Three premium 2007 Chateauneufs

Tasted Friday, November 13, 2009 by alanr with 663 views

Flight 1 (3 Notes)

Spent some time with three higher end CdPs:

  • 2007 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet 88 Points

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

    Big, juicy dark red fruit, quite ripe though not roasted, quite high acidity, a bit of imbalance between the ripeness and the finishing acidity. Somewhat disappointing in this heralded vintage, showing more California-like that Chateauneuf, missing any sense of herbs, garrique, or what I would call CdP terroir.

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  • 2007 Domaine Olivier Hillaire Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Petits Pieds d'Armand 84 Points

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

    Opens with a somewhat strange nose or cranberry and candied orange peal, which on its own would be fine, but there's something irritating there as well; The palate is over the top, very ripe candied cherry cough drop. Typical for what I'm finding in the top end cuvees in 2007: ultra ripe (though not roasted and caramelized like many 03s were). This is another poster child for too much of a "good thing". I haven't tried the regular CdP bottling yet, it will likely be a much better wine.

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  • 2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 85 Points

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

    Barnyard brett with a touch of sulfur on the nose; big, ripe, sweet, fairly candied, syrupy cherry, some out of place med acidity on the finish (relative to the ripeness level of the wine), along with a touch of what I perceive as alcohol spice. The level of ripeness obliterates whatever CdP character might be expected, turning it into just another overripe grenache that could come from anywhere. The one saving grace is that it hasn't been knocked over the head with new oak.

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Closing

Having now tasted a reasonable number of the higher priced premium cuvees, I think I can safely conclude that 2007 is most definitely NOT the vintage of a lifetime for my tastes. I've found some outstanding wines (notably Vieux Telegraphe and Beaucastel), but have yet to be wowed by any of the so-called "top" wines (with the possible exception of Usseglio Mon Aieul).

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