2018 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Community Tasting Notes (16) Avg Score: 94.1 points

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  10/7/2023 - bucktooth22 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  P&P: Medium purple, long slow legs, on 👃 bubble gum raspberries, cashews, wet forest floor, light ground pepper, prunes. Medium dry, quite milky structure, smooth tannins, long taste with prunes, raspberries and walnuts with a medium/high throat burn.

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  8/18/2023 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 95 Points

  The reviews on site are excellent. In many ways this should not be a great vintage of this wine - a problematic vintage in many ways. I also am not generally a fan of wines with high alcohol and this is 15%ABV. With Grenache that can spell trouble - porty yet lacking substance.
  
  Somehow, despite the potential issues, this wine really works for me. The other grapes used in the blend keep the Grenache risks noted above in check, allowing good aspects of that grape to shine; high toned aromatics and sandy tannins. The alcohol seems to be absorbed by the wine and to the extent 15%ABV can be 'not really noticeable' then this is it. I think it contributes to a very appealing and complex palate texture, which starts with a hit of sweet, sandy tannins, followed by a slippery, velvety mouthfeel and then a finish of firm, sandy tannins. The texture can be a focus in its own right.
  
  The wine is dominated by smokey, roast meat and charcuterie, kirsch and dark berries. The way these blend in the mouth is engrossing.
  
  The finish of this wine is extraordinary in terms of length and the pleasure it gives.
  
  On day 1 this was at first a little unintegrated but still wonderful. After a few hours it started to integrate and on day 2 it was really humming. Decanting would likely bring this forward a bit. I have enjoyed the journey but I think you see the best of what this wine has to give on day 2.
  
  One note of caution - these high alcohol wines will tend to show some raisin and prune over time and this is no exception but at this time they come into the mix with the dark fruit, not instead of. Is it the alcohol getting to me, or do I actually start to find on day 2 some of the blue fruits that I love so much, emerging in the mix?
  
  If your drinking partners love Bordeaux or Burgundy I would not open this for them. This is a potent CdP and it probably will alienate as many as it ensorcelles. A lot of wine lovers have very particular tastes and requirements, which is their right. I am a drinking Labrador; I love variety, or does it simply mean that I lack discrimination? Regardless, have you met many unhappy Labradors? If they get at this wine, you certainly won't find them unhappy. A wine for high feasts and holy days when joy is the order of the day.

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  3/24/2023 - forceberry wrote: 86 Points

  Due to the very difficult vintage in which the producer lost most of their crop, the blend is atypically Mourvèdre-heavy this year. The wine is a blend of organically farmed Grenache (50%), Mourvèdre (40%) and Syrah (5%); the remaining 5% rounded out by a combination of Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse. The fruit gets fully destemmed before the spontaneous fermentation. Aged in old, neutral oak foudres up to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Bottled unfiltered. 15% alcohol, 2 g/l residual sugar and 5,3 g/l acidity.
  
  Slightly translucent black cherry color. The brooding nose feels youthful but also rather dark-toned with quite lush aromas of dark plums, some red licorice, a little bit of licorice root and garrigue, light gamey tones, a hint of peppery spice, a brambly touch of black raspberries and a whiff of kirsch. The wine feels ripe, rich and open-knit on the palate with a full body and juicy flavors of ripe blackberries and dark plums, some red licorice, a little bit of savory spices, light wild strawberry tones, a hint of kirsch and a touch of garrigue. The overall feel is a bit soft and round due to the medium acidity and ripe medium tannins along with some warmth from the rather high alcohol. The finish is ripe, a bit soft and slightly warm with a rather long aftertaste of savory spices and ripe forest fruits, some red licorice, a little bit of meaty umami, light earthy notes of garrigue, a hint of wild strawberry and a touch of juicy dark plums.
  
  A pleasant but also rather noticeably ripe, round and soft Châteauneuf-du-Pape with nice savory overall flavor profile but with a bit too much alcohol and a bit too little acidity and tannins for such a substantial wine. I'm not sure if it's because of the higher Mourvèdre content, but in our Clos des Papes 2020-2003 vertical the wine the wine stood out stylistically from the other vintages due to its somewhat darker-toned, more savory fruit profile - the overall Clos des Papes style seemed to be a bit sweeter and more red-toned in character. However, this didn't really help the wine as it came across as too ripe, warm and soft for my preference. Even though Châteauneuf-du-Pape is stylistically a big and ripe wine, I'd still like my CdP to show a bit more freshness and structure. I guess the wine might evolve and improve to some extent with further cellaring, but I doubt this vintage will ever develop into something particularly elegant - even if the producer describes the vintage as "elegant" as opposed to the "powerful" 2019 and 2017 vintages. At 104,90€ the price doesn't really make sense.

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  10/14/2022 - beatles wrote:

  Served blind late in the evening. Did not like it a first, a bit all over the place, herbs and kirsch at the core, Grenache speaks. Better when cooler, tightens a bit with more focus, very rich, you feel the warm vintage Not sure how to rate this og where it is going ...
  #BateauIvre#PB

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  10/4/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 97 Points

  Dark in color, the wine shows a black fruit character with accents of spice, white flowers, and pepper. Black raspberries and herb-tipped kirsch create the core of the wine, which is lush, supple, deep, and fleshy. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated and there is a flamboyance to the character that gives this vintage a uniqueness of character. The hedonistic nature of the finish makes this a joy to taste, with a palate-staining finish leaving you with black cherries, licorice, cocoa, chalk, and peppery kirsch. The wine is a blend of 60% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre, and a bit of Syrah, and various, allowable grape varieties. The grapes are as always 100% destemmed. Due to attacks of mildew in the spring, the yields were the lowest in the history of the estate at only 9 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2023-2038.

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