NYC CdP Fest at S&W

Thanks to Dave Bekhor for putting together a great evening. I really enjoyed this crowd; very casual. Nobody measuring pours or the size of their labels. If the night was about enjoying great wine and great conversation (and big slabs of steak), then mission accomplished. The experience ranged from the expert to the newbie and everything in between.

With respect to the wine, I think my take away is that the 2001's will be very nice in 5 years or so. Nothing was really controversial (a la the 2003 vintage), as the wine showed great typicity of style of Southern Rhone. A little step below the 1998's, but certainly in line.

• 2001 Paolo Scavino Langhe Sorriso

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Very interesting wine. Pale yellow. Nice acidity and minerality. Grassy notes and pears. Apparently a blend of Sav Blanc (grass), Chard and Viognier. Fun wine to try to figure out the varietals by the parts. Well put together.

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• 2001 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Fairly light ruby with a Grenache-y nose. Decent fruit (plums), but a bit austere at this point. A very nice drinker although not a superstar.

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• 2001 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark purple that was startling contrast to the Guigal. Horse sweat on the nose. A particularly spicy wine with a solid core of fruit (blackberry, kirsch). Full bodied and ready to drink now.

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• 2001 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Ruby color. Slightly herbal nose (not herbaceous or green) with a nice minerality. The fruit was OK (plums), but it was a bit tight. This was the WOTN for some, but I thought this was a bit of structure at the expense of the fruit at this point. The fruit had super concentration though. It will be a superstar in several years.

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• 2001 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale Les Hautes Brusquières

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium-dark purple. Well, we've left the barnyard. Great fruit on the nose. Spicy black fruit (blackberry liqueur) and meat that lingers. Tannins resolved here, so go for it. Very nice.

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• 2001 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Dark, dark in the glass. This promises to be something special. 100 points special? Not really, but still a fantastic wine that only hints at what will come years from now. Crushed mint and black fruit on the nose with not a hint of barnyard. Mouthcoating cassis, kirsch and grilled meat that goes on and on. The first wine of the night that has both fruit and structure. This wine has exceptional balance and concentration of fruit and should drink well for years. Unfair to give it WOTN as it is such a step in price above the others.

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• 2001 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  To quote Bob Fyke, "This one's jumpin' out of the glass." Lively fruit (plum, blackberry) that you can smell coming a mile away, this one wants to be liked and succeeds. Great concentration anf intensity in the fruit with a backbone to age. You can drink this now and love it, but it will only get better. WOTN for me.

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• 2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Medium dark purple. After the Caillou Reserve and the Pegau it was back to the barnyard. Either this was a very subtle for a CdP or maybe this is just sleeping. Not a lot of fruit and high acidity. Clearly suffered from the order of the flights. There was some thoguht that this was corked, but I don't agree.

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• 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Corked! Damn.

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• 2001 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Deep purple. Plenty of barnyard on the nose with a bit of mint. This was the first wine that was unrelenting. Very tannic, although there was some very nice blackberry hidden behind there. The thing that distinguishes this one is its great minerality. Built to age, this will be a winner, but don't touch for several years.

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• 2001 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Sort of a blah nose and sour cherries on the palate. Something wrong here. Either flawed bottle or shutdown, but this was not good.

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• 2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Ah, the wooden fox (with the emphasis on the wood). Very spicy black pepper nose, but where's the fruit? Oh, there it is in the cedar trees behind the tannins. With some patience you can coax out the super-concentrated black fruit. This will age well and should be a beauty in a few years, but it's just too tight now.

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