March 15, 2024 - Opened, had a taste, and served about 40 minutes later.
Tasted with food (porcini risotto and grilled steak and lambchop, in case you were wondering).
Tasted on its own.
Tasted at a dinner with 2016 Saxum G2, 2007 Donaine LaleurePuot Corton Rognet and 2012 Calera Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir.
Dark garnet color.
Nose offers leaves, cedar, leather and dried cherries.
Wonderful dried red fruit profile with leather, dried tobacco and earth.
Clean in that there is no Brett or funky manure/barnyard elemnt..
Wonderful depth and elegance.
Please but also a bit surprised how good this is with 34 years of age.
Delicious.
13.5% abv.
Used a Durand to extract the cork. Cork was saturated 3/4 up.
Paired well with the mushroom risotto.
March 11, 2024 - Décanté une heure avant consommation.Robe évoluée,nez d'une intensité exceptionnelle et d'une complexité magique:on débute avec de la réglisse puis on évolue tour à tour sur des fruits rouges puis noirs,de la garrigue,des épices.C'est réellement splendide !!! La bouche confirme le diagnostic:c'est soyeux,suave,magique.On est plus sur les notes épicées qu'au nez.Longueur magnifique.Incontestablement une très grande bouteille....
March 2, 2024 - Two couples to dinner at the farm: PnP and allowed to open in the glass, with significant evolution over time. Translucent colour. Nose initially strong on menthol and barnyard, split the party between those who loved it and those who coulnd't bear it. Plalate surprisingly high-energy, still plenty to give and plenty going on, smoke and cured meat and dark fruits and herbs.
February 23, 2024 - T's 45th Birthday (Søllerød Kro): From magnum. Red currant and raspberry fruit but it is difficult to find behind the very "animalistic" style of the wine. The wine simply explodes with perfume and flavors of wet fur, barnyard and grilled mushrooms.
It is certainly not a wine for everybody due to the very animalistic notes :-) There is plenty of spicyness and a decent aftertaste. I loved it a lot but there were some discussions around the table where some were claiming that it was corked. I did not find anything wrong with the bottle but simply claim that an old Beaucastel is simply a very special wine :-)
February 21, 2024 - Celebrating Todd's Milestone Bday (The Milling Room - NYC): First bottle of the evening, this one in my cellar for about 12 years. Great fill, high neck, cork came out clean. Decanted for about 45 minutes prior to drinking. Had been somewhat concerned it might develop too quickly and rollover...not a problem with this bottle. Was ready to go and lasted/evolved throughout the evening.
Translucent red/purple plum color. Nose showing some barnyard to start that blew off, moving to dusted red fruits, black cherry, cinnamon, sous bois. Palate of old cherry, pomegranate, baking spice, balsamic and garrigue. Silky and elegant texture, and nice persistence of plum/cherry through the mid palate. Medium weight and finish.
This was the star of the show on this evening. This one seems like it has life in it, well stored bottes are great now but not likely to improve (IMO). WOTN for both of us
January 12, 2024 - Cork came out in one piece. Had it with deer. Excellent year. Assuming its now on the decline
December 26, 2023 - Cf our notes 2+yrs ago, what has changed is that the fruit has begun to dry out a bit. This of course affects the balance. It is still a great wine, but we would advise to drink fairly quickly.
December 12, 2023 - Clear medium red. Lots of red fruit here, nutmeg, thyme, and forest floor. Rich and textured spicy berry, currant and black cherry flavours with a long dry rich berry finish.
Still years to go here. I think this is a great wine, maybe one of the best Beaucastel ever. I would rather drink the 95 though.
November 29, 2023 - Things were better in the old days - Beaucastel was, at least. Stunning wine still - and no signs of fatigue. Everyone was guessing Burgundy of course, such is the elegance, the smoothness, the richesse, the caressing sweetnes and the real personality and discretion. More Grenache and less iron here than last time. Same impression on day 2. From IB
#JR&Co
November 4, 2023 - Fragrant, old-world barnyard, horse sweat, a bit tired, whereas the 1989 was in a totally different place. The '89 was much fresher and had the acidity to carry it many more years. The '90 developed nicely as the evening progressed, integrating the barnyard with herbal characteristics. The '89 not as much. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating bottle, but I would recommend drinking any you may have very soon.