going into a closed phase. The Parker reviews suggest this, that these wines withh close for 5 years and then come back with greater complexity. This bottle seems to be following that script.
It wasn't bad, just nowhere near the quality of the last bottle. Still had the citrus apple flavors, but not as big or pronounced. Had a botrytis type character on the mid palate. Not corked, just seems to be closing. Will hold remaining bottles
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Was expecting much more complexity. Three-hour decant. Slightly chilled or room temperature didn't seem to matter. Too soon? Nice enough, but too crisp.
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Dinner with Todd and Doug at Silhouette in NYC. First experience with this wine, had heard great things and it delivered...
Opened up quickly, after about 15 minutes. On next bottle I would chill, decant and let warm as we drink it. Medium gold color. Rich nose, floral, honeysuckle, lemon. Beautiful mouth feel, rich and layered. Great acidity to balance out the fruit.
Very complex wines, in the same way you would get from a great white burgundy. White Rhones like this are really outstanding, not as well known or understood (at least in the US). If you like white burgundies - and willing to pay for the quality - these are great wines to cellar or drink.
PS: Silhouette is a great place - great owners. If you are in NYC they are corkage friendly
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Pale yellow gold. White and yellow fruits, floral notes, classic oily palate feel, great balance, not as complex as the '99 opened the same night but since some of the older vintages of this have gone premox do I dare hold them?
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Nose was beautiful and open. White flowers, tropical fruit and pear. The wine is like velvet on the palate. The tropical fruits come through in a big way. Great acidity to balance out the big full bodied wine. Absolutely awesome.
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Wine Dinner @ fasteddie35's Home (Lake Forest, IL): Explosive rich nose of lemon rind, apricot and vanilla pastry. Very dessert like. Great acidity. For me it got a little flabby on the midpalate and a little heat crept in on the backend. But this could just be my palate perception after going from the '04 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet. Very masculine in style. This is a big powerful Rhone white that could use more bottle age to really shine.
SS 93+pts.
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Surprisingly youthfully light golden. I was worried this would have entered the weird in between time, but the fears were unrealized. Fresh and bright with banana, apricot, and salty almonds, but with plenty of acidity to keep it fresh and avoid any heaviness. Large scaled with marzipan, banana, I quite like salil's candle wax description, fresh cut pineapple, and a custard like texture. Rich yet not heavy, this was actually better on night two. Very long and powerful without hitting you over the head. This is great Roussanne. 95pts
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A gold/wheat dress. The nose, full of roussanne, was insanely delicate. The mouth echoed it by displaying notes of fruits -i.e. mango, peach and apricot. A trend in this cuvée, the final was most interesting since its length and delicatessen were unequivocally unique. The whole experience was as delicate and velvety as a white peach's skin. Very enjoyable: 95
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Harvey/Esther dinner with Eric, Lucas/Joyce (Fa Zu Jie): decanted for half an hour. not enough. only started to show its true colours after at least an hour. glorious aroma of beeswax, honeysuckle and exotic flowers. beautiful oily texture. much prefer drinking these wines young than in their oxidised stage.
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Wow, delicious stuff. This has all the great spice and pleasant oxidation of a nice White Hermitage, but none of the oily heaviness. Long, complex, deep, beautiful.
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December, 2011 - The 2007 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes is truly a mind-blowing wine. It shows a beautiful deep golden color. This is such a unique wine, when you first take in the aromas it displays almost dessert like characteristics, with loads of honey, orange marmalade, black tea, floral, and some smoky notes as well. On the palate this is full-bodied, structured, dense and complex with a beautiful rich creamy texture. The exceptional depth, concentration and balance along with a ultra-long finish make this wine an instant classic. You can drink this outstanding wine now, but it will also develop beautifully in the cellar over the next 20 years. 100% Roussanne. (Drink 2011 - 2027) - JD
98 POINTS
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A little reticent and certainly not as aromatically explosive as 06. Hope it's not entering it's shut phase already. Will try again with some decanting next time.
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Had this with my parents to celibrate my 23th birthday. Pale, very clear lemon-colour. The smell is huge with bags of flavours; yellow apple, pineapple, flowers, elderflower and resin. On the palate it is incredibly soft, pure taste, fruity, enormously concentrated with lots of pineapple. Reminds me a lot of wines from Sauternes. This was quite expensive for me, but this had fruit and aromas beyond any other wine I have ever drunk before. The wine has personality, it demands that you take time getting to know it. My parents and I were overwhelmed. I regret that I didn't buy more of this.
Pure greatness in a bottle
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Chateau de Beaucastel Tasting with Marc Perrin (The Sampler, London): Light golden in colour. Mild on the nose reserved but with some tropical and honey suckle notes. Fully bodied, lots of texture but also balance. Less acid more minerality, saltiness, and a massive finish. This is a must buy wine. From 90yr old vines this is unique in CdP and as Parker says the Montrachet of Rhone.
Note from Marc Perrin - As with all roussanne wines the must either be drunk early less than 5 yrs or post 10-12. Roussane goes into a closed period in between which is dark in colour, bitter and undrinkable. The colour is the indication here. If dark brownish as the name Roussanne means then its not to be had. This applies for Hermitage Blanc in oue experience too and have heard similar comment from Chapoutier.
At this stage Decanting is advisable.
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Alcohol :: 14% Hey, this is a great, great white with tons of complexity that is so wild and exotic. Still pretty tight on the nose with tons of mineral along with some yellow fruits sweetness, beewax, acidity underneath. It was bitter at first with great freshness, round and polish texture that offer good complexity even at this young stage, lots of pure sweet yellow fruits with velvety mouth feel that leads to strong detail finish with good persistentcy.
I tasted the wine after some red, and WOW! The bitterness is blew off and show superb rich and concentrated pure fruits coated by fresh honey that never come across heavy, in fact, light on its feet with white and yellow floral perfume, herb and nuttiness all wrap in an elegance package that offer great harmonious, complexity and excellent finish, clean and detail with great sense of finesse. Absolutely lovely. Buy - Yes (if you like the style)
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New Year's Eve 2010 Drinks (Ed's Place): A brilliant wine. I had quite forgotten that I tasted the same vintage before - this was quite noticeably a notch up from the last already very good bottle, so much so that I thought it was a different vintage altogether. The nose here showed hauntingly perfumed Roussane scents of beeswax, almond creme, yellow plums, wafting florals with honeysuckle at the fore, and lots of exotic spice drifting around. Bewitching. The palate was rather young and tight still, but had the same impressive depth I noted on the last bottle, maybe even more so, with ostensible white and yellow plum flavours and some beeswax layered over deep, complex undercurrents all tightly coiled underneath with a palate-coating intensity and concentration. For all that astounding depth though , the wine still showed a beautiful balance for what is essentially a low acid grape. In fact, this had a nice light touch for all its weight (if a Rousanne could be called light!), and was positively dancing across the mouth compared with the richer, heavier tastes I remembered from the last bottle. The finish was long and melting, with bitter almonds spreading across the mouth along with slowly unfolding spice notes that filled the back palate entirely. With time, some lovely pure honeyed fruits and mineral emerged alongside, all moving together in a harmonious whole. Quite knock-out stuff.
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New Year's Eve chez Ed (Ed's Place): Tasted blind this certainly isn't your run on the mill Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. For a Rhone Blanc this was painfully young as it does not display any oxidative character yet. Round and rich this is quite a full-bodied white. Very serious wine. Not my favorite type of wine but I can see the quality here.
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This is all about depth - a really fascinating wine to sit down with and explore over some time. Starts out a little reticent with a scent of burning candle wax and restrained yellow fruit in the mouth with a bitter almond skin finish, but with air it gets richer and more approachable as the aromatics develop exotic floral, earthy, herbal nuances, and the fruit deepens and gains weight in the mouth, with nut oils, waxy and more tropical fruited elements emerging. There's a remarkable creamy, almost pillowy mouthfeel that recalls a top white Burg, and the balance and length are remarkable. Stunning wine.
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Lunch O'Thym Nez très mûr sur les fruits jaunes, presque exotiques. Bouche minérale spectaculaire, tranchante et droite, complexe et longue. Le vin est assez gras, épicé et très intriguant. Je croyais un Hermitage. 94-95 pts
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Nez très puissant, floral, fruits exotiques (pêche, ananas). Je perçois un légère sucrosité en fin de bouche. Peut-être un petit peu de bois. Un vin gras et massif, mais qui demeure très bien fait, un modèle d’équilibre, avec une bonne acidité qui balance le tout. Dans mes références, le style s’approche surtout de l’Alsace. 92-93.
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Deeper yellow in color, not quite golden but had some intensity to the color. Very rich on the nose and palette... this is not an early night drinking wine - it has all the body and richness to have at the end. Very nice complex fruit aromas... some citrus but also a strong nutty character and prominent oak. Smooth all the way through to an extremely long finish... just very rich and full bodied, nicely made and seemed flawless given this style.
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Not sure I'd recommend this to a friend at this price point, but this is classic Northern Rhone stone in a bottle, packing fruit to measure up to excellent flowers and rocks on the nose. As always, a relatively subtle wine, but very nice.
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Very good acid and well balanced. Finish that goes on on. Limestone and oily with graph fruits. Some mint and spice. Very sharp and intense on the palate.
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Tasted at the Chateau on 10/5/09. Similar to the normal blanc, but more expressive and sharp and the nose and showing more bodyweight on the palate. Showing more obvious wood than the normal blanc as well. The nose is just intoxicating with exotic fruit aromas and intense peach/pear notes. I like the range of wines from Beaucastel, but I tend to prefer the whites over the red in most vintages and 2007 is no exception. Amazing.
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Trip to the Southern Rhone; 6/11/2009-6/12/2009 (Avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and the Dentelles du Montmirail): From 85 year old Roussanne wines, this was clearly several steps up from the CdP Blanc. Nose was deeper, more restrained, but unfolded in lovely white flowers, musk, nectarine and banana like yellow fruit and then opened even more to show sweet, sticky pineapples and a whole melange of nutmeg-like spices. Really intriguing. Tons of interest on the palate too. Oily Roussanne texture. Spicy again, with lots of yellow fruit packed in along with startling pure lychee and pear flavours with a rim of beeswax - it had a profound depth to it. The finish rounded the wine off as it started, with lots of power, yet a lovely restraint, unfolding into a long fruit and spice driven tail, with sticky yellow figs, spiced fruits and nutmeg swirling around the mouth. Very, very good. Time to drink up over the next 4-5 years, or wait for it to shut down and revive over the next two decades.
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Farr's Christmas tasting. First taste of fabled 2007's. This is going to be sensational. Everything the Coudoulet's got but there's so much more potential for the future. Citrus, fresh. Dances on the palate. Long finish. Sold out. 91pts from Sal.
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Trip to France; 10/13/2008-10/24/2008 (Burgundy, Rhone Valley (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), Paris): Just bottled prior to this tasting. Fresh citrus nose, a little closed. Palate was quite acidic almost sour, but never quite harsh, adding some prominent oak and sweet cedar. Finish was long and complex with bright fruits and mineral sailing on for minutes. Really dense and complex, I think I just tried this at a strange time just after bottling. 89 now, has 95+ potential.
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3/13/2024 - etyc Likes this wine:
Decanted for ~2+hrs before serving. Wow! It had been 6-yrs since I last had this... but boy, this is now showing much better than I recalled it to be (that slight oxidative note seemed to have further diminished)! Golden-coloured, that typically represents wines with some age... this was anything but; So fresh, despite the colour, it certainly did not taste like a wine of (its colour/age). Nice aromas of tropical fruits, nectarines, peaches that kept coming forth out of the glass. Great expansive mouthfeel & texture - waxy, almost unctous but so fresh at the same time with notes of honey, apricots, more peaches. This is now a wine of great depth, multi-layered with a long fresh finish! Very very delicious, and should continue keeping well (or even improve) for a good time to come...!
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10/19/2023 - TheGreenFrog Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely, still fresh, good concentration and length. Benefits from a decant.
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9/3/2023 - chatters wrote:
Popped and poured. Aromas are waxy with cream, apricot, honey, touches of marzipan/almond paste, a little almost mushroom note in the background. In the mouth it's rich, fleshy, tiny touch of bitterness, similar flavours to the nose but with the honey more to the fore, quite glycerol fatness here as well as a smidge of alcohol warmth on the finish. Probably right to tidy this up now but it is still rather lovely. And, unfortunately as this now retails in Australia at 500 AUD, this may well be one of the last times I get to try this rather wonderful wine.
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9/1/2023 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Interesting to see this next it's older brother the '06 (and a bit sad as we've got a bunch of '06 in our cellar but fewer '07s). This was drinking very well. Bright and fresh and honey and flowers and almost a bit on the young side. Missing any of the oxidative qualities these wines often get with age.
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6/13/2023 - Joshvoulters Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consensus round the table was that this tastes expensive and certainly it does. A luxurious, pillowy nose of apricot and orange, marzipan, a waxy note, just a touch of vanilla. As I often do with Southern Rhone whites I found it a bit directionless on the palate - broad and soft with a touch of pithy bitterness and a little spike of alcohol. Tasty but not aligned with my taste.
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1/29/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine:
Krotida Wine Gang Tasting, 2007 Tour de France white wine tasting (Jerar restaurant): 6000 bottles, harvested slightly overripe, 30% oak, 70% tanks, bottled after 8 months, 14%
The wine shows deep golden color
The wine shows extraordinary perfume, high intensity, overripe tropical and stone fruit notes, nectarine, orange peel, orange marmalade, peach, apricot jam, a few nutty oak notes, honey notes.
In the palate, the wine shows a heavier profile, great texture, impressive depth, a touch warm, endless finish
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1/18/2023 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Ch. de Beaucastel (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Honey, bees wax, a little stone fruit (apricot) and touch of cream, marzipan and alcohol prickle, smidge of almost of orange peel. Juicy, softly engaging but with a touch of almost volatile sharpness, stone fruit, non intrusive alcohol warmth, a little apricot stone bitterness, waxy textured burr, honey in support. medium plus intensity length, slightly disjointed. Hmm. Drink up?
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9/6/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Commanderie des Costes du Rhone - Fall 2022 Kick-off (Claud): Continues to be a favorite wine of mine. This was just a nice little honeypot. All round and full. Yet somehow balanced. Nice pairing with crudo which had just a touch of salt that brought out the sweet in the wine.
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1/12/2022 - RayOB Likes this wine: 96 Points
Drank at 67
An absolute beauty in a wonderful place
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11/20/2021 - bjlcrucrazy Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a wine. I believe at nearly 15 years of age it has returned to a place where it can be safely approached. Lucky !! It definitely was not shut down. Beautiful beautiful wine. Sauterne like on the nose but deliciously dry and oozing of fruit, great balance, paired amazing with scallops and it was loved and admired by all at Chruchill's Southern Rhone wine night!
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10/25/2021 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
Ripe orchard fruit, oaky, oily, great weight still coming together. According to the official notice the bottle should be aged for at least fifteen years--slightly early indeed. 94
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8/27/2021 - derekastoria Likes this wine:
Crazy wine. Decanted for 1 hour before serving. Medium golden colour, full of complexity on nose - nuts, apricots, tropical fruits but it's backed by good acidity for a Rhone white. On palate it keeps evolving and is very complexy, mix of fruits and mineral with a oily texture that is so balanced and comfortable to drink. Who needs a Montrachet? Still plenty of life ahead. 18+/20
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7/10/2021 - KenK Likes this wine: 91 Points
Dark waxy apricot and peach aromas. Fat and uncoutous with enough acid to still create reasonable lift. Interesting and good, yet not mind blowing. This showed better than previous bottles, but would be drinking up.
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4/17/2021 - King Julien wrote: 93 Points
Nice, but slightly oxidized. Hopefully just this bottle.
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1/7/2021 - thewineoceros Likes this wine: 94 Points
From Coravin - Golden yellow, deep nose of waxy honey and preserved lemons. Palate Starts off with a bitter lemon twist, then lifts into an unctous honeyed finish, although not sweet at all, but does have a brace of acidity that straightens the back. Clear layers, and long finish. A real treat for the senses.
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12/19/2020 - walterb Likes this wine: 95 Points
Extra ordinary wine, highly concentrated, rich, smooth, fruits and very long taste
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10/8/2020 - Marc wrote: 97 Points
Visitors from Wellington brave the Queensberry hills (Wanaka Wedge House, Queensberry, Central Otago, New Zealand): A great wine of extraordinary depth, richness and complexity. Without question a wine that is at a qualitative level equal to the finest Grand Cru Burgundy. Totally clean, fully subsumed oak, an opulence of fruit expression that finishes in a beautifully modulated and complex finish. Rich, but balanced, floral, and balanced. Ageing effortlessly. Grand wine.
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8/23/2020 - chatters wrote:
Chateauneuf du Pape lunch (Frank's place in Matraville): From Coravin. Medium minus intensity aromas of bees wax, slight citrus and almond meal with a very slight stone fruit note. in the mouth it's quite rich, waxy textured with a little almond paste and honey. Despite the inherent richness there is still an impression of elegance.
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3/31/2020 - chatters wrote:
From Coravin. bees wax, an almost lime and orange peel note, sweet spice and woodiness. A nutty, almondy almost oxidative note. Waxy textured, peachy, sweetly spiced and alcohol warmth, fleshy and broadly wax textured. Nice.
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3/5/2020 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
Zachy's La Paulee 2020; 3/5/2020-3/6/2020 (Le Bernardin Prive): Sweet, good depth and precise layers. 94
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5/27/2019 - PMJak11 wrote: flawed
Not as flawed as the 2006 I tried recently, but still not good.
Nice gold color with some rust showing through. Funky nose followed by a wine that is harsh and dominated by butterscotch.
Got via a charity event, so at least it was for a good cause.
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5/2/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Big and complex but with a creamy, flowing mouthfeel and decent acidic balance. Expansive aromas of honeysuckle, papaya, pear, marizpan, toasted hazelnuts, and nutmeg. Despite the nut notes, this wine isn't overtly oxidized; it still tastes fruity and fresh. Long finish with only moderate acidity; lingering sensations of cream and spice. Lacks exuberance.
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12/11/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker BYO 2018 (Tribeca Grille): I always love this wine. It's beautiful. Structured. Lots of white blossoms. Lots of white fleshy fruit. Still more full bodied. Very pretty. Lovely.
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12/8/2018 - hprphf wrote: 94 Points
Deep nose of citrus, yellow fruit, chamomile, brioche, fresh florals, savory, hazelnut, coconut, honey and stone. Great depth and just one touch short of body. 94
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8/4/2018 - King Julien wrote: 94 Points
Let it breathe for about 30 min. Very nice.
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7/7/2018 - danstrings Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fascinating white Rhone just in a good window showing development but maintaining freshness. Medium gold color. Heady nose of hazelnut, marzipan, argan oils... Super nutty exotic palate, not a ton of acidity but loaded with fruit. Would probably be overwhelmed by dishes wanting Chablis type acidity. Those who like it tho this is the bomb.
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6/27/2018 - chatters wrote:
Beaucastel Birthday dinner (Bistro Moncur, Sydney): Medium minus intensity aromas...quite closed initially but, with food, opens to show stone fruit, honey, slight oxidised notes, almond meal and bees wax, it's softly fleshy, broad and very good with a simple crab linguine with a touch of chilli
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6/17/2018 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Beaucastel review (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Almonds ,waxy, apricot…smells quite rich, slightly buttery, oaky. On the palate it's juicy, fleshy, almost a little peach stone bitterness with some mid palate burr. Medium plus length. Hmm.
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5/25/2018 - etyc Likes this wine:
Nose of honey, white-flowers, plus a slight oxidative note, leading some to guess this was a Burg (on the nose). The palate was where it differentiated itself - oily/waxy, unctuous texture, with ripe pear, honey and a bit of pineapples. This finished long & fresh. Will be interesting to see how this develops further with more bottle ageing.
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11/9/2017 - Blaireaux Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is such a complex wine and it’s medium acidity for such a rich flavour profile polarises views. At this age the peach has a honeyed note and mouthfeel is unctuous and at 14% no dancer but not not a bruiser. So many opinions about its age worthiness but to be honest so much bottle variation it is difficult to generalise. This one was a delight of power richness but balance. Colour is straw gold and honey and peach and even a hint of very ripe melon is a delight. Food pairing is essential but difficult. Oh joy
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6/21/2017 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 96 Points
Full bodied and unctuous with high alcohol and just medium acidity and yet supremely balanced. Not a 'refreshing' white but not cloying either. Classy wine with nuanced flavours of pear, quince, herbs minerals. Great Rhone white.
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4/24/2017 - KenK wrote: 88 Points
Big Boy Bordeaux Spring Dinner (Morton's Northbrook): Unusual aromas of buttered corn on the cob with a edge sweet honey. Fat oily texture with a sweet peachy quality I find waxy and earthy. I find this flavor profile simply weird, others liked it more.
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2/8/2017 - King Julien wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 30 min, nice nose.
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7/30/2016 - Papies wrote: 94 Points
Back to on form bottles after 1-2 so so bottles.
Decanted and served, and as we so many times have done with relatively heavy cheeses (not blue) and we def believe this is one of the bets combinations.
We would like to reiterate that when this wine has the freshness in it, the brightness is a mesmerising bottle. And here it was the case , 10yrs young, fresh ,bright, citrus, light waxy feel, good fruit core. Lovely depth and complexity , very mineral with the lightest touch of honey. Drink NOW! 94-95
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4/21/2016 - Joram Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is an impressive wine. A very interesting nose. On the pallet lots of flavours and concentration. Long.
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4/19/2016 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Monthly Tuesday group #008: Southern Rhône White. (By PV): Intriguing bouquet which shows some development, yellow fruits and beautifully dosed oak. On the palate yellow fruits, minerals, honey, butter, a touch of sweetness and beautiful acidity. Pleasant bitterness in the finish. I think this wine is in an intermediate phase; young it is great, then it shuts down for several years and after it opens up again it comes back with great complexity. If I had any I would probably wait until 2020. Score for this evening just 92, but what will it be 5 years from now? 94+? Hope so!
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2/19/2016 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 93 Points
slightly muted, rich, has a bit of an oxidized flavor. perfectly nice but probably not worth the $$!
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2/2/2016 - KenK wrote: flawed
Corked
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2/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: flawed
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): Corked.
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11/25/2015 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quite a few friends visited for the actual birthday sipping ’n snacking event at home. The 24 previous days and the next five days only warm-ups and warm-downs, respectively. Whew, getting old is hard work…but we try to do it with style!
A 100% Roussanne and only 6000 bottles produced, this Rhone stunner has the look, smell and taste of a white Burgundy. Golden yellow on the eye. Aromas of ripe citrus, toasty almonds and vanilla cream. Rich, full-bodied, slightly oxidised palate. Tres yummy. Long, smooth finish that never seemed to finish...perhaps the most awesome part of this awesome wine was waiting forever between sips while enjoying the silky feel in the mouth! She is the full-package you take home to mom and dad, for whom you buy flowers and with whom you dance...Bruno Mars When I Was Your Man...do not forget, fellas!
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11/4/2015 - d'Artagnan wrote: 97 Points
Au QG.
Joli nez explosif, de poires, des épices, c'est séduisant.
Belle bouche fraiche mais non tendue, épicée, c'est complexe et minéral, un équilibre incroyable, ample gras et profond. Toujours adoré ce vin monumental, mais j'étais surpris de voir qu'il s'agissait du 2007. 97 pts
J'étais sur un Ch9 de Rayas...
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10/4/2015 - Papies wrote: 92 Points
A lot better than when we tried it 4 months ago. We did decant for about an hour and it does help. As we always say these wines are better young and fresh. This was a lot more lively than the one in May but still had a lot of evolution.
It was however (unlike the one in May) full of life, energy which is what we liked. The fruit was evolved but not dull and the length was there in bucket loads. We do feel that the wine for our palate had peeked and we would look to have our last bottle sooner than later. 91-92
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9/11/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 95 Points
At home with swordfish, opening in anticipation of visiting the Vineyards...
Gorgeous gold color, looks like an well aged Mersault. Slight chill and let open for 20 minutes. Really comes alive after 30-45 minutes. Consistent with prior notes: "Rich nose, floral, honeysuckle, lemon. Beautiful mouth feel, rich and layered." Adding to this apple, butterscotch and wet stone.
This bottle was open and drinking nicely, last bottle seemed a bit closed. The trick on these wines is figuring out when to drink them - very young or after some bottle age. Either way, when you get it right white Rhone/Roussanne its a great experience.
This bottle was in a good place, seems to be entering a good drinking window, still fresh, should hold at this level for some time (5+ years).
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5/23/2015 - buckeye76 wrote: 97 Points
TROPICAL FRUITS IN THE NOSE WITH A HINT OF BUTTERSCOTCH. FLAVOR OF CRISP FRUIT, MELONS, AND A TOUCH OF SPICE. NICE ADIDITY AND COMPLEXITY AND A LONG FINISH.
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5/10/2015 - Papies wrote:
We always question the when to try these wines and the more we try the more we believe that we should have them young, fresh and vibrant. At least for our taste this is when they are at best. Once they mature they drift away to what we like. And we appreciate the whole idea that in future the come around. We have yet to come across the revival of one of these. Maybe a marketing trick? We hope that we are wrong and cynical... We now fully question whether we should be buying these, for our taste that is.
Rich and textured, good acidity and that bitterness of roussanne. Lacks the freshness of youth and the complexity/excitement. More questions than answers.
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1/13/2015 - short and confused wrote: 94 Points
Slightly pale golden yellow. Ripe apricots on the nose with some honey and licorice. Unctuous pear and peach nectar on the palate with some harmonious spice and citrus rind. This stuff was wonderful. I had it about a year ago but had had too much wine ready that evening to really appreciate it. It came earlier in the line up this time and I was grateful.
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8/29/2014 - clementwolf wrote: 96 Points
Right after opening:
Quite mute, only showing hints of nose and a little bitter on the palate, so decided to pour the wine into the decanter
After half an hour:
Opened brilliantly, great nose of butterscotch, peanut butter, apple and stonefruit, together with a hint of lemon and petrol. Quite smooth on the palate, and going well with the kind crab and the red pasta (surprise surprise!!).
Still yet to reach its peak and will keep the remaining bottles on hold for a couple years at least.
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6/18/2014 - LFCHALA Likes this wine: 94 Points
Confraria - Junho 2014 (Restaurante Arturito - São Paulo - São Paulo): Wonderful. Salty. Oily. Floral. Dry. Worth.
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4/13/2014 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
consistently superb. great intensity with floral notes.
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2/7/2014 - dbg wrote:
Cellared since release. Perfect cork and fill. Pale yellow gold. White and yellow fruits, floral notes, citrus, classic oily palate feel, great balance, nice complexity, medium finish. No hints of premox. Outstanding.
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10/19/2013 - walkerjfw wrote:
At Verve in Sommerville with Tom and Susan. Great place (BYO), very big night for the wines.
This bottle seems to be going into a closed phase. The Parker reviews suggest this, that these wines withh close for 5 years and then come back with greater complexity. This bottle seems to be following that script.
It wasn't bad, just nowhere near the quality of the last bottle. Still had the citrus apple flavors, but not as big or pronounced. Had a botrytis type character on the mid palate. Not corked, just seems to be closing. Will hold remaining bottles
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6/13/2013 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
really lovely. left half a bottle and consumed it two days later. still excellent.
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5/6/2013 - JimN wrote: 91 Points
Was expecting much more complexity. Three-hour decant. Slightly chilled or room temperature didn't seem to matter. Too soon? Nice enough, but too crisp.
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4/18/2013 - walkerjfw wrote: 96 Points
Dinner with Todd and Doug at Silhouette in NYC. First experience with this wine, had heard great things and it delivered...
Opened up quickly, after about 15 minutes. On next bottle I would chill, decant and let warm as we drink it. Medium gold color. Rich nose, floral, honeysuckle, lemon. Beautiful mouth feel, rich and layered. Great acidity to balance out the fruit.
Very complex wines, in the same way you would get from a great white burgundy. White Rhones like this are really outstanding, not as well known or understood (at least in the US). If you like white burgundies - and willing to pay for the quality - these are great wines to cellar or drink.
PS: Silhouette is a great place - great owners. If you are in NYC they are corkage friendly
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4/12/2013 - dbg wrote:
Pale yellow gold. White and yellow fruits, floral notes, classic oily palate feel, great balance, not as complex as the '99 opened the same night but since some of the older vintages of this have gone premox do I dare hold them?
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12/5/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with Uncle Tom, Uncle Ray, James, and JJ (The Principal): golden, rich and complex. not as intense nor fresh as expected. based on this bottle I'd suggest drinking up soon.
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11/11/2012 - cadams wrote: 95 Points
Nose was beautiful and open. White flowers, tropical fruit and pear.
The wine is like velvet on the palate. The tropical fruits come through in a big way. Great acidity to balance out the big full bodied wine.
Absolutely awesome.
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11/10/2012 - IWineAlot wrote: 93 Points
Wine Dinner @ fasteddie35's Home (Lake Forest, IL): Explosive rich nose of lemon rind, apricot and vanilla pastry. Very dessert like.
Great acidity. For me it got a little flabby on the midpalate and a little heat crept in on the backend. But this could just be my palate perception after going from the '04 Jadot Puligny-Montrachet. Very masculine in style. This is a big powerful Rhone white that could use more bottle age to really shine.
SS 93+pts.
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11/9/2012 - cct wrote: 95 Points
Surprisingly youthfully light golden. I was worried this would have entered the weird in between time, but the fears were unrealized. Fresh and bright with banana, apricot, and salty almonds, but with plenty of acidity to keep it fresh and avoid any heaviness. Large scaled with marzipan, banana, I quite like salil's candle wax description, fresh cut pineapple, and a custard like texture. Rich yet not heavy, this was actually better on night two. Very long and powerful without hitting you over the head. This is great Roussanne. 95pts
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10/1/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
BBQ dinner with Julian, Alex, PP, Gary, Bryant and wives (Roof): lovely as usual. rich and complex.
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9/16/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 94 Points
rich, complex, intense. not sure what is the best food to pair but washed down nicely tonight with nasi goreng
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8/21/2012 - presterjohn Likes this wine:
Spicy condrieu mouth to start, opens to peaches, nectarines, apricots... Beautiful, long, fascinating.
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7/7/2012 - cr84 wrote: 95 Points
A gold/wheat dress. The nose, full of roussanne, was insanely delicate. The mouth echoed it by displaying notes of fruits -i.e. mango, peach and apricot. A trend in this cuvée, the final was most interesting since its length and delicatessen were unequivocally unique. The whole experience was as delicate and velvety as a white peach's skin.
Very enjoyable: 95
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1/10/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 95 Points
Harvey/Esther dinner with Eric, Lucas/Joyce (Fa Zu Jie): decanted for half an hour. not enough. only started to show its true colours after at least an hour. glorious aroma of beeswax, honeysuckle and exotic flowers. beautiful oily texture. much prefer drinking these wines young than in their oxidised stage.
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1/7/2012 - joshwoodward wrote: 93 Points
Wow, delicious stuff. This has all the great spice and pleasant oxidation of a nice White Hermitage, but none of the oily heaviness. Long, complex, deep, beautiful.
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12/29/2011 - InternationalWineReport wrote: 98 Points
December, 2011 - The 2007 Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Vieilles Vignes is truly a mind-blowing wine. It shows a beautiful deep golden color. This is such a unique wine, when you first take in the aromas it displays almost dessert like characteristics, with loads of honey, orange marmalade, black tea, floral, and some smoky notes as well. On the palate this is full-bodied, structured, dense and complex with a beautiful rich creamy texture. The exceptional depth, concentration and balance along with a ultra-long finish make this wine an instant classic. You can drink this outstanding wine now, but it will also develop beautifully in the cellar over the next 20 years. 100% Roussanne. (Drink 2011 - 2027) - JD
98 POINTS
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8/24/2011 - Lord Rayas wrote: 92 Points
A little reticent and certainly not as aromatically explosive as 06. Hope it's not entering it's shut phase already. Will try again with some decanting next time.
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6/11/2011 - Beck wrote: 94 Points
loved the full aroma and even fuller mouth feel. all kinds of flavors to watch float by to the long lingering finish
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5/15/2011 - Dovberg wrote: 95 Points
Had this with my parents to celibrate my 23th birthday. Pale, very clear lemon-colour. The smell is huge with bags of flavours; yellow apple, pineapple, flowers, elderflower and resin. On the palate it is incredibly soft, pure taste, fruity, enormously concentrated with lots of pineapple. Reminds me a lot of wines from Sauternes. This was quite expensive for me, but this had fruit and aromas beyond any other wine I have ever drunk before. The wine has personality, it demands that you take time getting to know it. My parents and I were overwhelmed. I regret that I didn't buy more of this.
Pure greatness in a bottle
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2/22/2011 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Chateau de Beaucastel Tasting with Marc Perrin (The Sampler, London): Light golden in colour. Mild on the nose reserved but with some tropical and honey suckle notes. Fully bodied, lots of texture but also balance. Less acid more minerality, saltiness, and a massive finish. This is a must buy wine.
From 90yr old vines this is unique in CdP and as Parker says the Montrachet of Rhone.
Note from Marc Perrin - As with all roussanne wines the must either be drunk early less than 5 yrs or post 10-12. Roussane goes into a closed period in between which is dark in colour, bitter and undrinkable. The colour is the indication here. If dark brownish as the name Roussanne means then its not to be had. This applies for Hermitage Blanc in oue experience too and have heard similar comment from Chapoutier.
At this stage Decanting is advisable.
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12/31/2010 - Sleepy Dave wrote:
Alcohol :: 14%
Hey, this is a great, great white with tons of complexity that is so wild and exotic. Still pretty tight on the nose with tons of mineral along with some yellow fruits sweetness, beewax, acidity underneath. It was bitter at first with great freshness, round and polish texture that offer good complexity even at this young stage, lots of pure sweet yellow fruits with velvety mouth feel that leads to strong detail finish with good persistentcy.
I tasted the wine after some red, and WOW! The bitterness is blew off and show superb rich and concentrated pure fruits coated by fresh honey that never come across heavy, in fact, light on its feet with white and yellow floral perfume, herb and nuttiness all wrap in an elegance package that offer great harmonious, complexity and excellent finish, clean and detail with great sense of finesse. Absolutely lovely. Buy - Yes (if you like the style)
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12/31/2010 - Paul S wrote: 95 Points
New Year's Eve 2010 Drinks (Ed's Place): A brilliant wine. I had quite forgotten that I tasted the same vintage before - this was quite noticeably a notch up from the last already very good bottle, so much so that I thought it was a different vintage altogether. The nose here showed hauntingly perfumed Roussane scents of beeswax, almond creme, yellow plums, wafting florals with honeysuckle at the fore, and lots of exotic spice drifting around. Bewitching. The palate was rather young and tight still, but had the same impressive depth I noted on the last bottle, maybe even more so, with ostensible white and yellow plum flavours and some beeswax layered over deep, complex undercurrents all tightly coiled underneath with a palate-coating intensity and concentration. For all that astounding depth though , the wine still showed a beautiful balance for what is essentially a low acid grape. In fact, this had a nice light touch for all its weight (if a Rousanne could be called light!), and was positively dancing across the mouth compared with the richer, heavier tastes I remembered from the last bottle. The finish was long and melting, with bitter almonds spreading across the mouth along with slowly unfolding spice notes that filled the back palate entirely. With time, some lovely pure honeyed fruits and mineral emerged alongside, all moving together in a harmonious whole. Quite knock-out stuff.
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12/31/2010 - Dbrane wrote: 88 Points
New Year's Eve chez Ed (Ed's Place): Tasted blind this certainly isn't your run on the mill Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. For a Rhone Blanc this was painfully young as it does not display any oxidative character yet. Round and rich this is quite a full-bodied white. Very serious wine. Not my favorite type of wine but I can see the quality here.
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12/31/2010 - salil wrote: 95 Points
This is all about depth - a really fascinating wine to sit down with and explore over some time. Starts out a little reticent with a scent of burning candle wax and restrained yellow fruit in the mouth with a bitter almond skin finish, but with air it gets richer and more approachable as the aromatics develop exotic floral, earthy, herbal nuances, and the fruit deepens and gains weight in the mouth, with nut oils, waxy and more tropical fruited elements emerging. There's a remarkable creamy, almost pillowy mouthfeel that recalls a top white Burg, and the balance and length are remarkable. Stunning wine.
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9/1/2010 - d'Artagnan wrote: 95 Points
Lunch O'Thym
Nez très mûr sur les fruits jaunes, presque exotiques.
Bouche minérale spectaculaire, tranchante et droite, complexe et longue.
Le vin est assez gras, épicé et très intriguant. Je croyais un Hermitage. 94-95 pts
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9/1/2010 - Villon wrote: 93 Points
Nez très puissant, floral, fruits exotiques (pêche, ananas). Je perçois un légère sucrosité en fin de bouche. Peut-être un petit peu de bois. Un vin gras et massif, mais qui demeure très bien fait, un modèle d’équilibre, avec une bonne acidité qui balance le tout. Dans mes références, le style s’approche surtout de l’Alsace. 92-93.
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8/4/2010 - ksimback wrote: 93 Points
Deeper yellow in color, not quite golden but had some intensity to the color. Very rich on the nose and palette... this is not an early night drinking wine - it has all the body and richness to have at the end. Very nice complex fruit aromas... some citrus but also a strong nutty character and prominent oak. Smooth all the way through to an extremely long finish... just very rich and full bodied, nicely made and seemed flawless given this style.
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7/25/2010 - herberto wrote: 93 Points
Not sure I'd recommend this to a friend at this price point, but this is classic Northern Rhone stone in a bottle, packing fruit to measure up to excellent flowers and rocks on the nose. As always, a relatively subtle wine, but very nice.
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3/20/2010 - astroman wrote:
Very good acid and well balanced. Finish that goes on on. Limestone and oily with graph fruits. Some mint and spice. Very sharp and intense on the palate.
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3/13/2010 - Miceri wrote: 92 Points
Light yellow; nose revealing little, but some butter; fat round texture, a bit acidity but probably not enough for the long haul. Very long aftertaste
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10/5/2009 - keelegl wrote: 97 Points
Tasted at the Chateau on 10/5/09. Similar to the normal blanc, but more expressive and sharp and the nose and showing more bodyweight on the palate. Showing more obvious wood than the normal blanc as well. The nose is just intoxicating with exotic fruit aromas and intense peach/pear notes. I like the range of wines from Beaucastel, but I tend to prefer the whites over the red in most vintages and 2007 is no exception. Amazing.
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6/11/2009 - Paul S wrote: 94 Points
Trip to the Southern Rhone; 6/11/2009-6/12/2009 (Avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and the Dentelles du Montmirail): From 85 year old Roussanne wines, this was clearly several steps up from the CdP Blanc. Nose was deeper, more restrained, but unfolded in lovely white flowers, musk, nectarine and banana like yellow fruit and then opened even more to show sweet, sticky pineapples and a whole melange of nutmeg-like spices. Really intriguing. Tons of interest on the palate too. Oily Roussanne texture. Spicy again, with lots of yellow fruit packed in along with startling pure lychee and pear flavours with a rim of beeswax - it had a profound depth to it. The finish rounded the wine off as it started, with lots of power, yet a lovely restraint, unfolding into a long fruit and spice driven tail, with sticky yellow figs, spiced fruits and nutmeg swirling around the mouth. Very, very good. Time to drink up over the next 4-5 years, or wait for it to shut down and revive over the next two decades.
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11/10/2008 - dave747400 wrote: 92 Points
Farr's Christmas tasting.
First taste of fabled 2007's.
This is going to be sensational. Everything the Coudoulet's got but there's so much more potential for the future. Citrus, fresh. Dances on the palate. Long finish. Sold out. 91pts from Sal.
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11/5/2008 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 97 Points
Château de Beaucastel Dinner with Marc Perrin (Christie's Amsterdam): Magnificent. Enormous concentration but seemingly weightless, floral, Riesling-like elegance, opens up beautifully in the glass. Limitless potential.
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10/20/2008 - Nutty08 wrote:
Trip to France; 10/13/2008-10/24/2008 (Burgundy, Rhone Valley (Chateauneuf-du-Pape), Paris): Just bottled prior to this tasting. Fresh citrus nose, a little closed. Palate was quite acidic almost sour, but never quite harsh, adding some prominent oak and sweet cedar. Finish was long and complex with bright fruits and mineral sailing on for minutes. Really dense and complex, I think I just tried this at a strange time just after bottling. 89 now, has 95+ potential.
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