Pre-'90 Chateauneuf in Seattle

Kaspars
Tasted Saturday, April 30, 2005 by Blair Curtis with 1,167 views

Introduction

This was a great event. The CNdP flights were served blind.

Flight 1 - Warmup with great whites - mostly Riesling (5 Notes)

  • 1976 Groensteyn Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    Apple cider color. Nice classic diesel nose. On the palate, a nice aged riesling with good balance, decent acidity and flavours of medium-tart apples. Good complexity.

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  • 1990 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 91 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Gasoline (not diesel) on the nose. On the palate, delightful honey-drizzled pears (the honey aspect is almost like a botrytis character and is mostly on the finish). Narrower than the '76 and perhaps a little closed at this time. Should be excllent and has lots more time left.

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  • 2001 Kerpen Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese 87 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    There is a distinct odor of urine on the nose. My girlfriend, who knows more about science than I do, detects it also, but tells me the proper descriptor is ammonia. So I should perhaps start using "ammonia" to describe this smell (this would prevent future upset of fans of certain wines I have described as smelling of urine). Anyways, the wine has good acidity, nice weight and an almost effervescent mouthfeel. A little simple though.

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  • 2003 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Riesling Kabinett 87 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Again ammonia and also sulphur on the nose. Pink grapefruit on the palate with nice prickly acidity. Some melon, red berry fruit and sweetened apple juice. Good quaffer.

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  • 1988 Château Doisy-Védrines 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    A little VA/shower curtain on the nose. Good botrytis character - honeyed almonds on the palate. Nice with the seared foie gras.

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Flight 2 - The Main Event - CNdP Flight #1 (3 Notes)

  • 1989 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

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

    On the nose, some brett, minerals and beef blood. On the palate, some autumn leaves, sous bois, minerals, tart cherries and red berries. The wine seemed a bit closed and had relatively high acid. I liked it - a wine with character!

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  • 1989 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

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

    This one I liked a little more than the Donjon (and a lot more than some tasters at the table, I think). Right from the barnyardy nose, you know you are in the S. Rhone. The wine has a big, strong palate with tea and garrigue. As the wine sits, a perfume note emerges. I really like this.

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  • 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 87 Points

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

    This was the first of the two bottles of this wine on the night. People at the table explained that because this one had the French back label, it was a gray market bottle. This was by far the darkest wine of the flight. I found it had a reduced, plummy, roasted dark fruit character that I did not like. To me it seemed like a wine from a riper vintage than the other bottles in this flight (Jason advised they were all from the same year, so that theory was shot). There was less acid and more powdery tannin. This bottle did not ring my bell.

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Flight 3 - CNdP Flight #2 (2 Notes)

Flight 4 - CNdP Flight #3 (3 Notes)

  • 1983 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points

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

    Nice older Chateauneuf showing the leather, horsey, mature profile. Snappy acids. Cranberry and raspberry fruit. Not dead by a long shot.

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  • 1986 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points

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

    This wine may have been the best drinking wine of the night at this point in time...but I wouldn't hold it any longer. Fully resolved tannin. A nice silky, spherical mouthfeel. But a bit simpler on the flavour profile than others tonight. And a touch dilute. Drink up.

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  • 1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points

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

    This was the split-personality bottle of this wine (our 2nd of this bottling). It had the English back label and the importer reference printed onto the front label. On first pour, most at the table agreed the wine was showing as though it was oxidized or heat damaged. Flat, lifeless and without structure. Flabby ripe fruit. Very restrained nose that was not fresh when compared to wine from bottle #1 of this. Then a remarkable thing happened. The wine came to life after about 1/2 hour in the glasses. Jason must have applied the paddles, because this thing got going again. Now the wine seems to have underlying structure - the tannins and acid have come out of hiding. The nose has opened. This wine is now holding its own against what we have tried tonight. Wacky wine.

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Flight 5 - Dessert (1 Note)

Flight 6 - Pours from other tables (3 Notes)

  • 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 96 Points

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

    I got the dregs of this from another table. I preferred this by a hair over our better bottle of '89 Beau. This had the full animale character I love in Chateauneuf. It was horsey, sweaty and had some old leather. But it also had great rich red fruit. Just plain super.

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  • 1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 88 Points

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

    Got a pour of this from another table. This has a big nose of roasted fruit, but the palate does not deliver accordingly. The wine is quite small in the mouth with a low level of fruit (the fruit that is there is surmature). The wine is tannic with a chalky minerality. I find this less complex than many other wines tasted tonight.

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  • 1985 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Reserve 95 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

    This thing was beastly - and really fantastic. Reminded me of a young Grand Cru Burgundy. Nice leafy complexity juxtaposed with enormous purple fruit. All sorts of baking spices. Big tannic structure still. Quite a ringer!

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Closing

This tasting was incredibly fun and educational. I'm glad I drove down to Seattle for it!

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