Chateauneuf-Du Pape, The 1998 Vintage, A 15 Year Retrospective

Tasted Wednesday, November 20, 2013 by Munch with 1,377 views

Introduction

The evening began with a white wine reception featuring Beaucastel's 2010 VV CdP Blanc and passed Pork Belly and Fois Gras Wellingtons. The group then went down to the Cellar for a blind tasting of 8 1998 CdP reds, followed by dinner and 4 more 1998s.

Flight 1 (1 Note)

Flight 2 - Blind tasting of 8 1998 reds: (1 Note)

  • 1998 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon 91 Points

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

    Medium ruby red, with a somewhat muted nose with some dark berry fruit and prune competing with a touch of volatile acidity. The palate was quite restrained with dark flavors of soy and Asian spices. Supple texture and long finish made for an outstanding wine but my #7 and group's #7 of 8 in a blind tasting.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 3 (1 Note)

Flight 4 (1 Note)

  • 1998 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale 96 Points

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

    Dark ruby and second darkest of the 8 wines in the 1998 tasting with a beautiful nose of new saddle leather and Provencal herbs but also some volatile acidity, this wine was amarone like (some similarity to the 98 Secret de Sabon in this same flight) with lots of complexity with the VA coming through on the palate along with licorice, tea leaf, caramel and cigar box and a long mouth-coating finish. An unusual wine that I would not have guessed was CdP if it hadn't been in a CdP tasting. Group #5

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 5 (1 Note)

  • 1998 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo 95 Points

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

    This was one of the most youthful and fresh of the 8 wines in our 1998 CdP tasting. Still Dark ruby to purple in color this wine was also clean and pure on the palate, not a touch of brett, with blackberries, pepper, and Asian spices. This was the group's #1 (my #4). It had amazing balance and an amazing long finish.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 6 (1 Note)

  • 1998 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

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

    This came in 8th out of 8 1998 Cdp in our tasting, but it was in serious company. It didn't help it that the nose was not much more than some volatile acidity with a pruney note, some licorice and a whiff of other dark fruits. It did taste a better than that with a silky rich and thick texture and licorice and kirsch flavors and bit of a maderized pruniness. It seems like a wine that may come around with more time in bottle as that VA did start to blow off after a couple of hours in the glass.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 7 (1 Note)

Flight 8 (1 Note)

Flight 9 (1 Note)

  • 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin 100 Points

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

    Ruby Red wine with a knockout nose of Provencal herbs, red berries, garrigue, leather and a hint of pepper. Mouthcoating on the palate with more red fruit, cigar box, licorice and pepper. The finish went forever and in a tasting with 8 great 1998 CdP this was my WOTN, group's #3. My score reflects the likelihood that it will continue to rise to new heights in the years to come.

    Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Flight 10 - These 2 wines were served with the first dinner course of Wild Mushroom stuffed Quail and Sundried Tomate Polenta, Madeira Sauce (2 Notes)

Flight 11 - After all those 1998s we strayed to a couple of other vintages and a couple of amazing wines to finish the evening. (2 Notes)

  • 1999 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 95 Points

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

    After 12 1998 CdPs and with no notes, I can only say that is was a beautiful wine with a classic nose, rich texture and nice finish, and my rating is based on where it fell relative to the great wines that preceded it.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

  • 1978 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 99 Points

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

    Last wine of a long night of great wines, served blind, and it just about stole the show. I guessed 1990 Rayas, which I've never had, but it did taste like Rayas and way younger than its years. Beautiful nose of tobacco and red fruit and complex flavors of raspberry, cherry, blackberry, licorice, spices and tobacco, yet smooth and weightless and with a long finish. Almost like a cross between a great CdP and a big, complex and elegant Burgundy. I wonder what this was like 10 years ago. Different no doubt, bigger, but better than this? Hard to imagine.

    Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue

Closing

There were 2 more 1998s served with our second dinner course, A Berkshire Pork Chop. The Vieux Telegraphe and Vieux Donjon were both nice wines but not quite up to the rest and no notes taken. Overall a great tasting that started with an Amarone fake-out Secret de Sabon and Bonneau Speciale, but a great settling in to a great set of wines. Most all of these wines seem to be in a great place right now with none tastin over the hill, and the Beaucastel Hommage seeming to have the most upside from here.

×
×