This pours lightly cloudy, medium garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose unfurls nicely over the course of a couple of hours to show a gorgeous fresh traditional southern Rhone profile. Aromas are of nori, raspberry, crushed coriander seed, dried ground ginger, grilled pork, bay leaf, and decaying rose petal. The palate enters on tart red fruit with medium minus dusty tannin and medium plus, quit tart acid. The finish is moderate in length with an enjoyable red fruit, grilled pork and lightly floral finish. All in all this is quite nice. Not up to the top vintages of Beaucastel I’ve had, but very good overalll.
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I rate it notably higher than the consensus on CellarTracker, but it's a blind tasting, and it was the 20th bottle in a tasting dinner concluding two and a half days of quite intensive Burgundy tasting. So, no doubt, I really enjoyed this bottle, which has a lot of personality. Enchanting nose of tea, plum, tobacco, leather; it's complex and appealing. The palate is very ethereal (as is often the case with old Châteauneuf-du-Pape that resembles Pinot Noir), sharp but adorned with just the right touch of sweetness, tangy fruit that adds liveliness, a return of black tea, leather. Confirms that I love Beaucastel when mature!
Je le note notablement plus haut que le consensus de CT mais c'est à l'aveugle, et en 20ème position dans un dîner dégustation achevant deux jours et demi de dégustation assez intensive en Bourgogne, donc pas de doute j'ai vraiment aimé cette bouteille qui a beaucoup de personnalité. Nez envoûtant de thé, prune, tabac, cuir, c'est complexe et appétant. La bouche est très aérienne (comme souvent sur les vieux Chateauneuf qui font très pinot noir), tranchante mais habillée par la juste touche de sucrosité, fruit acidulé qui donne du peps, retour de thé noir, cuir. Confirme que j'aime Beaucastel à maturité !
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Wines at the February 2019 Magnum dinner (Noble Rot, Wellington, NZ): A small pour, served blind. Also, apparently a somewhat flawed bottle - a little TCA or heat damage? - but a wine I nonetheless liked. The meaty, savoury, earthy, old fashioned Rhone bouquet showed both some age and a little more brettanomyces than I would prefer (I can enjoy low levels of brett in the right context). Similar on palate, evolved, leathery with hints of tobacco leaf. Reminding me - in some ways - of a thick, slow cooked beef stew. Also, plummy, earthy, mushroomy and a little tarry. The brett was also there on palate and the Châteauneuf was somewhat rustic with a suggestion of alcoholic heat. Overall, for all of its faults, I thought it a characterful, compelling and enjoyable wine. However, even allowing for a wide degree of bottle variation here, it's time to drink up.
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On the bright side, the finish was short. Tea in color, while you could find hints of strawberry, there was more of a metallic edge paired with barnyard, herbs earth and pepper on the nose. Tart and lacking in fruit, this is on the downward spiral.
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My 9th bottle out of a case purchase. Clear and crisp ruby, no bricking. Nose is tart and showing signs of aged wine as expected. Old leather, stewed cherry, cigar box, stones and some green tinge. Palate is lean and simple, yet fresh. Tart and green in some ways. Still alive. But clearly will never improve.
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Dried strawberry, pungent currant pepper and a honeyed edge on the finish. Lands softly on a bed of tannins. Definitely in a peak drinking window right now. Impressive effort from a wet vintage. A testament to the age-worthiness of Châteauneuf from Beaucastel.
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From double magnum. Gorgeous, ethereal strawberry fruit, tree bark and light farmyard nuance. Transparent and drinking extremely well. Out of this format, the wine felt less advanced than the same wine out of a 750, five years ago. Classy, refined and an example of balance, proportion and restraint in CNdP.
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A private tasting (Rotterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Very mature nose, honeyed, juicy and sweet, spices, ripe and rich, rounded and supple but supported by wonderful tannins, lifted and long finish.
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This was a fantastic bottle of wine. A perfectly mature CdP that's in no danger of being over the hill in the next few years. An earthy, well-balanced wine with just a hint of barnyard (which I like). A long finish with a touch of acidity.
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Consistent with my other bottles. Clear ruby color. Nose and palate showing dried earth, cranberry, tart cherry and some brush. Still showing some freshness and life.
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Dinner with the Perrin family, very gracious and generous hosts in CdP. Great experience to drink this with the vintner, opened this as our last wine of the evening.
Still has a nice core crimson/brick color. Nose a little reticent at first, but opened nicely after about 20 minutes. No brett/barnyard. Dusted dark fruits, mushroom, blueberry, black tea - classic Beaucastel nose. Palate of dried cherry, cranberry, blue fruits, meat/savory, spice and tobacco. Some smoke and herbs on back palate. Tannins soft and resolved.
This was a beautifully aged bottle; elegant and smooth. Still has many of the signature CdP flavors but is definitely in a tertiary phase...time to drink. Great stuff...
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Wow, this was fun to try. And a great auction buy at $72! Still some brett on the nose and wine is on it's decline (but still drinking good). But WOW- 29 years old. Light cherry fruit, cranberry, game, dusty earth and tobacco
Drank for my dad's 65th... later in the night we drank an 07 Ridge Monte Bello.
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Food: none Duration: 2 hours, from the bottle Condition: perfect fill and perfect cork Aroma: rusty, mushroom, blueberry, some cotton candy, green tea, mint, red date Notes: certainly not a very expressive wine in terms of aroma. Nevertheless this wine is rich and fulfilling, it is pretty warm. This feels like a father bringing his child to go on a merry-go-round, warm and sweet. Not the best vintage and effort from this estate, definitely not my favorite from this estate and it's probably time to drink up, as I don't think it will evolve much further.
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A refined lady showed herself from this bottle. Nice and clean, no hint of brett to speak of. Still good tart fruit with some meat juice. So tasty. Showed really well, not sure there's any upside left but a fun bottle to drink...especially if I can get Adrian to enjoy a CDP.
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A very nice, mature CDP that balances its fruit with some well-integrated savory characteristics; The bouquet is quite expressive, with tones of dried red fruits, spice and leather; The fruit on the palate is underscored by notes of meat and tobacco, with the tannins beginning to fade; Drink up if you have them
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Dinner at The Bristol (Chicago, IL): Welp, I suppose I would have run across a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that I do like at some point or other, and I suppose today is as good a day as any. This doesn't display any animale or funk at all, but is a clean and pristine bottle, showing light red fruit very prominently. A bit of meat as well (as is to be expected, I suppose, but the funk is really dialed down here). This is a fully resolved bottle that should be enjoyed now. Lots of racy acid from the crunchy red fruit. Delicious stuff.
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A blast of funk, undergrowth , chicken poop and barnyard with layers of secondary truffles, cherry compote and cigar box with damp tobacco leaves. Smooth and flowing on the palate.
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Ruby color, no bricking. Old world nose with hints of stone fruit, cherry, cranberry and prominent dusty earth, green vegetation, garrigue and dried herbs. Palate still showing good acid and balance. Dominated by sour cherry, iron, dust and dried earth. Still plenty of life. Best bottle to date.
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Third bottle from Zachys case purchase. Good ruby color, no bricking or signs of failure in bottle. Nose initially is tight, with green fruit, cranberry, spice and intermittent Brett notes. On the palate tart and acid nuance, the wine is not flat and has benefited from bottle age. Flavors of cranberry, stone fruit, dried cherry, garrigue, old pipe, root, and green herb. Light on its feet in mouth feel yet deep with nuance and age. Can't beat aged wines of this nature. Seek and discover . . .
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Good color, clear, no bricking. Nose of semi tart bing cherry, garrigue, cinnamon, red cherry, Christmas spice. Palate shows surprisingly good acid and structure with a nice softness and roundness - delicate in nature, with stringent tart cherry, followed by earth, red meat, iron, ox blood, garrigue, spice and touch if sweet tobacco and barnyard. My second bottle from an auction case purchase - again pleasantly surprised.
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First bottle from a Zachys auction case. Light color, no bricking. Drank over two nights, initial nose of baking spice, clove, perfume, light must, evolving to sour fruit and soft red fruit. On the palate, soft texture but some acid lingering. Intense flavor profile of green herb, stewed meat, blood iron, cranberry and allspice . Finish is medium and wine is definitely at peak if not fading. Non the less delicious.
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WES - Château de Beaucastel (LSE Holborn): Medium intense, Clear and Bright. Thinning edge. Bit of perfume, rich stewed almost dried fruits, warm spice on the nose. Rich, good acidity, long with a touch of liquorice.
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A Small Saturday Night Wine Dinner: This is really what I like in old CdP. Nose smells like fairly clean aged grenache; cigar ash, crushed rocks, raspberry, with some bloody and iron notes, with a bit of a tomato plant note. Palate is still alive and very integrated with little tannin remaining but enough acid to stay fresh. Fun wine to drink, but drink up as it is fading into the sunset.
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From a magnum , this was as expressive of its terroir as it could get. The barnyard garrigue notes intermixed with thyme and juicy supple ripe berry fruits. Juicy body and with class. Still youthful and probably good to drink for the next decade.
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New Year's Eve 2012 Drinks (Kat and Ewen's): Very good. The last bottle I had (in Beaucastel no less) was unfortunately corked. This time round though, from a magnum, the wine was singing. It had a lovely, gently expressive nose, with a complex melange of toasted spice, earth and meat, then black cherries and berries, a curl of smoke and just touch of green herbs. Very classic Beaucastel bouquet I thought. Previous notes seem to suggest that some 750ml bottles are on the decline. However, in this format, the palate showed like a wine at its peak or thereabouts. It was developed, mature and mellow for sure, with softened tannins just losing their chew. But this was also fresh and lively, with deliciously clear flavours of black berries and cherries seasoned with complex little notes of spice, herby tobacco and a nice meatiness in the background. Not the most authoritative of Beaucastels it must be said - this was actually on the lighter side in fact - but it was a really charming, enjoyable wine.
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- Ruby color and aromas of prune with a medium finish - Initial taste of mild bitter cherry. Nose of prunes and prune juice-nice! Over an hour of decant brought the wine to love but declined thereafter
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Two bottles of this was opend. The wine was in serious decline although stored perfect since release. Dead wet leaves, sweet soil. Caramel and old duck fat. The second bottle was corked but otherwise xactly the same. How dissapointing! I had xpected more from Beaucastel even if it's not a good vintage.
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the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but smooth. (decanted 1 hour in advance); a nice example of a mature CNdP, not great.
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S FL WS Group welcomes Board-O (Bistro Provence, Boca Raton, FL): Per Board-O, this has been a tannic wine that has taken a long time to mature and resolve. It is lean on fruit and has a tannic backbone (much like 98 Left Banks), but is complex on the nose and the palate. The fruit profile is of blackberry and raspberry, with a hint of earthiness, and a long finish that had just a touch of heat (probably due to the lean fruit). I enjoyed this a great deal, but is a wine to be enjoyed for its complexity and layers, and will not impress those looking more for fruit and power.
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Fabulous wine. Ethereal aromatics, lean yet very tannic structure. Tree bark, leather , some dirt and brett. Multi-dimensional and a wine that just got better and better in the glass. This would be a very tough options wine - might have gone for a barolo or perhaps a very smelly burgundy, such was the proportions of the wine. Brilliant showing from a less than stellar vintage and a compelling example of Beaucastel's ability to age to a transparent grace. Drunk next to the far more lauded Pegau Cuvee Laurence 1989, this was universally picked as the more involving and complex wine...
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Previous bottles of this 1986 vintage (not a great year) tasted very dumb, with hardly any nose (rated in the lower 80-ies). this was much better. the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but smooth. (decanted 1 hour in advance); a nice example of a mature CNdP, not great.
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Very mature on the nose. Dark cherry, wood, lots of sous-bois. Murky with a little spice. Great on the palate. Soft with sour cherry. Integrated and smooth, velvety and perfumed. Little sour on the finish. Almost burgundian. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Pas - 2/2 = 15/20.
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Southern Rhone WIMPS (The Ledbury, London): Dense garnet. Very mellow nose, quite clean with a touch of savoury, meaty fruit. Good acidity, a touch of minerality. Slight hint of something metallic on the finish, but doesn't detract. ****
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Trip to the Southern Rhone; 6/11/2009-6/12/2009 (Avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and the Dentelles du Montmirail): I got quite excited when I saw an old bottle being pulled out from the stash during our tour of the cellar. Pity this turned out flawed. Just a hint of TCA I thought, but certainly enough to mute the wine. The nose opened with that dreaded, slightly wet cardboardy smell. We were able to pick up nice secondary smells underlying that, with meaty notes, sous bois, boiled herbs and some wet fur along with dark plum and creme de cassis fruit. The bouquet would have been quite beautiful in its day I think, with plenty of complexity apparent even now. The palate was all but dumb though. There was still fresh acid and some tannins but the rest was all but flat, with just hints of sweet red fruits in the form of little cherries and berries. Finish had plenty of freshness still, but the flavours were short and truncated, with a touch of prunes quickly overtaken by more cardboard scents. I am not sure this would have been a great wine to begin with, and the TCA certainly condemned it to forgettable mediocrity.
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While the public tasting notes suggested that this one might be past its prime, the large-bottle format saved the day, allowing for a slower aging to reveal well-balanced tastes of plum and earth and a nose of slight dung as only a Ch du Pape can evince.
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Fading fast and very light at this point. Pale garnet colour and faded rim. Nice evolved nose of leather, spice, some floral hints and cherry. Palate is lacking fruit but is silky and smooth. Animal notes, peppery spice. ON the decline sadly but an interesting curio. Burning alcohol finish.
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finally a bottle of 1986 that gave a good impression of what a fine Beaucastel tastes like. Previous bottles of this 1986 vintage (not a great year) tasted very dumb, with hardly any nose (rated in the lower 80-ies). this was much better. the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but with no harsh edges (like previous bottles did). I think it is better to drink this vintage now in stead of keeping it for much longer(decanted 2 hours in advance)
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Ran across this bottle on the selves of K&L when I was picking up some wine. Just had to pick it up and try it with a spit-roasted chicken that i had planned for the night. In a word, wow! Drinking perfectly right now. Initially, the nose had a sharp piering note, but this went completely away after the first 10 minutes. This bottle drank great from the start and stayed great for many hours. Just a huge wonderful nose, reminded me of crushed fall leaves. Leather, spice box, musty notes, the nose is just absolutely stunning. Medium to long finish. My only complaint was that it flet a little light in the mouth, not much structure, not very full. But the nose and finish greatly made up for it.
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I brought that to dinner with Youndy and Jay from Graperadio and some other people. I splashed decanted it at home to make sure it wasn't corked and to remove the sediment, poored back in the bottle and vaccumed it. I didn't take any formal notes. nice color, nose of garrigue with just a bit of barnyard. Everything was well balanced with a long finish. The wine just got better and better but sadly was drank way too fast to see it's true potential. I'm glad to still have 2 bottles. I'd say no rush to drink them.
The 2nd wine of the night for me was the '01 Pegau Cuvee Reservee followed closely by the '98 Vieux Donjon. What a great night!
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Pre-'90 Chateauneuf in Seattle (Kaspars): This wine may have been the best drinking wine of the night at this point in time...but I wouldn't hold it any longer. Fully resolved tannin. A nice silky, spherical mouthfeel. But a bit simpler on the flavour profile than others tonight. And a touch dilute. Drink up.
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Tasted March, 25th 2005, Aromas of Old leather, wet wood and cigar box are quickly available on the first nose of this wine. A ruby color, with good clarity, and slight amber at the edge. The wine is not filtered and with some sediments. The nose makes me think of a fabulous Brane Cantenac 1959 tasted 15 days ago with Henri Lurton at the salon des Grands Vins in Paris. The wine is sharp, alcoholic and with tannins still present. It presents the caracteristics of a well evolved fully mature chateauneuf to be drinking now IMHO.
Tasted back the next day: Aromas of beef blood, blackcurrants, soft pepper and spices on the nose. In mouth, the wine is smooth, with good acidity, soft and with nice flavors, very pleasant. Leather and pepper with aromas of cedar wood are melt in mouth and in the nose with blackcurrant aromas. Fabulous, it gains in complexity with aeration. I would keep the remaining bottles for another 3 to 4 years easily.
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PEEE-UUU. No thanks, some horse just shat in my Riedel, I don't think I want to drink it.......... Really, this was horrible to me, my notes scribbled in a cocktail napkin again: Horrid cooked dry plums, diaper full of black poo, rank horse barn manure, dirty old leather, strawberry-cedar. But the Brett is from hell and beyond. Some nasty tannins made it awkward, and a dry wood and cherry finish. Wide open nose, showing all of the worn-out and rude pleasure of a toothless prostitute with her skirt on backwards. It would be a miracle if it became drinkable, and it's unlikely to become any more enjoyable, if you can call it that. Personally I'd 'gift' it.
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Amazing nose: Beaucastel farmyard, but softened and rounded. Meaty/gamey on the palate. Truly Excellent. Sue Lawley can give me an unending bottle for my desert island.
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With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy vertical tasting of Beaucastel. Deep color. Ruby magenta. Nose a bit restrained, tarry. In the mouth, lightish, but certainly fruity and enjoyable right now. Good wine in a poor year. 5-9-14-5: 83/100.
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1/14/2024 - Wine Canuck wrote: 93 Points
This pours lightly cloudy, medium garnet in the glass with light bricking. The nose unfurls nicely over the course of a couple of hours to show a gorgeous fresh traditional southern Rhone profile. Aromas are of nori, raspberry, crushed coriander seed, dried ground ginger, grilled pork, bay leaf, and decaying rose petal. The palate enters on tart red fruit with medium minus dusty tannin and medium plus, quit tart acid. The finish is moderate in length with an enjoyable red fruit, grilled pork and lightly floral finish. All in all this is quite nice. Not up to the top vintages of Beaucastel I’ve had, but very good overalll.
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12/2/2023 - steko78 Likes this wine: 95 Points
I rate it notably higher than the consensus on CellarTracker, but it's a blind tasting, and it was the 20th bottle in a tasting dinner concluding two and a half days of quite intensive Burgundy tasting. So, no doubt, I really enjoyed this bottle, which has a lot of personality. Enchanting nose of tea, plum, tobacco, leather; it's complex and appealing. The palate is very ethereal (as is often the case with old Châteauneuf-du-Pape that resembles Pinot Noir), sharp but adorned with just the right touch of sweetness, tangy fruit that adds liveliness, a return of black tea, leather. Confirms that I love Beaucastel when mature!
Je le note notablement plus haut que le consensus de CT mais c'est à l'aveugle, et en 20ème position dans un dîner dégustation achevant deux jours et demi de dégustation assez intensive en Bourgogne, donc pas de doute j'ai vraiment aimé cette bouteille qui a beaucoup de personnalité. Nez envoûtant de thé, prune, tabac, cuir, c'est complexe et appétant. La bouche est très aérienne (comme souvent sur les vieux Chateauneuf qui font très pinot noir), tranchante mais habillée par la juste touche de sucrosité, fruit acidulé qui donne du peps, retour de thé noir, cuir. Confirme que j'aime Beaucastel à maturité !
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2/23/2019 - HowardNZ Likes this wine:
Wines at the February 2019 Magnum dinner (Noble Rot, Wellington, NZ): A small pour, served blind. Also, apparently a somewhat flawed bottle - a little TCA or heat damage? - but a wine I nonetheless liked. The meaty, savoury, earthy, old fashioned Rhone bouquet showed both some age and a little more brettanomyces than I would prefer (I can enjoy low levels of brett in the right context). Similar on palate, evolved, leathery with hints of tobacco leaf. Reminding me - in some ways - of a thick, slow cooked beef stew. Also, plummy, earthy, mushroomy and a little tarry. The brett was also there on palate and the Châteauneuf was somewhat rustic with a suggestion of alcoholic heat. Overall, for all of its faults, I thought it a characterful, compelling and enjoyable wine. However, even allowing for a wide degree of bottle variation here, it's time to drink up.
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8/26/2018 - rashecellar Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a little life left in this beauty, although it is certainly showing age.
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3/3/2018 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Still enjoyable and approachable, albeit falls apart quickly. Tart cranberry notes followed by brush and gravel. Hints if Brett with air time.
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5/17/2017 - Jeff Leve wrote: 82 Points
On the bright side, the finish was short. Tea in color, while you could find hints of strawberry, there was more of a metallic edge paired with barnyard, herbs earth and pepper on the nose. Tart and lacking in fruit, this is on the downward spiral.
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5/5/2017 - T.E.D. wrote: 89 Points
Drinking similar to my other bottles, except perhaps a bit softer and more mellow, with minimal distinguishing notes.
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11/5/2016 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
My 9th bottle out of a case purchase. Clear and crisp ruby, no bricking. Nose is tart and showing signs of aged wine as expected. Old leather, stewed cherry, cigar box, stones and some green tinge. Palate is lean and simple, yet fresh. Tart and green in some ways. Still alive. But clearly will never improve.
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7/2/2016 - urban_dk Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dried strawberry, pungent currant pepper and a honeyed edge on the finish. Lands softly on a bed of tannins. Definitely in a peak drinking window right now. Impressive effort from a wet vintage. A testament to the age-worthiness of Châteauneuf from Beaucastel.
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6/3/2016 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
From double magnum. Gorgeous, ethereal strawberry fruit, tree bark and light farmyard nuance. Transparent and drinking extremely well. Out of this format, the wine felt less advanced than the same wine out of a 750, five years ago. Classy, refined and an example of balance, proportion and restraint in CNdP.
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5/30/2016 - prufrocksabogado Likes this wine: 91 Points
Still kicking. Soft sweet w a hint of tartness. In decline but very pleasant
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5/9/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 93 Points
A private tasting (Rotterdam, NL): Tasted blind. Very mature nose, honeyed, juicy and sweet, spices, ripe and rich, rounded and supple but supported by wonderful tannins, lifted and long finish.
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5/8/2016 - AZ Cat Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was a fantastic bottle of wine. A perfectly mature CdP that's in no danger of being over the hill in the next few years. An earthy, well-balanced wine with just a hint of barnyard (which I like). A long finish with a touch of acidity.
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11/30/2015 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with my other bottles. Clear ruby color. Nose and palate showing dried earth, cranberry, tart cherry and some brush. Still showing some freshness and life.
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11/7/2015 - T.E.D. wrote: flawed
My 7th bottle from case and first flawed one from the lot.
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9/21/2015 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
Dinner with the Perrin family, very gracious and generous hosts in CdP. Great experience to drink this with the vintner, opened this as our last wine of the evening.
Still has a nice core crimson/brick color. Nose a little reticent at first, but opened nicely after about 20 minutes. No brett/barnyard. Dusted dark fruits, mushroom, blueberry, black tea - classic Beaucastel nose. Palate of dried cherry, cranberry, blue fruits, meat/savory, spice and tobacco. Some smoke and herbs on back palate. Tannins soft and resolved.
This was a beautifully aged bottle; elegant and smooth. Still has many of the signature CdP flavors but is definitely in a tertiary phase...time to drink. Great stuff...
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6/14/2015 - VinoPKM wrote: 91 Points
Wow, this was fun to try. And a great auction buy at $72! Still some brett on the nose and wine is on it's decline (but still drinking good). But WOW- 29 years old. Light cherry fruit, cranberry, game, dusty earth and tobacco
Drank for my dad's 65th... later in the night we drank an 07 Ridge Monte Bello.
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5/15/2015 - TWSA wrote: 88 Points
Food: none
Duration: 2 hours, from the bottle
Condition: perfect fill and perfect cork
Aroma: rusty, mushroom, blueberry, some cotton candy, green tea, mint, red date
Notes: certainly not a very expressive wine in terms of aroma. Nevertheless this wine is rich and fulfilling, it is pretty warm. This feels like a father bringing his child to go on a merry-go-round, warm and sweet. Not the best vintage and effort from this estate, definitely not my favorite from this estate and it's probably time to drink up, as I don't think it will evolve much further.
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3/18/2015 - Sennma wrote: 92 Points
A refined lady showed herself from this bottle. Nice and clean, no hint of brett to speak of. Still good tart fruit with some meat juice. So tasty. Showed really well, not sure there's any upside left but a fun bottle to drink...especially if I can get Adrian to enjoy a CDP.
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3/15/2015 - eluebchow wrote: 93 Points
A very nice, mature CDP that balances its fruit with some well-integrated savory characteristics; The bouquet is quite expressive, with tones of dried red fruits, spice and leather; The fruit on the palate is underscored by notes of meat and tobacco, with the tannins beginning to fade; Drink up if you have them
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3/15/2015 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at The Bristol (Chicago, IL): Welp, I suppose I would have run across a Châteauneuf-du-Pape that I do like at some point or other, and I suppose today is as good a day as any. This doesn't display any animale or funk at all, but is a clean and pristine bottle, showing light red fruit very prominently. A bit of meat as well (as is to be expected, I suppose, but the funk is really dialed down here). This is a fully resolved bottle that should be enjoyed now. Lots of racy acid from the crunchy red fruit. Delicious stuff.
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2/27/2015 - Alex H wrote: 89 Points
A blast of funk, undergrowth , chicken poop and barnyard with layers of secondary truffles, cherry compote and cigar box with damp tobacco leaves. Smooth and flowing on the palate.
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2/8/2015 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Still going strong - hard red fruit, under brush and herb.
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2/6/2015 - Eric wrote:
A mid-winter visit to Châteauneuf-du-Pape; 2/5/2015-2/7/2015 (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France): Served blind and guessed as 80's, maybe 83 or 85. Not bad. Another incredible wine. Burgundy from CDP. Game, honey, peppery and bloody. Polished and nuanced, just awesome!
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11/9/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
Ruby color, no bricking. Old world nose with hints of stone fruit, cherry, cranberry and prominent dusty earth, green vegetation, garrigue and dried herbs. Palate still showing good acid and balance. Dominated by sour cherry, iron, dust and dried earth. Still plenty of life. Best bottle to date.
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10/19/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Consistent with other bottles - ruby color, tight nose of cherry and earth, smooth palate of more cherry, dried fruit, cranberry and garrigue.
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10/10/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
Third bottle from Zachys case purchase. Good ruby color, no bricking or signs of failure in bottle. Nose initially is tight, with green fruit, cranberry, spice and intermittent Brett notes. On the palate tart and acid nuance, the wine is not flat and has benefited from bottle age. Flavors of cranberry, stone fruit, dried cherry, garrigue, old pipe, root, and green herb. Light on its feet in mouth feel yet deep with nuance and age. Can't beat aged wines of this nature. Seek and discover . . .
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9/20/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 91 Points
Good color, clear, no bricking. Nose of semi tart bing cherry, garrigue, cinnamon, red cherry, Christmas spice. Palate shows surprisingly good acid and structure with a nice softness and roundness - delicate in nature, with stringent tart cherry, followed by earth, red meat, iron, ox blood, garrigue, spice and touch if sweet tobacco and barnyard. My second bottle from an auction case purchase - again pleasantly surprised.
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8/18/2014 - T.E.D. wrote: 90 Points
First bottle from a Zachys auction case. Light color, no bricking. Drank over two nights, initial nose of baking spice, clove, perfume, light must, evolving to sour fruit and soft red fruit. On the palate, soft texture but some acid lingering. Intense flavor profile of green herb, stewed meat, blood iron, cranberry and allspice . Finish is medium and wine is definitely at peak if not fading. Non the less delicious.
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2/27/2014 - hadwin Likes this wine: 89 Points
WES - Château de Beaucastel (LSE Holborn): Medium intense, Clear and Bright. Thinning edge. Bit of perfume, rich stewed almost dried fruits, warm spice on the nose. Rich, good acidity, long with a touch of liquorice.
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2/27/2014 - tendring wrote: 89 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (LSE): Very mature nose, a little porty, attractive.
Tasting well, good acidity, a little fruit, quite full, medium length
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10/19/2013 - Wine Canuck wrote: 91 Points
A Small Saturday Night Wine Dinner: This is really what I like in old CdP. Nose smells like fairly clean aged grenache; cigar ash, crushed rocks, raspberry, with some bloody and iron notes, with a bit of a tomato plant note. Palate is still alive and very integrated with little tannin remaining but enough acid to stay fresh. Fun wine to drink, but drink up as it is fading into the sunset.
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6/12/2013 - hosscrow wrote:
Notes to follow
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1/4/2013 - Alex H wrote: 88 Points
From a magnum , this was as expressive of its terroir as it could get. The barnyard garrigue notes intermixed with thyme and juicy supple ripe berry fruits. Juicy body and with class. Still youthful and probably good to drink for the next decade.
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12/31/2012 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
New Year's Eve 2012 Drinks (Kat and Ewen's): Very good. The last bottle I had (in Beaucastel no less) was unfortunately corked. This time round though, from a magnum, the wine was singing. It had a lovely, gently expressive nose, with a complex melange of toasted spice, earth and meat, then black cherries and berries, a curl of smoke and just touch of green herbs. Very classic Beaucastel bouquet I thought. Previous notes seem to suggest that some 750ml bottles are on the decline. However, in this format, the palate showed like a wine at its peak or thereabouts. It was developed, mature and mellow for sure, with softened tannins just losing their chew. But this was also fresh and lively, with deliciously clear flavours of black berries and cherries seasoned with complex little notes of spice, herby tobacco and a nice meatiness in the background. Not the most authoritative of Beaucastels it must be said - this was actually on the lighter side in fact - but it was a really charming, enjoyable wine.
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12/12/2012 - apm1023 wrote: 88 Points
- Ruby color and aromas of prune with a medium finish - Initial taste of mild bitter cherry. Nose of prunes and prune juice-nice!
Over an hour of decant brought the wine to love but declined thereafter
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11/17/2012 - Lord Rodney wrote: 70 Points
Two bottles of this was opend. The wine was in serious decline although stored perfect since release. Dead wet leaves, sweet soil. Caramel and old duck fat. The second bottle was corked but otherwise xactly the same. How dissapointing! I had xpected more from Beaucastel even if it's not a good vintage.
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4/29/2012 - costamalfitana wrote: 89 Points
the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but smooth. (decanted 1 hour in advance); a nice example of a mature CNdP, not great.
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12/28/2011 - vinole wrote: 93 Points
S FL WS Group welcomes Board-O (Bistro Provence, Boca Raton, FL): Per Board-O, this has been a tannic wine that has taken a long time to mature and resolve. It is lean on fruit and has a tannic backbone (much like 98 Left Banks), but is complex on the nose and the palate. The fruit profile is of blackberry and raspberry, with a hint of earthiness, and a long finish that had just a touch of heat (probably due to the lean fruit). I enjoyed this a great deal, but is a wine to be enjoyed for its complexity and layers, and will not impress those looking more for fruit and power.
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11/21/2011 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Fabulous wine. Ethereal aromatics, lean yet very tannic structure. Tree bark, leather , some dirt and brett. Multi-dimensional and a wine that just got better and better in the glass. This would be a very tough options wine - might have gone for a barolo or perhaps a very smelly burgundy, such was the proportions of the wine. Brilliant showing from a less than stellar vintage and a compelling example of Beaucastel's ability to age to a transparent grace. Drunk next to the far more lauded Pegau Cuvee Laurence 1989, this was universally picked as the more involving and complex wine...
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2/27/2011 - costamalfitana wrote: 89 Points
Previous bottles of this 1986 vintage (not a great year) tasted very dumb, with hardly any nose (rated in the lower 80-ies). this was much better. the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but smooth. (decanted 1 hour in advance); a nice example of a mature CNdP, not great.
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2/2/2011 - joishscellar wrote: 87 Points
typical cdp nose, fresh crushed rasberries, leather and spice; finish was quite metallic so this may have passed its prime drinking time.
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12/18/2010 - airbull76 wrote:
Provided about 30 minutes of reasonable drinking, then deteriorated badly. No score.
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11/20/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 88 Points
Too old and should have been consumed with spices, earth and some leather notes. No fruit left.
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9/27/2010 - Seth Rosenberg wrote: 90 Points
Very mature on the nose. Dark cherry, wood, lots of sous-bois. Murky with a little spice. Great on the palate. Soft with sour cherry. Integrated and smooth, velvety and perfumed. Little sour on the finish. Almost burgundian. Nose - 4/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je Ne Sais Pas - 2/2 = 15/20.
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9/24/2010 - SimonG wrote:
Southern Rhone WIMPS (The Ledbury, London): Dense garnet. Very mellow nose, quite clean with a touch of savoury, meaty fruit. Good acidity, a touch of minerality. Slight hint of something metallic on the finish, but doesn't detract. ****
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5/9/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 88 Points
much better than my last bottle 4 yrs ago............if you have them in 750 formats drink up
it was fun trying this again
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4/8/2010 - salil wrote:
Nothing particularly memorable here; the fruit's faded and long past it and all that's left is a generic, old wine dustiness.
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6/11/2009 - Paul S wrote: flawed
Trip to the Southern Rhone; 6/11/2009-6/12/2009 (Avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, Gigondas and the Dentelles du Montmirail): I got quite excited when I saw an old bottle being pulled out from the stash during our tour of the cellar. Pity this turned out flawed. Just a hint of TCA I thought, but certainly enough to mute the wine. The nose opened with that dreaded, slightly wet cardboardy smell. We were able to pick up nice secondary smells underlying that, with meaty notes, sous bois, boiled herbs and some wet fur along with dark plum and creme de cassis fruit. The bouquet would have been quite beautiful in its day I think, with plenty of complexity apparent even now. The palate was all but dumb though. There was still fresh acid and some tannins but the rest was all but flat, with just hints of sweet red fruits in the form of little cherries and berries. Finish had plenty of freshness still, but the flavours were short and truncated, with a touch of prunes quickly overtaken by more cardboard scents. I am not sure this would have been a great wine to begin with, and the TCA certainly condemned it to forgettable mediocrity.
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10/10/2008 - samer wrote: 91 Points
While the public tasting notes suggested that this one might be past its prime, the large-bottle format saved the day, allowing for a slower aging to reveal well-balanced tastes of plum and earth and a nose of slight dung as only a Ch du Pape can evince.
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4/17/2008 - vespasian wrote: 81 Points
Fading fast and very light at this point. Pale garnet colour and faded rim. Nice evolved nose of leather, spice, some floral hints and cherry. Palate is lacking fruit but is silky and smooth. Animal notes, peppery spice. ON the decline sadly but an interesting curio. Burning alcohol finish.
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2/6/2008 - d'Artagnan wrote: 88 Points
Février 2008: dégustation verticale du Château Beaucastel (Steaf Frites Saint Paul (avenue Laurier)): Beau nez épicé, complexe (quelle surprise!). Bouche d'une bonne ampleur, finale courte mais le vin est d'une fraicheur étonnante. Fort agréable et très surprenant pour la réputation. 88 pts
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1/19/2008 - costamalfitana wrote: 89 Points
finally a bottle of 1986 that gave a good impression of what a fine Beaucastel tastes like. Previous bottles of this 1986 vintage (not a great year) tasted very dumb, with hardly any nose (rated in the lower 80-ies). this was much better. the color was a very light brick red, the nose showed the beaucastel aroma's of farmyard, not too heavy. on the palate the wine tasted , compared to other Beaucasel vintages, light but with no harsh edges (like previous bottles did). I think it is better to drink this vintage now in stead of keeping it for much longer(decanted 2 hours in advance)
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11/12/2007 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 82 Points
dusty nose with nothing to give. Taste was better, but if you have drink up!
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6/14/2007 - Not Levine wrote:
June 14th Rhone Celebration with Jonathon Dinh (Waterfront Seafood Grilll): same color as the 81 but was significantly younger with nice kirsch element on nose and palate
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5/31/2007 - Zweder wrote: 95 Points
Enormously complex and ripe bouquet. Beautiful barnyard. Complex and full of spicy tastes. Not a bit too old. Little good sweetness. Perfect wine now!
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3/1/2007 - tendring Likes this wine: 89 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (Imperial College): Lovely nose, promising good things, almost reminiscent of sherry, with truffles and animal notes.
Tasting of age but very attractive, far from past it, showing great complexity.
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2/19/2006 - ArieS wrote: 87 Points
Not as great as the previous bottle, the wine seemed hollow on the mid palate, probly an off bottle.
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10/30/2005 - Mark wrote: 93 Points
Ran across this bottle on the selves of K&L when I was picking up some wine. Just had to pick it up and try it with a spit-roasted chicken that i had planned for the night. In a word, wow! Drinking perfectly right now. Initially, the nose had a sharp piering note, but this went completely away after the first 10 minutes. This bottle drank great from the start and stayed great for many hours. Just a huge wonderful nose, reminded me of crushed fall leaves. Leather, spice box, musty notes, the nose is just absolutely stunning. Medium to long finish. My only complaint was that it flet a little light in the mouth, not much structure, not very full. But the nose and finish greatly made up for it.
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8/12/2005 - Eric wrote:
43 bottles of Château Beaucastel with Bob Parker (Mark's Duck House, Falls Church, VA): The nose had some notes of vinegar, so I expected this to be DOA. However, this was hanging on OK. Probably the weakest wine of the flight, I will still drink this pretty happily on its own.
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5/11/2005 - ArieS wrote: 93 Points
I brought that to dinner with Youndy and Jay from Graperadio and some other people.
I splashed decanted it at home to make sure it wasn't corked and to remove the sediment, poored back in the bottle and vaccumed it.
I didn't take any formal notes. nice color, nose of garrigue with just a bit of barnyard. Everything was well balanced with a long finish. The wine just got better and better but sadly was drank way too fast to see it's true potential. I'm glad to still have 2 bottles. I'd say no rush to drink them.
The 2nd wine of the night for me was the '01 Pegau Cuvee Reservee followed closely by the '98 Vieux Donjon. What a great night!
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4/30/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 90 Points
Pre-'90 Chateauneuf in Seattle (Kaspars): This wine may have been the best drinking wine of the night at this point in time...but I wouldn't hold it any longer. Fully resolved tannin. A nice silky, spherical mouthfeel. But a bit simpler on the flavour profile than others tonight. And a touch dilute. Drink up.
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4/30/2005 - ScottG wrote: 90 Points
Seattle does pre-90 Chateauneuf- April offline at Kaspars (Kaspars Restaurant in Seattle): Nice nose, but not terribly complex. Black fruits and spice. Tastes a bit sweet on the palate. Fully resolved and nice, but not overly complex or interesting. At peak now.
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3/26/2005 - agallut wrote: 94 Points
Tasted March, 25th 2005, Aromas of Old leather, wet wood and cigar box are quickly available on the first nose of this wine. A ruby color, with good clarity, and slight amber at the edge. The wine is not filtered and with some sediments. The nose makes me think of a fabulous Brane Cantenac 1959 tasted 15 days ago with Henri Lurton at the salon des Grands Vins in Paris. The wine is sharp, alcoholic and with tannins still present. It presents the caracteristics of a well evolved fully mature chateauneuf to be drinking now IMHO.
Tasted back the next day: Aromas of beef blood, blackcurrants, soft pepper and spices on the nose. In mouth, the wine is smooth, with good acidity, soft and with nice flavors, very pleasant. Leather and pepper with aromas of cedar wood are melt in mouth and in the nose with blackcurrant aromas. Fabulous, it gains in complexity with aeration. I would keep the remaining bottles for another 3 to 4 years easily.
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2/6/2005 - Shiraziste wrote: 80 Points
PEEE-UUU.
No thanks, some horse just shat in my Riedel, I don't think I want to drink it..........
Really, this was horrible to me, my notes scribbled in a cocktail napkin again:
Horrid cooked dry plums, diaper full of black poo, rank horse barn manure, dirty old leather, strawberry-cedar.
But the Brett is from hell and beyond.
Some nasty tannins made it awkward, and a dry wood and cherry finish.
Wide open nose, showing all of the worn-out and rude pleasure of a toothless prostitute with her skirt on backwards. It would be a miracle if it became drinkable, and it's unlikely to become any more enjoyable, if you can call it that.
Personally I'd 'gift' it.
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12/9/2004 - tendring Likes this wine: 86 Points
Wine Education Service - Château de Beaucastel (Notting Hill Gate): Gamey, animal, honey, complex.
No fruit, but eminently attractive.
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7/17/2004 - rjonwine@gmail.com wrote: 95 Points
From magnum - beautiful garrigue nose; youthful, ripe cherry and garrigue palate; medium-plus finish
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10/10/2003 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 97 Points
Amazing nose: Beaucastel farmyard, but softened and rounded. Meaty/gamey on the palate. Truly Excellent. Sue Lawley can give me an unending bottle for my desert island.
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5/30/1998 - RogerG wrote:
(2 of 2) Very rich and ripe; pungent ripe fruit, toasted, almost fruity but good. long finish.
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8/23/1994 - RogerG wrote:
Rim slightly pale, deep red/purple center. Very vigorous and broad flavors of ripe fruits. Hard to describe but a real chewy mouthful.
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5/16/1992 - andrewstevenson.com wrote: 92 Points
The Oddbins Old World Wine Fair; 5/16/1992-5/17/1992 (London): A very good wine, that’s coming along nicely. Perhaps needs another 3-5 years before it’s properly ready for drinking.
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10/11/1990 - dbg wrote:
delicious, good bouquet, smooth and not as tannic as Parker's notes
suggest. Rich, spicy, but not as peppery as Vieux Telegraphe.
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5/19/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 83 Points
With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy vertical tasting of Beaucastel. Deep color. Ruby magenta. Nose a bit restrained, tarry. In the mouth, lightish, but certainly fruity and enjoyable right now. Good wine in a poor year. 5-9-14-5: 83/100.
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