18 years old and our last of three originally purchased in 2010. A dark yellow gold in the glass, the nose beckons with poached pear, butterscotch, and a bit of petrol. On the palate, almond paste joins the notes on the nose, amidst ample acidity. Was very good with cheese and crackers as it warmed up from refrigerator temperatures. Our last bottle, and we've never quite bonded with Rhone blancs, so this might do it for us but happy to have experienced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep gold, looks like whiskey. Lemon, citrus, white flower, honey, almond, hint tropical, butter, oak. Full body, oily, light acidity. Touch of sherry/oxidation, hollow midpalate, past it’s prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Excellent. Bit of sherry in the color and on pallet. Need to drink another soon to decide if this is aging early or it was bottle variation. All the notes were correct, but felt like a wine that was 15 years older.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep golden color and a wonderful nose of honey and spice. This is really drinking well now with a beautiful waxy texture and lovely flavors of honey and minerals. Finishes with good complexity and grip and just this wonderful honey/spice/floral thing. This surprised me to the upside.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): In 07/04/00/99/95 vertical, that I generally didn't enjoy. This was at the better end of the vertical, but still I found it too extreme and concentrated in an oily, heavy manner. Good fruit concentration and persistence, but this isn't my style of wine, and that was group consensus as well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Very dark color. I really liked the nose with whiffs of nut butter, marzipan and minerals. Quite firm on the palate with dry extract playing on the tongue along with some oxidized flavors and exotic fruits. I think this wine is actually recovering from it's hybernation and should now begin to improve but we'll see. 89?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of brandy soaked pears, yellow apples, ricola and wet stones. Flavors of creme, ambrosia, yellow apples and minerals. Medium acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Madison Offline 2015; 8/27/2015-8/29/2015: Pale honey, almost onion skin color. A bit shy on the nose, with orange rind and a faint volatile note that put me off a bit. Rich and mouthfilling, perhaps a touch of heat, and again seeming a bit shy. Not sure if this needs more age or just more time in the glass, wish I had more time with this one. Not scored. 13.5% abv
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Throwndown in Madtown; 8/27/2015-8/29/2015 (Madison, WI): Medium gold color. Nice nose of quince, apricot, mango, and orange peel. Heavy on the palate with mango, pineapple, apricot, blood orange, and quince. Long finish with great acidity to balance. Great match for lobster bisque. Intense wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Food: Chinese Duration: 1 hour Condition: perfect Aroma: honey, dried apricot, coffee, white flowers, sweet potato, mature apple Notes: the VV elements of the wine portraits a very gentle and warm touch to the wine. Very complicated set of aromas. Relatively full bodied and golden in color. Very perfumed in the unique cndp way and well balanced in terms of minerals ans acidity, this is a very good wine to have with or withour food. The wine is still energetic and young, I think this can be drank over the next 10-13 years without any problem.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This was gorgeous- thanks Sparty! White fruit, quince and melon on the nose and palate. Rich texture with a long, fruit- and stone-driven finish. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Quite a dark yellow color. Very pretty nose of butterscotch and honey. this seems very mature but there is nothing off about the wine. Rather, it is a lovely softly-textured old Roussanne with delicate flavors of honey, dried apricots and minerals. There is a nice front of the tongue complexity on the with notes of clove and citrus. This needs to be drunk.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This is the second bottle of this that I bought 7 years ago. I had the first one 5 years ago. It was ok. This one is excellent. Deep yellow with lots of fruit and complexity to last the evening. Can't tell if it got that much better with time or just bottle variation. If I had more, I would wait another few years to see how it evolves.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Occasional group: Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 (By PZ @ Bottles): Beautiful and mature, concentrated bouquet with ripe yellow fruits. On the palate the same ripe fruits and concentration, almost a bit fat, a touch of pleasant sweetness and good acidity. A very beautiful and mature wine at this moment, but this could be a white that can last for another decade or even longer. But why wait….?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Birthday Dinner with Gourmet Mexican: There was bottle variation between the two bottles opened. Notes are from the second as the first was more advanced maybe from oxidation. Wine had nice fruit, I picked up apricot and mellow yellow fruit/ citrus. Somewhat one dimensional and flabby in the mid palate. others preferred this more than me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Drank after my first attempt at the Master Sommelier exam. Some people say that failure tastes like Krug. Well for me it's 2004 CDP. Glad I only have one bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
This wine is a stunner with the amount of well integrated oak and the richness that comes all throughout the palate without being washed out by alcohol. No doubt in my mind that this is one of the best French wines of the 2004 vintage. And i have tasted so many different vineyards of meursault, chassagne and puligny and most other regions. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beautiful and complex bouquet with yellow fruits, honey, limestone and cabbage. On the palate white fruits, some caramel, nuts and spices and fine acidity. Beautiful mouth feel and bitterness. The wine is somewhat developed, but not oxidized as some of the tasters thought. A beautiful and complex wine, with still a lot of life and a good future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Intense golden color with aromas of tropical fruit and candied orange peel. Same flavors come through on palate with great intensity and an almost-sweet honeyed character from middle to finish. Long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Rich, unctuous, with relatively low acidity and notes of lanolin and beeswax. Compared to a sublime bottle tasted a couple of years ago, this seemed rather flabby and a bit dull. I suspect this is entering a more muted phase, not to emerge again until another few years. Patience should be well rewarded.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Blind Syrah Tasting w/ Ryan Johnson, Dick Boushey, Eric LeVine, and MrBigJ (Wild Ginger, Seattle, WA): The nose of this wine initially had some aromas that I thought were cauliflower and lacquer-like. Tom, Joel and Brad collaborated and came up with "Corn Silk" as the descriptor, and that just nailed what the aroma was. Once we started talking about how cool of a descriptor "corn silk" really was, I really started to enjoy this wine more. The palate had nice minerality and a little nuttiness. I liked the slightly oily mouthfeel too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Found one bottle when doing inventory, nice :) Slightly closed, however, still showing all the complexity. I recall this being in better stage 1,5 years ago when last tasted. I find it hard to believe that this would open up in the next few years, but this wine will rather reform into a sherry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tropical fruit and floral nose. Slightly tired fruit, lacked the virbancy that I like from these grapes. Soft round edges. Mellow and regal. This would merit a higher score if it was the wine after the 2002 Ramonet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Yup, this wine is that good. An incredible head-filling smell of exotic fruits, thick and palate-coating, well-balanced, good acid, not too hot. Wow, this is a killer wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Openers at a pig dinner, served w/the charcuterie ... great match w/ the head cheese and pate. Great mouth feel (unctuious), sweet honeysuckle and tropical fruits, sweet stone fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasting Group Dinner w/ Kevin Sidders - Steaks & Bordeaux (Our House): It had been nearly a year since I last tasted this wine. Very creamy and weighty in the mouth, with lots of butterscotch and orange peel flavors, and sharper acid than I remember from previous tastings. When I toured the Rhône Valley two years ago, one producer explained to me that white Châteauneuf-du-Pape often enters an oxidative phase 4-6 years after the vintage, and then re-emerges at age 8-10. The reasons for this are not well understood. At age 4, this seems to be getting ready to hibernate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Bordeaux at Siggy's: The last time I had this was at the domaine back in the summer of 2006 and it was spectacular. This showing was good, but I suspect this is well on the way to closing down hard. The color is a bright gold. The nose gives a reserved blend of butterscotch, lemon and smoke. Nice enough, but not as exuberant as it once was. In the mouth, the texture is what I would call oily. The weight is on the heavy side, but the flavors are still very pronounced. The finish is particularly impressive, turning almost a little sweet/candied with good length. Based on this bottle, I would say remaining bottles should be hidden away in the cellar for a long sleep.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Color of liquid gold. Pretty tight floral nose with notes of honey and minerals. Needs a lot of time to open up but then reveals a delicious wine with a creamy, ethereal texture. Still very young but it fills the mouth with viscous flavors of honey, nuts and metallic minerals. The finish just floats over the tongue. This wine is literally the opposite of chardonnay and seems like it needs a ton more time to develop into something special. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Golden bronze, Rich honeyed pears, apples and wax. Full bodied, hint of sweetness, long flavor of honey, apples and oak. The wine quickly fell apart with the fruit dying out leaving only bitter oak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Birthday dinner @ 112 Eatery. Rich medium gold. Gorgeous stuff. Flowers, muskmelons, peaches, and honey. Amazing texture. Full-bodied and rich, yet delicate and full of finesse. Fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
A Bottle had back in May was oxidised, but this was fantastic today. Rich, exotic and delicious with dried apricots and heady orchid, great acidic cut to prevent the huge tropical flavours cloying and allowing minereality to shine. Pretty special and another in a long line of great Roussanne VV from Beaucastel, a series that makes it a candidate for my favourite white bottling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Great American Syrah Smackdown (Chris Hughes' place - Chicago, IL): Gold with a melons, graphite and minerals on the nose. Palate is viscous and oily showing ripe and smoky white fruits and lanolin. Lacks the acidity to counteract the fruit ripeness. Blind many guessed 2003 given the profile.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
We decanted this for 2 hours at 52degrees, very surprised at the thickness to this young R, tastes were pineapple, guava, caramel, lanolin, and almond oil. When this warmed up to room temp it seemed more like a sauternes, possibly, this wine needs much more time to develop it's own complexity, but for now, it was way too sweet for my palate. I will keep this under wraps for the next 5+ years and give it another try
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Reluctant on the nose, but there are notes of pear, honey, and roasted nuts. Incredible mouth feel. Lots of tropical fruits, nectarine, sweet butter, and wildflower honey. Not as floral as it will be later (based on recent tastings of the 97 and 99). Good energy on the close that keeps it from being cloying. As a previous taster said, this opened up over time. Served at about 54 degrees.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Beaucastel (Eva Restaurant): Light gold color. An intense complex nose of tropical fruit, flowers, honey, and just a hint of oak. Full body, rich and smooth on the palate. This has more of everything. Very impressive. Long persistent finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Needs at least 2 hours in the decanter to show itself. Already quite dark. Huge, massive wine, but without much heaviness. Today, it's all about the palate presense as the nose is very shy, though it offers mild herbal and mineral notes in addition to the very primary notes of green tea and honey. The most interesing thing is the distinct sea salt flavor on the finish that is absolutely delicious and adds complexity to the array of flavors -- think salted caramel. The finish goes on forever. I can't wait to see there this wine ends up. This wine represents that rare combination of greatness and complete singularity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Tasted at the domaine following the 2004 Beaucastel Blanc (see TN). While the regular Chateauneuf blanc is very impressive, the VV is downright explosive on the palate, with notes of pear and honey. Suave texture. Mouthfilling. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
4/20/2024 - 911henrik wrote: 86 Points
Oxidised but still quite interesting. Should have been uncorked 5-10 years ago
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
7/17/2022 - wicozani Likes this wine:
18 years old and our last of three originally purchased in 2010. A dark yellow gold in the glass, the nose beckons with poached pear, butterscotch, and a bit of petrol. On the palate, almond paste joins the notes on the nose, amidst ample acidity. Was very good with cheese and crackers as it warmed up from refrigerator temperatures. Our last bottle, and we've never quite bonded with Rhone blancs, so this might do it for us but happy to have experienced.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/24/2021 - 911henrik wrote:
Flawed. Oxidated.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/14/2021 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 95 Points
Best bottle yet!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/3/2020 - spillwine wrote: 87 Points
Jus de pomme 2004... intéressant...
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/23/2020 - Daltond333 wrote:
Deep gold, looks like whiskey. Lemon, citrus, white flower, honey, almond, hint tropical, butter, oak. Full body, oily, light acidity. Touch of sherry/oxidation, hollow midpalate, past it’s prime.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/5/2019 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tried again over several days, really came around on day 4. Perhaps this has more time than I thought.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/20/2019 - dream wrote:
Dark color. Oxidized notes on the palate as expected but drink a little heavy and clumsy at this point. Might be a slightly advanced bottle.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/14/2018 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent. Bit of sherry in the color and on pallet. Need to drink another soon to decide if this is aging early or it was bottle variation. All the notes were correct, but felt like a wine that was 15 years older.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2018 - RayOB wrote: 94 Points
Drank at 67
Holding up beautifully with no oxidation. Lovely
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/22/2018 - danielbleier Likes this wine: 91 Points
Slight touch of ox in this wine, so if you are holding, drink now. Very dry, with white peach and smoked almond notes
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
3/28/2018 - dream Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep golden color and a wonderful nose of honey and spice. This is really drinking well now with a beautiful waxy texture and lovely flavors of honey and minerals. Finishes with good complexity and grip and just this wonderful honey/spice/floral thing. This surprised me to the upside.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2016 - fcxj wrote: 92 Points
Apricot aromas. Pretty rich, but fresh.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote: 87 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner (Del Frisco - Chicago IL): In 07/04/00/99/95 vertical, that I generally didn't enjoy. This was at the better end of the vertical, but still I found it too extreme and concentrated in an oily, heavy manner. Good fruit concentration and persistence, but this isn't my style of wine, and that was group consensus as well.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/14/2015 - dream wrote: 89 Points
Very dark color. I really liked the nose with whiffs of nut butter, marzipan and minerals. Quite firm on the palate with dry extract playing on the tongue along with some oxidized flavors and exotic fruits. I think this wine is actually recovering from it's hybernation and should now begin to improve but we'll see. 89?
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/11/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 91 Points
A relatively advanced bottle with a darker color, noticeable oxidation and a pecan finish. A great wine for food at this point.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/14/2015 - wineismylife wrote: 94 Points
WIML94
Tasted non blind.
Yellow color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of brandy soaked pears, yellow apples, ricola and wet stones. Flavors of creme, ambrosia, yellow apples and minerals. Medium acidity, full bodied. Drink or hold.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2015 - petitblanc wrote:
Madison Offline 2015; 8/27/2015-8/29/2015: Pale honey, almost onion skin color. A bit shy on the nose, with orange rind and a faint volatile note that put me off a bit. Rich and mouthfilling, perhaps a touch of heat, and again seeming a bit shy. Not sure if this needs more age or just more time in the glass, wish I had more time with this one. Not scored. 13.5% abv
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2015 - GalvezGuy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Throwndown in Madtown; 8/27/2015-8/29/2015 (Madison, WI): Medium gold color. Nice nose of quince, apricot, mango, and orange peel. Heavy on the palate with mango, pineapple, apricot, blood orange, and quince. Long finish with great acidity to balance. Great match for lobster bisque. Intense wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/16/2015 - TWSA wrote: 93 Points
Food: Chinese
Duration: 1 hour
Condition: perfect
Aroma: honey, dried apricot, coffee, white flowers, sweet potato, mature apple
Notes: the VV elements of the wine portraits a very gentle and warm touch to the wine. Very complicated set of aromas. Relatively full bodied and golden in color. Very perfumed in the unique cndp way and well balanced in terms of minerals ans acidity, this is a very good wine to have with or withour food. The wine is still energetic and young, I think this can be drank over the next 10-13 years without any problem.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2015 - thelostverse wrote: 94 Points
Opened by Sparty at Simo. This was my wine of the night. Melons, citrus and honey notes with a lovely waxy quality. This was just gorgeous. 94+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/28/2015 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
This was gorgeous- thanks Sparty! White fruit, quince and melon on the nose and palate. Rich texture with a long, fruit- and stone-driven finish. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/27/2015 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Peach
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/21/2015 - dream wrote: 88 Points
Quite a dark yellow color. Very pretty nose of butterscotch and honey. this seems very mature but there is nothing off about the wine. Rather, it is a lovely softly-textured old Roussanne with delicate flavors of honey, dried apricots and minerals. There is a nice front of the tongue complexity on the with notes of clove and citrus. This needs to be drunk.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
9/19/2013 - geneswine wrote: 96 Points
This is the second bottle of this that I bought 7 years ago. I had the first one 5 years ago. It was ok. This one is excellent. Deep yellow with lots of fruit and complexity to last the evening. Can't tell if it got that much better with time or just bottle variation. If I had more, I would wait another few years to see how it evolves.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/5/2013 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Occasional group: Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 (By PZ @ Bottles): Beautiful and mature, concentrated bouquet with ripe yellow fruits. On the palate the same ripe fruits and concentration, almost a bit fat, a touch of pleasant sweetness and good acidity. A very beautiful and mature wine at this moment, but this could be a white that can last for another decade or even longer. But why wait….?
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/15/2012 - rdsboca wrote: 87 Points
Birthday Dinner with Gourmet Mexican: There was bottle variation between the two bottles opened. Notes are from the second as the first was more advanced maybe from oxidation. Wine had nice fruit, I picked up apricot and mellow yellow fruit/ citrus. Somewhat one dimensional and flabby in the mid palate. others preferred this more than me.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/24/2012 - Willmerson wrote:
Drank after my first attempt at the Master Sommelier exam. Some people say that failure tastes like Krug. Well for me it's 2004 CDP. Glad I only have one bottle.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
4/29/2012 - Willmerson wrote: 94 Points
This wine is a stunner with the amount of well integrated oak and the richness that comes all throughout the palate without being washed out by alcohol. No doubt in my mind that this is one of the best French wines of the 2004 vintage. And i have tasted so many different vineyards of meursault, chassagne and puligny and most other regions. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/12/2012 - Lord Rayas wrote: 79 Points
Paulo/Sonia "First" Dinner (Cipriani): more oxidised than fresh bottles. drink up.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/14/2012 - Zweder wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful and complex bouquet with yellow fruits, honey, limestone and cabbage. On the palate white fruits, some caramel, nuts and spices and fine acidity. Beautiful mouth feel and bitterness. The wine is somewhat developed, but not oxidized as some of the tasters thought. A beautiful and complex wine, with still a lot of life and a good future.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2011 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Intense golden color with aromas of tropical fruit and candied orange peel. Same flavors come through on palate with great intensity and an almost-sweet honeyed character from middle to finish. Long finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/2/2011 - Siggy wrote: flawed
Oxidized, just barely drinkable.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/19/2011 - Guy Des Rosiers wrote: 88 Points
Rich, unctuous, with relatively low acidity and notes of lanolin and beeswax. Compared to a sublime bottle tasted a couple of years ago, this seemed rather flabby and a bit dull. I suspect this is entering a more muted phase, not to emerge again until another few years. Patience should be well rewarded.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/5/2011 - last chance wrote: 92 Points
Blind Syrah Tasting w/ Ryan Johnson, Dick Boushey, Eric LeVine, and MrBigJ (Wild Ginger, Seattle, WA): The nose of this wine initially had some aromas that I thought were cauliflower and lacquer-like. Tom, Joel and Brad collaborated and came up with "Corn Silk" as the descriptor, and that just nailed what the aroma was. Once we started talking about how cool of a descriptor "corn silk" really was, I really started to enjoy this wine more. The palate had nice minerality and a little nuttiness. I liked the slightly oily mouthfeel too.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
5/6/2011 - au wrote: 90 Points
Found one bottle when doing inventory, nice :) Slightly closed, however, still showing all the complexity. I recall this being in better stage 1,5 years ago when last tasted. I find it hard to believe that this would open up in the next few years, but this wine will rather reform into a sherry.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/2/2011 - rdsboca wrote: 89 Points
Tropical fruit and floral nose. Slightly tired fruit, lacked the virbancy that I like from these grapes. Soft round edges. Mellow and regal. This would merit a higher score if it was the wine after the 2002 Ramonet.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/27/2008 - rael007 wrote: 96 Points
Yup, this wine is that good. An incredible head-filling smell of exotic fruits, thick and palate-coating, well-balanced, good acid, not too hot. Wow, this is a killer wine.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/9/2008 - tacman wrote: 93 Points
Openers at a pig dinner, served w/the charcuterie ... great match w/ the head cheese and pate. Great mouth feel (unctuious), sweet honeysuckle and tropical fruits, sweet stone fruit.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2008 - Siggy wrote:
Tasting Group Dinner w/ Kevin Sidders - Steaks & Bordeaux (Our House): It had been nearly a year since I last tasted this wine. Very creamy and weighty in the mouth, with lots of butterscotch and orange peel flavors, and sharper acid than I remember from previous tastings. When I toured the Rhône Valley two years ago, one producer explained to me that white Châteauneuf-du-Pape often enters an oxidative phase 4-6 years after the vintage, and then re-emerges at age 8-10. The reasons for this are not well understood. At age 4, this seems to be getting ready to hibernate.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/29/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Bordeaux at Siggy's: The last time I had this was at the domaine back in the summer of 2006 and it was spectacular. This showing was good, but I suspect this is well on the way to closing down hard. The color is a bright gold. The nose gives a reserved blend of butterscotch, lemon and smoke. Nice enough, but not as exuberant as it once was. In the mouth, the texture is what I would call oily. The weight is on the heavy side, but the flavors are still very pronounced. The finish is particularly impressive, turning almost a little sweet/candied with good length. Based on this bottle, I would say remaining bottles should be hidden away in the cellar for a long sleep.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/6/2008 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
eRobert Parker Offline - Mature French (mostly Bordeaux) (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Corked
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/23/2007 - dream wrote: 93 Points
Color of liquid gold. Pretty tight floral nose with notes of honey and minerals. Needs a lot of time to open up but then reveals a delicious wine with a creamy, ethereal texture. Still very young but it fills the mouth with viscous flavors of honey, nuts and metallic minerals. The finish just floats over the tongue. This wine is literally the opposite of chardonnay and seems like it needs a ton more time to develop into something special. 93+
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/21/2007 - gdbarton1@gmail.com wrote: flawed
Golden bronze, Rich honeyed pears, apples and wax.
Full bodied, hint of sweetness, long flavor of honey, apples and oak.
The wine quickly fell apart with the fruit dying out leaving only bitter oak
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/1/2007 - Siggy wrote: 95 Points
Birthday dinner @ 112 Eatery. Rich medium gold. Gorgeous stuff. Flowers, muskmelons, peaches, and honey. Amazing texture. Full-bodied and rich, yet delicate and full of finesse. Fantastic.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/11/2007 - The Wine Bum wrote:
A Bottle had back in May was oxidised, but this was fantastic today. Rich, exotic and delicious with dried apricots and heady orchid, great acidic cut to prevent the huge tropical flavours cloying and allowing minereality to shine. Pretty special and another in a long line of great Roussanne VV from Beaucastel, a series that makes it a candidate for my favourite white bottling.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2007 - winefool wrote: 88 Points
Great American Syrah Smackdown (My House): Full medium perfumed yellow fruit with a decided beeswax character. Nice and well made, but not my personal favorite.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/4/2007 - Nanda wrote: 89 Points
Great American Syrah Smackdown (Chris Hughes' place - Chicago, IL): Gold with a melons, graphite and minerals on the nose. Palate is viscous and oily showing ripe and smoky white fruits and lanolin. Lacks the acidity to counteract the fruit ripeness. Blind many guessed 2003 given the profile.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/11/2007 - JLL wrote: 91 Points
We decanted this for 2 hours at 52degrees, very surprised at the thickness to this young R, tastes were pineapple, guava, caramel, lanolin, and almond oil. When this warmed up to room temp it seemed more like a sauternes, possibly, this wine needs much more time to develop it's own complexity, but for now, it was way too sweet for my palate. I will keep this under wraps for the next 5+ years and give it another try
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/16/2007 - vendange wrote: 96 Points
Reluctant on the nose, but there are notes of pear, honey, and roasted nuts. Incredible mouth feel. Lots of tropical fruits, nectarine, sweet butter, and wildflower honey. Not as floral as it will be later (based on recent tastings of the 97 and 99). Good energy on the close that keeps it from being cloying. As a previous taster said, this opened up over time. Served at about 54 degrees.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/25/2007 - kris.h wrote: 96 Points
Beaucastel (Eva Restaurant): Light gold color. An intense complex nose of tropical fruit, flowers, honey, and just a hint of oak. Full body, rich and smooth on the palate. This has more of everything. Very impressive. Long persistent finish.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
12/15/2006 - cellarid wrote: 95 Points
Needs at least 2 hours in the decanter to show itself. Already quite dark. Huge, massive wine, but without much heaviness. Today, it's all about the palate presense as the nose is very shy, though it offers mild herbal and mineral notes in addition to the very primary notes of green tea and honey. The most interesing thing is the distinct sea salt flavor on the finish that is absolutely delicious and adds complexity to the array of flavors -- think salted caramel. The finish goes on forever. I can't wait to see there this wine ends up. This wine represents that rare combination of greatness and complete singularity.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Tasted at the domaine. Similar to the 2004 Beaucastel Blanc. Maybe a bit more intense and cleaner. Excellent.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2006 - Siggy wrote:
France Trip Part 1 - Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 6/16/2006-6/17/2006: Tasted at the domaine. 100% Rousanne. Honey and pear, with some interesting jasmine notes. Floral and delicious.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
6/16/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Tasted at the domaine following the 2004 Beaucastel Blanc (see TN). While the regular Chateauneuf blanc is very impressive, the VV is downright explosive on the palate, with notes of pear and honey. Suave texture. Mouthfilling. Wow.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment