08 Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Renaissance Wines
Renaissance Premium Wines and Cigars, Orenco Station, Oregon
Tasted Friday, September 17, 2010 by subtlet with 547 views
Introduction
Collection of notes from a tasting of CdP. Thanks to Renaissance Wines and C&G Wines for putting this on.
2009 Domaine Lafond Roc-Epine Lirac Blanc 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Lirac
Honeydew melon, limes, and dandelions appear on the nose leaving a refreshing impression. The wine delivers some good acidity on the palate along with banana flavors and a rich apple note. The richness isn't overwhelming, and the entire experience is clean.
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2008 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape 85 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The nose is kind of rugged, with scents of cloves, some heat, gamy meat, and faint molasses. Somewhat surprisingly, its a brighter wine on the palate showing plums and blackberry fruit with good acidity. A stemmy note shows on the mid palate along with the tannins which are still a bit rough. Some nice dark fruit shows on the finish as well. It's a little rough overall now, but I think it will improve significantly with some time in bottle.
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2008 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Full blackberry scents hint at something jammy without quite getting there. Some pepperoni scents show as well. This has a softer touch on the palate with full but elegant fruit. The structure is full, and a bit of green shows on the mid palate along with the juicy fruit. This is a big wine.
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2009 Cuvée du Vatican Côtes du Rhône Villages 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages
Dark cherries, blackberries, and some even oak show here. Straight forward, but excellent on the nose. Big juicy cherries and dark earth rise up and deliver full flavor on the mid palate. Graphite notes show along with some great, tart grape fruit flavors later. On top of these flavors, the wine has a very clean feel to it. Yum! 89+
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2008 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Nutmeg, brown sugar, cherries, and a green note show on the nose. Light black pepper shows quickly. A "cool" texture along with dark cherries and chocolate evolves slowly. Blackberry flavors settle gently onto the back of the palate. The wine is on the soft side. The structure is there, and begins to get big toward the finish, but it fades away again before getting too powerful. 90-
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2008 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Sixtine 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The nose is full of bright red notes with scents of grapefruit, cherries, and hibiscus. It shows good evolution on the palate with blackberry and cherry flavors in the forefront. There is a bit of heat and a hint of something green on the mid. Some lovely vanilla oak and blackberry flavors run out on the middle of the palate after the structure fades. The grapefruits are full of acidity that contribute very well to the structure. 89+
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2008 Domaine Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The nose is complex and delivers a lot of enjoyable scents. Grapefruits, cherries, pie crust, and cloves all make an appearance. This has a great touch immediately on the palate, with layers of all elements from the nose. Some blood orange and clove flavors linger on the finish. The wine is complex and full of delicious flavors.
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2008 Domaine Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Petits Pieds d'Armand 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The nose immediately strikes me as large. I get scents of blackberries, with stems intact, some chocolate, and a hint of something green. Often, green notes detract from the experience for me, but not here. The palate delivers full and rich blackberries and grapes. The evolution on the mid palate is fantastic, and the tannins are lovely and soft. Tart rhubarb evolves over the top of the blackberry flavors later. Vanilla flavors rise on the finish as well, but never dominate the experience. This is lovely, long and soft as the finish lingers.
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