France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed approximately 30 minutes. Light straw gold in the glass. On the nose, melon, florals, vanilla, honey, mineral, lemon/lime zest, with an herbal tinge and a kiss of oak. As it warms in the glass, the oak become a bit more prevalent. On the palate, rich and somewhat voluptuous, showing an oily texture. Based on the nose, I would have pegged this for being slightly deficient in acid, however, on tasting, there are sufficient acid to keep this fresh and counterbalance the richness. The finish is moderate, with tastes of melon, citrus, mineral, honey, vanilla, and a touch of wood. A tiny bit of heat stands out on the back end, but overall, a strong effort. I am not particularly fond of this producer, but this was better than expected.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a light brick. On first sniff, it was quite obvious as to what this was; the one we were all waiting for. Gorgeous red fruited nose of cranberry, pomegranate, fresh cut strawberry, crushed rock, incense, orange peel, white pepper, baking spice, smoke and a touch of leather. On the palate, good concentration and depth, with medium acidity. Finish is long, accentuated with tastes of red fruit, orange peel, smoke, and white pepper. There is a tiny bit of astringency on the back end of the palate that keeps me from pushing this up to a classic score.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a light brick. On the nose, black fruits, olive tapenade, earth, mint, horse stable, beetroot, baking spice, smoke and leather. This is darker in nature than the Rayas Pignan that preceded it, but still showing lovely aromatics. On the palate, a rounded, slightly sweet entry, medium plus acidity, and some unresolved tannin. The finish is moderate, accentuated with tastes of black fruit, olive, earth, mineral, spice and smoke. A lovely showing from this wine, with plenty of traditional character. In a good spot for drinking now, but should hold for quite some time.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. On first sniff we could tell something was amiss here; stewed, raisined and heavy notes of bruised apple. A second bottle was pulled fresh from the cellar with similar notes.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour with the light brick. On the nose, perhaps the biggest wine so far; blackberry, crushed raspberries, kirsch, anise, crushed rock, garrigue, and a touch of tar. On the palate, clean fruit and fresh acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and medium acidity. Tastes of blackberry, kirsch, licorice, mineral, herbs and spice round out the moderate length finish. A well made fine for sure, but compared to the older Beaucastel that I've had, seemingly devoid of any distinctive character.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Bottled corked.
Second bottle pulled from cellar, popped and poured. Deep garnet in colour with a slight brick. On the nose, this was a touched reduced with a rubbery element noted, this blew off to some degree over time, revealing the underlying kirsch liqueur, baked blackberries, anise and a touch of wood. There is quite a bit of heat on the nose noted, making this rather unpleasant to take in. The palate is similar, with high ripeness and extraction, showing sweet black fruits, licorice, and spice. Finishes moderate and quite hot. Overall, not a pleasant drink and outclassed by a number of wines this evening.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a moderate brick at the rim. On the nose red berries, blackberry, incense, orange peel, dried herb, leather, soy, beef stock, dried mushroom, crushed rock and an overlay of horse stable. This screams traditional producer with a dirty cellar. On the palate, well balanced with excellent concentration, with tastes of red and black fruits, spice, pepper, orange rind and leather. There is perhaps a touch of heat on the finish which detracts slightly from the whole package. Guessed this as either the Pegau or the Donjon.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour with a moderate brick. On the nose, sour candies, hairspray, alcohol. On the palate, like notes; tons of heat. I will give this the benefit of the doubt and call it flawed, although sadly consistent with some other "older" VTs we've had.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a moderate brick at the rim. On the nose, this is very true to the place in which it comes; red and black fruit, baking spice, undergrowth, incense, flowers and fresh picked herbs, leather and a touch of horse stable. On the palate, red/black fruit, mineral, earth, spice, dried herb and a touch of licorice. Lovely wine.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Deep garnet in colour, with a mild brick. On the nose, candied red and black fruits, lavender, soap, rubber, vanilla, alcohol, oak and custard. On the palate, purple drank; sweet dark fruit preserves, spice, dried herb and notable alcohol. Tannin is moderate, acidity is medium minus, and the finish is a bit clipped due to the tannin, with only the sense of alcohol lingering in the mouth. Overall rather simplistic and not in a style I enjoy.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a slick brick. On the nose, red/black fruit, gooseberry, spice, leather, dried herb and a touch of rubber, seemingly a touch reduced on opening, but over time, the rubber turned to tar and asphalt, blending in a bit better. On the palate, tastes of cherry liqueur, dried herb, tar, and caper brine frame the short finish, clipped by drying tannin and overall, showing a bit of astringency. There are some elements here that I like, but amongst the other wines tonight, this did not show well.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Doubled decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Translucent garnet in the glass. On the nose, crushed raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, crushed rock, a touch of mint leaves, dried herbs and spice. On the palate, showing lovely balance, with a touch higher than medium acid and mild fine grained tannin. The finish is medium, framed with tastes of raspberry puree, red cherry, mineral, mint and spice. On reveal, this was a great surprise. Very nice showing.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Translucent garnet in the glass. On the nose, this was showing a bit deeper in aromatics than some of the other wines, with seemingly more varietals here. Overall, quite clean aromas of blackberry, cherry, plum, dried herb, earth, spice and a touch of volatile acidity. On the palate, again, relatively clean, with tart red/black fruit, spice, earth, showing medium acidity, finishing moderate, with a bit of grip on the back end.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. In the glass, garnet in colour with a moderate brick. This seemed very advanced, with notes of bruised apple, liquorice, spice and prune. On the palate, this is a mess. This was either flawed, or should have been consumed 5 years ago.
2011 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Fontaine 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed approximately 30 minutes. Light straw gold in the glass. On the nose, melon, florals, vanilla, honey, mineral, lemon/lime zest, with an herbal tinge and a kiss of oak. As it warms in the glass, the oak become a bit more prevalent. On the palate, rich and somewhat voluptuous, showing an oily texture. Based on the nose, I would have pegged this for being slightly deficient in acid, however, on tasting, there are sufficient acid to keep this fresh and counterbalance the richness. The finish is moderate, with tastes of melon, citrus, mineral, honey, vanilla, and a touch of wood. A tiny bit of heat stands out on the back end, but overall, a strong effort. I am not particularly fond of this producer, but this was better than expected.
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2001 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve 94 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a light brick. On first sniff, it was quite obvious as to what this was; the one we were all waiting for. Gorgeous red fruited nose of cranberry, pomegranate, fresh cut strawberry, crushed rock, incense, orange peel, white pepper, baking spice, smoke and a touch of leather. On the palate, good concentration and depth, with medium acidity. Finish is long, accentuated with tastes of red fruit, orange peel, smoke, and white pepper. There is a tiny bit of astringency on the back end of the palate that keeps me from pushing this up to a classic score.
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2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a light brick. On the nose, black fruits, olive tapenade, earth, mint, horse stable, beetroot, baking spice, smoke and leather. This is darker in nature than the Rayas Pignan that preceded it, but still showing lovely aromatics. On the palate, a rounded, slightly sweet entry, medium plus acidity, and some unresolved tannin. The finish is moderate, accentuated with tastes of black fruit, olive, earth, mineral, spice and smoke. A lovely showing from this wine, with plenty of traditional character. In a good spot for drinking now, but should hold for quite some time.
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2001 Domaine des Saumades Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. On first sniff we could tell something was amiss here; stewed, raisined and heavy notes of bruised apple. A second bottle was pulled fresh from the cellar with similar notes.
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2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour with the light brick. On the nose, perhaps the biggest wine so far; blackberry, crushed raspberries, kirsch, anise, crushed rock, garrigue, and a touch of tar. On the palate, clean fruit and fresh acidity, mostly resolved tannin, and medium acidity. Tastes of blackberry, kirsch, licorice, mineral, herbs and spice round out the moderate length finish. A well made fine for sure, but compared to the older Beaucastel that I've had, seemingly devoid of any distinctive character.
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2001 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 85 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Bottled corked.
Second bottle pulled from cellar, popped and poured. Deep garnet in colour with a slight brick. On the nose, this was a touched reduced with a rubbery element noted, this blew off to some degree over time, revealing the underlying kirsch liqueur, baked blackberries, anise and a touch of wood. There is quite a bit of heat on the nose noted, making this rather unpleasant to take in. The palate is similar, with high ripeness and extraction, showing sweet black fruits, licorice, and spice. Finishes moderate and quite hot. Overall, not a pleasant drink and outclassed by a number of wines this evening.
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2001 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a moderate brick at the rim. On the nose red berries, blackberry, incense, orange peel, dried herb, leather, soy, beef stock, dried mushroom, crushed rock and an overlay of horse stable. This screams traditional producer with a dirty cellar. On the palate, well balanced with excellent concentration, with tastes of red and black fruits, spice, pepper, orange rind and leather. There is perhaps a touch of heat on the finish which detracts slightly from the whole package. Guessed this as either the Pegau or the Donjon.
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2001 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour with a moderate brick. On the nose, sour candies, hairspray, alcohol. On the palate, like notes; tons of heat. I will give this the benefit of the doubt and call it flawed, although sadly consistent with some other "older" VTs we've had.
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2001 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a moderate brick at the rim. On the nose, this is very true to the place in which it comes; red and black fruit, baking spice, undergrowth, incense, flowers and fresh picked herbs, leather and a touch of horse stable. On the palate, red/black fruit, mineral, earth, spice, dried herb and a touch of licorice. Lovely wine.
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2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul 85 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted about 2 hours in advance, served blind. Deep garnet in colour, with a mild brick. On the nose, candied red and black fruits, lavender, soap, rubber, vanilla, alcohol, oak and custard. On the palate, purple drank; sweet dark fruit preserves, spice, dried herb and notable alcohol. Tannin is moderate, acidity is medium minus, and the finish is a bit clipped due to the tannin, with only the sense of alcohol lingering in the mouth. Overall rather simplistic and not in a style I enjoy.
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2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Garnet in colour, with a slick brick. On the nose, red/black fruit, gooseberry, spice, leather, dried herb and a touch of rubber, seemingly a touch reduced on opening, but over time, the rubber turned to tar and asphalt, blending in a bit better. On the palate, tastes of cherry liqueur, dried herb, tar, and caper brine frame the short finish, clipped by drying tannin and overall, showing a bit of astringency. There are some elements here that I like, but amongst the other wines tonight, this did not show well.
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2001 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Doubled decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Translucent garnet in the glass. On the nose, crushed raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, crushed rock, a touch of mint leaves, dried herbs and spice. On the palate, showing lovely balance, with a touch higher than medium acid and mild fine grained tannin. The finish is medium, framed with tastes of raspberry puree, red cherry, mineral, mint and spice. On reveal, this was a great surprise. Very nice showing.
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2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. Translucent garnet in the glass. On the nose, this was showing a bit deeper in aromatics than some of the other wines, with seemingly more varietals here. Overall, quite clean aromas of blackberry, cherry, plum, dried herb, earth, spice and a touch of volatile acidity. On the palate, again, relatively clean, with tart red/black fruit, spice, earth, showing medium acidity, finishing moderate, with a bit of grip on the back end.
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2001 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double decanted approximately 2 hours in advance, served blind. In the glass, garnet in colour with a moderate brick. This seemed very advanced, with notes of bruised apple, liquorice, spice and prune. On the palate, this is a mess. This was either flawed, or should have been consumed 5 years ago.
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