Community Tasting Note

• MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  May 23, 2019 - 2016 CdP (and some other wines over dinner) (NY Racquet and Tennis Club): Clear number one for the group and I'll say probably for me as well. This is what the best CdP should be like. It's not shy with the fruit - all up there in a darker more blackberry style which surprised me. And there's a hint of sweetness to it. More ripe than some of the earlier ones. But also this great freshness in the wine. It's moderate bodied. There's balance. Decent amount of tannin at the moment, but it doesn't detract from the wine. It's actually drinking nicely now although I suspect I'd like it a lot better with some age. Clearly well constructed. Mostly Grenache (the quote I heard was winemaker thinks of Syrah and Mouvedre as 'salt and pepper' - for flavoring only but should not dominate the blend). I liked this producer a lot when we visited a few years ago and nice to see that it does stand up quite well compared to brethren.

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5 Comments

• anthroman commented:

  5/24/19, 7:48 AM - Seen several of your CdP notes pop up in my feed today and wanted to say thanks! Makes me excited for what's in store for the future.

• MC2 Wines commented:

  5/24/19, 8:50 AM - Yes indeed - we did a tasting last night of 17 of the 2016s. Great vintage and fun to get to try everything side by side. Finished with a BYO aged CdP dinner that had a few northern rhones thrown in. Not a bad time!

• PSPatrick commented:

  3/18/20, 9:27 AM - Another very helpful note, thank you! We did a vertical of 1985, 1990 and 1998 earlier this year and I was amazed by how different the three wines were. The 1998 was ripe, broad and alcoholic, the 1990 well-structured with plenty of life left, and the 1985 just absolutely gorgeous...

• MC2 Wines commented:

  3/30/20, 6:04 AM - Wow - 85 must have been awesome. My takeaway from this tasting was Clos des Papes is everyone's wine and it's been a go to for us when we want that broader appeal. Would love to get a chance to try some of the older ones.

• PSPatrick commented:

  3/31/20, 9:19 AM - To me, Clos des Papes is one of the best producers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The wines used to be very different year after year in the old days, rarely bad, just different, and are a little more consistent stylistically nowadays. The 2016 is amazing. And their whites are also phenomenal with some age if you are lucky to find some. Cheers!

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