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15th Annual Lyon 10 Year Retrospective
Chez Lyon in Eugene, OR
Tasted November 6, 2011 by Grinner with 941 views
Introduction
Once again we gathered to see where some particular ten year old wines are in their evolution. These wines were decanted for at least 3.5 hrs. The wines from bottles with high shoulders (Montelena, Dunn, etc) were put into slope shouldered bottles so I couldn't tell when pouring that I had a ringer in my hand. The bottles were brown bagged and then the shell game ensued to arrange them in flights of 5 w/ one ringer each. My notes are short because of the time pressure, 38 wines in 4 hours!!
Flight 1 - The Sparklers for arrival (2 notes)
White - Sparkling
2001 José Michel & Fils Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
89 points
Not a great year for Champagne apparently, this is one of the few vintage dated wines from '01. The flavors of lemon curd, green apple, and yeast are backed by serious acidity. It made the '01 Argyle ET taste a little sweet by comparison. Still pretty good 2 days later!
White - Sparkling
2001 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut
93 points
A little more gold color than the Jose Michel, this wine was more complex. White stone fruit, ripe apple, bread dough, and some melon dressed up in a fine mousse. Lingers nicely.
Flight 2 - Flight One (5 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Félix
93 points
Sometimes the hardest "contestant" to judge is the first -- you don't want to be the first skater on the ice in the Olympics! This was the first CdP out of 28 (plus 7 ringers) and I really liked it. I may have scored it down a little to give some room for the following wines. A nice mix of red fruit, leather, rose petal, garrigue, and forest floor. The texture was very smooth and it lingered nicely. On plateau, READY! Fell off a bit on day two, 90pts.
Red
2001 Domaine de la Solitude (Lançon Père et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve Secrète
92 points
Doyle's wine was very ripe, with black fruit, spice, leather, and earth notes. 90 pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape
88 points
This is a very smooth textured wine w/ dried cherries, some spice and leather. I thought Rioja ringer until I tasted the Dunn HM in the same flight. 88 pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain
91 points
Denise's WOTN, currant and oak gave it away in this blind tasting. The earth/ mineral component adds complexity. The depth of fruit is good and it still has tons of structure/tannins. Nearing plateau, but has 5-10 years. 91 pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape
91 points
Middle of the pack wine w/ spice and game notes leading the way. Cherries/kirsch and some plum. Smooth texture and a long finish, this seems to be on plateau. 89pts on day 2.
Flight 3 - Flight Two (5 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine Grand Veneur Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Origines
93 points
This bottle showed well, it has some classic grenache flavors: black cherries, game, underbrush, anise, and leather. Nice length. 92pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin
92 points
This wine has ripe red fruit, red and black licorice, smoke, leather, and earth. Big glycerin component or as some have suggested possible residual sugar... Still big spicey and long on day 2: 91pts.
Red
2001 Behrens & Hitchcock Syrah Homage to Ed Oliveira Alder Springs Vineyard
90 points
An obvious ringer in a blind flight of CdP's. The oak gave it away along w/ New World fruit. Blackberry, blueberry, plum, and some pepper on the palate. 90pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape
91 points
Blind tasted out of 35 wines, this was run of the mill. Obvious CdP spice, red fruit, some pepper and leather notes. Reasonable depth and length but not for it's pedigree. 90pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Eric Texier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve Improbable NF
90 points
This wine stood out as almost over ripe in this tasting. Black cherry, black berry, plum, some garrigue, and earth flavors w/ medium depth. Comes across as very young for an '01 and slightly odd. 90pts on day 2.
Flight 4 - Flight Three (5 notes)
Red
2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
95 points
My WOTN, this wine has great depth and complexity w/o being overbearing. Nose is amazing and then you get to this texture experience on the palate. It goes on and on with black greater than red fruit, pepper, leather, garrigue, and earth. 94pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard
92 points
Almost like someone switched labels between this and the basic Bearenard. A lot of dark fruit, pepper, olive, and spice. Seemed to have some muscle/ grip that made many of us think the order would be reversed in a few years. Sure enugh it was a little better on day 2: 93pts.
Red
2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape
93 points
A suprise of this blind tasting, out performing the Boisrenard. Cherry liquer framed by kelp/iodine, anise, leather, and blood. Very fresh, deep, and long. Seems like there's always one or two wines in a big blind tasting that overachieve. 92 pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine du Caillou Les Quartz
92 points
A bit of an underperformer blind. It had notable iron/ mineral component to the ripe dark fruit. In fact, VERY ripe. Needs more time to integrate but I can see how some will never like this. 91pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
93 points
Cassis fruit and a hint of mint gave this one away pretty quickly in this blind tasting. Big but not jammy, deep and yet elegant, oak w/o the splinters, mature but in great shape. Very similar on day 2: 92pts.
Flight 5 - Flight Four (5 notes)
Red
2001 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape
90 points
Just another nice CdP w/ nothing particularly distinguishing in a big blind tasting. Fruit leaned towards the red spectrum, it has notes of iodine, leather, and herbs. About the same on day 2: 90pts.
Red
2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape
93 points
One of the overperformers of the night, it shows Kirsch, seaweed, blackberry, pepper, spice, with a little earth. It just went on and on that night. 91 on day 2.
Red
2001 Château Jean-Pierre Gaussen Bandol Longue Garde
90 points
This wine probably had the most funk of the tasting. It leaned heavily on black fruit and tannins to make it the likely ringer of the flight. Also had some nice herbs, pepper and licorice notes. Less barnyard on day 2, 89 pts.
Red
2001 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul
92 points
Not quite what I expected for the price and pedigree in this blind tasting. Came off as a little hotter than most. It's still excellent for it's dark fruit, the spice, the nice depth and texture. It actually tasted better on day 2: fresh, big black cherry notes and spice again: 93+.
Red
2001 Tardieu-Laurent Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes
92 points
This was a surprise and beat it's CdP brother in the flight. Both red and black fruit can be picked out, along with anise, herbs, pepper, and earth notes. Nice depth and length. 90pts on day 2.
Flight 6 - Flight Five (5 notes)
Red
2001 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape
91 points
Notable iodine / kelp component along w/ spice, red cherries, meat and earth. nice texture and length. Ready! 90pts on day 2
Red
2001 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape
90 points
This wine appeared to be on the mature side in this blind tasting. Flavors lean to the red fruit side w/ some leather and hints of underbrush and meat. Held up well on day 2: 90pts.
Red
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial
88 points
This wine stood out as having more oak and less fruit than most of the CdP's. Hence my score may have suffered in the comparo. Still it was very balanced and a pleasure to drink, just not deep enough to be outstanding. Dried up and blown away like dust on the wind on day 2.
Red
2001 Bosquet des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Tradition
91 points
This did pretty well blind, it has a nice mix of red more than black fruit, some leather and spice. Mature. 88pts on day2.
Red
2001 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois
92 points
This has a lot of black fruit, berry, spice, anise, herbs, pepper with some very nice grip/structure. Lots of time. 91pts on day 2.
Flight 7 - Flight Six (5 notes)
Red
2001 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial
88 points
First time a ringer led off a flight, it seemed to have more oak and dried cherry flavors, with less spice than we'd expect for a CdP, so it got picked out correctly. It's smooth textured and pleasant, but not my cup of tea. About the same on day 2: 87pts
Red
2001 Domaine de la Charbonnière Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Mourre des Perdrix
92 points
Similar to the one tasted 2 days prior. But this bottle was from Hugh and leaned more towards black fruit w/ some add'l iron mineral notes. Some typical CdP spice gave it away as a "non-ringer". Has a few years left. Iodine more obvious on day 2: 92 pts.
Red
2001 Jean-Michel Gerin Côte-Rôtie Champin le Seigneur
91 points
A floral note on the nose made it stand out as different than the other 34 wines. More red than black fruit w/ some pepper and sangre de toro. 90pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape
91 points
This wine leads with black fruit into the classic spicy, kelp, leather, and "grenache underbrush" flavors that I love. Not particularly deep or long, but very pleasurable. 89pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige
93 points
One of the darker wines in the tasting, this has black fruit, spice/garrigue, kelp, wet underbrush, and a little sangre de toro on the nose and palate. Lingers nicely. 93 pts on day 2.
Flight 8 - Flight Seven (5 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau
93 points
I liked this more than most folks, it has a lot of non fruit flavors: kelp/iodine, garrigue, wet underbrush, licorice, stone, and smoked meat/ blood. Nice and long, I think it still has 3-5 years. I gave it 90 pts in 2007. 92 on day 2 this time around.
Red
2001 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
95 points
My second WOTN, this bottle seemed bigger/ younger than I remember from a year ago. Black fruit, cherry liquer, garrigue, meat/game, kelp, and some tar. Great balance and structure, tons of time. 94pts on day 2.
Red
2001 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm
92 points
Christian's bottle, most picked it out as a ringer. It has some fairly intense black fruit w/ notes of anise, pepper, tar, olive and oak. Still big and ripe on day 2: 90pts
Red
2001 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Marquis Tonneaux
93 points
Strong showing in a great flight, this wine has an appropriate garnet color w/ minimal brick at the edge. Red cherries, berries, seaweed, spice/garrigue, and a touch of wet underbrush on the nose and palate. I loved the balance and texture. Not quite as deep as the VT or Pegau in this flight. Drink up. 91pts on day 2.
Red
2001 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rubis
90 points
A step down from the Marquis, this had a little less fruit and not quite the texture. Still it's a very smooth CdP with the requisite spicy red fruit and hints of earth and leather. Tannins in better balance with the remaining fruit the next day: 91pts on day 2.
Flight 9 - Dessert! (1 note)
Served with a very nice Stilton.
Red - Fortified
1994 Graham Porto Vintage
95 points
A 7 hr decant and then served as dessert at a 35 wine CdP tasting. Not sure what my BAL was... This wine still has it's baby coat on: impenetrable purple color. The nose includes graphite, deep black fruit, and spice. The balance/integration is wonderful and the finish goes on and on. Will try again tonight...so this sat ungassed in a decanter for another 4 days and was still a 90+ pt wine! Tannins had melted and the fruit had only faded a bit, leaving it slightly hot (but still excellent).
Closing
Unlike tasting the 2000 Bordeaux last year, these wines, as a group, are very approachable if not down right READY to drink now. Poor David couldn't make it due to a back attack a day after he attacked a downed tree! Cheers and Happy Holidays! Mark and Denise