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Uncorked DK does 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Aarø & Co
Tasted December 17, 2009 by gorm with 1,394 views
Introduction
Just before Christmas Uncorked DK joined for a tasting of some of the best wines from the much hyped 2007 vintage in southern Rhône. The tasting was organized by Kasper Worm-Leonhard and hosted at Aarø & Co which again proved an ideal setting for our tastings. We were eager and anxious to judge the vintage for ourselves. Unlike previous years we waited with the tasting until the end of the year to allow the wines to settle in the bottle.
Well, on with the wines... the (UXX,X) rating is the group average, the other rating is mine. Please note in advance that my ratings on average was the most conservative and the average group rating for the reds were 0,3p higher.
Flight 1 - Flight 1 - White (1 note)
White
2006 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
94 points
Light yellow. Loads of butter and smoke together with vegetables, gunpowder, licorice and flintstone on the nose. Very intense in the mouth, but also very elegant and with a long aftertaste. a very classy Meursault. (U93,9)
Flight 2 - Flight 2 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou
95 points
Dark red. Very sweet nose with english licorice and sweet black berries. Big, bold and round in mouth. A very sexy wine with no sharp edges. Very concentrated. Perhaps shows just a bit of alcohol in the otherwise long aftertaste. (U95,9)
Red
2007 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
96 points
Red, a bit lighter. Complex and very deep nose with cinnamon, pine needles, raw meat and blood. The taste is nice and the wine seems quite seamless with lots of intensity, raspberrry fruit and nuts. Has a good long aftertaste with dried herbs and licorice. I remember there being some discussion in the group as to whether this was a stellar bottle or perhaps slightly off - some tasters which have had it before couldn't recognize it. I loved it for its complexity and elegance, but it might have been a bit prematurely matured. (U95,3)
Flight 3 - Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des Sabon
96 points
Dark red. Sweet and intense nose with some meat, pine needle, sweet cherries, butter milk, raisins, caramel and hints of nail polish remover. Nice balance in mouth and a great licorice-infused aftertaste. (U96,8)
Red
2007 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
98 points
Dark red. Incredibly deep and intense nose with very pure fruit and just hints of alcohol (not disturbing). Very intense and with a structure with a nice acidity build for greatness. Very complex with loads of herbs and spices and again a long licorice dominated aftertaste. One again Marcoux VV is among my personal favorites. Could easily be 100 points sometime in the future. (U97,8)
Flight 4 - Flight 4 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul
97 points
Dark red. Deep and nice nose with meat and herbs. Big mouthfeel with dense mature fruit, herbs and hung meat. Like drinking Grenache licquour. (U96,5)
Red
2007 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Combe des Fous
99 points
Dark red. Utterly stunning and delicious nose with loads of smoke, truffles, incense and espresso. The mouth is filled with incredibly delicate and intense fruit with loads of herbs and depth. Great length. This is not just very sexy, but also brooding, big, sweet and very complex. Will most certainly be a 100p wine sometime in the future. (U99,3 - I wonder if this is our highest group average ever?)
Flight 5 - Flight 5 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pure Rouge
93 points
Dark red. Very spicy nose with shoe polish, clove, cinnamon and tons of christmas spices and salty fishes. Tastes a bit like grand marnier with orange peel and loads of alcohol. Also very tannic. Does not appear integrated at this stage and is difficult to evaluate... (U94,4)
Red
2007 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet
97 points
Dark red. Intense and deep nose with black olives, bacon, hints of alcohol and dark berries. Appears smooth and yet with a great peppery bite. Nice finesse. (U97,0)
Flight 6 - Flight 6 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée les Grenaches de Pierre
96 points
Dark red. Intense and slightly alcoholic toasted nose with raspberries and clove. Displays huge and delicious fruit. Very primary. The evaluation probably suffers from the pairing. (U96,4)
Red
2007 Domaine Saint Préfert Châteauneuf-du-Pape Collection Charles Giraud
99 points
Dark red. Incredibly pure and dense nose with licorice, truffles, incense and perfectly charcoal grilled porterhouse with a slice of foie gras. Very dense and intense in mouth as well with the longest aftertaste of the night. Bigger and more potent than the Combe de Fous, but less elegant. Another wine sure to hit perfection some day in the future. (U98,5)
Flight 7 - Flight 7 - Champagne (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut
96 points
Light yellow, good mousse. Extremely delicious nose with licorice, mashed apples, sherry and coconut. Is extremely intense and concentrated, yet maintains freshness. Nice acidity to supplement nice fastness. Still seems very young and not at all at its best. (U94,8)
Flight 8 - Flight 8 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Château Simian Châteauneuf-du-Pape les Grandes Grenachieres d'Hippolyte
96 points
Dark red. Sweet nose with strawberries, brown sugar, cinnamon, caramel and herbs. Very sweet and huge in mouth. Sexy, yet maintains a nice coolness about it. (U95,8)
Red
2007 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas Hominis Fides
95 points
Dark red. Grilled red peppers, asian spices and soy dominates the nose. In there mouth this is a "smorgasbord" of all kinds of pepper: red, green, white, grilled, pickled.... an extreme wine, perhaps a bit over extracted. Certainly fascinating and enjoyable, but difficult to judge. (U96,0)
Flight 9 - Flight 9 (1 note)
Red
2007 Domaine de Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape
94 points
Dark red. Sweet and dense nose with dark sweet berries, pepper, pine needles and hints of alcohol. Integrates pretty well. Quite enjoyable. (U94,1)
Flight 10 - Flight 10 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet
96 points
Dark red. Intense and very pure nose with herbs and pepper. Very concentrated powerwine, but also a bit shut in at the moment and therefore appears a bit drying and extracted. Long licorice and pepper aftertaste that ends with some bitter medicinic herbs. Should be left alone for a long time, but definitely has great potential. (Many in the group were more exited than me - I am propably too wimpy...) (U97,1)
Red
2007 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères
98 points
Dark red. Sweet and very deep nose with strawberries, smoked meat and licorice. Very nice intensity and a big mouthfeel. A huge, yet very elegant and lifted wine. Very much my style (which the 2003 version absolutely was not). (U97,6)
Flight 11 - Flight 11 (2 notes)
Red
2007 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina
97 points
Very dark red. Big and dense nose with pure and massive dark berries and marzipane. Nice spicyness. Great depth. Big and intense mouthfeel with a nice herbal bitterness, pepper and licorice. Probably a bit closed and with potential to perform even better. (Everybody else rated this 1-2 points higher than me.) (U98,3)
Red
2007 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes
99 points
Very dark red. Extremely intense and deep nose that tingles all the little hairs in the nose and sends a chill down my spine. Great lift. The most intense taste of the evening (which says quite a lot). In spite of its potency it remains balanced and delicious. Yet another wine sure to become 100p. (U98,9)
Closing
As you can see we found good reasons for the hype about this vintage! These wines are just stellar. First and foremost they are very potent, but at the same time pure and easy to drink. I have seldom tasted a lineup where the words dark, dense, huge, balanced and elegant can be applied to most of the wines. I have for some time been a bit of a Chateauneuf-du-Pape sceptic as I find that the wines often lack freshness and balance. Well, not in this vintage. Even though this is huge wines with elevated levels of alcohol they are just so beautiful!