France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The 1990 Beaucastel has been a rather slipping experience for me in recent years - the first bottle was absolutely mindblowing; the second less so, but still superlative. This one was clearly very, very good indeed, but it was yet another step down. I am not sure how to put my finger on it. It could be the much more overt funk and bretty barnyard notes on the nose; but then again, these were mixed in with lovely accents of rose petals, sweet dark cherries and blackberries, spice, garrigue, and then tons of stony mineral, lots of spice, garrigue, all undercut by a savoury, meaty twang. A really complex, engaging nose, a lot to like here - if you do not mind some funk that is. The palate was less lushly fruited than the previous bottles as well. It still had a really nice blush of dark cherries and blackberries at the forefront though, all this laced with lovely acidity and fine, velvety tannins. There was a lot of strength here, but also wonderful elegance - something that I enjoyed in the past. However, what really came out most strongly for me was the great minerality on wine. Past the midpalate the fruit was reduced to a wonderfully stony, pebbly, stream of mineral that flowed into a long finish amidst fragrant notes of warm spice and sweet herbs and a final little glow of sweet cherries. It was a lovely warm finish, full of generosity and charm. All in all, this just lacked some of the breathtaking quality of earlier bottles, but it was still smashing bottle. Perhaps time to start drinking up though - I suspect that the wine may have settled into a long, slow decline.
Wow - this was a surprise. I thought it was a great wine, punching way above its weight. It had a beautiful nose, almost like a mini-Lafite, with a subtle floral perfume drifting alongside notes of slightly roasted cherries and sappy cassis aromas, with a touch of dried earth, a little fragrant herb and just that bit of sweet oak trailing. A really pretty bouquet. The palate was classic 2005 left-bank - just wonderfully balanced and poised, with lovely fresh acidity and beautifully fine tannins just about starting to show signs of softening, with noticeably mellower, more velvety edges draped around a gripper core. Beautiful fruit too. Not quite lush, but showing a nice richness and breadth of flavours along with a lovely purity in its expressions of cassis and dark cherries perfumed with a little floral tone. Mini-Lafite was an expression that came to mind again. The finish was long, gentle and subtly insistent, with shades of earth and a kiss of sweet herb and tobacco right at the end. A really beautiful wine. It seemed already well-integrated and complete, very different from its youth, where it was all sharp-edged potential. Give it time though - this is a great wine that really deserves a decade or two in the cellar. On the day, I thought it was every bit as strong a wine as an excellent bottle of 1990 Beaucastel we had alongside, and that is saying a lot.
1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 94 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The 1990 Beaucastel has been a rather slipping experience for me in recent years - the first bottle was absolutely mindblowing; the second less so, but still superlative. This one was clearly very, very good indeed, but it was yet another step down. I am not sure how to put my finger on it. It could be the much more overt funk and bretty barnyard notes on the nose; but then again, these were mixed in with lovely accents of rose petals, sweet dark cherries and blackberries, spice, garrigue, and then tons of stony mineral, lots of spice, garrigue, all undercut by a savoury, meaty twang. A really complex, engaging nose, a lot to like here - if you do not mind some funk that is. The palate was less lushly fruited than the previous bottles as well. It still had a really nice blush of dark cherries and blackberries at the forefront though, all this laced with lovely acidity and fine, velvety tannins. There was a lot of strength here, but also wonderful elegance - something that I enjoyed in the past. However, what really came out most strongly for me was the great minerality on wine. Past the midpalate the fruit was reduced to a wonderfully stony, pebbly, stream of mineral that flowed into a long finish amidst fragrant notes of warm spice and sweet herbs and a final little glow of sweet cherries. It was a lovely warm finish, full of generosity and charm. All in all, this just lacked some of the breathtaking quality of earlier bottles, but it was still smashing bottle. Perhaps time to start drinking up though - I suspect that the wine may have settled into a long, slow decline.
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2005 Château Duhart-Milon 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Wow - this was a surprise. I thought it was a great wine, punching way above its weight. It had a beautiful nose, almost like a mini-Lafite, with a subtle floral perfume drifting alongside notes of slightly roasted cherries and sappy cassis aromas, with a touch of dried earth, a little fragrant herb and just that bit of sweet oak trailing. A really pretty bouquet. The palate was classic 2005 left-bank - just wonderfully balanced and poised, with lovely fresh acidity and beautifully fine tannins just about starting to show signs of softening, with noticeably mellower, more velvety edges draped around a gripper core. Beautiful fruit too. Not quite lush, but showing a nice richness and breadth of flavours along with a lovely purity in its expressions of cassis and dark cherries perfumed with a little floral tone. Mini-Lafite was an expression that came to mind again. The finish was long, gentle and subtly insistent, with shades of earth and a kiss of sweet herb and tobacco right at the end. A really beautiful wine. It seemed already well-integrated and complete, very different from its youth, where it was all sharp-edged potential. Give it time though - this is a great wine that really deserves a decade or two in the cellar. On the day, I thought it was every bit as strong a wine as an excellent bottle of 1990 Beaucastel we had alongside, and that is saying a lot.
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