A classic! So rich, elegant, fresh, and lots of depth. The old vine Grenache really stands out here. Expressive floral and wild berry nose. Dense, creamy palate with so many wonderful layers of flavor: cassis, blackberry, plum, mineral, herb and spice. Great balance, well integrated tannins. Super long, smooth and persistent finish. A truly spectacular wine to drink now or to continue cellaring for many more years. :)
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Undrinkable upon opening. Jammy, disjointed, flabby. Threw away my glass and recorked the bottle. 48 hours later, this had evolved into something more palatable. Still slightly too alcoholic for my tastes, but borderline good. Like the ugly duckling morphing, over time, into a passably attractive swan.
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Late night at home with neighbourhood friends. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. Apearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of balsamic, aniseed spice, dark peppers, raisinated plums, black cherries, earth, olives. Developed. On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, high alcohol (14.5%), high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of raisins, stewed plums, black cherries, savoury earth, dark olives, spices and peppers. Big long finish. Good quality CdP. But my gosh the price for this nowadays! Complex and probably drinking at peak. Don't expect the structure to completely melt away with age. Better to drink up while the fruit is still not too overly stewy raisinated plummy, or worse still - totally dried up.
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This is totally in the zone now. Still healthy young color. Very classic aged CdP notes, there is some red and darker fruit, kirsch, some savory herbs/pepper, also some cinnamon, garrigue, pepper, but also some animalic notes. It's pretty full-bodied and deep, still more on the structured than fruit side, but the tannin has melted away quite significantly since my last bottle a few years ago. There is still medium- tannin, some medium acidity and very good length. This is still a more structued, savory CdP, but I would take this over the warm vintage fruitbombs any day of the week.
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Lovely old Rhone, medium red, a touch of bricking nothing more. Ripe dark red fruit is very prominent, along with olive tapenade and sweet tannins. Quite a stiff backbone still, and quite rich alongside it. There is some chocolate, dark and bitter, and some mint and fresh herbs. Decent length finish, a little bit of spiciness to mix it up. Really very nice. Drink now, or hold for a couple more years. My final bottle from an EP case, paid a lot of storage on it!
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Agree with the "solid but not spectacular" sentiment. Slow-ox'd for 24 hours, which helped to coax out some fruit and garrigue, but overall this was a dark, masculine wine with little charm.
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Fifth bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Mature aromas but a vibrant structure, cedary and a bit dusty, tobacco, masculine, retains its tannic grip, (white) nutty evolution, good weight (14.5% ABV), good length. Solid rather than spectacular.
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Subsequent notes on this wine from 8 years ago. Deep dark reddish-violet garnet in color; almost opaque with some very slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex ripe fruits aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with lovely floral overtones of violets & lavender & earthy/dusty notes, cedar, kirsch & garrigue notes, Provencal herbs, anise, pepper, leather & minerals. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, anise, cocoa & minerals. Long smooth lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing. At 18 years of age, it is close to or at its peak of development although it should hold here for several more years. However, I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was in the mid-neck of the bottle; cork was clean & intact.
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Definitely not my best bottle and seemed to be well on the downslope after peak. Fruit was turning a little plumy and the red fruits were getting a bit lost. Some nice herbs and Oak with a white pepper element that really started to show on the finish after few hours. I've have other bottles of this wine not that long ago that were far more gracefully layered. My last bottle and for this particular bottle, just in time.
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Last tasted in 2018, I found this overripe in the extreme. Not this time. Can't explain it but I'll go with the flow. This has extraordinarily fresh aromas that definitely include mint, of all things, along with dark fruit. Fleshy fruit flavors, with a stony edginess.
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Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (The Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street): A medium dark red, a touch of orange. Overt olive on the nose, and a sharp tang of green pepper but this does not continue to the palate and with air the wine develops nicely, with ripe darker fruit dominating rather than red. It has more structure and opulence than any other vintage tasted this evening (although the 2010 runs it close). The double decant has really helped, something I did not do with a bottle consumed in January, and my feelings on it are completely different - if anything it felt youthful and with a way to go rather than on any downward slope! This could just be bottle variation I suppose. As it got more air it really settled, rich, fruity and composed - my second favourite this evening and on the night I thought this was my last bottle but in fact I have one more. Yay!
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Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street, London): Slight dark chocolate note here with a sliced damson fruit character. Some oxidised vanilla pod and star anise too. Palate is compact but perfectly formed. Another youthful but one senses built to last wine. My third wine of the night.
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Slow-O'd for two hours; decanted for three. Interesting C9P; many layers of flavor. Fruit is present but not at all jammy. Still some life ahead for a couple of years, but no real reason to wait on this.
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This benefited from an hour in the decanter to improve the taste but I was surprised by the lack of sediment. The wine was fresh and balanced, pairing nicely with our beef dinner tonight. It’s nice to see that many years of patiently ignoring this has rendered an enjoyable experience with a good friend to celebrate the opening race of the f1 season. One bottle remaining from the two purchased over 15 years ago.
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Doube decanted. Dark red with bricking. Lovely nose of classic garrique, earth notes, deep palate, long and clean finish. Drinking at peak and great with food and great alone.
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Muddled on opening, unbalanced and a bit hot actually. I am finding more and more that the first glass of an older CNDP (or indeed any grenache-based wine) can be rather a struggle. However despite the age of these wines decanting is very beneficial for reasons other than sediment, and this was the case here. After a couple of hours of air this had really settled down into a pleasant and very contemplative glass. This is in complete contrast to a tasting note from another CT user a few months back, but there you have it. Obvious bricking in the glass, a very savoury mouthful, full of leather, spice and just hints of the once sweet fruit coming through alongside what is now more raisins and plums to complete the picture. On the downward slope you would have to say, but nonetheless quite charming. But don't pop and pour!
A great CdP that was decanted for an hour. It was drinking pure at first but slipped a little towards the end. you might want to decant for sediment, but you wouldn't have to wait for it to open up.
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A terrific bottle. I have one more. I think I'll wait for awhile longer to open it.
This bottle was rough on opening but after about an hour and a half it had transformed into something really lovely. I would say the fruit was a tad sappy for my taste, but well balanced with a lot going on and still quite robust for its age. Really a gorgeous CdP!
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The longer this was open the hotter it got. 36 hours after opening the alcohol heat became almost intolerable.
But, when first opened, was a treat. Lush, sensuous mouth feel, red and black fruit, garrigue and a lengthy finish. Shame about the alcohol later on though. From magnum. Decanted 8 hours. Still really young though I’m not sure it’s going to turn into anything great. Imported by Kermit Lynch - unfiltered.
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Maderised, no fun at all and fell apart totally in a decanter. Cork was in good shape - either a bad bottle or had suffered from less than ideal storage (5 or so years in a 1 level below ground 'cave', the kind that most apartments in Paris come with - there are worse places to keep wine, but not ideal either).
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2.5 hour decant. Dark ruby color. No bricking. Less than a teaspoon of sediment, mostly stuck to the bottle. The extra decanting time helped, at the finish, the black pepper elements break through the extracted sweet Grenache red fruits and the thick black fruits from the 15% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah all in separate waves. Perhaps my best experience yet with this wine.
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Last bottle of this. Dull ruby red. Perfect synthesis of spice, tobacco, cherry, citrus, and soil wrapped in a medium weight, sappy body and outstanding acidity. A great Chateauneuf.
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Similar tasting notes to previous but seemed a bit flatter. Perhaps the company I was with or variation as I purchased it from a different place. Again, in a nice secondary phase.
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Third bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Mature but lively appearance; cedary nose, tobacco, dried Provençal herbs, red berries, fresh but with attractive hints of raisins and dates; the well-delineated palate displays good volume (14.5% ABV), and a robust structure of finely grained but slightly dusty tannins and firm acidity; relatively dry finish with good resonance and length. More charm than the bottle tasted in 2020, but it does not look like this will ever deliver on the promises of its youth.
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60 minute decant. Half teaspoon of sediment. Plenty of sweet but not jammy red fruits (mostly wineberry and raspberry), some black fruits (blackberry), touch of spice and herbs, modest Oak, very smooth.
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Grand vin. True, blue. cool. Tasted vis-vis the Clos des Papes, this comes out the winner for it's sheer cool elegance, While never loosing it's local feel, this remains the blue chip of the Chateauneuf. Has a long life ahead. #Hanne&Niels
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Popped and poured. Rich ruby color; overripe nose redolent of raisin, prune and dark fruit. Broadly delicious, hitting all parts of the palate. Velvety mouthfeel, amazing umami notes roast meat, tobacco, leather, tar. Sweet blackberry, currant and plum tones. Tannins are present on the back end. This wine has at least ten years of life ahead of it.
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Liquered red cherry, tannins showed a bit more drying for the first 2 hours. But acidity is still fresh and fruit still ripe but not falling apart. It’s a darker more floral expression, brooding, and bitter on the finish. Glorious grenache is what I’d say but it’s far more serious than simply pleasurable
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PnP. Only needed 15-20 in the glass. Lovely bright red Grenache fruits, touches of black pepper and spice, dried herbs and sweet Oak. Very smooth. Perhaps best bottle yet as a little more spice and secondary flavors appeared in this bottle. Glad I've got more.
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I don't think that I've ever had a CNdP before that actually tasted of black licorice, but here is the exception. Black licorice and kirschwasser, full bodied and with all the rough edges removed. Smooth, delicious, not particularly funky, and all-around a good time. I normally buy CNdP in "off" years, but even from this solar year the Brunier brothers deliver.... in spades. Bravo!
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Half bottle. After about 45 mins in the bottle, On the nose, spicy, liquorice, black berries. On the palate, black fruit, hint of sweetness, spicy, but with underlying sweetness. Forward and a bit roughness in a good way.
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We apprehensive after some recent flawed bottles This has funk in opening but after an hour that had blown off. Wine continues to improve. 3 hours in it is wonderful mature CDP - drinks older than the vintage - with a finish that was well over a minute. Waves of deck dart flavors. Lovely with the right food. Won’t bug any more of this vintage since not sure how long there is left. Surprising given my expectations on purchase.
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Medium ruby center. Garrigue and licorice on the nose. Medium weight. Dark red fruit that is a little subdued tonight in addition to the savory parts and light tannin. I like (but don't love) its complexity and pre-global warming degree of ripeness without excess sugariness or weight. Not the best bottle of this I've had.
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Opened this during our annual New Year's Eve Celebration at home. We ordered food from Gustoso Ristoranto.
Brickish red in colour. Decanted for 90 minutes before serving. Notes of aged plums, dried orange skin, slightly muted on the nose and palate. Rounded, smooth and silky on the palate. Has a slightly metallic and rubbery taste. Dried Italian herbs (thyme, basil) is evident as well, adding to the complexity of the wine.
The finish was weaker than expected.
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1 hour decant dry tawny port with orange peel and very stewed with slight oxidation and a tannic finish. No sign of cork taint. borderline flawed. 84-86 Yet, another example of holding on to CnDP's too long. There are vintage exceptions, but I've found 10 years on, many of these wines begin to decline.
Fill to within half an inch of the cork bottom, cork barely stained 1mm- this bottle is in excellent shape. The wine is ruby purple with a watery pink rim. It looks young, though is just a touch paler than I would expect for a CdP.
The nose is very fruit forward and sweet. Raspberry sauce, strawberry jam, concord grapes, blood orange. There are also some aromas of dried Italian herbs and lavender. Soft on the palate, very fine tannins, medium bodied, acidity is medium as well. It is still fruit forward in the mouth, but less of the stewed sweet red fruit profile that was so apparent on the nose. In the mouth, it has a bit more of a savory and bitter profile of orange and grapefruit pith, a touch of ruby red grapefruit juice, and some cranberries. The flavors of dried mixed herbs (thyme, basil, sage) carry on the palate.
It’s wonderful in the mouth until the finish. There is a weird rubbery flavor that I can only describe as…get ready because this is a weird one…balloon animal. When I was a kid, I went through a phase of learning how to make balloon animals, and in the process, spent lots of time with the end of balloons in my mouth. I learned that distinctive plastic-y rubber taste well. Sometimes the balloons would blow air right into my mouth and it also had a very distinctive taste, and that is coming at the back end of this wine. Decanting didn’t get rid of it. Too bad, because otherwise I really like this.
Nobody else mentioned the balloon thing on CellarTracker, so it might just be particular to this bottle (or my taste buds), so I wouldn’t hold it against the wine if are considering buying it or you have it in your cellar. It’s incredibly well made, and given its amazing youth at 16 years old, it will easily make it to 25.
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One-hour splash decant. During decant, raspberry and leather notes emanated from the decanter. After resting and in the glass: wine was clear; garnet in the bowl lightening to an amber rim with a small clear halo. The nose was wonderful older CdP: leather, mushrooms, forest floor, dried fruits, cedar and spice. In the mouth: tannins had melted into a silky liquid of figs, dried cherries, plum and bamboo. The finish was noteworthy in length and how it ended with some cigar ash. This wine had perfect balance and is at its peak now and for two or three more years. My pal and I really enjoyed this as did the staff with whom we shared it. It was a happy holiday dinner indeed!
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On the palate, it is masculine, with in particular a smoked bacon which dominates. Yet the juice is not that powerful, but this very animalistic side, coated with kirsch is not really my favorite style, although I do recognize the structure and balance in the wine on a pleasant stony finish.
It's very good, not my style, but an instructive experience
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decanted one hour. tempered medium cerise; fragrant wild cherry, warm stones, singed underbrush, expressive; med/full-bodied; continues concentrated on palate, kirsch, smokey & meaty, saline, substantial length, fine tannins on finish. lots of character tonight, in a good spot now & for a while.
Consistent with others here. Decanted for a couple of hours, very little sediment. Still youthful in appearance, with just a faint rim of amber. Nice nose of wood smoke and flowers. Definitely open for business, tannins present but playing a supporting role. Balanced, silky, pure earthy CdP goodness.
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90 minute decant. A really lovely bottle. Overripe red and some black fruits. Touches of Oak, spice, minerals and dried herbs. Very smooth. 25 second finish
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New Offline Venue Recce Dinner @ Blacklock City; 9/15/2021-9/16/2021: Savoury, clearly well put together wine. Was keen to try this as, after years of staying away from red CNDP, had very much enjoyed a 95 VT at a tasting. A well put together wine, and I can imagine it being even better than the 95 in a few years - savoury and plush. Didn't convert me however.
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Decanted one hour. Almost no sediment. No bricking yet. Plenty of classic red fruit Grenache, some blue fruits, a lot of minerals and only modest spice. Very smooth touch of herbs and sweet Oak.
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This bottle was spectacular. I was concerned because the last one consumed was not. It did make a big difference I believe to let it breathe for at least three, maybe four hours before it was consumed with grilled lamb chops. It started out very fruit forward, then became quite tannic, and then hit a beautiful balance at just the right moment with dinner. Lovely aged fruit with some Southern Rhone heat, stones, and smoke. It elevated the meal to something memorable.
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Still young looking - bright damson color. Earth and plum on the mild nose. Bright cherry notes, medium mouth feel, integrated but present tannin, medium finish. A little leather and the CdP heather. Drinking really well and not close to the end yet. Great classic CdP and a great QPR.
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From magnum. Drinking wonderfully. No significant signs of tiring out - deep color with barely any bricking at the edges (you really have to look hard). Blackberry and elderberry are seamlessly integrated with garrigue and animal notes. Long finish.
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Consumed back to back with '05 Beaucastel. This is much more to my preference, and exactly where I like drinking this in its evolution vs. 5 years later. Still a touch chewy but fresh and vibrant, with expressive nose of red fruits and bramble; as these develop more it loses some of this vibrancy. A really enjoyable wine, and the winner today vs. the much riper and dark-fruited Beaucastel.
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Plum, currant, and raspberry fruit. Sweet spices, red licorice, mineral and floral notes, and subtle earth. Still has some good acidity to it with a nice finish. Good drinking window right now but can easily can another few years.
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Kleur: Fluwelig, lichtrood. Aroma / bouquet: Aangenaam maar gesloten en fragiel bouquet waarin individuele aroma's lastig te determineren zijn. Smaak / Afdronk: Verleidelijk, zacht, aangenaam. Een voor een belegen Ch9dP kenmerkend mondgevoel en smaakindrukken. En dan heb ik het over zacht zoete drop, een miniscuul vleugje zoute soja, aarbeiencompote, cederhout. Een serieus lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Een duidelijk betere fles dan ik in 2019 proefde (86/100. De smaak is meer dan briljant, het bouquet teleurstellend. Blij dat ik nog 6 flessen blijk te hebben ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 93/100
Color: Velvety, light red Aroma / bouquet: Pleasant but closed and fragile bouquet in which individual aromas are difficult to identify. Taste / Finish: Seductive, soft, pleasant. A mouthfeel and taste impressions that are characteristic of an aged Ch9dP. And I'm talking about soft sweet liquorice, a tiny touch of salty soy, strawberry compote, cedar wood. A seriously long finish. Overall / potential: A clearly better bottle than I tasted in 2019 (86/100. The taste is more than brilliant, the bouquet disappointing. Happy to have 6 more bottles ;-). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 18 + Overall / potential: 9 = 93/100
Quite an intense and still youthful wine. Slightly restrained nose with some blackberries, steely dust and some vanilla cream. The palate has still intense tannins mixing with those iron notes. This C9dP is still quite young, will be interesting to follow over the next decades.
Dull ruby throughout. Superb, sappy medium weight with a compelling combination of dark ripe red fruit, undergrowth, citrus, and licorice drop. Strong acidity and tannin to finish. A wonderfully structured, chewy, classical rendition of Chateauneuf. Not flashy (thankfully!) but outstanding. I love the underlying steel of this vintage compared to more recent riper years.
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Terrific expression of CdP, hedonistic and full bodied, swirling with confidence in what it is, and so yummy. At year 15, it is an absolute marvel. Opened the bottle an hour before, then poured. I'm not sure its necessary to fully decant the bottle, I suppose its a matter of preference. As the evening wore on it was the same rock solid mouthfeel over and over. I think it has plenty of shelf life yet.
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Should have opened earlier in the day. In its first couple of hours it remains burly. Dark fruit, stony minerals, pretty intense. It is well balanced. I think I'll put a note on this bin to wait for these....
from magnum, double-decanted, enjoyed subsequently in a crisply cool socially-distanced outdoor dinner venue. color, nose & palate shows on the youthful & restrained side, as ambient temp limited the expansion of aromatics & volume on the palate; a leaner & less expressive showing than a 750 ml. earlier this year, as might be expected.
later, finishing the remainder under more conventional circumstances, this is still tighter & showing young; the nose becomes more expressive, but fruit is clenched & lots of grip on finish.
Significant change for the better since last taste 3 years ago. Entered into secondary phase and probably be for 5-8 more years. Integration is becoming apparent. Anise, darker red fruit, (agree with) tar and tobacco. Really in a nice place.
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This is a lovely wine that resembles an aged Burg, like Volnay, more than many juice bomb CdPs. Blood orange, plum, red currant fruit. Old herbs. Finishes with subtle orange, spice and herbs. Just lovely now. Drinking beautifully and has a decade or enjoyment in store.
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From .375. Dark fruit (cherry, blueberry), spice, garrigue, slight lavender, earth, herbal, dry. But burly. Good acidity. Lingering finish. Really enjoyable.
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A beast in a bottle. After 6 hours it really started to shine and had some elegance with red berry fruit, wild spice, and rocky mineral flavors, but a burly kind of elegance. Before that the fruit was there but really ripe and dominated by tar flavors. Lots of acidity to frame the whole thing.
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PnP and was a crowd favourite....smooth, balanced fruit w minimal tannins. Medium bodied and served its purpose perfectly with a not heavily driven red meat dinner. Well worth the money.
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Medium bodied, spicy grenache flavor profile. Feels like a more robust, slightly less elegant Rayas. Not primary by any means, but still drinking quite young; lots of life ahead.
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Med + garnet with rim variation. Unfiltered, viscous. Intense black cherry, amarena cherry, stewed plums, savory herbs, sun-dried tomato, violets, earth, leather, mocha and oak spice from 12 mos in oak casks. Also spends 10 mos in concrete. Dry yet fruit-forward. Med - acidity, med, polished tannins and hot alcohol (14.5%). Full bodied, with impressive intensity and length, it really shines with food, but is now a little unbalanced towards softness. Drink or hold for a couple of years, but not likely to improve further. WS 95 in 2008.
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Wow. Chocolate here, raspberry there, this is dancing in the glass. Agree with other recent comments — well integrated tannins, very smooth; energetic but probably time to drink, if this is peak I have no complaints.
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Absolutely great! Decanted for one hour. Intense aromas of bruised black cherry, resin, pipe tobacco and dried leaves. Medium weight in the mouth with black cherry, black raspberries, and cloves. Rich and powerful but still plenty of freshness and even a few grippy tannins in the back. In balance. Exactly what aged CDP should be. Drink now but will hold for another few years. Paired with rare NY steaks with chimichurri.
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Following the New World/valley floor Continuum, the VT really surprised me as it more than held its own. The wine is open, spicy, red-fruit driven with a strong mineral backbone and those savory notes you get from the stony soil-grown grenache. Still has plenty of life left in it, cellar kept since purchase. Wonderful.
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I think if I tasted this blind I might have thought it was a Barolo. It had the flavor profile of deep tar and perhaps a slight bit of floral. BUT, this is a big wine. Well balanced and somewhat robust, but honestly not that lovely....
This vintage is fine but nothing impressive. Tasted upon opening and after an hour of decanting. Didn’t change much. Notes of chocolate and jam which held constant. Solid CdP but that’s about it.
Second bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Pristine. Opened and tasted at 4pm. The nose is initially very closed and a bit dusty, but the palate does not show an excess of tannins, and a touch of raisins and nuts. Decanted and revisited at 6.30pm. Mature but lively appearance; warm glowing nose, vinous, some liquorous fruit, spicy, still a bit dusty, good depth; the palate is fresh and structured, the tannins are high but ripe, flavours of cedar and red berries, cool and transparent rather than fleshy and rich; relatively dry finish, black tea. This bottle seems fully mature but also a bit dour, and I hope that my remaining four are better and more welcoming than this. DrWine2001's tasting notes from 2019 give me some hope. Or will 2005 turn out to be a vintage that was always too young, until it was too old?
An exceptionally good Vieux Telegraphe. I debated between 94 and 95, and pushed it to 95 because of the smoothness of the complex flavor profile. This just tastes right. A seamless blend of candied violets, black cherries, prunes, bacon, and black pepper that somehow has no rough edges. This tastes like a mature wine, and I support drinking it now.
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From Magnum. Medium/deep ruby/garnet, pale garnet rim. A touch closed, some darker fruit notes. Full bodied, sweet dark fruit, quite youthful, low acidity, fine tannins, mouthfilling, not particularly complex, finishes flat.
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Garnet colored but Sharp and acidic in personality at first so I put it away for 4 more hours and when I got back around to it this had died down. Now The wine was much lighter and tasted less aggressive and Less out of whack. Very mature notes of present were notes of mineral, raw meat, raspberry, cherry, strawberry, kirsch, fernet bitterness, dried Virginia tobacco and dried cedar. Mouthfeel was light and tannins were of dry loosely threaded satin. Finish was lasting yet bitter and that bitterness drowned out its complexity it is then creamy and almost of a cherry cough drop. Drink now and decant.
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Second Sunday Group: Cornas vs Côte-Rôtie (Barb's): Bright, with notes of red fruit, cherry and white currants. Still fairly tannic, showing currant and pepper flavors. Another 2005 that has not yet come around-this vintage requires patience.
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- It's unbalanced with a medium body. Angular texture with a medium finish - Got these for thanksgiving dinner as the closer. Did a two hour decant. Still had sharp notes on the pallet at 14 years. Had long legs, and had alcohol on the nose. Blackberry flavors. Did get better over the drink time but never great. place it as a medium bodied wine. Ive had better... will keep for so,e time and maybe it will smooth out.
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Nez fermé au départ, mais devient plus expressif au fil du temps, encore sur le fruits. En bouche, après 2 heures de carafe, gagne beaucoup en rondeur. Puissant, ample et une belle longueur.
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Not as explosively expressive as my last bottle. More refine and elegant, however showed a little heat on the palate. Nice tertiary fruit and spice mixed with a little sandalwood. Seemed like it’s near peak.
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Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Stunning nose of bright red fruits, blood, licorice and cracked black pepper. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Powerful and concentrated with gorgeous upfront fruit. Strawberry, kirsch, raspberry and herbes de Provence of the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with silky tannins. The purity of the fruit on the wine is notable. Showing so well right now but the structure suggests this could cellar for another decade.
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Ruby, fine sediment. Wow, the most forward, vibrant red raspberry fruit I've ever encountered in a Vieux Telegraphe, so much so that it reminded me of Rayas right out of the gate. Medium weight, superb natural sweetness (without overripeness), spice, and texture with an excellent citric lift. After that initial stunning burst of fruit, more savory black licorice and tobacco flavors fill in behind, supported by moderate tannins. All told, a great showing with plenty more to come down the road.
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Hedonistic yet classy. We had this last in a lineup of 4 wines and this an unanimous WOTN.
Has enough stuffing to continue to evolve so this can get even better. Perhaps some prefer a bit more restraint but when you are seeking classy flamboyance, this is it.
IMHO, puts a lot of renowned Bdxs to shame re QPR
Vieux Telegraphe consistently delivers.
Nice backstory: A good friend and colleague first introduced VT and 2005 vintage back in 2016 to me. Have been hooked since and this time round, i returned the favour. He purchased it from estate and it was even more affordable back then.
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A contrast compared to the 2005 Grand Puy Lacoste. Both opened an hour before dinner, decanted and enjoyed throughout the course of dinner. A fruity, jammy (and I meant that in a good way) wine that was so giving throughout the night. This was not an over the top CdP, but one that was vivacious and loud. I liked it, but did not love it.
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Garnet. Explosive aromas of raspberry and licorice. Beautifully sappy red fruit lifted by citrus and balanced by garrigue, anise, and spice. Ripely tannic finish. This is a superb, classic Chateauneuf that seems to be right in the middle of a long drinking window. Amazing depth and immediacy of fruit.
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Good colour going bricks towards the edge. Rich fruit nose but perhaps a little “cooked” but too far gone. Fruit still strong on the palate but alcohol a little intrusive. Again the dark fruit flavours coming through. Finish with hints of bitter cherries and sloes but with great length...still going after trying to think what to write!
Need to be careful it doesn’t go further with the “cooked” sense...is it madeirisation or bad celllar?
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Much better than last bottle but still just a well executed cote du Rhône. Dark fruits, bramble, garrigue, tannin; not integrating harmoniously. Will hold my last few for a few years to ascertain if this is just a dumb phase.
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Fascinating and distinctive, but not delicious. Stunning nose of iodine, tapenade, bitter herbs, tobacco, and pepper. Brown and murky on the palate. Intense and tongue-coating. Tannins still big on the finish; like thick apple skin.
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Well this was better than the last CDP I had but still not completely awesome. I pissed off a few of the community by saying I've had better Syrah's which this technically has in the blend. Many new Syrah's are blends so I believe the modern techniques are having more success. Added to that is the incredible amount of time that one must take to age CDP's. Now I haven't had a newer vintage so maybe they're better younger these days. I'm moving on that's the last in my cellar.
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Still having a difficulty getting past the 14.5% alc and its definitely noticeable for me so may be higher than stated. If it had more lift that would certainly help too. Good material otherwise but not energetic enough for my liking. Then again, there are very few btls of CDP I still enjoy. Paired with rubbed ribs tonight.
Had the 03 Beaucastel last night and sadly this does not compare. I normally love this wine, but in comparison, this is more astringent, less fruity and much dryer. Now for the good news.... still a very enjoyable wine, but likely needs more time in the cellar for everything to come together.
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This is excellent. It offers gripping flavors of tapenade, ripe plum, and blackberries in a fluid, easy-drinking body for such a strong-flavored CdP. Even the aromas in the empty glass are powerful. It's nice that wines from this world-class vineyard aren't outrageously priced.
I suggest drinking now. I don't see how this can improve from here.
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Medium bodied wine. The tannins have softened considerably and there’s plenty of spicy dark red fruits on show. Nice acidity giving it freshness. Overall a nice drink and will probably last a whole lot longer.
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Very fine. Needed a full two hours in the decanter to open fully. Rewarded with minty black raspberry and pine cones and other aromas of forest floor. Deep attack of red/black fruit with a long tannic finish. Tobacco leaf and maybe some cloves. In its drinking window but may develop more complexity over the next several years.
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Magnifique nez de fruits rouges. Belle intensité aromatique. Bouche ample et veloutée, tannins complètement fondus. Dernière bouteille d'une caisse de 6. Les 5 premières bues trop jeunes. Là on est au top. Parfait avec une daube de boeuf.
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Felt slightly rough around the edges, jubey and ripe and maybe not all together fully integrated. Has concentration and depth, ripe and full but not overly so, just somewhat angular and not smooth. Should be more together at this age so perhaps have missed the best window or perhaps still needs even more time. Has enough fruit and structure to carry it, just struggle to see where it goes from here. Have a few left so will give it a little more time and see how that works out.
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New Year’s Day wine! This was a V-T I purchased from Cellaraiders.
Popped and decanted. Left for about 20 min before first taste.
Wine is a gorgeous brick-crimson. Not terribly concentrated - can see through it.
Nose is intensely beautiful. Cut red apple, stewed berries (raspberry), amaretto, cherries, gingersnap.
Palate: wine is sound. Medium acid, fairly hot, tannins have receded. Wine doesn’t feel that concentrated, which makes me think that this was a less ripe vintage. Palate follows the nose but lightly, with a touch of white pepper, anise, and herbes de provence. Still very elegant but I think the ideal version of this would be a touch more concentrated. I know, I know, CdP has a reputation for being over-ripe, but I just want a little more from this one.
All that said, I can’t believe we like this as much as we do. This wine is boss.
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Popped this one for NYE while we watched the guy from American Idol and that 90s chick from Singled Out get poured on in Times Square lol...looked Les Miserables out there last night lol not sure what all those clowns are thinking standing in the rain in diapers for 12 hours lol...the terroir in this one hit me not unlike the terror of watching NKOTB perform “Right Stuff” and “Hang Tough” just a mere 32 years after the medium sized sensation that this original 90s boy band caused...their singing was mildly tannic but then towards the end it’s like they just wouldn’t get off the stage...you could say it had a long finish but then that would be a positive note where NKOTB deserves nothing of the sort lol...Happy New Year all you filthy rain soaked Times Square smelling tourists from Bro-rolo?!
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Decanted for 1 hour prior to first tasting. In a previous tasting note from 2010, I noted this was atypical in color for a Vieux Telegraph. At that time it was more burgundy in color, cranberry like almost. While it is still a bit "off" in color for Vieux Telegraph, it was much darker this go around, now more garnet in color. Nose was concentrated and well put together with blackberry, cherry, licorice, smoke, anise, briar patch and sweet baking spices. The palate was full bodied and rich with a silky and elegant texture - blackberry, black cherry, currant, more licorice, anise, game and baking spice. Full bodied with some very bright and juicy acidity but sweet fine grained tannic structure. I think this still has 8-10 years left. The finish was long, enticing and full of more black cherry, fertile soil, briar patch and baking spice. Outstanding! 50+4+13+18+8=93 pts.
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Sans être le plus gourmand, il impressionne par son équilibre, sa texture élégante, surtout pour le millésime. Les tanins sont fondus, harmonieux, le vin délicieux, sur des notes de kirsch et d’herbes de Provence. Un des beaux 2005 que j'ai pris. 92 pts
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Far too ripe for us. Maybe this bottle, maybe our changing tastes, but this struck us as prune-like in the extreme. The more air it was given, the more objectionable it became for my personal, can't-stand-over-ripe-wines, preferences. I recall tasting this on release and liking it. Puzzling. The remnants of this particular bottle were consigned to the sauce. Judgment reserved because a relatively recent bottle of the 2001 gave much pleasure. Next time I'll decant this for an extended period to see whether that makes a difference.
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Patience has its rewards for this mature red that exhibits a gorgeous bouquet of roasted blackberries, cowhide leather, pipe tobacco and black tea. The palate displays a medium-to-full body with a silky texture, albeit some tightness as it’s newly poured, balanced by vibrant acidity. Additional flavors of anise, aged meat and cedar smoke cap the layers of complexity. Finishes long and mentholated. Drink now until 2030.
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PnP. Profile didn't change materially in the first two hours over which this was consumed. A bit modern, primary, one dimensional i.e. fruit; short finish, light on acid and tannin. A disappointment.
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Opened and drank immediately. Good fruit, a little of a musty smell but still very fresh. Nice tannins. got better as the night went on. Very happy with this wine
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Decanted for an hour. Surprisingly still tannins dominated. Dark fruit, cinnamon and oak all integrated wonderfully. Medium body dark Ruby color. Finish is long. Very different than the bottle I had earlier this year. That one was thin without much fruit and tannins. Could last for 7+ years but I have no more.
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Deep nose, a little earthy with a bramble component (raspberry, kirsch and blackberry) and a mineral/iodine essence. Extremely fresh, with precise red fruit and a suave, silky texture. Finishes with deep red fruit flavors and more mineral. In a great spot and no risk decline in the medium term.
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3.5 years since last bottle and is at least as good if not better. Decanted 1 hour. Drinking really well, smooth & tannins fully integrated. Medium bodied and restrained, drank with grilled flank steak.
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Black cherry, smoke, forest floor, and menthol on the nose and palate. Dense body with high acidity, the tannins have resolved nicely. Pleasurable now but still has some life ahead of it.
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This wine took a long time to come up in the glass, even after 2-3 hours of decanting. There is something intransigently brooding about the style of Vieux Telegraphe that I still find difficult to come to terms with. Just a little too much earthy backbone, which gives depth but no complexity. This might be CNP terroir ( I would like to think that), except that there are other domains from this region (no names) that produce a gentler, more inflected wine.
As for the wine itself = wonderful mouthfeel, dark tastes (liquorice, cassis). But with a vertical integrity that has lost the horizontal axis entirely.
For my sins, I drank Medoc normally. So perhaps I shouldn't stand in judgment.
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Aucune note de prise : encore solide, belle extraction, corsé... devient encore meilleur au courant de la soirée. Beaucoup d'épices en fin de bouche et très long. Délicieux ! Selon moi, pourrait tenir la route facilement d'ici 2025. 94+
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This is my fifth bottle of this wine out of the cellar. I wrote tasting notes 3/20/11, 6/16/11, 4/10/13, and 9/17/13. So it has been over 4 1/2 years since I last had it. It was worth the wait. Translucent dark garnet. Nose of blackberry, smoke, menthol, and black licorice. Full palate of ripe blackberry, black cherry, fig, and minerals. Black licorice and mild bitter herbs on the nice, long finish. Refreshing acidity. The previously tight tannins have faded considerably. the 2005 Vieux Tele has finally reached its potential.
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Drank this a few days ago, high acidity with strong bright cherry, followed by some bitterness. It had its moments of complexity, maybe just developing- herbs, smoke.
It’s going to take some more time l.
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2.5 hour decant. Early and pronounced secondary aromatics- turned soil and rocks, dried herbs, dark spices, dried black fruits. Initially dark, brooding and unyielding on the palate, not showing much outside of its structure, additional air softening the edges, brightening and filling out the fruit. Notes of boysenberry, spices, earth, dried florals, bitter chocolate- densely layered and complex. Fleshy polished tannins, long depth on the finish. Hold or decant 3+ hours.
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Beautiful deep garnet color. Red fruit, layered with roast meat, umami, tobacco, tar. Delicious on the front end, savory mid palate and lovely finish. Long finish with plenty of tannins present. Really nice.
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Decanted from 375 ml bottle and drank over next hour without food. Garrigue and sour cherry on the nose. Quite tart and tannic, and softened a little while it aired. While the body is light, it is very structured and extracted, and a little sour for my taste. Still tough even after sitting for an hour. I think it's a little early to drink now, and will improve somewhat with time, although I don't know if the tartness will ever balance out.
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Out of a magnum, popped and poured. I thought this was an excellent VT. Blew away an '07 we had the week before. Nice dusty red fruit, sandalwood on the nose. Fruit forward with nice mid-palate, rather lush and juicy. The tannins are fine-grained and mostly resolved. Nice streak of acidity in the finish to keep the wine lively. One of the better VTs I've had in quite some time.
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Decanted for 3 hrs and drank over 2 days. On day one a nice smooth CdP with balanced tannins. Blackberry and garrigue with a hint of aniseed in the finish. A nice Telegraphe but I would agree with other reviews, not a great one
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Black cherry, cut brush, and, slight hint of bret on the nose. Balanced rich tannins with notes of anise and minerals. Strong mid palate Solid finish. Overall lacked a "wow" factor. Not much different on second day.
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Good but not great. Did not decant but it didn't throw a lot of sediment. Consumed over about 5 hours. Notes are from the end of that period.
Dark fruit, earth, anise, and a bit of wild spice. The two things about it that make me say it wasn't a great bottle is it seemed a little flacid and the fruit seemed a bit overripe. I know the last will not put everyone off but I tend not to like wines like this.
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This bottle has turned the corner with stewy notes coming firmly to the forefront, which I don't like. I have 2 bottles left. I'll be opening them soon.
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Medium dark red; sweet licorice, ripe blackcurrant, sweet plum; very masculine and powerful with tobacco and tar, some tannins at the end,a "winter wine" - best suited on a cold snowy day by the fire place
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Decanted and served. Tasted blind and pointed to chateauneuf from a relatively young ripe vintage. Guessed 2005 or 2007. Light rich sweet core of fruit, herbs, light iron feel. Well in its drinking window and probably better now while the fruit is still here. We do feel there is a good chance this evolves well maybe like the mid 90s beautiful wines ( 1995 for example) so lets see. 89 for now
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Drink well now. Beautiful wine - dark colored with slightly brown edges. Mature nose with oak, dark berries, herbs - after hours leather, animal - more delicate. Very nice balance on the palate.
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First mag of case. I was delighted by none of the hard edges of other 05 CNDP's. Nice colour. Inviting, raspberryish nose. Largely primary. Palate soft, and edging towards that glowing sweetness of a more obviously mature VT. Still, very drinkable, and no rush to consume.
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Looking back at my notes from 18 months ago, I don't know that my opinion has changed much. The wine had ripe fruit, but it also had an alcohol taste that once faded left nothing exciting in the wine. The wine is not terrible, but it seems out of balance. I would agree with other reviews that this wine just misses it, and I am a fan of both CdP and Vieux Telegraphe. Perhaps it just needs more time?
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A Mixed Bag at Young Joni (Young Joni, NE Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, followed one glass over an hour. The nose is ok, spice, subtle garrigue, red licorice, with muted brooding dark fruit. The palate is where this falls apart for me. Whether this is in CDP no man's land between the early drinking window and the more mature window; or hopefully the slow, plodding evolution of what is VT is just yet to come. However, my fear is this is not going to go the route of an aging beauty, but instead unravels amidst the alcohol and oak on the palate. I not sure the the syrupy dark ripe fruit can last against the harsh woody opposition. Maybe I'm being harsh, but the lack of balance made me wince.
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David's btl. Tonight this wine wasn't working for me. It came off as jammy, loaded with alc and not my thing. Perhaps if it had seen a good 1 hour + decant and a lower cellar type temp, I'd like it better? Also, I find these have a fighting chance of being tasty if drank closer to low cellar temp. Tonight's btl was opened at the restaurant and drank at the mid to high 60s. Wasn't feeling it. I continue to lose my CDP mojo.
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A bit astringent right now some four hours after opening. After two hours, it was very nice with lots of fruit and a bit of a waxy smell. Overall, a very nice CdP with no sense that it's twelve years old.
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Eventually, very good. It took a good long while; in some ways, the last glass drunk tonight, five days after opening (and sealed with a vacuum sealer) was the best. At first very austere, alcoholic, a challenge to drink, it finally began to blossom and was beautifully balanced. It may need several more years of aging. Five, at least?
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Quite simply undrinkable. Then triple decant over 2 hours. Big improvement, however still heat. Raspberry on the palate. Just ok but should leave until 15 years (2020).
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Contrary to others it looks like.... This felt a bit young to me. Round and out of balance. AS bit flabby. Not much support in the back end if you will. Blueberries, dark cherry, notes of pepper.... Wait another five and then hope?
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Drinking very well now. Decanted for 2 hours. Great body and structure. Dark cherry comes through but perfect across the whole palate. Rich, firmly wrought tapistry of flavours.
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Continiue to find this my favorite region of France. Well balanced and smooth with rich flavors developing on the mouth and lingering through the finish. Classic CDP.
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Pronounced and evolved nose of red fruits- raspberry, candied red cherry, baking spice and savory herbs- wow ! Full bodied with medium acidity - and here is the surprise- still medium plus tannin and lots of structure 11+ years on. Lots of red fruits, spice and savory elements with a long and delicious finish.
This is drinking great now, but ( and this may be atypical for CDP) could easily last another decade given the acid , tannin and structure.
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Tres C9P.Cuir Dimitri. Pruneaux sêchés/dates. J'ai écrit testicules de mec de 50 ans...mais je sais pas pourquoi...Dégel pourrait me le remémorer ? :) Peut-être à cause des pruneaux. Cela représente beaucoup un C9P typique (sauf pour les couilles). 17/20
Drank from 375, tight as heck. Needed about 4 hours to open up and let the fruit come through. Great balance once it opened up, but not a pop-n-pour right now.
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Opened and decanted for 3 hours. Wine was showing a little sign of bricking but didn't appear 12 years old. Nose had nice white pepper and red fruit notes. Palate had a nice fruit with minerality. Finish was a touch short.
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Wow. Probably the best vintage of Telegraphe I've had. Still very youthful with an extremely vibrant dense crimson color in the glass. Nose was shy compared to the palate but showed some potpourri spice and menthol. Palate was still quite dense with fine tannin, but accessible. Red and black fruits, exotic spice, sandalwood, and leather mixed together in a very expressive way. Finish is upfront and length, with meat, leather, and sandalwood notes. Great CdP, still very youthful but early in its drinking windows. A lot of old school sensibilities here--elegant and polished while retaining rusticity. Hold 3+yrs if you can.
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Notes were were pretty much consistent from my last bottle 15 months ago. Decanted and followed over several hours. Initially a bit of heat which subsided after about an hour. The wine mellowed out and opened up for the next two hours, but it's still too big compared to how I like my VTs. Hold til 2020.
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Alc: 14.5%; Mid garnet to the mahogany rim. Lifted aromas of garrigue, dried herbs, undergrowth and soft sweet spices. Some sandalwood, scrub, and whiff of pepper. A warm, rich entry filled with Christmas cake, black pepper, damson, dates, expresso and mulled wine spices. The texture is thick with a sweet cocoa powder feel underscored by fleshy, rich, super-ripe fruit. However, the wine's mineral freshness and a touch of salt give this powerful wine a structural frame and the sweeter blackberry and blackcurrant works nicely in adding complexity. Full with a very generous glycerol mid-palate, the wine bursts with pepper on the extended finish and the tannins have a sinewy pull to them. While the wine is reaching its peak, and the tannins do build slightly to give some pointiness to the back palate, this muscular built (almost monster) wine has a mineral note that freshens the whole wine. A compelling wine that felt quite hard to drink but amazing to savour!
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Not hugely aromatic at present. Roasted cherry. Quite tannic, typical of 2005. This is open-knit with high quality of tannin. Needs a few more years to develop aromatically. 93+ df 9.2
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2005 VT is starting to show well. Definite depth and backbone. Fruit is accompanied by tar, earth, liquorice and present tannin, etc, etc, the stuff that is VT. Clearly ahead of the 2001, 2004 and 2006 in this tasting, but not yet a blockbuster. My guess is this will show well for a couple of decades. Excellent.
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Ruby-garnet color. Strong ripe red fruit nose, with slight leather. Medium+ to full body with resolved tannins. Very balanced and smooth. Long finish. This is drinking great right now.
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(Leaf) Pur, rubis, prometteuse paprika, syrah puis fraise, prune (madère), caramel, Longue bouche, ample, très belle structure équilibrée. Beaucoup de plaisir. Encore un beau potentiel de garde
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Nori and some spicy kirsch notes on the nose. Very lively. The palate is big and still relatively young, showing medium structure, tightly wound and some drying acidity. A bit austere and bitter on the finish. Well done, drinking better than the 05 Beaucastel tonight.
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VT - Vertical 1983-2012 Tasted alongside the 2006. Perhaps in a bit strange phase right now, but I think it will develop nicely. The 2005 is standing out in a row of somehow disappointing wines from 2000-2006.
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Dark, dense red/purple/black. Quite closed on the nose still. Raspberry, walnut, tobacco and dried herbs on the palate. Very long, touch of fairly well disguised alcohol and heat on the mid-palate together with a touch of rustic tannins. Very long. Get the Grenache at the end, more nuts and even a sense of dark chocolate. It is still very primary and I am a little concerned about the slightly rough tannins which in my experience do mellow a bit but never magically transform into cashmere like tannins! Interesting to see the mixed reviews and I think I fall on the side of "it's an ok" wine rather than it is brilliant wine. Enjoyed with friends in Niseko- TL, JT, LPZ, JC and Captain America.
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Second somewhat disappointing bottle in a row from this vintage. Good color, nice nose. The entry was good, but the palate was a bit weak as was the finish. Decanted two hours before, and consumed over the next two, and it seemed to put on a bit of weight toward the end, so maybe this just needed a longer decant. Perfectly good with food, not as interesting as expected. Bought on release, stored in passive cellar. Different bottling batches, as others notes do not reflect what was in this bottle. Dumb phase? Will it be better in several years? I hope so, as right now this is a very good wine, but given the producer and vintage I expected better. I have had pretty much every vintage of this wine since the early 90s, and this is one of the worst at this point to my palate.
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A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Masculine, powerful and structured, quite primary, clean and glossy but perfectly classical, ripe fruit, just a hint of raisins and of nuts, very good length. Drinking well already but needs more time; glorious future.
Annual End of Year Mostly Magnum Funday (Dig Wines, San Francisco): Fairly primary looking. Tobacco leaf and a touch of superripeness. Pretty classic and backward on the palate with dark fruit and no heat. Roundly tannic finish. First time tasted in 6 years, and it seems to be developing very slowly and very well.
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Started with a new Gigondas, moving to the Telegraphe. Decanted for about 45 minutes. Deep ruby, a tiny bit of bricking, expressive nose of mineral and leather. On the palate, getting leather, mineral, a little cigar box, underlain with a slightly tart, blackberry core. 30s finish. Tannins mostly resolved but good structure for several more years.
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Lucky me working late invited to dinner with friends. Let's get into it restaurant dark best I can say deep rich raspberry in color. Typing this I have to say nice healthy legs put them in a 5 k. Nose hits you hard tabacco clove white pepper very interesting. Nice structure no flavor to forward but plenty to mull over red fruits like strawberry getting pepper leather sour cherry. Finnish is tight but long enough to remind you this is a winner
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Not rated. This wine was a complete disappointment. I hope there was something wrong with it. The wine just never opened up over the course of the night. It was easily overdone by CdP bottles in the tasting at half the price.
A bright, young-looking, ruby-colored wine in the glass. A nose with pure cassis notes and peppery thyme. In the mouth, the blackberry note dominates, with black currant that persists through the finish, where the complexity arrives with a woody, peppery, integrated knot of flavors.
This is very young, even after a decade. Will easily go another decade and maybe even two. Maybe the best I've had from here.
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This hits the front palate with a big, intense flavor filled punch of strawberry, kirsch, raspberry with plenty of pepper, garrigue, and umami notes (I’d say from the Syrah). This powerful flavor is then followed by a fresh acidity on the long finish. The 14.5 alcohol provides a round texture without getting in the way. I would have guess California, if I were tasting it blind. This wine is really polished and very nice. I’m impressed. I wish I had more.
This drank well from the moment I popped the cork, but after letting the bottle sit open all day (from 9:30 – 4:30) the wine gained complexity. This wine had the power to age for longer, but I thought it was drinking well now.
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Decanted and let it sit for an hour or so. Still pretty tight. Not a lot going on either on the nose or in the mouth. Needs quite a bit of time. Cellared since release in passive cellar.
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Stewed raspberry, cooked cherry, ripe grenache fruits with lavender, dried herbs, dry rub; Silky and slick on the palate, med + or so body but a bit hot with alcohol clearly showing in the finish, but body lagging behind. Integrated, aging very well, quite young, fresh and vibrant, just a bit mellowed out. Try in 2-3 years, but I believe this is where it is going to stay and will not significantly improve.
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I used to not like Grenache, and I'm being sucked into it. I love the dusty minerals, raspberry, and floral highlights. I'm pacing myself to not open the next two.
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This needs time, either in the cellar or the decanter. Opened, decanted and had a glass last night. It was clear by the texture and structure that the wine was very high quality, but it was not giving much pleasure. Rinsed the bottle and poured the remainder back in. Much better tonight: raspberry, kirsch and soy sauce, with creosote in the finish. What sets it apart, again, is the texture and structure. I only have a couple more bottles and will exercise patience. I think another five years from now and this wine will sing.
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Toke_man brought this over and we opened it but never consumed it. So after sitting open over night we poured and tasted.
Warm nose with some alcohol heat but deep aroma of black fruit and spice. In the glass this a dark wine with very limited clarity.
Heavy body, blackberry, cherry, mineral and a slight spice finish. Well integrated but I get a tad more alcohol so a smidgen out of balance but quite enjoyable!
Thanks Toke_man, the wine was very good and now it is very gone :)
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This wine is drinking very well right now. Great nose of blackberries and it is full bodied and full flavored, but still light on its feet and nuanced. The tannins are very well integrated on a long and lovely finish.
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This was quite a bit more restrained than what I expected. I was prepared for a deeper and slightly heavier CdP but what I got was a softer, more elegant wine. Fairly muted nose with some cherry and spice. On the palate there was cherry candy, strawberry, kirsch, minerals and garigue. The fruit was mellow but not muted as if it were past its prime, just not at the forefront. Tannins were very low-key. Very smooth drinker overall. Quite a bit of sediment even after a slow decant. Drink it now.
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Still, again fruit is fading, a bit better with spices, exotic wood notes and decent mouthfeel. At least, alcohol still under control. Not sure I'll still continue to buy, probably my taste evolved toward other kind of wine.
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First pretty reticent, opened up a little with some air. Very classic CdP notes of kirsch, raspberry, pepper, garrigue, but also some dark berries, iodine, minerality and some pepper. On the palate there are similar flavors but also pretty restrained. It's pretty full-bodied and dense, but very fresh with medium+ acidity and still medium-high tannin adding grip. Long finish. A very structured and classic Vieux Télégraphe, it doesn't provide the hedonistic drinking experience some of the "warmer" vintages do but it has a nice structure that goes really well with food (we had it with grilled aged Ribeye with different vegetables). If the fruit is holding up until the tannin softens some more this will deserve a higher rating... It reminds me a little of the 2010 but with less expressive fruit. (92+)
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Nothing special. Good acidity but the fruit seems to be fading away. I enjoyed the wine but it was less impressive than I expected given the strength of the vintage.
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Opened this after seeing a couple of less than flattering remarks on Cellar Tracker. Perfect cork, dark ruby, not much of a nose, tasted muddy and slightly astringent. For my taste, drinkable but just barely.
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From half bottle. Opened & left to rest for like 1 hour. Herbs, light red fruits, touch of spice. Feels young, a touch dry at times and with a bit of feeling of heat on the palate. Definitely a lot more expressive than 6 months ago (Papies 88). Feels about right but maybe a bit more time will help it evolve more. 89
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WS originally rated this 95 (#5 in Top 100 Wines of 2008) & it still exemplifies an amazing wine. Dense & chewy, but not tiring to drink due to fresh acidity & edgy, gravelly feel driving blackberry, currant & sweet spice notes. Long finish w/ briary grip, w/ notes garrigue & hot stone. This has many more years to go...
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More of a personal note / reminder, but the wine was about where I'd expect it to be at age 10. The tight coil has loosed quite a bit over the past several years and the wine can now be enjoyed with a meal. This particular bottle will easily hold another 10 years and improve for at least another 5. Hold for five more years if you prefer VT on the smooth cherry liquor side of things, which I do.
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Deep dark reddish-violet garnet in color; almost opaque with some very slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex ripe fruits aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with lovely floral overtones of violets & lavender & earthy notes, cedar, classic kirsch and garrigue notes, dried Provencal herb notes, licorice, peppery, mint, dusty, leather & minerals. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced, silky smooth textured, complex, lush, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & dark plums with spices, herbs, anise/tar, dark cocoa, earthy & minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but has the potential to continue further development with additional aging.
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Second Sunday Group: 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): At first, there's just some generic red fruit in the bouquet and not much else. Opened a bit in the glass, adding a nice earthy quality to the red fruit notes. Third wine of the flight and no clues yet as to what we're drinking. Tannic, with flavors of pepper and red fruit, adding an herbal edge as it opened. Good finish. This is balanced and I like it, though it's not particularly interesting or nuanced. 90 pts.
My #2, Domino's #3 Group #3, 47 pts
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Opened and poured with a Soiree decanter. Clear medium ruby color. Showing notes of dark cherry, cocoa, earth, violets and clove on the nose- moderate in intensity. Intense black cherry fruit and minerality on the palate that needed time to unwind, along with secondary tea, floral and spice notes- still a little backward despite its intensity. Medium acid, fine silky tannin, fleshy mid-palate, plenty of depth on the finish. Very elegant. This needs a lot of air or a few more years. My dad really enjoyed it, so that's the most important thing, but if not for that this is definitely a 'hold' for its full potential.
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Drank as part of a tasting featuring the 2005, 2007 and 2009 plus flights of other diverse wines from Booker, Valdicava, Chateau St. Jean and an assortment of Chardonnay from California and France (will write a longer note on that later). This was fabulous. Totally singing right now. The tannins are very sweet and support a core of herbs, dark cherry and date with a 30 - 40 second finish. This was one of the stars of the night.
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Short note: We really enjoyed the structure of this wine. Not at all flashy, extrovert nor boasting. This is tightly kept, M-bodied with all the juice you need for a great food pairing. Still too young to be at its best and not on par with the price tag. More like a very fine CdRV.
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This is drinking very nicely right now. Decanted to remove the solids and let rest for a while. Drank over the next five hours. Wonderful mouth feel with lots of red and dark red fruits and spice. Seems to have years to go.
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Open edge bottle 1 hour prior. Not decanted Colour:dark ruby red. Clear with no sediments. Looks like this bottle has matured well in 10 years. Nose:black sweet cherries. Dark plums. Absolutely delicious Taste:wow!!! Very refined with huge mouthful of dark cherries, sweet plums. Finish is huge!!!!! What a great bottle. Unfortunately my last one.
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This bottle was a little hot and benefited from drinking at a slightly warmer temperature than I usually like Granache. It was big and bold, dark and meaty with dark savory spice and fairly simple.
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Aroma started with wet tabbaco leaves and. Now onto cherry nibs, palate is pretty big with red and black juicy berries with a truck load of earth. Balanced and delicious on the.big side ( still balanced)
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decanted 30 min (& then power went out. waited 1.5 hours, made dinner by candle & torchlight, so ultimately 2 hours before consumed). color beautiful crimson (by candlelight); nose is restrained but complex, wild herbs, kirsch & wild raspberries, seaweed, hot stones, cigar wrapper, toasted fennel seeds; med+ weight; concentrated & reserved on palate, showing a bit weedy & still crunchy tannins, very pure grenache fruit middle, wild bramble fruits, iron ore, seemed to evolve positively over dinner. really appreciated its reserved but complicated personality, very food-friendly. recommended for drinking in the dark.
christmas lima bean "stew" w/crispy pork carnitas on anson mills creamy polenta, feta, lime, jalapeño salsa
Had vs a 2005 Clape Cornas and the VT probably won on points. Fruit was great but more structured than I remember the last bottle being. Wish I had more.
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A little barnyard, kirsch and garrigue and spice on the nose. Still a little furry with nice kirsch, earth and black fruit on the palate. Excellent with lots of room for improvement.
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Popped n venturied at home with braised pork. Soft old world CDP. Red fruits, spice, and garrigue on nose. Palate had red fruits well balanced and food friendly. Definitely old world. Still have a magnum to enjoy in future. Will be a good experiment to contrast. Our 375 was ready to go. Drink n enjoy.
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Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): The bouquet has some pleasant barnyard impressions, garrigue, salty licorice, some mint and ripe red fruits. On the palate red fruits and minerals, a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness, some tobacco and laurel, beautifully ripe tannin and a good length. The wine is ready now and will probably stay on this level for several years. 2020 will probably be no problem, but I hope to taste this again around then to see if there is more potential.
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From Half Bottle. No decanting. Much like back in 2010 when we last tried it this remains an enigma for us or at least too closed and not expressive. Maybe we shoudl have decanted but definitely did not show well on the day. 88
A combination of power and elegance. A sea of red raspberries, nicely set of by good acidity and minerality. Very much in balance with, I think, a long life ahead.
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A classy wine. Nothing that says wow right now, but just a very good traditional wine. Put on weight in the decanter. Very comfortable giving this some more time.
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Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thistle, menthol, black berries, black raspberries and plums. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, plums and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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This is a first rate traditional Chateauneuf bottle, plenty of mouth filling red fruit notes with a good finish, but the cost is way up there for a traditional basic cuvee. For many years my benchmark Chateauneuf was the 1978 Vieux Telegraphe, but I think they have fallen behind perhaps for two reasons. First, unlike other producers, and you can love it or hate it, they haven't stripped out the best of their cuvees to produce a large volume luxury cuvee. Standard procedure today with virtually every other Chateauneuf producer. This wine is really good, but it is isn't in the ballpark with the luxury cuvees of Usseglio, etc., all pretty much in the same price range or less. And second, their basic problem may be the age of their wines. For whatever reason, their web site acknowledges that in comparison with many other Chateauneuf producers, the age of their vines is relatively young. Bottom line if you will, you can buy a better stripped out luxury cuvee from many other Chateauneuf producers for less or the same price that you now pay for Vieux Telegraphe, and get more.
Very slightly disappointed with this bottle. An outstanding mature nose of dark fruits and forest notes. Good entry, but the mid palate and the finish were a both slightly astringent and a bit deficient in fruit. Still an excellent bottle, and it works well with food, but I was hoping for just a bit more given the vintage and the producer and my previous bottles. Hoping this was just slightly off and that the fruit and full balance will come back.
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I haven't had a VT in many years, but I remember them being very different than other CdP's, and this doesn't change my perception in this regard. Here I get a little bit of ripe fruit, some sour cherries, and funk. I like this stuff, and I'm looking forward to the '06 and the '07.
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This is my first taste of the '05 since 2012 and this has fleshed out nicely and has shed a lot of its baby fat since then. Tonight this is a classic Vieux Telegraphe with dark brooding flavors of cassis and plum. Tobacco, leather and coffee notes with lots of garrigue show up on the mid palate and are followed by fairly aggressive tannins on the longish finish. With a traditional old world style, this is quite nice right now with a couple of hours of double decanting.
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The wine is barely translucent, and a deep, dark garnet color. The smells are stone, brushy herbs, currant, blackberry, and dark cherry. The tastes are sour cherry, stone, Provencal herbs, blackberry, and spicy notes. This wine is a bit tight and the tannins are still pretty stout.
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Disappointed. Not a bad wine, but had higher hopes given the reputation of this wine and the tasting reports. Found the nose a little too inexpressive. The classical southern Rhone aromas are there, but the intensity and complexity are not more than average. For me this could be matched by well-made, less expensive wines from appellations like lirac, vacqueyras, or even cotes du rhone. The weight in the mouth is OK and on the positive side.
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Nose of raspberry and kirsch. Medium body, reasonable structure with flacors of cherry, licorice and graphite. Medium finish with drying tannins and noticeable alcohol.
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Color is dark garnet with lightening at the rim. Nose is significantly more developed than the last bottle I opened 4 years ago. With some air, this shows cherry, herbs, garrigue. On the palate, the juicy red fruit attacks at the front and is quickly met with spice and an earthy note. Both tannins and acid are still prominent and not yet integrated. Very nice but will get better with more age and integration. Definitely more developed than when it was a baby.
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Red/puple colour with just hints of bricking around the edges. Rose, red fruits, blackberry and herbs on the nose. Similar palate, with rasberry, red cherry, blackberry, italian herbs and minerals in the mouth. Medium bodied with fairly assertive tannins and pretty good length. Almost pinot-like in some of its characteristics.
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The colour is showing a little development. Still firm but with good integration. Not yet showing the marvelous tertiary flavours that are destined to make this wine superb. Next bottle? +6 years.
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Did not enjoy. Still good tannic structure but a medicinal quality that drove me up the wall. Not what I hope for in my CNDP. Second day flat and oxidised. Don't know what to do with the other bottles.
Strong wine here, with ample ripe dark red fruits, spice, garrigue, jam and kirsch. The wine is rich, round and full bodied, leaving with a finish packed with fresh red and black cherries.
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From magnum and in prime fighting form. At one point I thought, this tastes like a really great, earthy montepulciano. Like Valentini. And to me that is a complement.
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2nd day open. Classic VT nose with raisins, plums, tobacco, leather and vanilla. Palate fleshed out a bit overnight. Cherry, plum, dried herbs, raisins and cinnamon. Structure is still well balanced with the fruit, does not overpower but more time or a rich rare piece of meat would be nice here.
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A Flight of 2005 CDPs: The 2005 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau is medium garnet in colour. The palate boasts of goood minerality, pretty and luscious in style; bursting with dark over ripe currants. High in alcohol on the palate with a green finish. A little weaker than expected and a bottle variation is highly suspicious.
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Garnet color with just a hint of brick orange at the rim, opaque at the core. The aromas came out with the cork... they are raisin, raspberry, wet stone, earth, licorice and olive. The tastes are raspberry, Mediterranean herbs and brush, cherry, blackberry, stone, olive, dark chocolate and spices. The tannins are velvet and the body seems lithe and sinewy. The finish is good with a little woodiness and the aromas and flavors are complex.
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Decanted for 2 houers, opened up nicely and ready to enjoy. Very dark red colour. Nose of dark berries, strawberries,blackberries, little bit woody, chocolate, milk. Plenty of fruits and tannins. Very full body and long finish, everything very well integrated. Ready to drink or keep in cellar for many years ahead. Top $ wine. Is a luxuary to enjoy this kind of wine. OT
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This lovely wine was perfect with a rustic Provençal scented daube. It was big but nearly perfectly balanced with smooth tannin and fresh acidity, and this big balanced structure was a vehicle for a wonderful suite of southern Rhone flavors.
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Slightly closed at first. Then came notes of gunpowder and blue fruit and then cardamom, fennel seeds and tart cherries. A menthol tone even developed after some time in the glass. The palate is sligthly drying out, but still with good amounts of dark fruit. Licorice and even some chocolate and a Little bitter tone at the end. There is an austerity to the wine even though the tannins seem rather mature now. I have found that austerity in many 05 CdP.
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Opened for 3 hours not decanted. Sweet red fruit on the nose and on the palate. Balanced acidity with fine tannins and a long finish. Very enjoyable now with a bright future ahead. This was better than the 2004 but just a bit behind the 2010 (all three consumed within the last month).
A bit disappointing. No complexity, lacked in fruit, and short on finish. A pedestrian quality wine. The only good thing I can say about it is the acidity was medium with a good balance. Would have been satisfied if I would have paid $15 - $20. Pair with a pizza or hamburger.
The nose showed dark, intense red and black fruits with licorice, charred meat, black pepper and a hint of herbal mint. On the palate, it was velvety with grainy, layered concentration, followed by palate staining fruit; blackberry and raspberry were prominent, along with plum sauce, sweet/savory spice and violet candies. The finish showed hints of dusty tannin with a lasting notion of black fruit and violet, which seemed to go on forever. This wine may still show some youthful structure, but it's so good now, that it's hard to keep my hands off.
Bouquet af dybrøde fuldmodne kirsebær som genkendes i munden suppleret med urter og krydderier, læder, lakrids. Sødt, surt og bittert smukt afbalanceret og afrundet med en behagelig bid af tannin. En velafbalanceret og smuk vin med en fremtid på mindst 5 + år.
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Un vin qui m'a semblé très fatigué... mauvaise bouteille ou phase ingrate? Dans tous les cas, c'est un vin délicat et épicé qui semblait manqué de fruit et de corps. Charmant mais un peu mince.
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Pleasant but it didn't wow me. I decided not to give a numerical rating partly because I don't drink a lot of CdP and this is not one of my favorite wine regions so my rating might not mean much. It did pair well with broiled lamb chop and potatoes and okay with meat loaf.
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Opened and let it breathe for about 2 hours before consuming over the next 60 minutes. It had a very nice. Lots of light fruits including cherries. Very nice long finish. It went went well with my friend's duck dish and my steak.
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Dark garnet, clear. Berries on the nose; blackberry and currant engulf this light bodied, old world styled wine, carried through the palate with finesse; the result of well integrated acidity and balanced tannins. The well proportioned, velvet finish lasts forever, measured with a hint of minerals and wet, smooth, river stone. This wine is definitely ready to drink now, but should carry on well into the 2020's.
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Monthly Tasting Group HWS #083; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 vs 2007 (By AH): Beautiful ripe cherry fruits in the bouquet. On the palate cherries, herbs and spices, leather, licorice, some sweetness balanced by beautiful acidity and bitterness. Round tannin with a pleasant bite. A very well balanced and beautiful wine with a future of at least 5+ years.
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Decanted and poured into our glasses. Tastes of raspberries and other red fruit with some minerality thrown in, but early on there is a distinct alcohol taste that interfers. After several hours of sipping, this beauty evolved. It left that alcohol taste behind and tasted of the most wonderful red fruits one could hope for. Then it became rather earthy and herbal with a hint of spice. This is why I enjoy a good CDP so much.
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This has really developed since the last tasting.. Muted upon first pour, but this opened well over 2 hours, offering wet evergreen forest floor, red cherry blossoms, and fresh... just freshness. This bottle has alot of spirit. Crazy palate that at first seems simple, then the mid-palate sparks with bright black cherry, some fresh herb, and finished with a dusty cocoa aspect. Really wonderful. Drank better and better as the night went on, and surprised me with it's persistence on the finish.
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Muted nose, but feels tight and tense. Certainly the palate will have a lot to offer, but not quite yet. Try again in a few years. 05 requires patience.
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Restrained of course, but still a wow wine. Great with dinner of braised salt pork and lentils, great by itself, and great with chocolate even. My wife said after dinner this would be great with chocolate, and it was.
The nose is more restrained than the palate but it smell reminds me of the south of France. On the palate there is rich red berry fruit, some hints of dark fruit, some bacon fat flavors, earth spices. Tannic still. Finish is amazingly long.
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Blind at Monopole: Light ruby color with slight faded brick orange; note of soft plum, cooked fruits, touch of herbs, dusty spices,slight dusty powder sugar aspect; medium body, fine grippy tannins but not too much; hot in the mouth, higher alcohol, a bit of oak hanging around. Guessed '06 or '07 Grenache from S. Rhone. This was fairly good, but showed way too hot for me. 14.5% on label. 95 WA!
Decanted for an hour+, served with cocoa crusted pork tenderloin and sauteed mushrooms. Still far from ready. Dense, not as unyielding as it was 5+ years ago on release, but not worth opening now. Unlike other posters I found no elegance in this bottle, brooding, medicinal and far from what I expect a VT to be like in its drinking window. Hold and revisit in 2016+.
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Decanted 45 minutes and paired with grilled porterhouse steaks & mashed potatoes. Very expressive. This wine is in a great place right now. Subtle & nuanced, with plenty of fruit but also plenty of earthy undertones & a nice long peppery finish.
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This has been consistently good and a good not-too-ripe- CdP. It is very balanced with cool red spectrum fruit and a good mineral core. Good juice with plenty of room for improvement in the bottle.
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Pours brick red, ran through vinturi & opened up immediately. dark fruit - plum, blackberry, licorice, pepper, charcoal, leather. Medium finish. Drinking great right now, but still room to age.
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Spontaneous Blind Tuesday night Rhone Varietals (Portland, Oregon): Nose showed stewy cranberry, currant, slight varnish. Palate had grippy but consistent tannin with leather, a bit of alcohol, cranberry, current and spicy wood. Finish was medium with some unchecked heat.
Guessed middle 4-8 y/o CDP.
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This had been stored in a 55 degree cellar for the last 4 years. Decanted for around 90 minutes. Medium to full bodied. Dark crimson color with a clear ruby meniscus, no signs of bricking, still vibrant. Aromatic nose of spicy red plums, dark cherries, garrigue, smoke, and anise. Mellow and smooth mouthfeel ; a very "plummy" upfront taste, with other flavors of licorice, dark cherry, and cherry kirsch. Good, dry finish of moderate length. Very good, but given the outstanding vintage and producer reputation, I was expecting a bit more. I'll wait a few years to see how my last bottle evolves.
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2009 Gigondas (Hoyer's): Bright red fruit, spice and herb aromas. Balanced. Medium- to full-bodied, with red currant, pepper, spice and garrigue qualities with dark fruit on the long finish. 92-93 pts. I'd give this a couple of years yet. Check back in from 2015+.
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Very pleasant nose and dark ruby color. Has earth, leather, and mineral tones predominant, with strawberry and currant somewhat less prominent. Still drinking well, but don't see this improving with more time.
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This bottle is not flawed, but it is disappointing. I have loved this wine twice before (see 3/20/11 and 6/16/11 notes). It has been stored in a perfect cellar environment. I don't know what is wrong with this particular bottle. Nose of smoke, black cherry, and alcohol. Medium palate of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, and alcohol. OK length. Tart acidity (no VA, however). Youthful tannins. Some herbaceous character. Not digging it.
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Clear color - very light in the edges. I had decanted it 3 hours before. In the beginning little notes - dark berries, licorice but not much else. After quite a long time - 5-6 hours - it began to show some more sweetness and complexity. The same on the palate - not very powerful as normally. So I would say that it is quite closed now and I will save my other bottles 2-3 years minimum. This 2005-vintage - also from other winehouses in Southern Rhone - is quite special - repellent and closed - will it ever open up??
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This took a long time to open up -- decanted for nearly two hours and it still wasn't showing all that well...after three hours it had sweetened and plumped up quite a bit. Plenty of black raspberry and cherry fruit along with a strong mineral streak and a hint of road tar. Enjoyable but I would wait to open another one.
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Sim. notes from same bottle 14 mos. ago. Still strong with a long finish. The 02 Whitehouse Lane Cab and the 05 Pine Ridge Onyx slightly beat it out. It was a great afternoon!
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Dark cherry color. Fresh scents of cherry. Medium palate of dark cherry, sweet plums, minerals. Enjoyable but still tight. Fairly long. Should decant for 2 hours. Can further age 2-5 years.
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Med to full bodied but with a fairly light feel on the tongue. Tonight this is all fairly forward red fruit, some garrigue and some black pepper. While this is drinking fine right now, it certainly needs more time to shed its youthful exuberance and to develop some depth and the secondary characteristics that I've come to love in Vieux Telegraphe. Revisited on day two. Stored overnight in a full 375 ml bottle. Much better on day two. The very forward red fruit toned down abit leaving a richer, deeper Vieux Telegraphe. Bumped my score up a couple of points after tasting it today.
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A bit darker and deeper fruit than last time 2 years ago. Still very elegant and almost burgundian, which is uncommon for this producer. Probably a testament to the great vintage 2005 which is more classic than, say 2007. Sweet core and fresh acidity, very easy to drink at this stage. There is a touch of compressed fruit which makes me believe that this wine will continue to develop into something bigger and sweeter and becoming more complex, but it really is a joy to drink today!
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Consumed in vertical tasting of 03, 04, 05, and 06. Opened bottles 6 hours before consuming. All bottles would have been better with decanting as all opened up as the bottles were consumed. 03-lighter in style, stoney with more mineral, plum and spice. 04-more extracted, heaviest of vertical, raspberry,mineral, velvety. 05-less extracted, chewy spiced black fruit, hotter, minerality present. 06-More like 04. Floral, nutty, stone, less fruit. Super finish.
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Dark cherry color. Fresh scents of cherry. Medium palate of dark cherry, sweet plums, minerals. Unexpectedly enjoyable. Fairly long. Some may want to wait longer, as this is still primary.
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A B-day double blind session: Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Medium ruby color. Kirsh liquor, red fruit, raw meat on nose. On palate it has a medium body with a remarkable high acidity. Raspberries and cassis flavours primarly made up the palate. The finish it's outstanding.. long and seamless, very very nice. (91-92)
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From 375ml. Popped and followed for about 4 hours, which I'm sure isn't long enough to get the full picture but is worth every premature moment going along. Dark and radiant ruby color, 70% saturated and slow, clear legs. The nose fell asleep after about an hour in the glass but it started with vibrant raspberry and spice, tobacco, cherry, dry dirt, and carnations. Still grippy and firm with tannins and a generous squeeze of acidity, this has a long road ahead. Certainly a pleasurable wine now with terroir as it's middle name, but slow-ox it for at least a day to get the most out of it.... or wait 3 more years. 5+10+17+9 = 91
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Non-blind. Decanted 2 hrs. Red. Tightly knit nose with blue berries and terribly young notes emerging. On the palate this is a very young wine with good concentration in a style towards "traditional". Will show off MUCH more in the years to come. Ought to have been decanted longer, grew very much through the evening. Keep!
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Decanted for several hours and it was just singing. A truly great effort and this CDP is at the top of it's class. La Crau is great and I highly recommend it.
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YES..but really yes (lowercase). So, I have been buying and drinking VT for maybe 25 years; but I now feel that it is clearly not as good as Pegau or Beaucastel. Its sort of B-team. A few nights ago, I opened a 2008 and the wife nearly spat it back at me (she's a classy broad). I was struck by how much better this 2005 is; if I hide the label I think it can get it under the radar. But, it is still not really up there.
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A very nice bottles, starting to hit a drinking window to my taste, which is on the young side with VT. Well balanced with a developing nose and a great palate. Complements food very well, has a combination of depth and drinkability that is pleasantly unusual. Not a blockbuster wine, not one to elicit superlatives, simply an excellent bottle.
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Dark red; spiced sweet somewhat closed up nose, hint of caramel; in attack some spices, caramel (quite a bit), rounded but also somewhat flat; classic well-made but not overly exciting and perhaps in a dormant stage
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The color was somewhat translucent and garnet and ruby hues. The smells are olives, red fruits, earthy dampness. The tastes of raspberries with some cherry, olives, and stoniness that comes through in a nice way. The tannin's are gripping and this will drink easily into the next several years and may need a little more time. The finish was long and persistent. This wine is powerful.
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Popped, aerated, decanted and left to breathe in 55 degree cellar for 6 hrs. Deep garnet color, some translucency on the swirl; dark fruit, vanilla and spice on the nose with some heat; light mouth feel, elegant delivery, yet very complex with blackberries and currant supported by medium, yet gripping tannins, marked acidity and heat, all continuing on and on thru the VERY long finish, finally ending (minutes later) with herbs and focused, black pepper and granite. Enjoyed half the bottle with a traditional American Thanksgiving meal. the other half consumed the next day during a late afternoon pour and sip session - an even better experience than the first day!
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Took a long time to open up and deliver. Nose of cherries, spice and vanilla. A little short on the finish and lots of drying tannins on the palate. Needs more cellar time and lengthy decanting.
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Very elegant, almost burgundian CdP. Roasted spices, sour cherries and some pepper. On the palate still young with good acid grip, abundant tannins and red fruit.
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Wine started to hit its stride after 3 hour decant. Excellent nose of asian spice, anise, pepper, pine sap, subtle funkiness. Tannins are pretty intense, great acidity, and pleasing finish. This is an outstanding wine, and will only get better.
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Decanter for 1.5 hrs. Served with pork in a honey mustard sauce, broccoli, and garbanzo beans. Flavors were vibrant and complex. Black cherries and pepper highlights on the palate.
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Medium nose of ripe red cherries, bacon gamey... quite tannic in the mouth, fresh red fruit, good refreshing acidity... need a few more years in the cellar
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very young and tight. spice cake and raspberries with quite a lot of tannins. good solid finish. could be its youth, but at this point seems a bit wanting in the middle.
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Another outstanding showing for this wine. This has improved since its release. This wine relies on focus and precision over opulence and extraction. Both the bouquet and palate show complex notes with an underlying stone / granite / mineral character. This may continue to improve with additional bottle age.
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decanted and followed in glass for four hours. very nice upon opening, but really got silky and delicious after two hours. great aging potential. previous note from 4/09 hits the mark. recommended. jane raves, too.
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I must lack the receptors to appreciate this wine. Last tasted the 2005 in 2009 and thought it was nothing special. Tasted the 2005 again in 2011 and found it to be the same. This is supposed to be a stellar wine.
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Half-bottle. Dark garnet hue. Nose of rosemary, pepper, garrigue, shoe polish. On the tongue, wonderful juxtaposition of sweet, savory cherry notes with angular pepperiness and grip. Still some active acidity and structured tannins. Finish moderately long and marked by garrigue and red fruits. Although young, already delivers extremely satisfying depth and definition.
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The score is based more on potential than on actual taste. I agree with the previous reviews saying the wine is in a dumb period. It must be, because it was milder and more approachable than any VT I have ever had. Fruit was nice and rich, but it had little of those intense earthy notes I expect. Good, but will be so much better in a few years.
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A bit disappointing but I would attribute it to youth -- still needs more time. A couple notches lower than my last tasting of this -- maybe a dead period?
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Brought to prime rib dinner at the Pensacola Yacht Club with Pat, Win, Will, Rich and Nine (We are down here visiting Pat and Win, staying on Perdido Key for 5 nights). Purple with reddish rim. Nose of leather, licorice, hoisin, fig, and black cherry. Savory palate of dark fruit, minerals, licorice, and smoked meat. Very good length. Pleasant acidity. Grippy, youthful tannins softened by the prime rib. Still somewhat backward.
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One of the most thoroughly enjoyable wines I have ever experienced; had the opportunity (or misfortune) to consume it on a number of occasions while still in its infancy (2008-2009). During that time, I found it did not suffer much of the famous Vieux Telegraphe "dumb stage," but also that it still had great potential. These notes are based on the sum of those half-dozen tastings. This wine is fairly opaque, dark ruby, and long-legged. Definitely a product of a hot, dry, growing season, leading to healthy, saturated fruit. Apart from what you would expect from a new-school Chateauneuf, this has some particularly saucy plum sauce notes, as well as a bit of nori. These hang out on the fringes of a beautiful fruit core, which is perfectly introduced by a spiced, fragranced, nose. The best feature is its velvety texture and satisfying mouthfeel are not far short of perfection (not equal to the very best Chateauneufs in history, but close). I have set some of this aside to hold and will for a while. Wonderful to pair with a fragrant duck, a thick slice of cote du boeuf, or some hard cheeses, this will probably be remembered among my all-time-favorites.
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Lighter purple red hue. Fairly simple at first and tightly wound at this youthful stage. It blossomed a bit over the few hours it was open with a mineral-driven aroma and palate complemented by savory herbs, spicy red fruit, pepper, black cherry, licorice. A bit rubbery. I'd wait 2-3 years at least...Overall, refreshingly light at 14.5% and expressive enough, but I'd like to revisit in 10 years.
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Tight and astringent at first -- almost tasted like a cheap table wine, then after about 2 hours of air, it really blossomed into a complex mixture of chewy granache and high pitched red berry tones. Long finish. One of my favorite wines with food.
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Drank mid October,notes are from memory - after a three hour decant this wine simply exploded and just got better all night. A wonderful wine with 15+ years ahead of it. I will revisit in 5-8 years and expect it to be stunning.
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Excellent wine. Decanted for 1.5 hours then drank over 2-3 hours. I found the ripeness of fruit, acidity, tannic structure and alcohol levels quite balanced overall. Very velvety tannins with great length. Drank this bottle a bit early, glad I have more. Will try again in 1-2 years. Notes were consistent across 2 bottles.
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Pour les Télégraphe, le 2005 a bénéficié de 3h30 de carafe et le 2006 de 1h30 et ils furent consommés sur une période de 2 heures. Le 2005 l'emporte par sa plus grande amplitude en bouche, par son registre de saveurs plus complexes (fruits rouges, notes fumées, épices orientaux), ce sont également deux vins bien structurés où l'on ressent l'imposant potentiel du 2005 face au 2006. Pour le 2006, bien qu'il risque de s'améliorer aussi, je ne crois pas qu'il se transforme en vin magistral en me fiant uniquement à ce qu'il m'offre présentement : plus mince, plus rond en ce moment et manque de profondeur pour les 73$ exigés. Qui sait, peut-être que 2 heures de carafe de plus l'aurait avantagé, mais même en le consommant sur 2 heures, nous étions unanimes quant à ce que le 2005 lui était supérieur même à ce stade. 92pts pour le 2005 et 90pts pour le 2006. J'ai hâte de revoir le 2005 dans une dizaine d'années. Pour le 2006, sera à consommer davatange pour le plaisir en attendant les 2005.
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Fight Night Wines VI; 8/27/2010-8/28/2010 (my place): nose: deep and robust nose of black cherries,s garrigue, lavender, black fruits, licorice and all sorts of provencal spices. While it it seems like its holding back a bit, the nose is real deep and just filled with classic CdP tones
taste: chewy and rich tannins that are on the coarse side along with deep tones of black cherries, licorice, loads of provencal spices as well as mesquite tones backed up by medium acidity and medium body. The tannins are on the rough side and hold this back a bit on the palate, but the class is there with good depth
overall: this received a good 3 hour decant before drinking. It was drunk over another3 hours and the tannins were still very chewy. This will need a good bit of time to fully show itself, but there is a ton of promise behind it and can very much turn into a real stunner
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Very clean nose (compared to the Pegau), with some spice, garrigue, lavendar and some citrus/tangy notes. Deep rich palate, with a savory edge and some well balance tannins. Long finish, really nice wine and my favorite of the 05s.
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This is how Chatoneuf should taste. Decanted for only 30 min --> too lillte. 1-2 houers will suit it. Dark coloue. Nose of rasberry, blackberries, liqorice and more. Very rich and big bodied. Long aftertaste. Enjoied with Dr. Rislin who brought the bottle. OT
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This wine is obviously young, but still showing some flashes of brilliance. The nose shows rose petals, herbs, spice; the palate is tight, but still shows some tar, black fruit, and a long long finish. Quite austere in the beginning, but after a couple hours in the decanter it has opened up...
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Opened. Dark, opaque color, not a typical Telegraphe. Too cold to start out but fantastic nose with kirsch essence, blueberries, white pepper. Decanted 1 hour. drank with steak bearnaise. Very heavy and still somewhat closed. smell of blood rare steak, wood-smoke. Taste of red berries, licorice, crushed earth, provencal herbes. good tannins, very long aftertaste. This will prove fantastic for the patient. Can be drunk from now with heavy foods and decanting, though. Lat minute last glass edit: After 5-6 hour decant: Heaven. multi-dimensional, full, long. Almost Chambolle-like softness to it. Best Telegraphe i have ever had, even though it's so young. Very close to an extraordinary score. It will be hard keeping my hands off the rest of the case!
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Dark garnet hue. Aromas of dried red berries and Herbs de Provence. Flavors of raspberry, violet, sage, rosemary and anise. Beautiful balanced. Firm chewy tannins. Expansive mid palate with a long elegant finish. Just finally becoming approachable. Decant now or hold. 14.5% alcohol.
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From .375 off list at Tom Aikens in London. Decanted for about 45 mins prior to serving. Pretty nose with kirsch, spice and a bacon/meaty streak. Palate showed a red fruit profile with raspberry and cherry fruit leading to chewy tannins and a long, spicy finish. Very backwards as expected at this stage, but the stuffing is there.
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Out of 375ml. Still too young. Has not had enought time to integrate the alchohol and tanin but does show very good structure to keep it from falling apart in the future. Even on day 2 the fruit is just beginning to emerge. At this rate it will be another ten years before I open a750ml.
Showed beautifully last night. Nose: floral, perfumy. Taste: Very well--balanced. Jammy with lingering finish. Not too early to drink! Very happy I opened it! (Waiter greatly appreciated tasting it as well...)
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Decanted for 2 hours prior to first tasting. I agree with someone else who said the color was atypical for a Vieux Telegraph. It was more burgundy in color, cranberry like almost. Nose was concentrated and well put together with blackberry, cherry, licorice, smoke, briar patch and sweet baking spices. There was a touch of that good old barnyard funk that I appreciate in CdP. The palate was full bodied and rich with blackberry, black cherry, currant, more licorice, some minerality and some more of that baking spice. Full bodied with some very bright and juicy acidity but sweet fine grained tannic structure. May age forever and I am confident this is going to gain some structure, complexity and points with some more age. The finish was long, enticing and full of more black cherry, fertile soil, briar patch and baking spice. Outstanding! 50+4+13+18+8=93 pts.
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Decanted about one hour, served at just above cellar temp. Nose has a fainter profile than two years ago along with a more muted midpalate. Long finish of menthol, anise, mint and leather. This may be going through a dumb or closed down phase. Looking forward to others notes over the next year or 2.
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Color: Medium purple Nose: Much better then in December with cherry, floral, spice Taste: Spice, floral, mineral, cherry, raspberry, not over powering Finish: Medium without much heat. It certainly is not a massive CDP Evaluation: Showed better then December but I don't see this as ever being a blockbuster wine 91 points
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Quite elegant and surprisingly ready to drink. Light and bright colour (untypical for Vieux Telegraph which is normally darker in colour), open knitted and almost overseas pinot-type nose of cherries (red berries) and spice. Fairly liniar attack with lots of presence on the palate. Sweet and long aftertaste.
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Beaucoup de matière et de structure. Complètement fermé au nez malgré un long séjour en carafe. Des notes de mûre, de griottes, mais c'est fermé à double-tours. Un peu chaud en bouche. Un vin qui sera probablement magnifique vu les tannins serrés et la matière dans 10 ans. À oublier encore au moins 5 ans. 88+
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Garnet-crimson; blackberries, blueberries, wood smoke; ripe berry, plummy, glycerin, full body, excellent balance, good structure, ripe silky tannins, lingering finish. Silky ripe fruit with power, density, chewy tannins and a lengthy finish. A rare wine with structure yet drinking beautifully young. More complexity would have made this 'extraordinary'.
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Nice aromatics but thin. Almost no mid palate flavor. Nothing special about the finish. Really disappointing. Maybe this wine is entering a "dumb" phase. Definitely not recommended at the price. Not sure what happened but certainly not a flawed bottle. Major, major pass.
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Six Vintages of Vieux Telegraphe (Vin Vino, Palo Alto): Same color as the '06. Mint and menthol on the nose here with a touch of complicating sweatiness that dissipates. Less showy than the prior 2 wines with predominant tobacco at first, but this deepens and sweetens in the glass. Dense to the point of feeling almost solid, darker profile fruit, and very firm but smooth tannins. Although approachable now, it is pretty tightly wound and less complex than any other wine in the tasting. Serious and excellent potential, but this will evolve very slowly. For 2020 and beyond.
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Drank from 375. Medium ruby color. Nose of spice, white pepper and black licorice. Raisin, plum, leather and cedar on the palate. Medium tannins and acidity. Still a bit tight, but well balanced wine with good aging potential.
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This wine was decanted and poured. It continues to improve since its release. It shows similarly to a a bottle opened three months ago and has developed additional complexity and nuance. This will benefit from additional bottle age.
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A beautiful young wine. Paired with a Herb grilled veal chop, crawfish-goat cheese bread pudding, tomato fondue from Dogwood in Atlanta. I double decanted this and re-corked for 4 hours....nice dark garnet color. This had a stunning nose, of cherry,herbs, licorice and gravel. This was an excercise in balance between fruit, tannin, acidity and concentration. The finish really tells the story on this one, going on for days. This reminds me that I don't drink enough CDP.
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nose of earth, leather, cherry,. mouth with good fruit, acidic backbone. had alittle complexity, but wasn't coming together like VT's usually do. I wonder if we are at an in between stage as secondary characteristics are emerging.
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These are not bad at all to drink now. Initial fruitiness has toned down, so this is now effusively fruity instead of lush. Brilliant grenache fruit (more purple fruits than black) with a touch of liquorice (red and black), medium+ concentration and medium+ finish. No brett in this bottle to speak of.
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Drinking well for such a young pup. Spicy red fruits, cinnamon, anise, smoky tobacco, and peppered pork on the nose. Ripe and rich cherries on the palate that were actually very similar to the 05 Bionic Frog tasted along side. But the similarities stopped there. Baking spices, dried herbs, anise, moist earth, and strawberries. Nicely balanced wine with a great dry finish. Would like to try in 10 years to see more secondary notes. A very enjoyable bottle that reminded me I need more CDPs...and let em age a bit. Went extremely well with lamb chops and olive/anchovy tapenade.
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So fruit forward in the decanter but came around w/some air. This wine was a classic example of an outstanding wine that was upstaged by a classic wine so it probably wa a lil better then I remember or give it credit for. But with that being said I thought it drank well but would definitely improve with some more cellar dust. Lot's of cinnamon, cherries, anise, pepper, sandle wood and hot stones. It was big and pretty luscious. Huge finish but just a bit out of balance at this stage for me. Had with roasted veggies and rack of lamb and the food really balanced the wine out. Nice to see even a big young wine calmed down with the right food pairing. Of course I had a cold so what do I know. I would love to see where this is at in a decade.
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A wonderful wine, still young and quite purple. I was amazed at the purity and how clean and balanced this wine was. In fact, at first, I thought if it were any "cleaner" I would think it had lost something in the middle. But this thought went away with time as it put on weight and became a beautiful perfumed, dark red fruited wine, with lots of stuffing, purity, and balance. It is good now . but it needs a few years. Recommended.
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Probably the wine of the night, up against some tough Bordeaux competition. This beauty had perfect balance. Very smooth, with a sexy spicyness. Maroon-colored, classy, lots of depth but light on its feet. Drinking amazingly deliciously now, but will certainly last. A borderline outstanding effort.
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This wine was decanted and poured. It was tasted side-by-side with the 2004. This wine showed a more forward and complete profile than previous bottles of the '05. Compared to the '04 this appears to have more depth and complexity. The '04 showed almost as well but did not have the completeness of the '05. This is drinking well now with decanting and should age effortlessly over the next 10 - 12 years.
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14.5% alcohol. not decanted, but you can, and probably should at this point as the wine continued to open up dramatically over the 4 hours it took to consume the bottle between 2 tasters. medium body, guardedly tannic/somewhat closed, but giving a peek at it's future. nicely perfumed after an hour...red fruits, a pleasant smokiness, solid undercarraige. i expect this wine to take on weight and be an excellent VT. my own preference sits for aging at the 8-12 year interval. hold. 92 for now, with potential to 94.
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Good wine. Sound semi-dark colour. Nose is clean and pure with black pepper, red fruit and a bit of vanillin. Taste is again clear with good and plenty layers of fruit, a bit of spiciness and prickleness. Fine after taste. Nice structure. Likely to keep for long. Not shot down for the time being.
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This wine is like 4 wines in one! Lots of fruit, gravel, and structure. Nice nose of dark shiraz like fruit...but under control. Wine needs some time to open ...but shows it's character after only 2-3 hours. This wine has amazing structure and clarity. I think this wine will only get better with age. Will wait another 2-3 years to open the next one!
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Color: Medium purple Nose: Plum, cherry, mineral Taste: Blackberries, spice, a bit hot Finish: Mineral, pepper and red currants Evaluation: Not a top 10 wine of the year in my opinion 87 points
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Did not like this nearly as much as the beaucastel or the Clos du pape. This was rustic, and big, with lots of autumn mulch and cigar box on the nose. The taste was dominated by tannins and loads of up front acid. Might be long for the cellar, or just not ready yet. A little disjointed, but perhaps with all the tools to become something more.
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NOSE: "dark smelling" -- a bit smoky, and extremely tight.
BODY: ruby color of medium-great depth; clear; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: pronounced minerality; raspberry; tannic and a bit hot; a secondary hint of cigarbox suggests complexity further down the road; extremely tight. Everyone, myself included, was shocked when the bag was pulled on this one. This wine didn't impress anyone tonight, and many don't believe it has a bright future. I felt as if I detected some extremely shy complexity that is going to need years in the cellar to gain confidence ... still, WS's "95" is very confusing. Although a "good" wine, this may have been the consensus disappointment of the evening. Do not drink these now ... hold for at least 10 years ... and pray.
B: 50, 5, 11, 15, 7 = 88
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Blind CDP Tasting at Edina Country Club: Nose: A little alcohol heat, blackberry and not much else. Palate: Simple wine with black cherry. Not much going on with this wine. We were all shocked that it turned out to be this wine. It is amazing it was picked by Spectator to be one of the best wines of the year (perhaps Spectator should drink it blind, as we did). Actually finished just behind the R Wines Chateau Chateau. Perhaps this bottle, although not flawed, was not representative or is in a major dumb phase.
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Dégusté après 5 heures de carafe. Le vin est tout d'un bloc, concentré en textures et saveurs. La finale est marquée par de fins tanins et une amertume chocolatée. L'alcool ressort aujourd'hui et l'équilibre n'est pas pas parfait, mais le vin risque d'être grand d'ici 7 ans.
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Poured at a retailer tasting featuring four of the WS Top 10 wines. This did not show at its best, unfortunately. It showed some nice grenache fruit on the palate, but the nose was restrained and the finish came up somewhat short. I like this wine plenty, based on previous tastings in better settings, and I think it's worth a buy, but today it just didn't show up. Not scoring this one.
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Paired with a rustic Provencal daube alongside a 2003 Chateau Banneret (which was beautifully old school). Despite its youth this wine was compelling and delicious. It offered a bouquet of raspberry and cherry fruit smothered in garrigue and culinary spices and finished with delicate notes of game. For me the great promise of this wine is its presence in the mouth from the big and brilliantly balanced attack through the full and complex mid palate to the long and intertwined finish. Outstanding right now this has all the makings of a classic. No more for at least five years.
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Very nice CNDP, however perhaps this is a bit of infanticide as I didn't feel it was a 95 pointer at this stage of it's life, in fact we had a bottle of Coudoulet de Beaucastel along side, and it was slightly better at this point, and half the price, still this is an awesome wine for sure - Dark red, well structured with notes of bright, sweet cherry fruit, cinammon spice, earth and vanilla on the nose, well structured, complex and balanced, sweet and smooth on the palate with excellent length, excellent (91 Points).
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(1) Drank with dinner at Del Friscos in Manhattan. Mike and Dad loved this. I thought it was very good and got much better with air, but didn’t seem to have a lot of complexity to it (in all fairness it might have been overpowered by the Alvaro Palacios
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Outstanding. Decanted for 90 minutes - ate with rack of lamb. Standard CDP flavors and smells, but the finish on this thing is the kicker - 45 seconds at least. I'm buying another bottle and cellaring it for at least another 3 years.
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Very nice and drinking well young after an hour of air. Nice classic nose, great entry and mid-palate, very good length. Went beautifully with food and sipping after dinner. Smooth, not powerful, not as stuffed as other vintages like 98 but a long happy life ahead.
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Opened a 375ml of this just to try realizing it's way too young to truly enjoy. Decanted for two hours and only got a hint of what's to come. Sensed great concentration with thick fruit but the tanic wall never came down. Try again in about five years and the patience will be rewarded.
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A bottle we had last fall seemed just way too early, it was closed up tight. We chose this as a good value on a wine list not otherwise loaded with good value or representing our tastes, but not very confident that the La Crau would show well. We were definitely in luck. It took 30 or 45 minutes in the glass to open up, but when it did, it wouldn't quit. A slightly floral nose at first, giving way to pretty big asian spice and anise, with some smoky, sanguine notes and just a bit of garrigue over a core of black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry fruit. The nose continued to evolve over the night toward more overt licorice and cherry notes. Evenly powerful in the mouth, with more of the earthy/garrigue components making their presence felt. I'd been holding off purchasing much of this, even though I think this has shown good value over the past few vintages, but I'm ready to buy now.
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A little closed and reticent. Nose of kirsch fruit, garrigue and blackberries. Very composed and balanced palate, with noticeable structure and dusty tannins. Still incredibly tight, but in a refined way. Long languid finish promises great things in the future for this wine.
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On the nose, cherry, currant and some sweet maple syrup. Color is a lovely ruby red. Tons of flavors going on, but rich fruit, mostly purple, with heaps of spice and a nice spine of minerality. Lasted a long time on the palate. This was a tester from my LWS to see what I thought; I'm going to get more.
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Openned up well but didn't have that earthy wholesome goodness that I like in other Chateauneufs (e.g. Beaucastel). Still a pleasure and needs more time in the bottle.
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Still extremely young. Good nose of garrige, and a tough of fruit. Good pallate, strong but fine tannins, and leather flavors. After about 1.5 hours, good red fruit flavors. Good wine with plenty of structure.
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Pretty forward with oak, chocolate and earth impressions coating a core of dark red fruits. Fairly suave for a young VT, this is pretty full with balanced tannin.
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nose of strawberry, sour cherry, tea and herbs. Very firm and slighly tannic on the finish. A well-made classic CnDP, but not remarkable, will need some time for the taninns to soften.
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Drank to understand what a great C-D-P should taste like! This was a very clear and distinctive wine. Clear vegtable tones from bell peper, tomato, herb flavors, with-out the barnyard smell I have had with some bordeaux. Mid-palate was hoolow in some way I could not percieve. Tannins fstructure firm, but not affecting the taste negatively. Fun to try-would cellar for 5+_ yrs to see the difference.
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Fresh strawberry, sweet herbs and smoke notes. Very firm and trim for an obviously big wine. Some cocoa and sweet flavors on the firm/hard mouth that is rich and complex. very young.
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taste: big time structure on this wine. good lord, the tannins are big and firm, but they aren't overpowering. The mouth is utterly explosive with tons of blueberry, sour cherry, earth, leather, and some underbrush too.
overall: this wine is a Knockout. Utterly massive that can be approached right now, but this will be insanely amazing with about ten years on it. tons of polish and a great finish, this is in that next level of wine that makes you very happy that you are drinking it and you know that you are drinking something special
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Dark ruby red color. The nose starts off very tight but a couple hours in the decanter helps open it up. The nose is very nice with herbs, raspberry, and the faintest hint of leather. On the palate, the wine is complex with moderate acidity and ripe firm tannins. The finish is long and complex with a melange of berries, and some pepper. An outstanding wine with great balance that will no doubt improve with additional time in the cellar. 50 + 5 + 11 + 18 + 10
24 hours later, the wine is much the same. Still shows beautiful balance and a wonderful pure raspberry aroma on the nose. Do not touch for 5+ years!
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Vineyard Gate: 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape (Millbrae, CA): Hard to evaluate. Strong dark fruit nose with a slight minty, herbal character. On the palate it is big and serious. Excellent structure, deep complexity. Awesome effort. From 2015 at the earliest.
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Color is medium ruby. Nose shows tightly-coiled cherry, garrigue, stone, and spice. On the palate, intense, tight cherry, minerals, herb, and a tight finish. This was not decanted enough and is a baby. It will be truly great in some years.
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(from a good deal on 375 bottle) DO NOT even think about opening this wine for another 5 (or if you want to play it safe, 10) years. It's wound tighter than Karl Rove on November 7th, 2006. Bright brilliant ruby, very closed nose even after hours of decanting, the wine just engulfs the mouth with alcohol, cherry liqueur, raspberries, spice, tannins, sweet red fruits, clove, mint, bark and damp earth, the finish just keeps evolving and evolving and evolving for 45 seconds plus, an absolute bomb of a Chateauneuf. Not as balanced, rich or approachable as the Clos des Papes but much racier and high-toned. Impossible to score but easily a 93+ wine.
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Tasted November 23, 2007. Opened and served immediately. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of red currants, perfume and a hint of dark chocolate. Tight and tannic on the palate yielding a little red berries, red raspberries and a bit of bitters on the finish. Medium to high acidity, very firm tannins and full body. Hold. Not rated. Wouldn't be fair.
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From half bottle. Was curious to try this and, as expected, it was incredibly tight and tannic. All the elements are in place though, so this should turn out well.
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So much potential!!!!. After decanting for about 2hrs, the first taste was dominated by rich peppercorns at the front followed by beautiful vanilla poached plums. The spiciness dropped off a bit, but was replaced by balance throughout the palate. Definitely one to lokk at over the next few years
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Nice dark berries and some hay and metallic nose. Silky mouthfeel with nice fruit. I wish this was decanted longer since the aromas started to really appear after an hour in the decanter. Still somewhat closed...there is a lot of tannins leaving a nice chalky finish. Nice wine.
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Backstreet - WOTN.. Cherry, cranberry, rose, stone and an absolute juggernaut in the mouth. The complexity and balance of this wine put it above previous 12 we tasted.
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eRobert Parker Offline - Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Amarone (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Decanted for two hours prior to serving. Beautiful complex floral nose with lots of red fruit. Tastes of raspberries, hay, earth, tea, kirsch, garrigue and cherries. Great structure. Incredible depth and complexity. Well balanced with nice acidity. Rather shut down at this point as was the '98 on release. The '03 and '04 were much more approachable in their youth. Needs at least 5-10 years before it really shines. Should easily last for 30 years. 14.5% alcohol.
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Popped and poured. Served a bit too cold. Tasted double blind. At first I didn't care for this wine. It had a tannic, bitter finish and was quite closed. However, after it warmed in the glass for about an hour it began show its true potential. Raspberry and cherry fruit on the palate. Great mid palate depth and complexity. Needs lots of time to come into its own. 14.5% alcohol.
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From a half bottle, delicious already, with hints of raspberry, sweet oak, touch of tar, forrest, and blackberries. Ripe, concentrated, with medium to heavy weight flavors that grow with air. Medium finish. Tannins are ripe and at this point hide behind the fruit a bit. A tasty bottle, and well balanced for ageing. Lastly, very cleanly made. No brett in this bottle. Delicious.
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My first 2005 Chateauneuf. Holy $%*#. In criticizing boring and disapointing wines, I like to use the term uninspiring. This, indeed, would be the rare case where I'd call a wine inspiring. The superb mouthfeel combined with the striking minerality is mind boggling. I couldn't stop thinking about that Lexus commercial where the bearing ball effortlessly rolls along the lines of the car. You cannot help but just roll the wine around in your mouth. Parker is right about the nose (black raspberries, kirsch, ground pepper, and incense). I'm not sure whether to call this new world or old world - maybe it's a new world wine that old world fans would like or maybe it's neither. All I know is it's something special. I can't wait to find out if this is commonplace for the 2005 Chateauneufs.
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Rhone / Languedoc-Roussillon / Southwest (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA): Medium light salmon. Tight and just giving up some cherry on the nose. But the flavors tell the story: herbs and pepper, dense fruit, outstanding persistence, and gravelly tannin. Should really be something when it peaks.
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4/7/2024 - wine4ever Likes this wine: 95 Points
A classic! So rich, elegant, fresh, and lots of depth. The old vine Grenache really stands out here. Expressive floral and wild berry nose. Dense, creamy palate with so many wonderful layers of flavor: cassis, blackberry, plum, mineral, herb and spice. Great balance, well integrated tannins. Super long, smooth and persistent finish. A truly spectacular wine to drink now or to continue cellaring for many more years. :)
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3/31/2024 - asparagus wrote: 88 Points
Undrinkable upon opening. Jammy, disjointed, flabby. Threw away my glass and recorked the bottle. 48 hours later, this had evolved into something more palatable. Still slightly too alcoholic for my tastes, but borderline good. Like the ugly duckling morphing, over time, into a passably attractive swan.
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3/30/2024 - Derek Darth Taster wrote: 91 Points
Late night at home with neighbourhood friends. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl Cru.
Apearance is clear, deep intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of balsamic, aniseed spice, dark peppers, raisinated plums, black cherries, earth, olives. Developed.
On the palate, dry, medium+ acidity, high alcohol (14.5%), high tannins, full body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of raisins, stewed plums, black cherries, savoury earth, dark olives, spices and peppers. Big long finish.
Good quality CdP. But my gosh the price for this nowadays! Complex and probably drinking at peak. Don't expect the structure to completely melt away with age. Better to drink up while the fruit is still not too overly stewy raisinated plummy, or worse still - totally dried up.
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2/17/2024 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is totally in the zone now. Still healthy young color. Very classic aged CdP notes, there is some red and darker fruit, kirsch, some savory herbs/pepper, also some cinnamon, garrigue, pepper, but also some animalic notes. It's pretty full-bodied and deep, still more on the structured than fruit side, but the tannin has melted away quite significantly since my last bottle a few years ago. There is still medium- tannin, some medium acidity and very good length. This is still a more structued, savory CdP, but I would take this over the warm vintage fruitbombs any day of the week.
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12/25/2023 - wsammons Likes this wine: 92 Points
No notes taken
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12/13/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely old Rhone, medium red, a touch of bricking nothing more. Ripe dark red fruit is very prominent, along with olive tapenade and sweet tannins. Quite a stiff backbone still, and quite rich alongside it. There is some chocolate, dark and bitter, and some mint and fresh herbs. Decent length finish, a little bit of spiciness to mix it up. Really very nice. Drink now, or hold for a couple more years. My final bottle from an EP case, paid a lot of storage on it!
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10/20/2023 - jjct wrote:
Agree with the "solid but not spectacular" sentiment. Slow-ox'd for 24 hours, which helped to coax out some fruit and garrigue, but overall this was a dark, masculine wine with little charm.
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10/15/2023 - acheng wrote:
This is one CdP that seldom wows me and this is not the bottle either. Holding up well and will be at this plateau for a while.
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10/3/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 92 Points
Fifth bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Mature aromas but a vibrant structure, cedary and a bit dusty, tobacco, masculine, retains its tannic grip, (white) nutty evolution, good weight (14.5% ABV), good length. Solid rather than spectacular.
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10/3/2023 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: flawed
Fourth bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Corked.
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9/23/2023 - jcstip wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful with strong tannins still. Nice feel. With blackberries light tobacco and red pepper. Very nice finish. Still has a 5 - 10 years left.
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9/12/2023 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 94 Points
Subsequent notes on this wine from 8 years ago. Deep dark reddish-violet garnet in color; almost opaque with some very slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex ripe fruits aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with lovely floral overtones of violets & lavender & earthy/dusty notes, cedar, kirsch & garrigue notes, Provencal herbs, anise, pepper, leather & minerals. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries & plums with spices, herbs, anise, cocoa & minerals. Long smooth lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing. At 18 years of age, it is close to or at its peak of development although it should hold here for several more years. However, I doubt any further development would occur. Fill was in the mid-neck of the bottle; cork was clean & intact.
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8/23/2023 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Definitely not my best bottle and seemed to be well on the downslope after peak. Fruit was turning a little plumy and the red fruits were getting a bit lost. Some nice herbs and Oak with a white pepper element that really started to show on the finish after few hours. I've have other bottles of this wine not that long ago that were far more gracefully layered. My last bottle and for this particular bottle, just in time.
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5/28/2023 - slanum wrote:
Last tasted in 2018, I found this overripe in the extreme. Not this time. Can't explain it but I'll go with the flow. This has extraordinarily fresh aromas that definitely include mint, of all things, along with dark fruit. Fleshy fruit flavors, with a stony edginess.
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5/19/2023 - CHarder Likes this wine: 94 Points
Outstanding CdP. This is in a perfect spot right now.
Deink now-3yrs to retain fruit and fresness.
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5/8/2023 - chbeaumont wrote: 90 Points
Advanced colour; maturity to bouquet, warm, old leather; plenty on palate, carries 14.5% alcohol well; positive finish. Drink soon
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5/3/2023 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 94 Points
I gave this one two hours of air before tasting.
Medium color tending towards brick red. Savory nose of roast meat, and earth.
Concentrated black fruit on the fore palate, with lots of savory notes mushroom, mom, leather) on the mid palate, with a touch of spice on the finish
Smoothly integrated, with very few rough edges. A textbook Chateauneuf du Pape. Excellent.
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4/25/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (The Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street): A medium dark red, a touch of orange. Overt olive on the nose, and a sharp tang of green pepper but this does not continue to the palate and with air the wine develops nicely, with ripe darker fruit dominating rather than red. It has more structure and opulence than any other vintage tasted this evening (although the 2010 runs it close). The double decant has really helped, something I did not do with a bottle consumed in January, and my feelings on it are completely different - if anything it felt youthful and with a way to go rather than on any downward slope! This could just be bottle variation I suppose. As it got more air it really settled, rich, fruity and composed - my second favourite this evening and on the night I thought this was my last bottle but in fact I have one more. Yay!
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4/25/2023 - Vinumming & Ahhing Likes this wine: 92 Points
Vieux Telegraphe Vertical (Sun Street Hotel, Liverpool Street, London): Slight dark chocolate note here with a sliced damson fruit character. Some oxidised vanilla pod and star anise too. Palate is compact but perfectly formed. Another youthful but one senses built to last wine. My third wine of the night.
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4/15/2023 - prism wrote: 94 Points
Slow-O'd for two hours; decanted for three. Interesting C9P; many layers of flavor. Fruit is present but not at all jammy. Still some life ahead for a couple of years, but no real reason to wait on this.
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3/10/2023 - WJK4 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very good CDP from Vieux Telegraphe. Smooth with classic notes, good life in front of it.
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3/6/2023 - Wine Poor Likes this wine: 93 Points
This benefited from an hour in the decanter to improve the taste but I was surprised by the lack of sediment.
The wine was fresh and balanced, pairing nicely with our beef dinner tonight.
It’s nice to see that many years of patiently ignoring this has rendered an enjoyable experience with a good friend to celebrate the opening race of the f1 season.
One bottle remaining from the two purchased over 15 years ago.
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2/5/2023 - Rechrom wrote: 94 Points
Doube decanted. Dark red with bricking. Lovely nose of classic garrique, earth notes, deep palate, long and clean finish. Drinking at peak and great with food and great alone.
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2/5/2023 - CHarder Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is excellent mature cdp. Fresh and fruity but rounded and mature. Drink now-5yrs.
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1/19/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 90 Points
Muddled on opening, unbalanced and a bit hot actually. I am finding more and more that the first glass of an older CNDP (or indeed any grenache-based wine) can be rather a struggle. However despite the age of these wines decanting is very beneficial for reasons other than sediment, and this was the case here. After a couple of hours of air this had really settled down into a pleasant and very contemplative glass. This is in complete contrast to a tasting note from another CT user a few months back, but there you have it. Obvious bricking in the glass, a very savoury mouthful, full of leather, spice and just hints of the once sweet fruit coming through alongside what is now more raisins and plums to complete the picture. On the downward slope you would have to say, but nonetheless quite charming. But don't pop and pour!
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12/29/2022 - golfhawk Likes this wine: 92 Points
A great CdP that was decanted for an hour. It was drinking pure at first but slipped a little towards the end. you might want to decant for sediment, but you wouldn't have to wait for it to open up.
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12/26/2022 - matters.of.wine Likes this wine: 91 Points
In a great spot with dark berries, espresso, and chocolate, along with some good tertiary development. Great structure, but a little hot.
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12/3/2022 - CHarder Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is in a prime spot. Fresh but smooth. Not massive but delivers good value
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11/24/2022 - smwinak Likes this wine:
Ate with roasted goose for Thanksgiving. Stood up well to the richness of the goose. Dried fruit flavors really complemented the goose.
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11/24/2022 - jono9999 Likes this wine: 97 Points
Deep and layered, muted fruit at first, vegetal middle, cocoa and leather at end
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10/27/2022 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
A terrific bottle. I have one more. I think I'll wait for awhile longer to open it.
This bottle was rough on opening but after about an hour and a half it had transformed into something really lovely. I would say the fruit was a tad sappy for my taste, but well balanced with a lot going on and still quite robust for its age. Really a gorgeous CdP!
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10/23/2022 - randyjc wrote: 90 Points
The longer this was open the hotter it got. 36 hours after opening the alcohol heat became almost intolerable.
But, when first opened, was a treat. Lush, sensuous mouth feel, red and black fruit, garrigue and a lengthy finish. Shame about the alcohol later on though. From magnum. Decanted 8 hours. Still really young though I’m not sure it’s going to turn into anything great. Imported by Kermit Lynch - unfiltered.
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10/9/2022 - Guillaume-en-égypte wrote: flawed
Maderised, no fun at all and fell apart totally in a decanter. Cork was in good shape - either a bad bottle or had suffered from less than ideal storage (5 or so years in a 1 level below ground 'cave', the kind that most apartments in Paris come with - there are worse places to keep wine, but not ideal either).
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10/8/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
2.5 hour decant. Dark ruby color. No bricking. Less than a teaspoon of sediment, mostly stuck to the bottle. The extra decanting time helped, at the finish, the black pepper elements break through the extracted sweet Grenache red fruits and the thick black fruits from the 15% Mourvèdre and 15% Syrah all in separate waves. Perhaps my best experience yet with this wine.
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10/3/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Last bottle of this. Dull ruby red. Perfect synthesis of spice, tobacco, cherry, citrus, and soil wrapped in a medium weight, sappy body and outstanding acidity. A great Chateauneuf.
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9/19/2022 - stephen001 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Initial pour was dusty and closed so decanted for 3 hours.
Deep, brooding nose of dark chocolate, cherry liqueur, liquorice, damp earth and dried rose petals.
Palate retains so much life and freshness with juicy black cherry, lavender, sweet spice, wild strawberry and more liquorice.
Perfect mature chateauneuf, a Southern Rhone masterpiece.
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8/20/2022 - spineguy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Similar tasting notes to previous but seemed a bit flatter. Perhaps the company I was with or variation as I purchased it from a different place. Again, in a nice secondary phase.
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8/13/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Such a lovely wine. Wonderful red and black fruits. Touch of spice and dried herbs. Some sweet Oak. Very smooth. A heaping teaspoon of sediment.
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7/9/2022 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Third bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Not decanted, opened three hours in advance. Mature but lively appearance; cedary nose, tobacco, dried Provençal herbs, red berries, fresh but with attractive hints of raisins and dates; the well-delineated palate displays good volume (14.5% ABV), and a robust structure of finely grained but slightly dusty tannins and firm acidity; relatively dry finish with good resonance and length. More charm than the bottle tasted in 2020, but it does not look like this will ever deliver on the promises of its youth.
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6/18/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
60 minute decant. Half teaspoon of sediment. Plenty of sweet but not jammy red fruits (mostly wineberry and raspberry), some black fruits (blackberry), touch of spice and herbs, modest Oak, very smooth.
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3/13/2022 - beatles wrote: 96 Points
Grand vin. True, blue. cool. Tasted vis-vis the Clos des Papes, this comes out the winner for it's sheer cool elegance, While never loosing it's local feel, this remains the blue chip of the Chateauneuf. Has a long life ahead.
#Hanne&Niels
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3/12/2022 - BernieMSY Likes this wine: 95 Points
Popped and poured.
Rich ruby color; overripe nose redolent of raisin, prune and dark fruit.
Broadly delicious, hitting all parts of the palate. Velvety mouthfeel, amazing umami notes roast meat, tobacco, leather, tar. Sweet blackberry, currant and plum tones. Tannins are present on the back end. This wine has at least ten years of life ahead of it.
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3/11/2022 - BrendanMcS wrote: 92 Points
Nose of ripe plum and blueberry. Some red fruit in there. Palate has a smoked meat sensation. Overall a nice bottle
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3/9/2022 - vintage_whine wrote:
Liquered red cherry, tannins showed a bit more drying for the first 2 hours. But acidity is still fresh and fruit still ripe but not falling apart. It’s a darker more floral expression, brooding, and bitter on the finish. Glorious grenache is what I’d say but it’s far more serious than simply pleasurable
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2/28/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 94 Points
PnP. Only needed 15-20 in the glass. Lovely bright red Grenache fruits, touches of black pepper and spice, dried herbs and sweet Oak. Very smooth. Perhaps best bottle yet as a little more spice and secondary flavors appeared in this bottle. Glad I've got more.
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2/12/2022 - MLipton wrote:
I don't think that I've ever had a CNdP before that actually tasted of black licorice, but here is the exception. Black licorice and kirschwasser, full bodied and with all the rough edges removed. Smooth, delicious, not particularly funky, and all-around a good time. I normally buy CNdP in "off" years, but even from this solar year the Brunier brothers deliver.... in spades. Bravo!
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1/28/2022 - PC99 wrote: 91 Points
Half bottle.
After about 45 mins in the bottle, On the nose, spicy, liquorice, black berries.
On the palate, black fruit, hint of sweetness, spicy, but with underlying sweetness.
Forward and a bit roughness in a good way.
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1/15/2022 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 92 Points
30 minute decant. Bright Grenache fruit, a few black fruit elements as well. Spice, sweet Oak, very smooth. Same as prior bottles.
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1/12/2022 - rm97 wrote: 93 Points
We apprehensive after some recent flawed bottles
This has funk in opening but after an hour that had blown off.
Wine continues to improve. 3 hours in it is wonderful mature CDP - drinks older than the vintage - with a finish that was well over a minute. Waves of deck dart flavors. Lovely with the right food.
Won’t bug any more of this vintage since not sure how long there is left. Surprising given my expectations on purchase.
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1/5/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium ruby center. Garrigue and licorice on the nose. Medium weight. Dark red fruit that is a little subdued tonight in addition to the savory parts and light tannin. I like (but don't love) its complexity and pre-global warming degree of ripeness without excess sugariness or weight. Not the best bottle of this I've had.
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12/31/2021 - stayhappy21 wrote: 91 Points
Opened this during our annual New Year's Eve Celebration at home. We ordered food from Gustoso Ristoranto.
Brickish red in colour. Decanted for 90 minutes before serving. Notes of aged plums, dried orange skin, slightly muted on the nose and palate. Rounded, smooth and silky on the palate. Has a slightly metallic and rubbery taste. Dried Italian herbs (thyme, basil) is evident as well, adding to the complexity of the wine.
The finish was weaker than expected.
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12/31/2021 - cbuhlman wrote:
1 hour decant
dry tawny port with orange peel and very stewed with slight oxidation and a tannic finish. No sign of cork taint.
borderline flawed.
84-86
Yet, another example of holding on to CnDP's too long. There are vintage exceptions, but I've found 10 years on, many of these wines begin to decline.
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12/29/2021 - NoahCap wrote:
Fill to within half an inch of the cork bottom, cork barely stained 1mm- this bottle is in excellent shape. The wine is ruby purple with a watery pink rim. It looks young, though is just a touch paler than I would expect for a CdP.
The nose is very fruit forward and sweet. Raspberry sauce, strawberry jam, concord grapes, blood orange. There are also some aromas of dried Italian herbs and lavender. Soft on the palate, very fine tannins, medium bodied, acidity is medium as well. It is still fruit forward in the mouth, but less of the stewed sweet red fruit profile that was so apparent on the nose. In the mouth, it has a bit more of a savory and bitter profile of orange and grapefruit pith, a touch of ruby red grapefruit juice, and some cranberries. The flavors of dried mixed herbs (thyme, basil, sage) carry on the palate.
It’s wonderful in the mouth until the finish. There is a weird rubbery flavor that I can only describe as…get ready because this is a weird one…balloon animal. When I was a kid, I went through a phase of learning how to make balloon animals, and in the process, spent lots of time with the end of balloons in my mouth. I learned that distinctive plastic-y rubber taste well. Sometimes the balloons would blow air right into my mouth and it also had a very distinctive taste, and that is coming at the back end of this wine. Decanting didn’t get rid of it. Too bad, because otherwise I really like this.
Nobody else mentioned the balloon thing on CellarTracker, so it might just be particular to this bottle (or my taste buds), so I wouldn’t hold it against the wine if are considering buying it or you have it in your cellar. It’s incredibly well made, and given its amazing youth at 16 years old, it will easily make it to 25.
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12/25/2021 - CHarder Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is very nice mature CdP. Drink now-5yrs
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12/21/2021 - OenophilistMN Likes this wine: 93 Points
One-hour splash decant. During decant, raspberry and leather notes emanated from the decanter. After resting and in the glass: wine was clear; garnet in the bowl lightening to an amber rim with a small clear halo. The nose was wonderful older CdP: leather, mushrooms, forest floor, dried fruits, cedar and spice. In the mouth: tannins had melted into a silky liquid of figs, dried cherries, plum and bamboo. The finish was noteworthy in length and how it ended with some cigar ash. This wine had perfect balance and is at its peak now and for two or three more years. My pal and I really enjoyed this as did the staff with whom we shared it. It was a happy holiday dinner indeed!
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12/18/2021 - ashishnag Likes this wine: 92 Points
Intoxicating aroma of forest floor, mushrooms, and black pepper.
Decanted for 2 hours lightly for sediment. I think I overdid it a little bit because the texture started to fade an hour in.
But before that it was fantastic. Soft red fruit, some stewed raspberries and strawberry. High acid and high alcohol.
Drink up and savor it
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12/15/2021 - pren wrote: 85 Points
same as 07, bought from chambers st, bad condition
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12/13/2021 - jimineff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking very well right now. Opened and aired 30min before drinking. Good fruit of stewed cherries, finely integrated tannins.
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12/9/2021 - Benoit Hardy wrote: 91 Points
Kirsche nose on cherries and brandy.
On the palate, it is masculine, with in particular a smoked bacon which dominates. Yet the juice is not that powerful, but this very animalistic side, coated with kirsch is not really my favorite style, although I do recognize the structure and balance in the wine on a pleasant stony finish.
It's very good, not my style, but an instructive experience
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11/27/2021 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
decanted one hour. tempered medium cerise; fragrant wild cherry, warm stones, singed underbrush, expressive; med/full-bodied; continues concentrated on palate, kirsch, smokey & meaty, saline, substantial length, fine tannins on finish. lots of character tonight, in a good spot now & for a while.
slow-roasted pork shoulder, salsa verde; collards; potato puree
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11/25/2021 - Brix Likes this wine: 90 Points
Consistent with others here. Decanted for a couple of hours, very little sediment. Still youthful in appearance, with just a faint rim of amber. Nice nose of wood smoke and flowers. Definitely open for business, tannins present but playing a supporting role. Balanced, silky, pure earthy CdP goodness.
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10/16/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
90 minute decant. A really lovely bottle. Overripe red and some black fruits. Touches of Oak, spice, minerals and dried herbs. Very smooth. 25 second finish
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10/9/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 91 Points
90 minute decant. Not quite as good as last bottle, a little more austere but otherwise same notes.
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10/5/2021 - rm97 wrote: flawed
Sadly off. KL auctions. Annoying.
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9/18/2021 - Armando B wrote: 93 Points
Excellent. Mature red and dark fruit. Garrigue and smoky notes. Silky. Great balance. Wonderful wine.
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9/15/2021 - lozatron Likes this wine:
New Offline Venue Recce Dinner @ Blacklock City; 9/15/2021-9/16/2021: Savoury, clearly well put together wine. Was keen to try this as, after years of staying away from red CNDP, had very much enjoyed a 95 VT at a tasting. A well put together wine, and I can imagine it being even better than the 95 in a few years - savoury and plush. Didn't convert me however.
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9/2/2021 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Grand vin. Very complete, manly, dark approaching maturity, getting broader on the palate, still stands firm.
#Marchal
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8/28/2021 - mxpbuy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted one hour. Almost no sediment. No bricking yet. Plenty of classic red fruit Grenache, some blue fruits, a lot of minerals and only modest spice. Very smooth touch of herbs and sweet Oak.
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8/23/2021 - Tranquility Base Likes this wine: 94 Points
This bottle was spectacular. I was concerned because the last one consumed was not. It did make a big difference I believe to let it breathe for at least three, maybe four hours before it was consumed with grilled lamb chops. It started out very fruit forward, then became quite tannic, and then hit a beautiful balance at just the right moment with dinner. Lovely aged fruit with some Southern Rhone heat, stones, and smoke. It elevated the meal to something memorable.
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5/9/2021 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still young looking - bright damson color. Earth and plum on the mild nose. Bright cherry notes, medium mouth feel, integrated but present tannin, medium finish. A little leather and the CdP heather. Drinking really well and not close to the end yet. Great classic CdP and a great QPR.
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4/23/2021 - The Wineosceros Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bricky red colour, like burnt earth. Old tobacco nose, almost like old rose. Still good tannins with almost a tint of menthol.
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4/7/2021 - anstruletz Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. Drinking wonderfully. No significant signs of tiring out - deep color with barely any bricking at the edges (you really have to look hard). Blackberry and elderberry are seamlessly integrated with garrigue and animal notes. Long finish.
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3/28/2021 - brianakrin wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well. Good fruit. Well balanced. No hurry.
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3/22/2021 - Force5 Likes this wine:
Consumed back to back with '05 Beaucastel. This is much more to my preference, and exactly where I like drinking this in its evolution vs. 5 years later. Still a touch chewy but fresh and vibrant, with expressive nose of red fruits and bramble; as these develop more it loses some of this vibrancy. A really enjoyable wine, and the winner today vs. the much riper and dark-fruited Beaucastel.
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3/19/2021 - brianofthevine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Plum, currant, and raspberry fruit. Sweet spices, red licorice, mineral and floral notes, and subtle earth. Still has some good acidity to it with a nice finish. Good drinking window right now but can easily can another few years.
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3/11/2021 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 93 Points
Kleur: Fluwelig, lichtrood. Aroma / bouquet: Aangenaam maar gesloten en fragiel bouquet waarin individuele aroma's lastig te determineren zijn. Smaak / Afdronk: Verleidelijk, zacht, aangenaam. Een voor een belegen Ch9dP kenmerkend mondgevoel en smaakindrukken. En dan heb ik het over zacht zoete drop, een miniscuul vleugje zoute soja, aarbeiencompote, cederhout. Een serieus lange afdronk. Algemeen / potentieel: Een duidelijk betere fles dan ik in 2019 proefde (86/100. De smaak is meer dan briljant, het bouquet teleurstellend. Blij dat ik nog 6 flessen blijk te hebben ;-). 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 18 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 93/100
Color: Velvety, light red Aroma / bouquet: Pleasant but closed and fragile bouquet in which individual aromas are difficult to identify. Taste / Finish: Seductive, soft, pleasant. A mouthfeel and taste impressions that are characteristic of an aged Ch9dP. And I'm talking about soft sweet liquorice, a tiny touch of salty soy, strawberry compote, cedar wood. A seriously long finish. Overall / potential: A clearly better bottle than I tasted in 2019 (86/100. The taste is more than brilliant, the bouquet disappointing. Happy to have 6 more bottles ;-). 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 18 + Overall / potential: 9 = 93/100
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3/6/2021 - Klugi Wine wrote: 92 Points
Quite an intense and still youthful wine. Slightly restrained nose with some blackberries, steely dust and some vanilla cream. The palate has still intense tannins mixing with those iron notes. This C9dP is still quite young, will be interesting to follow over the next decades.
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2/12/2021 - drwine2001 wrote:
Dull ruby throughout. Superb, sappy medium weight with a compelling combination of dark ripe red fruit, undergrowth, citrus, and licorice drop. Strong acidity and tannin to finish. A wonderfully structured, chewy, classical rendition of Chateauneuf. Not flashy (thankfully!) but outstanding. I love the underlying steel of this vintage compared to more recent riper years.
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2/2/2021 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Finest bottle of this wine i've ever had... just a true CDP beauty... balanced fruit/tannin and all that warm sunshine in a bottle
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1/24/2021 - Carib Likes this wine: 96 Points
Terrific expression of CdP, hedonistic and full bodied, swirling with confidence in what it is, and so yummy. At year 15, it is an absolute marvel. Opened the bottle an hour before, then poured. I'm not sure its necessary to fully decant the bottle, I suppose its a matter of preference. As the evening wore on it was the same rock solid mouthfeel over and over. I think it has plenty of shelf life yet.
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1/16/2021 - WIART Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely. Decanted half hour before drinking. Black cherry and blueberry nose. Velvety mouth feel.
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12/2/2020 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Should have opened earlier in the day. In its first couple of hours it remains burly. Dark fruit, stony minerals, pretty intense. It is well balanced. I think I'll put a note on this bin to wait for these....
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11/28/2020 - pigdaddy wrote: 91 Points
from magnum, double-decanted, enjoyed subsequently in a crisply cool socially-distanced outdoor dinner venue. color, nose & palate shows on the youthful & restrained side, as ambient temp limited the expansion of aromatics & volume on the palate; a leaner & less expressive showing than a 750 ml. earlier this year, as might be expected.
later, finishing the remainder under more conventional circumstances, this is still tighter & showing young; the nose becomes more expressive, but fruit is clenched & lots of grip on finish.
pork confit w/tomato chutney & dijon; cassoulet beans 'en cocotte', mustard greens w/streak o' lean
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11/28/2020 - spineguy Likes this wine: 93 Points
Significant change for the better since last taste 3 years ago. Entered into secondary phase and probably be for 5-8 more years. Integration is becoming apparent. Anise, darker red fruit, (agree with) tar and tobacco. Really in a nice place.
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11/26/2020 - Frijole wrote:
burgundy red, medium clarity, ruby hue
Nose: plum, black cherry, cigar, tar, tobacco, licorice, white pepper, fennel, dirt, minerals, cola, oak
Pal: black cherry, licorice, cigar, tar, tobacco, fennel, white pepper, leather, garrigue, dirt, minerals, cola, oak
Feel: medium, acidic
Finish: medium, long
T8
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11/26/2020 - cglex Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful Chateuneuf du Pape. A bit of peppery spice. Lots of time left on this wine.
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11/22/2020 - Rico100 wrote: 96 Points
superb!
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11/21/2020 - dkfinancial wrote: 92 Points
This is a lovely wine that resembles an aged Burg, like Volnay, more than many juice bomb CdPs. Blood orange, plum, red currant fruit. Old herbs. Finishes with subtle orange, spice and herbs. Just lovely now. Drinking beautifully and has a decade or enjoyment in store.
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11/7/2020 - brianakrin wrote: 91 Points
Young , Elegant style, Long,Decant
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10/19/2020 - Ricky99 Likes this wine: 92 Points
perhaps the most refined version of this wine I've tasted... its probably very near peck...
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10/17/2020 - Chrisinroch wrote:
drink up
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9/20/2020 - Bruce 1er wrote: 95 Points
Outstanding. Dark. Plums, cassis. Unique terroir evident - earthy, minerals, sage, iodine.
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9/11/2020 - rm97 wrote: 92 Points
Maybe even 93. Took an hour or so to open up but wonderful when it it.
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9/4/2020 - JJKinch wrote: 91 Points
From .375. Dark fruit (cherry, blueberry), spice, garrigue, slight lavender, earth, herbal, dry. But burly. Good acidity. Lingering finish. Really enjoyable.
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9/2/2020 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
A beast in a bottle. After 6 hours it really started to shine and had some elegance with red berry fruit, wild spice, and rocky mineral flavors, but a burly kind of elegance. Before that the fruit was there but really ripe and dominated by tar flavors. Lots of acidity to frame the whole thing.
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8/15/2020 - golfhawk Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very mature CdP that is showing some great soft fruit. Should be decanted for the sediment. May wait a bit more for the magnum.
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8/4/2020 - Kavine wrote: 93 Points
PnP and was a crowd favourite....smooth, balanced fruit w minimal tannins. Medium bodied and served its purpose perfectly with a not heavily driven red meat dinner. Well worth the money.
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8/4/2020 - jerhardt Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium bodied, spicy grenache flavor profile. Feels like a more robust, slightly less elegant Rayas. Not primary by any means, but still drinking quite young; lots of life ahead.
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8/1/2020 - TannicBeast Likes this wine: 93 Points
Med + garnet with rim variation. Unfiltered, viscous. Intense black cherry, amarena cherry, stewed plums, savory herbs, sun-dried tomato, violets, earth, leather, mocha and oak spice from 12 mos in oak casks. Also spends 10 mos in concrete. Dry yet fruit-forward. Med - acidity, med, polished tannins and hot alcohol (14.5%). Full bodied, with impressive intensity and length, it really shines with food, but is now a little unbalanced towards softness. Drink or hold for a couple of years, but not likely to improve further. WS 95 in 2008.
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8/1/2020 - JonBarnes1 Likes this wine:
Wow. Chocolate here, raspberry there, this is dancing in the glass. Agree with other recent comments — well integrated tannins, very smooth; energetic but probably time to drink, if this is peak I have no complaints.
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7/24/2020 - kstoddard wrote: flawed
Off bottle
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7/10/2020 - mukden wrote: 91 Points
FINE. But drink up...my experience with the CNF 2004-2007 dying lockdown is that a good few are age tainted.
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7/5/2020 - SadEdjo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark colour; Somewhat muscular dark & red fruit; Lots of texture; Dark chocolate, kirsch. Apparent but well integrated tannins; lots of life yet
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6/20/2020 - drmarclevine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Absolutely great! Decanted for one hour. Intense aromas of bruised black cherry, resin, pipe tobacco and dried leaves. Medium weight in the mouth with black cherry, black raspberries, and cloves. Rich and powerful but still plenty of freshness and even a few grippy tannins in the back. In balance. Exactly what aged CDP should be. Drink now but will hold for another few years. Paired with rare NY steaks with chimichurri.
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6/12/2020 - BBinSC wrote: 93 Points
Following the New World/valley floor Continuum, the VT really surprised me as it more than held its own. The wine is open, spicy, red-fruit driven with a strong mineral backbone and those savory notes you get from the stony soil-grown grenache. Still has plenty of life left in it, cellar kept since purchase. Wonderful.
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6/5/2020 - BernieMSY wrote: 93 Points
Dark garnet color, muted nose. black fruits, a touch overripe. White pepper finish, a big of alcoholic heat.
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5/8/2020 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
I think if I tasted this blind I might have thought it was a Barolo. It had the flavor profile of deep tar and perhaps a slight bit of floral. BUT, this is a big wine. Well balanced and somewhat robust, but honestly not that lovely....
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4/29/2020 - Brolawa wrote: 90 Points
This vintage is fine but nothing impressive. Tasted upon opening and after an hour of decanting. Didn’t change much. Notes of chocolate and jam which held constant. Solid CdP but that’s about it.
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4/28/2020 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 91 Points
Second bottle from a half case purchased en primeur. Pristine. Opened and tasted at 4pm. The nose is initially very closed and a bit dusty, but the palate does not show an excess of tannins, and a touch of raisins and nuts. Decanted and revisited at 6.30pm. Mature but lively appearance; warm glowing nose, vinous, some liquorous fruit, spicy, still a bit dusty, good depth; the palate is fresh and structured, the tannins are high but ripe, flavours of cedar and red berries, cool and transparent rather than fleshy and rich; relatively dry finish, black tea. This bottle seems fully mature but also a bit dour, and I hope that my remaining four are better and more welcoming than this. DrWine2001's tasting notes from 2019 give me some hope. Or will 2005 turn out to be a vintage that was always too young, until it was too old?
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4/13/2020 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
decanted & consumed over 3 hours. textbook VT, superb nose overlay on warm textured kirsch & weedy palate, in a great place.
particularly singular after a corked bottle last year & a weird .375 recently
pinto bean "stew" with veal sausage
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4/7/2020 - rttpv wrote: 85 Points
un peu déçu. Manque de compléxité
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3/29/2020 - oolah wrote:
The highlight of the month in this time of corona. Drink now. Fantastic nose—I could just crawl into the glass—violets and cherries.
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3/27/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 95 Points
An exceptionally good Vieux Telegraphe. I debated between 94 and 95, and pushed it to 95 because of the smoothness of the complex flavor profile. This just tastes right. A seamless blend of candied violets, black cherries, prunes, bacon, and black pepper that somehow has no rough edges. This tastes like a mature wine, and I support drinking it now.
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3/3/2020 - BillBell73 Likes this wine:
Spicy, mature, complex, and graceful with dried cherry fruit and a sort of cherry cough syrup note that reminds me of good Barolo. A fantastic wine.
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2/23/2020 - ctjared Likes this wine:
not pruney
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1/24/2020 - Paul D wrote: 86 Points
From Magnum. Medium/deep ruby/garnet, pale garnet rim. A touch closed, some darker fruit notes. Full bodied, sweet dark fruit, quite youthful, low acidity, fine tannins, mouthfilling, not particularly complex, finishes flat.
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1/22/2020 - Chris Keller wrote: 91 Points
Garnet colored but Sharp and acidic in personality at first so I put it away for 4 more hours and when I got back around to it this had died down. Now The wine was much lighter and tasted less aggressive and Less out of whack. Very mature notes of present were notes of mineral, raw meat, raspberry, cherry, strawberry, kirsch, fernet bitterness, dried Virginia tobacco and dried cedar. Mouthfeel was light and tannins were of dry loosely threaded satin.
Finish was lasting yet bitter and that bitterness drowned out its complexity it is then creamy and almost of a cherry cough drop. Drink now and decant.
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1/18/2020 - mjf@ulkner wrote: 90 Points
Cloudy purple color. Black currant, plum fruit notes. Dry tannins on the finish. Just past prime in my estimation.
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1/5/2020 - AllRed wrote:
Second Sunday Group: Cornas vs Côte-Rôtie (Barb's): Bright, with notes of red fruit, cherry and white currants. Still fairly tannic, showing currant and pepper flavors. Another 2005 that has not yet come around-this vintage requires patience.
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11/29/2019 - JB12 wrote: 89 Points
Same as other noted.
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11/29/2019 - JB12 wrote: 89 Points
- It's unbalanced with a medium body. Angular texture with a medium finish - Got these for thanksgiving dinner as the closer. Did a two hour decant. Still had sharp notes on the pallet at 14 years. Had long legs, and had alcohol on the nose. Blackberry flavors. Did get better over the drink time but never great. place it as a medium bodied wine. Ive had better... will keep for so,e time and maybe it will smooth out.
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11/23/2019 - Renevin Likes this wine: 91 Points
Nez fermé au départ, mais devient plus expressif au fil du temps, encore sur le fruits. En bouche, après 2 heures de carafe, gagne beaucoup en rondeur. Puissant, ample et une belle longueur.
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11/19/2019 - norsktorsk wrote:
I did not like this. Not corked. typical unctuous taste. drank a glass after about 30 min of air. saved until the next day. no change. poured it out.
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11/16/2019 - Chalkhills Likes this wine: 87 Points
Creamy and slightly compostuous on nose; meaty.
Rich damsons and dried fruit - but definitely drying out. Some smokey autumnal and mushroom flavours
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11/15/2019 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not as explosively expressive as my last bottle. More refine and elegant, however showed a little heat on the palate. Nice tertiary fruit and spice mixed with a little sandalwood. Seemed like it’s near peak.
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11/11/2019 - tomlee wrote: 96 Points
Crimson in color. 14.5% ABV. Stunning nose of bright red fruits, blood, licorice and cracked black pepper. Medium body with exquisite acidity. Powerful and concentrated with gorgeous upfront fruit. Strawberry, kirsch, raspberry and herbes de Provence of the palate. The finish is exceptionally long with silky tannins. The purity of the fruit on the wine is notable. Showing so well right now but the structure suggests this could cellar for another decade.
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10/30/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Ruby, fine sediment. Wow, the most forward, vibrant red raspberry fruit I've ever encountered in a Vieux Telegraphe, so much so that it reminded me of Rayas right out of the gate. Medium weight, superb natural sweetness (without overripeness), spice, and texture with an excellent citric lift. After that initial stunning burst of fruit, more savory black licorice and tobacco flavors fill in behind, supported by moderate tannins. All told, a great showing with plenty more to come down the road.
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10/15/2019 - heymamalow wrote: 92 Points
Hedonistic yet classy. We had this last in a lineup of 4 wines and this an unanimous WOTN.
Has enough stuffing to continue to evolve so this can get even better. Perhaps some prefer a bit more restraint but when you are seeking classy flamboyance, this is it.
IMHO, puts a lot of renowned Bdxs to shame re QPR
Vieux Telegraphe consistently delivers.
Nice backstory: A good friend and colleague first introduced VT and 2005 vintage back in 2016 to me. Have been hooked since and this time round, i returned the favour. He purchased it from estate and it was even more affordable back then.
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9/22/2019 - BernieMSY wrote: 93 Points
2 hour decant, Delicious. Deep currant fruit, a touch raisinated. Tar, roast meat. An umami bomb.
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9/10/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine: 91 Points
A contrast compared to the 2005 Grand Puy Lacoste. Both opened an hour before dinner, decanted and enjoyed throughout the course of dinner. A fruity, jammy (and I meant that in a good way) wine that was so giving throughout the night. This was not an over the top CdP, but one that was vivacious and loud. I liked it, but did not love it.
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8/1/2019 - drwine2001 wrote:
Garnet. Explosive aromas of raspberry and licorice. Beautifully sappy red fruit lifted by citrus and balanced by garrigue, anise, and spice. Ripely tannic finish. This is a superb, classic Chateauneuf that seems to be right in the middle of a long drinking window. Amazing depth and immediacy of fruit.
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7/27/2019 - Chalkhills wrote: 88 Points
Good colour going bricks towards the edge. Rich fruit nose but perhaps a little “cooked” but too far gone. Fruit still strong on the palate but alcohol a little intrusive. Again the dark fruit flavours coming through. Finish with hints of bitter cherries and sloes but with great length...still going after trying to think what to write!
Need to be careful it doesn’t go further with the “cooked” sense...is it madeirisation or bad celllar?
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7/14/2019 - MJReb wrote: 91 Points
Blind tasting chez Said: concentrated black fruit, mainly blackberries.
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6/21/2019 - Dury wrote: 89 Points
Much better than last bottle but still just a well executed cote du Rhône. Dark fruits, bramble, garrigue, tannin; not integrating harmoniously. Will hold my last few for a few years to ascertain if this is just a dumb phase.
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6/2/2019 - WildeMeeuw wrote: 86 Points
Kleur: Fluwelig, zachtrood. Aroma / bouquet: Bescheiden bouquet. Smaak / Afdronk: Zachte zuurgraad. Bescheiden tannines. Een zekere graad van harmonie. In niets indrukwekkend. Algemeen / potentieel: Tegenvallend… 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 10 + Smaak / Afdronk: 14 + Algemeen / potentieel: 7 = 86/100
Google Translate:
Color: Velvety, soft red. Aroma / bouquet: Modest bouquet. Taste / Aftertaste: Soft acidity. Modest tannins. A certain degree of harmony. Nothing impressive. General / potential: Disappointing ... 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 10 + Taste / Finish: 14 + General / potential: 7 = 86/100
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5/31/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fascinating and distinctive, but not delicious. Stunning nose of iodine, tapenade, bitter herbs, tobacco, and pepper. Brown and murky on the palate. Intense and tongue-coating. Tannins still big on the finish; like thick apple skin.
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5/28/2019 - tonepad Likes this wine: 89 Points
Well this was better than the last CDP I had but still not completely awesome. I pissed off a few of the community by saying I've had better Syrah's which this technically has in the blend. Many new Syrah's are blends so I believe the modern techniques are having more success. Added to that is the incredible amount of time that one must take to age CDP's. Now I haven't had a newer vintage so maybe they're better younger these days. I'm moving on that's the last in my cellar.
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5/25/2019 - chablis28 wrote: 86 Points
Still having a difficulty getting past the 14.5% alc and its definitely noticeable for me so may be higher than stated. If it had more lift that would certainly help too. Good material otherwise but not energetic enough for my liking. Then again, there are very few btls of CDP I still enjoy. Paired with rubbed ribs tonight.
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4/4/2019 - vancouvermatt wrote: 94 Points
Took more than 2 hours in wide bottomed decanter to really start singing. Terrific length and purity here, still seems very youthful.
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3/16/2019 - Highlander wrote:
Had the 03 Beaucastel last night and sadly this does not compare. I normally love this wine, but in comparison, this is more astringent, less fruity and much dryer. Now for the good news.... still a very enjoyable wine, but likely needs more time in the cellar for everything to come together.
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3/10/2019 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is excellent. It offers gripping flavors of tapenade, ripe plum, and blackberries in a fluid, easy-drinking body for such a strong-flavored CdP. Even the aromas in the empty glass are powerful. It's nice that wines from this world-class vineyard aren't outrageously priced.
I suggest drinking now. I don't see how this can improve from here.
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3/4/2019 - BernieMSY wrote: 93 Points
Dark color, rich, structured and nuanced.
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3/1/2019 - porkandsalmon Likes this wine:
Medium bodied wine. The tannins have softened considerably and there’s plenty of spicy dark red fruits on show. Nice acidity giving it freshness. Overall a nice drink and will probably last a whole lot longer.
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2/23/2019 - drmarclevine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very fine. Needed a full two hours in the decanter to open fully. Rewarded with minty black raspberry and pine cones and other aromas of forest floor. Deep attack of red/black fruit with a long tannic finish. Tobacco leaf and maybe some cloves. In its drinking window but may develop more complexity over the next several years.
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2/23/2019 - yves charbonnier Likes this wine: 90 Points
Magnifique nez de fruits rouges. Belle intensité aromatique. Bouche ample et veloutée, tannins complètement fondus. Dernière bouteille d'une caisse de 6. Les 5 premières bues trop jeunes. Là on est au top. Parfait avec une daube de boeuf.
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2/21/2019 - deverett wrote: 90 Points
Felt slightly rough around the edges, jubey and ripe and maybe not all together fully integrated. Has concentration and depth, ripe and full but not overly so, just somewhat angular and not smooth. Should be more together at this age so perhaps have missed the best window or perhaps still needs even more time. Has enough fruit and structure to carry it, just struggle to see where it goes from here. Have a few left so will give it a little more time and see how that works out.
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2/21/2019 - Lushbus Likes this wine: 90 Points
Good but fruit has fallen off somewhat and tertiaries only partially evolved. Tannins fully resolved. Likely peaked several years ago. Drink up!
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2/16/2019 - Mscruggs Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted, from Magnum, about 4 hours before a wine dinner. Dark fruit, pepper with a long, soft finish. Drinking great now!
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1/24/2019 - Renevin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Nez de petits fruits rouge, beaucoup de finesse tant au nez qu en bouche. Tout est bien fondu, bien équilibré. Difficile d y resister
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1/18/2019 - Plabella Likes this wine: 95 Points
Delicious wine. Peppery with dark fruit. Full body wine still vibrant.
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1/17/2019 - pigdaddy wrote: flawed
corked.
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1/6/2019 - minndavid60 wrote: flawed
Corked. Rough wine weekend with this and the premoxed 2007 Fevre Les Clos.
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1/1/2019 - tak4 Likes this wine: 92 Points
New Year’s Day wine! This was a V-T I purchased from Cellaraiders.
Popped and decanted. Left for about 20 min before first taste.
Wine is a gorgeous brick-crimson. Not terribly concentrated - can see through it.
Nose is intensely beautiful. Cut red apple, stewed berries (raspberry), amaretto, cherries, gingersnap.
Palate: wine is sound. Medium acid, fairly hot, tannins have receded. Wine doesn’t feel that concentrated, which makes me think that this was a less ripe vintage. Palate follows the nose but lightly, with a touch of white pepper, anise, and herbes de provence. Still very elegant but I think the ideal version of this would be a touch more concentrated. I know, I know, CdP has a reputation for being over-ripe, but I just want a little more from this one.
All that said, I can’t believe we like this as much as we do. This wine is boss.
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12/31/2018 - Bro-rolo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped this one for NYE while we watched the guy from American Idol and that 90s chick from Singled Out get poured on in Times Square lol...looked Les Miserables out there last night lol not sure what all those clowns are thinking standing in the rain in diapers for 12 hours lol...the terroir in this one hit me not unlike the terror of watching NKOTB perform “Right Stuff” and “Hang Tough” just a mere 32 years after the medium sized sensation that this original 90s boy band caused...their singing was mildly tannic but then towards the end it’s like they just wouldn’t get off the stage...you could say it had a long finish but then that would be a positive note where NKOTB deserves nothing of the sort lol...Happy New Year all you filthy rain soaked Times Square smelling
tourists from Bro-rolo?!
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12/22/2018 - mghomula Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for 1 hour prior to first tasting. In a previous tasting note from 2010, I noted this was atypical in color for a Vieux Telegraph. At that time it was more burgundy in color, cranberry like almost. While it is still a bit "off" in color for Vieux Telegraph, it was much darker this go around, now more garnet in color. Nose was concentrated and well put together with blackberry, cherry, licorice, smoke, anise, briar patch and sweet baking spices. The palate was full bodied and rich with a silky and elegant texture - blackberry, black cherry, currant, more licorice, anise, game and baking spice. Full bodied with some very bright and juicy acidity but sweet fine grained tannic structure. I think this still has 8-10 years left. The finish was long, enticing and full of more black cherry, fertile soil, briar patch and baking spice. Outstanding! 50+4+13+18+8=93 pts.
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12/18/2018 - PJL100 wrote: 94 Points
from magnum
shy, then blossomed, dust, musk, red fruits, not great complexity but poised elegant palate with length, nice tannin finish
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12/17/2018 - Rico100 wrote: 95 Points
Superb as usual. Drinking really well now.
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12/6/2018 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:
At Wine Society Dining Club Christmas tasting.
Light game nose with red fruit. Quite muted. Drink up.
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11/16/2018 - d'Artagnan wrote: 92 Points
Sans être le plus gourmand, il impressionne par son équilibre, sa texture élégante, surtout pour le millésime. Les tanins sont fondus, harmonieux, le vin délicieux, sur des notes de kirsch et d’herbes de Provence. Un des beaux 2005 que j'ai pris. 92 pts
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11/9/2018 - slanum wrote:
Far too ripe for us. Maybe this bottle, maybe our changing tastes, but this struck us as prune-like in the extreme. The more air it was given, the more objectionable it became for my personal, can't-stand-over-ripe-wines, preferences. I recall tasting this on release and liking it. Puzzling. The remnants of this particular bottle were consigned to the sauce. Judgment reserved because a relatively recent bottle of the 2001 gave much pleasure. Next time I'll decant this for an extended period to see whether that makes a difference.
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10/29/2018 - rnellans wrote: 93 Points
Drinking very well. Raspberry, some secondary notes. Soft tannins. Good fruit and balance.
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10/25/2018 - rm97 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully
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10/22/2018 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 wrote: 97 Points
Patience has its rewards for this mature red that exhibits a gorgeous bouquet of roasted blackberries, cowhide leather, pipe tobacco and black tea. The palate displays a medium-to-full body with a silky texture, albeit some tightness as it’s newly poured, balanced by vibrant acidity. Additional flavors of anise, aged meat and cedar smoke cap the layers of complexity. Finishes long and mentholated. Drink now until 2030.
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9/25/2018 - skifree wrote: flawed
All brett and stewed fruit, with a weird anise note on the finish. Dumped.
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9/23/2018 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Absolutely Delicious. Wonderful, peppery fruit, lots of roast meat, cedar, leather. Plenty of tannic structure. Lingering finish. Peaking now.
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9/23/2018 - henryd1 wrote: 90 Points
Decanted about an hour. A nice wine but not up there with the best vintages of VT in my opinion.
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9/2/2018 - Rico100 wrote: 94 Points
Such a solid wine!
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8/31/2018 - Dury wrote: 87 Points
PnP. Profile didn't change materially in the first two hours over which this was consumed. A bit modern, primary, one dimensional i.e. fruit; short finish, light on acid and tannin. A disappointment.
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8/6/2018 - acheng wrote: 90 Points
Kirsh and purple fruit. Rich and heavy with still some tannin to shed.
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7/28/2018 - nkirsch Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened and drank immediately. Good fruit, a little of a musty smell but still very fresh. Nice tannins. got better as the night went on. Very happy with this wine
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7/21/2018 - Chrisinroch wrote:
PnP. Light, almost old world Pinot noir body and color. Ready for business. Drinking nicely.
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7/20/2018 - FredericoWines wrote: 92 Points
Decanted for an hour. Surprisingly still tannins dominated. Dark fruit, cinnamon and oak all integrated wonderfully. Medium body dark Ruby color. Finish is long. Very different than the bottle I had earlier this year. That one was thin without much fruit and tannins. Could last for 7+ years but I have no more.
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7/3/2018 - llink wrote: 92 Points
Deep nose, a little earthy with a bramble component (raspberry, kirsch and blackberry) and a mineral/iodine essence. Extremely fresh, with precise red fruit and a suave, silky texture. Finishes with deep red fruit flavors and more mineral. In a great spot and no risk decline in the medium term.
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6/30/2018 - PVJC Likes this wine: 94 Points
3.5 years since last bottle and is at least as good if not better. Decanted 1 hour. Drinking really well, smooth & tannins fully integrated. Medium bodied and restrained, drank with grilled flank steak.
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6/27/2018 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 91 Points
Black cherry, smoke, forest floor, and menthol on the nose and palate. Dense body with high acidity, the tannins have resolved nicely. Pleasurable now but still has some life ahead of it.
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6/17/2018 - vide wrote: 91 Points
This wine took a long time to come up in the glass, even after 2-3 hours of decanting. There is something intransigently brooding about the style of Vieux Telegraphe that I still find difficult to come to terms with. Just a little too much earthy backbone, which gives depth but no complexity. This might be CNP terroir ( I would like to think that), except that there are other domains from this region (no names) that produce a gentler, more inflected wine.
As for the wine itself = wonderful mouthfeel, dark tastes (liquorice, cassis). But with a vertical integrity that has lost the horizontal axis entirely.
For my sins, I drank Medoc normally. So perhaps I shouldn't stand in judgment.
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5/19/2018 - ChateauDutremble Likes this wine: 94 Points
Aucune note de prise : encore solide, belle extraction, corsé... devient encore meilleur au courant de la soirée. Beaucoup d'épices en fin de bouche et très long. Délicieux ! Selon moi, pourrait tenir la route facilement d'ici 2025. 94+
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5/6/2018 - Wink Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is my fifth bottle of this wine out of the cellar. I wrote tasting notes 3/20/11, 6/16/11, 4/10/13, and 9/17/13. So it has been over 4 1/2 years since I last had it. It was worth the wait. Translucent dark garnet. Nose of blackberry, smoke, menthol, and black licorice. Full palate of ripe blackberry, black cherry, fig, and minerals. Black licorice and mild bitter herbs on the nice, long finish. Refreshing acidity. The previously tight tannins have faded considerably. the 2005 Vieux Tele has finally reached its potential.
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3/23/2018 - jdinkin1 wrote: 94 Points
This is how wine should taste. With pork confit at Nomad hotel.
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2/23/2018 - pilot360 wrote:
Drank this a few days ago, high acidity with strong bright cherry, followed by some bitterness.
It had its moments of complexity, maybe just developing- herbs, smoke.
It’s going to take some more time l.
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2/11/2018 - MattMauldin Likes this wine: 93 Points
2.5 hour decant. Early and pronounced secondary aromatics- turned soil and rocks, dried herbs, dark spices, dried black fruits. Initially dark, brooding and unyielding on the palate, not showing much outside of its structure, additional air softening the edges, brightening and filling out the fruit. Notes of boysenberry, spices, earth, dried florals, bitter chocolate- densely layered and complex. Fleshy polished tannins, long depth on the finish. Hold or decant 3+ hours.
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2/3/2018 - ClausJ wrote:
Dried out fruit - nothing if interest.
1st if 12 - not great
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1/31/2018 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful deep garnet color. Red fruit, layered with roast meat, umami, tobacco, tar. Delicious on the front end, savory mid palate and lovely finish. Long finish with plenty of tannins present. Really nice.
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1/26/2018 - djdaqm Likes this wine: 90 Points
Decanted from 375 ml bottle and drank over next hour without food. Garrigue and sour cherry on the nose. Quite tart and tannic, and softened a little while it aired. While the body is light, it is very structured and extracted, and a little sour for my taste. Still tough even after sitting for an hour. I think it's a little early to drink now, and will improve somewhat with time, although I don't know if the tartness will ever balance out.
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1/15/2018 - WineDuq Likes this wine: 94 Points
Out of a magnum, popped and poured. I thought this was an excellent VT. Blew away an '07 we had the week before. Nice dusty red fruit, sandalwood on the nose. Fruit forward with nice mid-palate, rather lush and juicy. The tannins are fine-grained and mostly resolved. Nice streak of acidity in the finish to keep the wine lively. One of the better VTs I've had in quite some time.
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1/10/2018 - wisner93 wrote: 88 Points
Quite tart and out of balance. Feels past it’s prime.
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1/6/2018 - azscot wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 3 hrs and drank over 2 days. On day one a nice smooth CdP with balanced tannins. Blackberry and garrigue with a hint of aniseed in the finish. A nice Telegraphe but I would agree with other reviews, not a great one
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1/5/2018 - sommwines Likes this wine:
Pretty wine but not amazing.
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12/26/2017 - BernieMSY wrote: 92 Points
Dark garnet. Glycerine nose. Fruit forward, Black fruit tones. Tannins are moderate. A good Telegraphe, but not a great one.
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12/9/2017 - golfhawk Likes this wine: 92 Points
An excellent Cd'P that was very smooth. Definitely a food wine that is drinking great right now.
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11/23/2017 - spineguy Likes this wine: 88 Points
Black cherry, cut brush, and, slight hint of bret on the nose. Balanced rich tannins with notes of anise and minerals. Strong mid palate Solid finish. Overall lacked a "wow" factor. Not much different on second day.
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11/4/2017 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Good but not great. Did not decant but it didn't throw a lot of sediment.
Consumed over about 5 hours. Notes are from the end of that period.
Dark fruit, earth, anise, and a bit of wild spice. The two things about it that make me say it wasn't a great bottle is it seemed a little flacid and the fruit seemed a bit overripe. I know the last will not put everyone off but I tend not to like wines like this.
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11/4/2017 - mmcdds wrote:
This bottle has turned the corner with stewy notes coming firmly to the forefront, which I don't like. I have 2 bottles left. I'll be opening them soon.
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8/18/2017 - Miceri Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium dark red; sweet licorice, ripe blackcurrant, sweet plum; very masculine and powerful with tobacco and tar, some tannins at the end,a "winter wine" - best suited on a cold snowy day by the fire place
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7/28/2017 - Papies wrote: 89 Points
Decanted and served.
Tasted blind and pointed to chateauneuf from a relatively young ripe vintage. Guessed 2005 or 2007.
Light rich sweet core of fruit, herbs, light iron feel. Well in its drinking window and probably better now while the fruit is still here. We do feel there is a good chance this evolves well maybe like the mid 90s beautiful wines ( 1995 for example) so lets see. 89 for now
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7/28/2017 - MaHaMa wrote: 92 Points
Drink well now.
Beautiful wine - dark colored with slightly brown edges.
Mature nose with oak, dark berries, herbs - after hours leather, animal - more delicate.
Very nice balance on the palate.
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7/24/2017 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyable.
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7/21/2017 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Enjoyable.
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7/18/2017 - rwpalmer wrote: 92 Points
First mag of case. I was delighted by none of the hard edges of other 05 CNDP's. Nice colour. Inviting, raspberryish nose. Largely primary. Palate soft, and edging towards that glowing sweetness of a more obviously mature VT. Still, very drinkable, and no rush to consume.
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7/15/2017 - fcxj wrote: 90 Points
Still primary. Easy drinking, if heavier than preferred.
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7/15/2017 - Jay Win Likes this wine:
Good not great as it lacks some expected structure and I'm not sure it will get any better. B+ almost but not quite an A-.
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6/11/2017 - Rico100 wrote: 94 Points
Drinking quite well now - delicious!
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6/1/2017 - Troon wrote: 87 Points
Looking back at my notes from 18 months ago, I don't know that my opinion has changed much. The wine had ripe fruit, but it also had an alcohol taste that once faded left nothing exciting in the wine. The wine is not terrible, but it seems out of balance. I would agree with other reviews that this wine just misses it, and I am a fan of both CdP and Vieux Telegraphe. Perhaps it just needs more time?
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5/23/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 87 Points
A Mixed Bag at Young Joni (Young Joni, NE Mpls): Very dark red/purple color. PNP, followed one glass over an hour. The nose is ok, spice, subtle garrigue, red licorice, with muted brooding dark fruit. The palate is where this falls apart for me. Whether this is in CDP no man's land between the early drinking window and the more mature window; or hopefully the slow, plodding evolution of what is VT is just yet to come. However, my fear is this is not going to go the route of an aging beauty, but instead unravels amidst the alcohol and oak on the palate. I not sure the the syrupy dark ripe fruit can last against the harsh woody opposition. Maybe I'm being harsh, but the lack of balance made me wince.
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5/23/2017 - chablis28 wrote: 89 Points
David's btl. Tonight this wine wasn't working for me. It came off as jammy, loaded with alc and not my thing. Perhaps if it had seen a good 1 hour + decant and a lower cellar type temp, I'd like it better? Also, I find these have a fighting chance of being tasty if drank closer to low cellar temp. Tonight's btl was opened at the restaurant and drank at the mid to high 60s. Wasn't feeling it. I continue to lose my CDP mojo.
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5/21/2017 - wetlandwino wrote: 92 Points
Needs more time before it reaches its peak, although still is a fine wine especially when paired with food.
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5/13/2017 - Rollerball wrote:
Needs a lot of air and a number of second chances. Requires close listening.
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5/4/2017 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
A bit astringent right now some four hours after opening. After two hours, it was very nice with lots of fruit and a bit of a waxy smell. Overall, a very nice CdP with no sense that it's twelve years old.
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4/20/2017 - Tranquility Base Likes this wine: 92 Points
Eventually, very good. It took a good long while; in some ways, the last glass drunk tonight, five days after opening (and sealed with a vacuum sealer) was the best. At first very austere, alcoholic, a challenge to drink, it finally began to blossom and was beautifully balanced. It may need several more years of aging. Five, at least?
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4/11/2017 - beatles wrote: 95 Points
Intense, mineral, deep core, cool, flinty, but not touch, upright, aristocratic, standing tall - very young. Things to come...
#L'OustaletGigondas
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4/5/2017 - barryjkeller@gmail.com wrote:
Quite simply undrinkable. Then triple decant over 2 hours. Big improvement, however still heat. Raspberry on the palate. Just ok but should leave until 15 years (2020).
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3/12/2017 - ovenmitt wrote: 89 Points
Contrary to others it looks like.... This felt a bit young to me. Round and out of balance. AS bit flabby. Not much support in the back end if you will. Blueberries, dark cherry, notes of pepper.... Wait another five and then hope?
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2/19/2017 - JonBarnes1 Likes this wine:
A-mazing. Tastes like it hasn't lost a step since first bottle opened in 2010. Stashing this for a while, has many years ahead of it.
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1/29/2017 - microship Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking very well now. Decanted for 2 hours. Great body and structure. Dark cherry comes through but perfect across the whole palate. Rich, firmly wrought tapistry of flavours.
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1/26/2017 - rwerner wrote: 92 Points
Continiue to find this my favorite region of France. Well balanced and smooth with rich flavors developing on the mouth and lingering through the finish. Classic CDP.
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1/21/2017 - Vancouver wrote: 95 Points
Medium ruby appearance.
Pronounced and evolved nose of red fruits- raspberry, candied red cherry, baking spice and savory herbs- wow !
Full bodied with medium acidity - and here is the surprise- still medium plus tannin and lots of structure 11+ years on. Lots of red fruits, spice and savory elements with a long and delicious finish.
This is drinking great now, but ( and this may be atypical for CDP) could easily last another decade given the acid , tannin and structure.
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1/17/2017 - phil the agony wrote: 92 Points
Tres C9P.Cuir Dimitri.
Pruneaux sêchés/dates.
J'ai écrit testicules de mec de 50 ans...mais je sais pas pourquoi...Dégel pourrait me le remémorer ?
:)
Peut-être à cause des pruneaux.
Cela représente beaucoup un C9P typique (sauf pour les couilles).
17/20
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1/14/2017 - Hollowine wrote:
Drank from 375, tight as heck. Needed about 4 hours to open up and let the fruit come through. Great balance once it opened up, but not a pop-n-pour right now.
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12/30/2016 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 91 Points
Opened and decanted for 3 hours. Wine was showing a little sign of bricking but didn't appear 12 years old. Nose had nice white pepper and red fruit notes. Palate had a nice fruit with minerality. Finish was a touch short.
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12/19/2016 - cbforever1 wrote: 90 Points
From a top vintage and a great name. It lacks a bit of complexity and the sweetness of the fruit is a bit boring.
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11/20/2016 - Nutty08 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. Probably the best vintage of Telegraphe I've had. Still very youthful with an extremely vibrant dense crimson color in the glass. Nose was shy compared to the palate but showed some potpourri spice and menthol. Palate was still quite dense with fine tannin, but accessible. Red and black fruits, exotic spice, sandalwood, and leather mixed together in a very expressive way. Finish is upfront and length, with meat, leather, and sandalwood notes. Great CdP, still very youthful but early in its drinking windows. A lot of old school sensibilities here--elegant and polished while retaining rusticity. Hold 3+yrs if you can.
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9/25/2016 - snipes Likes this wine:
Notes were were pretty much consistent from my last bottle 15 months ago. Decanted and followed over several hours. Initially a bit of heat which subsided after about an hour. The wine mellowed out and opened up for the next two hours, but it's still too big compared to how I like my VTs. Hold til 2020.
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9/23/2016 - rikipedia Likes this wine: 93 Points
Alc: 14.5%; Mid garnet to the mahogany rim. Lifted aromas of garrigue, dried herbs, undergrowth and soft sweet spices. Some sandalwood, scrub, and whiff of pepper.
A warm, rich entry filled with Christmas cake, black pepper, damson, dates, expresso and mulled wine spices. The texture is thick with a sweet cocoa powder feel underscored by fleshy, rich, super-ripe fruit. However, the wine's mineral freshness and a touch of salt give this powerful wine a structural frame and the sweeter blackberry and blackcurrant works nicely in adding complexity. Full with a very generous glycerol mid-palate, the wine bursts with pepper on the extended finish and the tannins have a sinewy pull to them. While the wine is reaching its peak, and the tannins do build slightly to give some pointiness to the back palate, this muscular built (almost monster) wine has a mineral note that freshens the whole wine. A compelling wine that felt quite hard to drink but amazing to savour!
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9/15/2016 - Rico100 wrote: 94 Points
great drinking well now.
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8/5/2016 - Sonoma Duck Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very nice bottle after a poor bottle a while ago from the same case
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7/30/2016 - mnoljo wrote: 91 Points
Still young much better day two nose of damp forest floor and red fruits morphing into tobacco with a all consuming lingering palate.
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6/26/2016 - WineGuyX wrote: 93 Points
Not hugely aromatic at present. Roasted cherry. Quite tannic, typical of 2005. This is open-knit with high quality of tannin. Needs a few more years to develop aromatically. 93+ df 9.2
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6/19/2016 - ctjared Likes this wine:
dusty tannins, a bit rustic, but cdp I can drink. not too much Grenache and not stewed
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6/4/2016 - theRealPepe Likes this wine: 93 Points
2005 VT is starting to show well. Definite depth and backbone. Fruit is accompanied by tar, earth, liquorice and present tannin, etc, etc, the stuff that is VT. Clearly ahead of the 2001, 2004 and 2006 in this tasting, but not yet a blockbuster. My guess is this will show well for a couple of decades. Excellent.
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5/25/2016 - jfpwine Likes this wine: 91 Points
Ruby-garnet color. Strong ripe red fruit nose, with slight leather. Medium+ to full body with resolved tannins. Very balanced and smooth. Long finish. This is drinking great right now.
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4/18/2016 - mmcdds Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully tonight
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4/8/2016 - dougsmith Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium ruby color. Nose of dry spice, wild strawberry and red cherry essence. Medium bodied and very lively on the palate.
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4/2/2016 - Rico100 wrote: 94 Points
superb
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3/20/2016 - rttpv wrote: 92 Points
(Leaf)
Pur, rubis, prometteuse
paprika, syrah puis fraise, prune (madère), caramel,
Longue bouche, ample, très belle structure équilibrée. Beaucoup de plaisir. Encore un beau potentiel de garde
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3/17/2016 - llink wrote: 90 Points
Nori and some spicy kirsch notes on the nose. Very lively. The palate is big and still relatively young, showing medium structure, tightly wound and some drying acidity. A bit austere and bitter on the finish. Well done, drinking better than the 05 Beaucastel tonight.
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3/10/2016 - brihprivat wrote: 92 Points
VT - Vertical 1983-2012
Tasted alongside the 2006. Perhaps in a bit strange phase right now, but I think it will develop nicely. The 2005 is standing out in a row of somehow disappointing wines from 2000-2006.
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3/7/2016 - dchain wrote: 90 Points
Dark, dense red/purple/black. Quite closed on the nose still. Raspberry, walnut, tobacco and dried herbs on the palate. Very long, touch of fairly well disguised alcohol and heat on the mid-palate together with a touch of rustic tannins. Very long. Get the Grenache at the end, more nuts and even a sense of dark chocolate. It is still very primary and I am a little concerned about the slightly rough tannins which in my experience do mellow a bit but never magically transform into cashmere like tannins! Interesting to see the mixed reviews and I think I fall on the side of "it's an ok" wine rather than it is brilliant wine. Enjoyed with friends in Niseko- TL, JT, LPZ, JC and Captain America.
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1/31/2016 - futronic wrote:
Delicious but still pretty firm tannins that need a few more years to melt away. Revisit in 2020-2021.
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1/10/2016 - Rechrom wrote: 89 Points
Second somewhat disappointing bottle in a row from this vintage. Good color, nice nose. The entry was good, but the palate was a bit weak as was the finish. Decanted two hours before, and consumed over the next two, and it seemed to put on a bit of weight toward the end, so maybe this just needed a longer decant. Perfectly good with food, not as interesting as expected. Bought on release, stored in passive cellar. Different bottling batches, as others notes do not reflect what was in this bottle. Dumb phase? Will it be better in several years? I hope so, as right now this is a very good wine, but given the producer and vintage I expected better. I have had pretty much every vintage of this wine since the early 90s, and this is one of the worst at this point to my palate.
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1/9/2016 - Xavier Auerbach wrote: 94 Points
A private tasting and dinner at a friend's (Amsterdam): Masculine, powerful and structured, quite primary, clean and glossy but perfectly classical, ripe fruit, just a hint of raisins and of nuts, very good length. Drinking well already but needs more time; glorious future.
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12/13/2015 - drwine2001 wrote:
Annual End of Year Mostly Magnum Funday (Dig Wines, San Francisco): Fairly primary looking. Tobacco leaf and a touch of superripeness. Pretty classic and backward on the palate with dark fruit and no heat. Roundly tannic finish. First time tasted in 6 years, and it seems to be developing very slowly and very well.
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12/11/2015 - BernieMSY wrote: 93 Points
Dense and chewy. Raisinated and complex. Tart and tasty
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11/19/2015 - StarV100 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Started with a new Gigondas, moving to the Telegraphe. Decanted for about 45 minutes. Deep ruby, a tiny bit of bricking, expressive nose of mineral and leather. On the palate, getting leather, mineral, a little cigar box, underlain with a slightly tart, blackberry core. 30s finish. Tannins mostly resolved but good structure for several more years.
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11/19/2015 - Baronfreya Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lucky me working late invited to dinner with friends. Let's get into it restaurant dark best I can say deep rich raspberry in color. Typing this I have to say nice healthy legs put them in a 5 k. Nose hits you hard tabacco clove white pepper very interesting. Nice structure no flavor to forward but plenty to mull over red fruits like strawberry getting pepper leather sour cherry. Finnish is tight but long enough to remind you this is a winner
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11/16/2015 - Troon wrote:
Not rated. This wine was a complete disappointment. I hope there was something wrong with it. The wine just never opened up over the course of the night. It was easily overdone by CdP bottles in the tasting at half the price.
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11/9/2015 - pgm Likes this wine: 94 Points
A bright, young-looking, ruby-colored wine in the glass. A nose with pure cassis notes and peppery thyme. In the mouth, the blackberry note dominates, with black currant that persists through the finish, where the complexity arrives with a woody, peppery, integrated knot of flavors.
This is very young, even after a decade. Will easily go another decade and maybe even two. Maybe the best I've had from here.
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10/17/2015 - jkscully wrote:
This hits the front palate with a big, intense flavor filled punch of strawberry, kirsch, raspberry with plenty of pepper, garrigue, and umami notes (I’d say from the Syrah). This powerful flavor is then followed by a fresh acidity on the long finish. The 14.5 alcohol provides a round texture without getting in the way. I would have guess California, if I were tasting it blind. This wine is really polished and very nice. I’m impressed. I wish I had more.
This drank well from the moment I popped the cork, but after letting the bottle sit open all day (from 9:30 – 4:30) the wine gained complexity. This wine had the power to age for longer, but I thought it was drinking well now.
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10/13/2015 - Chrisinroch wrote:
Decanted and let it sit for an hour or so. Still pretty tight. Not a lot going on either on the nose or in the mouth. Needs quite a bit of time. Cellared since release in passive cellar.
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10/11/2015 - peternelson wrote: 90 Points
Stewed raspberry, cooked cherry, ripe grenache fruits with lavender, dried herbs, dry rub; Silky and slick on the palate, med + or so body but a bit hot with alcohol clearly showing in the finish, but body lagging behind. Integrated, aging very well, quite young, fresh and vibrant, just a bit mellowed out. Try in 2-3 years, but I believe this is where it is going to stay and will not significantly improve.
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10/7/2015 - ekenneth wrote: 94 Points
This is a great wine, just entering it's drinking window.
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10/2/2015 - Roentgen Ray Likes this wine: 93 Points
I used to not like Grenache, and I'm being sucked into it. I love the dusty minerals, raspberry, and floral highlights. I'm pacing myself to not open the next two.
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9/26/2015 - bhouk wrote:
This needs time, either in the cellar or the decanter. Opened, decanted and had a glass last night. It was clear by the texture and structure that the wine was very high quality, but it was not giving much pleasure. Rinsed the bottle and poured the remainder back in. Much better tonight: raspberry, kirsch and soy sauce, with creosote in the finish. What sets it apart, again, is the texture and structure. I only have a couple more bottles and will exercise patience. I think another five years from now and this wine will sing.
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8/30/2015 - brouigu1 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Toke_man brought this over and we opened it but never consumed it. So after sitting open over night we poured and tasted.
Warm nose with some alcohol heat but deep aroma of black fruit and spice. In the glass this a dark wine with very limited clarity.
Heavy body, blackberry, cherry, mineral and a slight spice finish. Well integrated but I get a tad more alcohol so a smidgen out of balance but quite enjoyable!
Thanks Toke_man, the wine was very good and now it is very gone :)
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8/20/2015 - rwpalmer wrote: flawed
Cooked. Bought from a high end London department store some years ago and carefully cellared since.
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8/10/2015 - davidrh1 wrote: 93 Points
This wine is drinking very well right now. Great nose of blackberries and it is full bodied and full flavored, but still light on its feet and nuanced. The tannins are very well integrated on a long and lovely finish.
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7/25/2015 - Mscruggs Likes this wine: 91 Points
Started off softer/lighter than i expected but gained weight and body as it opened up. Ripe strawberry and red fruit on a long 45 second finish.
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7/23/2015 - tcufletch wrote: 90 Points
This was quite a bit more restrained than what I expected. I was prepared for a deeper and slightly heavier CdP but what I got was a softer, more elegant wine. Fairly muted nose with some cherry and spice. On the palate there was cherry candy, strawberry, kirsch, minerals and garigue. The fruit was mellow but not muted as if it were past its prime, just not at the forefront. Tannins were very low-key. Very smooth drinker overall. Quite a bit of sediment even after a slow decant. Drink it now.
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7/19/2015 - matt182 wrote: 89 Points
Still, again fruit is fading, a bit better with spices, exotic wood notes and decent mouthfeel. At least, alcohol still under control. Not sure I'll still continue to buy, probably my taste evolved toward other kind of wine.
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7/19/2015 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
First pretty reticent, opened up a little with some air. Very classic CdP notes of kirsch, raspberry, pepper, garrigue, but also some dark berries, iodine, minerality and some pepper. On the palate there are similar flavors but also pretty restrained. It's pretty full-bodied and dense, but very fresh with medium+ acidity and still medium-high tannin adding grip. Long finish. A very structured and classic Vieux Télégraphe, it doesn't provide the hedonistic drinking experience some of the "warmer" vintages do but it has a nice structure that goes really well with food (we had it with grilled aged Ribeye with different vegetables). If the fruit is holding up until the tannin softens some more this will deserve a higher rating... It reminds me a little of the 2010 but with less expressive fruit. (92+)
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7/18/2015 - Chip & Susanne Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stunning wine. Still tasting elegantly...
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7/13/2015 - RDCollins wrote: flawed
Fifth of six bottles. Other four were excellent, this one was corked. Damn!
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7/12/2015 - 309VEB Likes this wine: 89 Points
Nothing special. Good acidity but the fruit seems to be fading away. I enjoyed the wine but it was less impressive than I expected given the strength of the vintage.
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7/5/2015 - Sonoma Duck Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Opened this after seeing a couple of less than flattering remarks on Cellar Tracker. Perfect cork, dark ruby, not much of a nose, tasted muddy and slightly astringent. For my taste, drinkable but just barely.
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7/2/2015 - vino vidi vici wrote:
It's okay. Has the proper parts, but none of the pizzazz. Hoped for more...
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7/2/2015 - Papies wrote: 89 Points
From half bottle. Opened & left to rest for like 1 hour.
Herbs, light red fruits, touch of spice. Feels young, a touch dry at times and with a bit of feeling of heat on the palate. Definitely a lot more expressive than 6 months ago (Papies 88). Feels about right but maybe a bit more time will help it evolve more. 89
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7/1/2015 - chanukha Does not like this wine: 87 Points
4th bottle of 2005 vintage. All the bottles were bad or showing oxidation and bitter notes at 10 years time. Will not buy Vieux again.
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6/21/2015 - bberg wrote: 92 Points
Drinking great. Smooth and full bodied. May go a few more years but why wait?
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6/16/2015 - Chip & Susanne Likes this wine: 93 Points
WS originally rated this 95 (#5 in Top 100 Wines of 2008) & it still exemplifies an amazing wine. Dense & chewy, but not tiring to drink due to fresh acidity & edgy, gravelly feel driving blackberry, currant & sweet spice notes. Long finish w/ briary grip, w/ notes garrigue & hot stone. This has many more years to go...
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6/12/2015 - snipes Likes this wine:
More of a personal note / reminder, but the wine was about where I'd expect it to be at age 10. The tight coil has loosed quite a bit over the past several years and the wine can now be enjoyed with a meal. This particular bottle will easily hold another 10 years and improve for at least another 5. Hold for five more years if you prefer VT on the smooth cherry liquor side of things, which I do.
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6/11/2015 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep dark reddish-violet garnet in color; almost opaque with some very slight clearing at the edges. Full, forward, fragrant & attractive nose of complex ripe fruits aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & plums with lovely floral overtones of violets & lavender & earthy notes, cedar, classic kirsch and garrigue notes, dried Provencal herb notes, licorice, peppery, mint, dusty, leather & minerals. Medium-full to full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced, silky smooth textured, complex, lush, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & dark plums with spices, herbs, anise/tar, dark cocoa, earthy & minerals. Long lingering smooth finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & airing, but has the potential to continue further development with additional aging.
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6/7/2015 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
Second Sunday Group: 2005 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Barb's): At first, there's just some generic red fruit in the bouquet and not much else. Opened a bit in the glass, adding a nice earthy quality to the red fruit notes. Third wine of the flight and no clues yet as to what we're drinking. Tannic, with flavors of pepper and red fruit, adding an herbal edge as it opened. Good finish. This is balanced and I like it, though it's not particularly interesting or nuanced. 90 pts.
My #2, Domino's #3
Group #3, 47 pts
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5/15/2015 - ClaytonDave Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark and intense on the nose. Dark cherry and anise on the palate. Needed an hour but was in the perfect window. Great VT.
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5/7/2015 - chanukha wrote:
Raisiny finish indicating that the bottles I have are past their peak.
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4/24/2015 - MattMauldin Likes this wine:
Opened and poured with a Soiree decanter. Clear medium ruby color. Showing notes of dark cherry, cocoa, earth, violets and clove on the nose- moderate in intensity. Intense black cherry fruit and minerality on the palate that needed time to unwind, along with secondary tea, floral and spice notes- still a little backward despite its intensity. Medium acid, fine silky tannin, fleshy mid-palate, plenty of depth on the finish. Very elegant. This needs a lot of air or a few more years. My dad really enjoyed it, so that's the most important thing, but if not for that this is definitely a 'hold' for its full potential.
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4/21/2015 - jfolbe Likes this wine: 91 Points
Way too early. Big mistake drinking close to cellar temp and not allowing temp to rise closer to room temp. Needs to decant for an hour minimum.
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4/3/2015 - rbs1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful perfumed berries and peeper. Strong full body. A beautiful wine. Would recommend patience to enjoy this marvel in the future years to come.
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3/29/2015 - Vertigo wrote: 90 Points
Driking nicely now after some time decating. Not overall expressive. Dark fruit, spices and some herbal notes.
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3/28/2015 - SMagowan Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank as part of a tasting featuring the 2005, 2007 and 2009 plus flights of other diverse wines from Booker, Valdicava, Chateau St. Jean and an assortment of Chardonnay from California and France (will write a longer note on that later). This was fabulous. Totally singing right now. The tannins are very sweet and support a core of herbs, dark cherry and date with a 30 - 40 second finish. This was one of the stars of the night.
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2/27/2015 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine: 91 Points
Short note:
We really enjoyed the structure of this wine. Not at all flashy, extrovert nor boasting. This is tightly kept, M-bodied with all the juice you need for a great food pairing.
Still too young to be at its best and not on par with the price tag. More like a very fine CdRV.
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2/17/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is drinking very nicely right now. Decanted to remove the solids and let rest for a while. Drank over the next five hours. Wonderful mouth feel with lots of red and dark red fruits and spice. Seems to have years to go.
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2/2/2015 - agnorger Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ever evolving, perfect balance a joy to drink over several hours....with food.
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2/1/2015 - Tag01 wrote: 97 Points
Open edge bottle 1 hour prior. Not decanted
Colour:dark ruby red. Clear with no sediments. Looks like this bottle has matured well in 10 years.
Nose:black sweet cherries. Dark plums. Absolutely delicious
Taste:wow!!! Very refined with huge mouthful of dark cherries, sweet plums. Finish is huge!!!!! What a great bottle. Unfortunately my last one.
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1/30/2015 - Roentgen Ray wrote: 89 Points
This bottle was a little hot and benefited from drinking at a slightly warmer temperature than I usually like Granache. It was big and bold, dark and meaty with dark savory spice and fairly simple.
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1/10/2015 - Tavastgatan Does not like this wine: 88 Points
@Fred_Lund: This is very sweet yet bitter. Quite short, one dimensional and boring. 88p (RP 95+!!)
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1/9/2015 - Weston3220 Likes this wine:
Aroma started with wet tabbaco leaves and. Now onto cherry nibs, palate is pretty big with red and black juicy berries with a truck load of earth. Balanced and delicious on the.big side ( still balanced)
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12/30/2014 - khmark7 wrote: 92 Points
Very dark and brooding. Plenty of life left in this one, and could use a nice decant. Complex and interesting. Drink or hold.
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12/28/2014 - pigdaddy wrote: 92 Points
decanted 30 min (& then power went out. waited 1.5 hours, made dinner by candle & torchlight, so ultimately 2 hours before consumed). color beautiful crimson (by candlelight); nose is restrained but complex, wild herbs, kirsch & wild raspberries, seaweed, hot stones, cigar wrapper, toasted fennel seeds; med+ weight; concentrated & reserved on palate, showing a bit weedy & still crunchy tannins, very pure grenache fruit middle, wild bramble fruits, iron ore, seemed to evolve positively over dinner. really appreciated its reserved but complicated personality, very food-friendly. recommended for drinking in the dark.
christmas lima bean "stew" w/crispy pork carnitas on anson mills creamy polenta, feta, lime, jalapeño salsa
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12/23/2014 - kurishin wrote: 91 Points
Had vs a 2005 Clape Cornas and the VT probably won on points. Fruit was great but more structured than I remember the last bottle being. Wish I had more.
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12/19/2014 - theRealPepe Likes this wine:
A little barnyard, kirsch and garrigue and spice on the nose. Still a little furry with nice kirsch, earth and black fruit on the palate. Excellent with lots of room for improvement.
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12/12/2014 - Whine-oh wrote: 92 Points
Popped n venturied at home with braised pork. Soft old world CDP. Red fruits, spice, and garrigue on nose. Palate had red fruits well balanced and food friendly. Definitely old world. Still have a magnum to enjoy in future. Will be a good experiment to contrast. Our 375 was ready to go. Drink n enjoy.
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12/7/2014 - PVJC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Elegant and smooth, drinking very nicely but muted fruit and was a bit underpowered to pair with short ribs
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12/1/2014 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): The bouquet has some pleasant barnyard impressions, garrigue, salty licorice, some mint and ripe red fruits. On the palate red fruits and minerals, a beautiful balance between acidity and sweetness, some tobacco and laurel, beautifully ripe tannin and a good length. The wine is ready now and will probably stay on this level for several years. 2020 will probably be no problem, but I hope to taste this again around then to see if there is more potential.
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11/17/2014 - Herschel Krustofski Likes this wine: 93 Points
[J&B Rhone tasting] Beginning to be approachable. Needs at 2-3 more years to really shine. Best from 2017. Will last another decade. Good stuff.
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11/15/2014 - Papies wrote: 88 Points
From Half Bottle. No decanting. Much like back in 2010 when we last tried it this remains an enigma for us or at least too closed and not expressive. Maybe we shoudl have decanted but definitely did not show well on the day. 88
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11/10/2014 - RhoneG Likes this wine: 94 Points
A combination of power and elegance. A sea of red raspberries, nicely set of by good acidity and minerality. Very much in balance with, I think, a long life ahead.
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10/26/2014 - jerhardt wrote: 91 Points
A classy wine. Nothing that says wow right now, but just a very good traditional wine. Put on weight in the decanter. Very comfortable giving this some more time.
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10/6/2014 - wineismylife wrote: 92 Points
WIML92
Tasted non blind.
Garnet to dark garnet color in the glass, clear looking throughout. Nose of thistle, menthol, black berries, black raspberries and plums. Flavors of black berries, black cherries, plums and raspberries. Medium acidity, medium tannin, full bodied. Drink or hold.
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9/26/2014 - theusualsuspect wrote: 89 Points
This is a first rate traditional Chateauneuf bottle, plenty of mouth filling red fruit notes with a good finish, but the cost is way up there for a traditional basic cuvee. For many years my benchmark Chateauneuf was the 1978 Vieux Telegraphe, but I think they have fallen behind perhaps for two reasons. First, unlike other producers, and you can love it or hate it, they haven't stripped out the best of their cuvees to produce a large volume luxury cuvee. Standard procedure today with virtually every other Chateauneuf producer. This wine is really good, but it is isn't in the ballpark with the luxury cuvees of Usseglio, etc., all pretty much in the same price range or less. And second, their basic problem may be the age of their wines. For whatever reason, their web site acknowledges that in comparison with many other Chateauneuf producers, the age of their vines is relatively young.
Bottom line if you will, you can buy a better stripped out luxury cuvee from many other Chateauneuf producers for less or the same price that you now pay for Vieux Telegraphe, and get more.
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9/24/2014 - Rechrom wrote: 91 Points
Very slightly disappointed with this bottle. An outstanding mature nose of dark fruits and forest notes. Good entry, but the mid palate and the finish were a both slightly astringent and a bit deficient in fruit. Still an excellent bottle, and it works well with food, but I was hoping for just a bit more given the vintage and the producer and my previous bottles. Hoping this was just slightly off and that the fruit and full balance will come back.
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9/23/2014 - alpha_ori Likes this wine: 91 Points
I haven't had a VT in many years, but I remember them being very different than other CdP's, and this doesn't change my perception in this regard. Here I get a little bit of ripe fruit, some sour cherries, and funk. I like this stuff, and I'm looking forward to the '06 and the '07.
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9/19/2014 - Pinotphile123 wrote: 93 Points
Drinking beautifully. Elegant lighter body style CDP. Wish I had more to taste over next decade.
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9/15/2014 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is my first taste of the '05 since 2012 and this has fleshed out nicely and has shed a lot of its baby fat since then. Tonight this is a classic Vieux Telegraphe with dark brooding flavors of cassis and plum. Tobacco, leather and coffee notes with lots of garrigue show up on the mid palate and are followed by fairly aggressive tannins on the longish finish. With a traditional old world style, this is quite nice right now with a couple of hours of double decanting.
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9/14/2014 - cmbond wrote:
Served blind to Camille, her notes:
C: Garnet, bricking rim. Transparent.
N: Red fruit, cherry, graphite, slate, spice, cinnamon, straight tight grained oak, leather, menthol
P: Light cherry, spice, cinnamon, cloves, menthol, finely grained wood tannin.
Medium body, medium+ acid, medium+ tannin, medium+ EtOH, age >10 years old.
Camille's guess: Old world, syrah, ?GSM/CDP, > 10 years, value $80-100.
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9/3/2014 - hackey37 wrote: 92 Points
The wine is barely translucent, and a deep, dark garnet color. The smells are stone, brushy herbs, currant, blackberry, and dark cherry. The tastes are sour cherry, stone, Provencal herbs, blackberry, and spicy notes. This wine is a bit tight and the tannins are still pretty stout.
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7/21/2014 - krispi wrote: 87 Points
Disappointed. Not a bad wine, but had higher hopes given the reputation of this wine and the tasting reports. Found the nose a little too inexpressive. The classical southern Rhone aromas are there, but the intensity and complexity are not more than average. For me this could be matched by well-made, less expensive wines from appellations like lirac, vacqueyras, or even cotes du rhone. The weight in the mouth is OK and on the positive side.
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7/7/2014 - WDK wrote: 90 Points
Nose of raspberry and kirsch. Medium body, reasonable structure with flacors of cherry, licorice and graphite. Medium finish with drying tannins and noticeable alcohol.
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6/29/2014 - Thilo Likes this wine: 93 Points
Color is dark garnet with lightening at the rim. Nose is significantly more developed than the last bottle I opened 4 years ago. With some air, this shows cherry, herbs, garrigue. On the palate, the juicy red fruit attacks at the front and is quickly met with spice and an earthy note. Both tannins and acid are still prominent and not yet integrated. Very nice but will get better with more age and integration. Definitely more developed than when it was a baby.
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6/24/2014 - azzah Likes this wine: 92 Points
Red/puple colour with just hints of bricking around the edges. Rose, red fruits, blackberry and herbs on the nose. Similar palate, with rasberry, red cherry, blackberry, italian herbs and minerals in the mouth. Medium bodied with fairly assertive tannins and pretty good length. Almost pinot-like in some of its characteristics.
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6/11/2014 - john_s Likes this wine: 88 Points
The colour is showing a little development. Still firm but with good integration. Not yet showing the marvelous tertiary flavours that are destined to make this wine superb. Next bottle? +6 years.
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6/8/2014 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 90 Points
this is pretty nice. It is clean, with earth and chalk, and dark red fruit.
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6/8/2014 - barryjkeller@gmail.com wrote:
Did not enjoy. Still good tannic structure but a medicinal quality that drove me up the wall. Not what I hope for in my CNDP. Second day flat and oxidised. Don't know what to do with the other bottles.
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5/31/2014 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
Strong wine here, with ample ripe dark red fruits, spice, garrigue, jam and kirsch. The wine is rich, round and full bodied, leaving with a finish packed with fresh red and black cherries.
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5/19/2014 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
From magnum and in prime fighting form. At one point I thought, this tastes like a really great, earthy montepulciano. Like Valentini. And to me that is a complement.
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5/15/2014 - pomelo wrote: 88 Points
Pour l'instant, en donne bien peu pour le prix...
Un peu léger avec un l'alcool qui surplombe l'ensemble.
Ordinaire
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4/27/2014 - chitowncdpguy wrote: flawed
Flawed bottle. Sad.
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4/19/2014 - jeff nowak wrote: 93 Points
Not decanted. See previous notes/consistent. Nice wine. Drink or hold 2020.
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4/18/2014 - Gene_Mo wrote: 92 Points
It tastes like raisin. The body is light/medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.
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4/17/2014 - Cruzin Likes this wine: 92 Points
2nd day open. Classic VT nose with raisins, plums, tobacco, leather and vanilla. Palate fleshed out a bit overnight. Cherry, plum, dried herbs, raisins and cinnamon. Structure is still well balanced with the fruit, does not overpower but more time or a rich rare piece of meat would be nice here.
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4/6/2014 - cadamson Likes this wine: 92 Points
More modern than I expected, though still some reasonable traditional notes, especially on the nose. Nice red fruits, good spice and earthy elements.
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4/5/2014 - Average Wine Guy (MH) wrote: 88 Points
A Flight of 2005 CDPs: The 2005 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau is medium garnet in colour. The palate boasts of goood minerality, pretty and luscious in style; bursting with dark over ripe currants. High in alcohol on the palate with a green finish. A little weaker than expected and a bottle variation is highly suspicious.
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4/4/2014 - mbwineguy Likes this wine: 92 Points
No formal notes. Great CDP...has that juicy fruit berry flavor you look for, but not overripe or over done. Really nice bottle of juice. Refreshing.
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3/11/2014 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet color with just a hint of brick orange at the rim, opaque at the core. The aromas came out with the cork... they are raisin, raspberry, wet stone, earth, licorice and olive. The tastes are raspberry, Mediterranean herbs and brush, cherry, blackberry, stone, olive, dark chocolate and spices. The tannins are velvet and the body seems lithe and sinewy. The finish is good with a little woodiness and the aromas and flavors are complex.
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3/2/2014 - OT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 houers, opened up nicely and ready to enjoy. Very dark red colour. Nose of dark berries, strawberries,blackberries, little bit woody, chocolate, milk. Plenty of fruits and tannins. Very full body and long finish, everything very well integrated. Ready to drink or keep in cellar for many years ahead. Top $ wine. Is a luxuary to enjoy this kind of wine. OT
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2/17/2014 - greenblanket Likes this wine:
This lovely wine was perfect with a rustic Provençal scented daube. It was big but nearly perfectly balanced with smooth tannin and fresh acidity, and this big balanced structure was a vehicle for a wonderful suite of southern Rhone flavors.
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2/15/2014 - MayValley wrote: 92 Points
Slightly closed at first. Then came notes of gunpowder and blue fruit and then cardamom, fennel seeds and tart cherries. A menthol tone even developed after some time in the glass.
The palate is sligthly drying out, but still with good amounts of dark fruit. Licorice and even some chocolate and a Little bitter tone at the end. There is an austerity to the wine even though the tannins seem rather mature now. I have found that austerity in many 05 CdP.
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2/9/2014 - Uncle John wrote: 93 Points
Opened for 3 hours not decanted. Sweet red fruit on the nose and on the palate. Balanced acidity with fine tannins and a long finish. Very enjoyable now with a bright future ahead. This was better than the 2004 but just a bit behind the 2010 (all three consumed within the last month).
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1/26/2014 - BrianDevany wrote: 85 Points
A bit disappointing. No complexity, lacked in fruit, and short on finish. A pedestrian quality wine. The only good thing I can say about it is the acidity was medium with a good balance. Would have been satisfied if I would have paid $15 - $20. Pair with a pizza or hamburger.
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1/12/2014 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 93 Points
The nose showed dark, intense red and black fruits with licorice, charred meat, black pepper and a hint of herbal mint. On the palate, it was velvety with grainy, layered concentration, followed by palate staining fruit; blackberry and raspberry were prominent, along with plum sauce, sweet/savory spice and violet candies. The finish showed hints of dusty tannin with a lasting notion of black fruit and violet, which seemed to go on forever. This wine may still show some youthful structure, but it's so good now, that it's hard to keep my hands off.
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12/27/2013 - Bureso Likes this wine: 89 Points
Bouquet af dybrøde fuldmodne kirsebær som genkendes i munden suppleret med urter og krydderier, læder, lakrids. Sødt, surt og bittert smukt afbalanceret og afrundet med en behagelig bid af tannin. En velafbalanceret og smuk vin med en fremtid på mindst 5 + år.
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12/22/2013 - Villon wrote: 90 Points
Un vin qui m'a semblé très fatigué... mauvaise bouteille ou phase ingrate? Dans tous les cas, c'est un vin délicat et épicé qui semblait manqué de fruit et de corps. Charmant mais un peu mince.
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12/20/2013 - phil the agony wrote: 87 Points
Bleuets ,légèrement cuiré..à 100$ , je passe.
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12/16/2013 - wondersofwine wrote:
Pleasant but it didn't wow me. I decided not to give a numerical rating partly because I don't drink a lot of CdP and this is not one of my favorite wine regions so my rating might not mean much. It did pair well with broiled lamb chop and potatoes and okay with meat loaf.
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12/9/2013 - RobertDwyer wrote: flawed
I've tasted a couple half bottles of this now and each time I've been unimpressed. Both bottles were flat with woodsy aromatics. Strange.
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12/5/2013 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank in London
See other notes
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11/23/2013 - stconner wrote: 94 Points
Opened and let it breathe for about 2 hours before consuming over the next 60 minutes. It had a very nice. Lots of light fruits including cherries. Very nice long finish. It went went well with my friend's duck dish and my steak.
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11/18/2013 - DTWOB Likes this wine:
Dark garnet, clear. Berries on the nose; blackberry and currant engulf this light bodied, old world styled wine, carried through the palate with finesse; the result of well integrated acidity and balanced tannins. The well proportioned, velvet finish lasts forever, measured with a hint of minerals and wet, smooth, river stone. This wine is definitely ready to drink now, but should carry on well into the 2020's.
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11/13/2013 - Zweder Likes this wine: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group HWS #083; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 vs 2007 (By AH): Beautiful ripe cherry fruits in the bouquet. On the palate cherries, herbs and spices, leather, licorice, some sweetness balanced by beautiful acidity and bitterness. Round tannin with a pleasant bite. A very well balanced and beautiful wine with a future of at least 5+ years.
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10/27/2013 - jcoleman wrote: 90 Points
clearly not ready yet. the elements are all present but not yet integrated. certainly not as good as you might expect from this house in this vintage
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10/17/2013 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted and poured into our glasses. Tastes of raspberries and other red fruit with some minerality thrown in, but early on there is a distinct alcohol taste that interfers. After several hours of sipping, this beauty evolved. It left that alcohol taste behind and tasted of the most wonderful red fruits one could hope for. Then it became rather earthy and herbal with a hint of spice. This is why I enjoy a good CDP so much.
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10/13/2013 - mpricher wrote: 93 Points
This has really developed since the last tasting.. Muted upon first pour, but this opened well over 2 hours, offering wet evergreen forest floor, red cherry blossoms, and fresh... just freshness. This bottle has alot of spirit. Crazy palate that at first seems simple, then the mid-palate sparks with bright black cherry, some fresh herb, and finished with a dusty cocoa aspect. Really wonderful. Drank better and better as the night went on, and surprised me with it's persistence on the finish.
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10/13/2013 - thewineoceros wrote: 90 Points
Muted nose, but feels tight and tense. Certainly the palate will have a lot to offer, but not quite yet. Try again in a few years. 05 requires patience.
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10/5/2013 - chitowncdpguy wrote:
Restrained of course, but still a wow wine. Great with dinner of braised salt pork and lentils, great by itself, and great with chocolate even. My wife said after dinner this would be great with chocolate, and it was.
The nose is more restrained than the palate but it smell reminds me of the south of France. On the palate there is rich red berry fruit, some hints of dark fruit, some bacon fat flavors, earth spices. Tannic still. Finish is amazingly long.
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9/17/2013 - Wink Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delightful. Not disappointing like the last bottle I opened. Still young and fairly tannic, but showing lovely pure fruit and focused acidity.
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9/5/2013 - petitblanc wrote:
Hart Davis Hart BYOB Dinner (Hinterland Gastropub, Milwaukee, WI): This came across as harsh, hot, and tannic. I don't know when it was opened, a longer decant would possibly have helped. Not scored.
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8/23/2013 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Blind at Monopole: Light ruby color with slight faded brick orange; note of soft plum, cooked fruits, touch of herbs, dusty spices,slight dusty powder sugar aspect; medium body, fine grippy tannins but not too much; hot in the mouth, higher alcohol, a bit of oak hanging around. Guessed '06 or '07 Grenache from S. Rhone. This was fairly good, but showed way too hot for me. 14.5% on label. 95 WA!
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8/18/2013 - snipes wrote:
Decanted for an hour+, served with cocoa crusted pork tenderloin and sauteed mushrooms. Still far from ready. Dense, not as unyielding as it was 5+ years ago on release, but not worth opening now. Unlike other posters I found no elegance in this bottle, brooding, medicinal and far from what I expect a VT to be like in its drinking window. Hold and revisit in 2016+.
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8/18/2013 - UTPK wrote:
Same as before, elegant and a bit compressed.
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7/19/2013 - grayfont Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted 45 minutes and paired with grilled porterhouse steaks & mashed potatoes. Very expressive. This wine is in a great place right now. Subtle & nuanced, with plenty of fruit but also plenty of earthy undertones & a nice long peppery finish.
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7/12/2013 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:
This has been consistently good and a good not-too-ripe- CdP. It is very balanced with cool red spectrum fruit and a good mineral core. Good juice with plenty of room for improvement in the bottle.
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7/2/2013 - NathanJM Likes this wine: 95 Points
Pours brick red, ran through vinturi & opened up immediately. dark fruit - plum, blackberry, licorice, pepper, charcoal, leather. Medium finish. Drinking great right now, but still room to age.
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6/21/2013 - jjtim Likes this wine: 94 Points
Exceptional bold fruit, pepper, big flavor
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5/28/2013 - arthrovine wrote: 89 Points
Spontaneous Blind Tuesday night Rhone Varietals (Portland, Oregon): Nose showed stewy cranberry, currant, slight varnish. Palate had grippy but consistent tannin with leather, a bit of alcohol, cranberry, current and spicy wood. Finish was medium with some unchecked heat.
Guessed middle 4-8 y/o CDP.
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5/27/2013 - Bureso Likes this wine: 91 Points
Fejende flot vin. Levende indbydende duft krydderi sveske kirsebær røg lakrids anice. Blød i munden med sveske lakrids modne kirsebær. Lang harmonisk eftersmag.
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5/25/2013 - wmccone54 wrote: 90 Points
This had been stored in a 55 degree cellar for the last 4 years. Decanted for around 90 minutes. Medium to full bodied. Dark crimson color with a clear ruby meniscus, no signs of bricking, still vibrant. Aromatic nose of spicy red plums, dark cherries, garrigue, smoke, and anise. Mellow and smooth mouthfeel ; a very "plummy" upfront taste, with other flavors of licorice, dark cherry, and cherry kirsch. Good, dry finish of moderate length. Very good, but given the outstanding vintage and producer reputation, I was expecting a bit more. I'll wait a few years to see how my last bottle evolves.
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5/19/2013 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: 2009 Gigondas (Hoyer's): Bright red fruit, spice and herb aromas. Balanced. Medium- to full-bodied, with red currant, pepper, spice and garrigue qualities with dark fruit on the long finish. 92-93 pts. I'd give this a couple of years yet. Check back in from 2015+.
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5/1/2013 - kgh wrote: 89 Points
Very pleasant nose and dark ruby color. Has earth, leather, and mineral tones predominant, with strawberry and currant somewhat less prominent. Still drinking well, but don't see this improving with more time.
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4/23/2013 - andrewdodd86 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wonderful CpP, great fruit, great earth. Fantastic w/heavy sushi @ Cowfish
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4/10/2013 - Wink Does not like this wine: 85 Points
This bottle is not flawed, but it is disappointing. I have loved this wine twice before (see 3/20/11 and 6/16/11 notes). It has been stored in a perfect cellar environment. I don't know what is wrong with this particular bottle. Nose of smoke, black cherry, and alcohol. Medium palate of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, and alcohol. OK length. Tart acidity (no VA, however). Youthful tannins. Some herbaceous character. Not digging it.
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3/28/2013 - MaHaMa wrote: 91 Points
Clear color - very light in the edges.
I had decanted it 3 hours before.
In the beginning little notes - dark berries, licorice but not much else.
After quite a long time - 5-6 hours - it began to show some more sweetness and complexity.
The same on the palate - not very powerful as normally.
So I would say that it is quite closed now and I will save my other bottles 2-3 years minimum.
This 2005-vintage - also from other winehouses in Southern Rhone - is quite special - repellent and closed - will it ever open up??
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3/16/2013 - PVJC Likes this wine:
Nice as VT always is but didn't overly impress...need to wait a bit and have a 2nd bottle to see if it was just the bottle or is the vintage
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3/9/2013 - Gene_Mo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Spice, pepper, herbs, sweeter tannins. Great CdP.
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2/3/2013 - 2Travel Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted about 1/2 hour. Very nice stage as there is still some red fruit prominent, and secondary meat and leather as the wine opens. Went over well.
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1/28/2013 - mreinitz wrote: 91 Points
This took a long time to open up -- decanted for nearly two hours and it still wasn't showing all that well...after three hours it had sweetened and plumped up quite a bit. Plenty of black raspberry and cherry fruit along with a strong mineral streak and a hint of road tar. Enjoyable but I would wait to open another one.
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1/19/2013 - Sniffy-Sniff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still a baby. This has got power and complexity. Give this another 2-3 years in the bottle.
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1/19/2013 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Sim. notes from same bottle 14 mos. ago. Still strong with a long finish. The 02 Whitehouse Lane Cab and the 05 Pine Ridge Onyx slightly beat it out. It was a great afternoon!
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12/27/2012 - Yagil wrote: 92 Points
Dark cherry color. Fresh scents of cherry. Medium palate of dark cherry, sweet plums, minerals. Enjoyable but still tight. Fairly long. Should decant for 2 hours. Can further age 2-5 years.
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12/2/2012 - Bernt Olav Likes this wine: 90 Points
Bra vin, men burde vært lagret noen år til.
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11/30/2012 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Med to full bodied but with a fairly light feel on the tongue. Tonight this is all fairly forward red fruit, some garrigue and some black pepper. While this is drinking fine right now, it certainly needs more time to shed its youthful exuberance and to develop some depth and the secondary characteristics that I've come to love in Vieux Telegraphe.
Revisited on day two. Stored overnight in a full 375 ml bottle. Much better on day two. The very forward red fruit toned down abit leaving a richer, deeper Vieux Telegraphe. Bumped my score up a couple of points after tasting it today.
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11/25/2012 - docwines wrote: 91 Points
Good expression
Might be asleep right now
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11/22/2012 - UTPK wrote:
A bit darker and deeper fruit than last time 2 years ago. Still very elegant and almost burgundian, which is uncommon for this producer. Probably a testament to the great vintage 2005 which is more classic than, say 2007. Sweet core and fresh acidity, very easy to drink at this stage. There is a touch of compressed fruit which makes me believe that this wine will continue to develop into something bigger and sweeter and becoming more complex, but it really is a joy to drink today!
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11/20/2012 - RayOB wrote: 91 Points
Drank in London
Excellent consistency and a really good CNDP. This Domaine is really showing well.
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11/13/2012 - RobbieC wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful CDP. Drinking very well now. Almost perfect balance.
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10/17/2012 - mnoljo wrote: 92 Points
a wonderful nose of bramble and earth. supple and elegant with a persistent finish.
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9/1/2012 - kcsteve Likes this wine: 94 Points
Consumed in vertical tasting of 03, 04, 05, and 06. Opened bottles 6 hours before consuming. All bottles would have been better with decanting as all opened up as the bottles were consumed.
03-lighter in style, stoney with more mineral, plum and spice.
04-more extracted, heaviest of vertical, raspberry,mineral, velvety.
05-less extracted, chewy spiced black fruit, hotter, minerality present.
06-More like 04. Floral, nutty, stone, less fruit. Super finish.
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8/8/2012 - slaughterer wrote: 92 Points
Dark cherry color. Fresh scents of cherry. Medium palate of dark cherry, sweet plums, minerals. Unexpectedly enjoyable. Fairly long. Some may want to wait longer, as this is still primary.
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7/31/2012 - ginfizz wrote: 91 Points
Touch of funk at the onset, great grenache raspberry fruit throughout, some sweet herbs, medium finish. More to come.
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7/30/2012 - grenier wrote: flawed
Corked.
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7/26/2012 - Periko wrote: 92 Points
A B-day double blind session: Tasted double blind. Opened for 2 hours. No formal notes. Medium ruby color. Kirsh liquor, red fruit, raw meat on nose. On palate it has a medium body with a remarkable high acidity. Raspberries and cassis flavours primarly made up the palate. The finish it's outstanding.. long and seamless, very very nice. (91-92)
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7/16/2012 - RayOB Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank in London
Drank red fruits, vanilla, earth and tobacco. Rich complex mouth with a medium length. Excellent stuff.
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7/11/2012 - fingers wrote: 91 Points
From 375ml. Popped and followed for about 4 hours, which I'm sure isn't long enough to get the full picture but is worth every premature moment going along. Dark and radiant ruby color, 70% saturated and slow, clear legs. The nose fell asleep after about an hour in the glass but it started with vibrant raspberry and spice, tobacco, cherry, dry dirt, and carnations. Still grippy and firm with tannins and a generous squeeze of acidity, this has a long road ahead. Certainly a pleasurable wine now with terroir as it's middle name, but slow-ox it for at least a day to get the most out of it.... or wait 3 more years. 5+10+17+9 = 91
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6/10/2012 - yasha wrote: 93 Points
decanted for one hour. great wine and the bad part -these is my last one
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5/30/2012 - StefanAkiko wrote: 94 Points
Non-blind. Decanted 2 hrs.
Red. Tightly knit nose with blue berries and terribly young notes emerging.
On the palate this is a very young wine with good concentration in a style towards "traditional". Will show off MUCH more in the years to come.
Ought to have been decanted longer, grew very much through the evening. Keep!
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5/29/2012 - nytiger wrote: 91 Points
elicious
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5/22/2012 - winelover1 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for several hours and it was just singing. A truly great effort and this CDP is at the top of it's class. La Crau is great and I highly recommend it.
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4/15/2012 - mukden wrote: 89 Points
YES..but really yes (lowercase). So, I have been buying and drinking VT for maybe 25 years; but I now feel that it is clearly not as good as Pegau or Beaucastel. Its sort of B-team. A few nights ago, I opened a 2008 and the wife nearly spat it back at me (she's a classy broad). I was struck by how much better this 2005 is; if I hide the label I think it can get it under the radar. But, it is still not really up there.
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4/14/2012 - Rechrom wrote: 93 Points
A very nice bottles, starting to hit a drinking window to my taste, which is on the young side with VT. Well balanced with a developing nose and a great palate. Complements food very well, has a combination of depth and drinkability that is pleasantly unusual. Not a blockbuster wine, not one to elicit superlatives, simply an excellent bottle.
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3/30/2012 - 2Travel wrote:
No formal notes, but this was fantastic, and still a dense, youthful, mystery with respect to what will come.
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3/24/2012 - pomelo wrote: 90 Points
Beau vin, mais a besoin de se faire attendre encore 2 ou 3 ans.
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3/11/2012 - Knicksfan wrote: 92 Points
Pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this.
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2/29/2012 - Miceri wrote: 88 Points
Dark red; spiced sweet somewhat closed up nose, hint of caramel; in attack some spices, caramel (quite a bit), rounded but also somewhat flat; classic well-made but not overly exciting and perhaps in a dormant stage
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2/4/2012 - kurishin wrote: 85 Points
What a boring experience. Lots of Grenache, lots of fruit and that's about it. I unfortunately have a 2nd bottle.
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1/27/2012 - Sfcf wrote: 92 Points
Dark brown color, Smooth and chocolate, loved this wine.
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1/15/2012 - hackey37 Likes this wine: 92 Points
The color was somewhat translucent and garnet and ruby hues. The smells are olives, red fruits, earthy dampness. The tastes of raspberries with some cherry, olives, and stoniness that comes through in a nice way. The tannin's are gripping and this will drink easily into the next several years and may need a little more time. The finish was long and persistent. This wine is powerful.
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12/25/2011 - EJS wrote: 93 Points
nice fruit, need more bottle time, decanted a couple of hours, once it opened up nice bottle of wine.
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12/5/2011 - Les Clos wrote: 90 Points
Mooi fruit en specerijen. Mooi open nu heerlijk te drinken. Warm klassiek met de vulling van een goed jaar. Elegant en kracht. Drinken nu en drie jaar
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11/25/2011 - DTWOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped, aerated, decanted and left to breathe in 55 degree cellar for 6 hrs. Deep garnet color, some translucency on the swirl; dark fruit, vanilla and spice on the nose with some heat; light mouth feel, elegant delivery, yet very complex with blackberries and currant supported by medium, yet gripping tannins, marked acidity and heat, all continuing on and on thru the VERY long finish, finally ending (minutes later) with herbs and focused, black pepper and granite. Enjoyed half the bottle with a traditional American Thanksgiving meal. the other half consumed the next day during a late afternoon pour and sip session - an even better experience than the first day!
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11/24/2011 - Texas Pete wrote: 93 Points
Powerful, plently of fruit, nice tannins and decent finish.
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11/22/2011 - dionysis wrote: 92 Points
Fruit starting to open up a bit, though still young and would sit on the rest for a few years.
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11/12/2011 - cookie7 wrote:
Decanted for two hours. Roasted red berries and chocolate. Does not taste like a CDP. A bit sharp on the finish. Let these rest and see what happens.
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11/11/2011 - dionysis wrote: 93 Points
Much improved from 6 months ago. After 2 hours the wine really started to develop, and had a good medium body, with plenty of tannin and fruit.
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11/5/2011 - twjtaylor wrote: 93 Points
Took a long time to open up and deliver. Nose of cherries, spice and vanilla. A little short on the finish and lots of drying tannins on the palate. Needs more cellar time and lengthy decanting.
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11/5/2011 - MayValley wrote: 93 Points
Very elegant, almost burgundian CdP. Roasted spices, sour cherries and some pepper. On the palate still young with good acid grip, abundant tannins and red fruit.
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10/13/2011 - pilot360 wrote:
Wine started to hit its stride after 3 hour decant. Excellent nose of asian spice, anise, pepper, pine sap, subtle funkiness. Tannins are pretty intense, great acidity, and pleasing finish. This is an outstanding wine, and will only get better.
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10/9/2011 - SMG wrote: 91 Points
Needs a few more years in the cellar.
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9/19/2011 - ScubaSommelier wrote: 94 Points
Decanter for 1.5 hrs. Served with pork in a honey mustard sauce, broccoli, and garbanzo beans. Flavors were vibrant and complex. Black cherries and pepper highlights on the palate.
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9/16/2011 - Philippe_C wrote: 91 Points
Medium nose of ripe red cherries, bacon gamey... quite tannic in the mouth, fresh red fruit, good refreshing acidity... need a few more years in the cellar
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9/15/2011 - willthethrill wrote: 92 Points
Tight start and then all silk. Immensely drinkable.
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9/10/2011 - Niagara wrote:
Closed tight as a clam, but still enjoyable.
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8/21/2011 - br wrote:
very young and tight. spice cake and raspberries with quite a lot of tannins. good solid finish. could be its youth, but at this point seems a bit wanting in the middle.
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8/20/2011 - twjtaylor wrote: flawed
Corked. Down the sink.
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7/16/2011 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another outstanding showing for this wine. This has improved since its release. This wine relies on focus and precision over opulence and extraction. Both the bouquet and palate show complex notes with an underlying stone / granite / mineral character. This may continue to improve with additional bottle age.
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6/28/2011 - jeff nowak wrote: 93 Points
decanted and followed in glass for four hours. very nice upon opening, but really got silky and delicious after two hours. great aging potential. previous note from 4/09 hits the mark. recommended. jane raves, too.
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6/16/2011 - Wink wrote: 92 Points
Brought to Mondiale event. Didn't take notes. Still an infant but delicious now.
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6/2/2011 - ChinonRouge wrote: 85 Points
I must lack the receptors to appreciate this wine. Last tasted the 2005 in 2009 and thought it was nothing special. Tasted the 2005 again in 2011 and found it to be the same. This is supposed to be a stellar wine.
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6/2/2011 - DougLee wrote: 92 Points
Half-bottle. Dark garnet hue. Nose of rosemary, pepper, garrigue, shoe polish. On the tongue, wonderful juxtaposition of sweet, savory cherry notes with angular pepperiness and grip. Still some active acidity and structured tannins. Finish moderately long and marked by garrigue and red fruits. Although young, already delivers extremely satisfying depth and definition.
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5/22/2011 - BBinSC wrote: 91 Points
The score is based more on potential than on actual taste. I agree with the previous reviews saying the wine is in a dumb period. It must be, because it was milder and more approachable than any VT I have ever had. Fruit was nice and rich, but it had little of those intense earthy notes I expect. Good, but will be so much better in a few years.
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4/21/2011 - dionysis wrote: 90 Points
A bit disappointing but I would attribute it to youth -- still needs more time. A couple notches lower than my last tasting of this -- maybe a dead period?
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4/7/2011 - g-man wrote: 89 Points
Still too youn g to really enjoy but shows promise for the future.
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3/28/2011 - BernieMSY wrote: 94 Points
Dense, chewy and concentrated. Deep dark purple. Balanced and delicious.
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3/20/2011 - Wink wrote: 90 Points
Brought to prime rib dinner at the Pensacola Yacht Club with Pat, Win, Will, Rich and Nine (We are down here visiting Pat and Win, staying on Perdido Key for 5 nights). Purple with reddish rim. Nose of leather, licorice, hoisin, fig, and black cherry. Savory palate of dark fruit, minerals, licorice, and smoked meat. Very good length. Pleasant acidity. Grippy, youthful tannins softened by the prime rib. Still somewhat backward.
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3/15/2011 - NonCuratLex wrote: 97 Points
One of the most thoroughly enjoyable wines I have ever experienced; had the opportunity (or misfortune) to consume it on a number of occasions while still in its infancy (2008-2009). During that time, I found it did not suffer much of the famous Vieux Telegraphe "dumb stage," but also that it still had great potential. These notes are based on the sum of those half-dozen tastings. This wine is fairly opaque, dark ruby, and long-legged. Definitely a product of a hot, dry, growing season, leading to healthy, saturated fruit. Apart from what you would expect from a new-school Chateauneuf, this has some particularly saucy plum sauce notes, as well as a bit of nori. These hang out on the fringes of a beautiful fruit core, which is perfectly introduced by a spiced, fragranced, nose. The best feature is its velvety texture and satisfying mouthfeel are not far short of perfection (not equal to the very best Chateauneufs in history, but close). I have set some of this aside to hold and will for a while. Wonderful to pair with a fragrant duck, a thick slice of cote du boeuf, or some hard cheeses, this will probably be remembered among my all-time-favorites.
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2/22/2011 - dannyk8232 wrote: 89 Points
Eh. Pretty boring, and not a great value
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2/19/2011 - sethmorgenlong wrote:
Lighter purple red hue. Fairly simple at first and tightly wound at this youthful stage. It blossomed a bit over the few hours it was open with a mineral-driven aroma and palate complemented by savory herbs, spicy red fruit, pepper, black cherry, licorice. A bit rubbery. I'd wait 2-3 years at least...Overall, refreshingly light at 14.5% and expressive enough, but I'd like to revisit in 10 years.
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2/7/2011 - Pokkstar wrote: 92 Points
Elegant and quite delicate wine... violet, wood and tobacco aromas, medium and well rounded on the palate and a smooth finish.
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1/15/2011 - joedv8s wrote: 93 Points
Solid performance of balance, acidity and fruit. Opened 2 huors and decanted. Plenty of life left in her for a few more years.
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1/15/2011 - bschwindtcoffee wrote: 90 Points
Tight and astringent at first -- almost tasted like a cheap table wine, then after about 2 hours of air, it really blossomed into a complex mixture of chewy granache and high pitched red berry tones. Long finish. One of my favorite wines with food.
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12/14/2010 - Siggy wrote:
Tasting Group Dinner - Chateauneuf & More (In Season, Minneapolis): Too young to evaluate properly. Seems very promising -- rich dark fruit and fresh herbs. Really smooth. Wait 5+ years.
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11/16/2010 - Papies wrote:
Goedhuis & Co, Rhone & The Midi (Saatchi Gallery, London): Still very powerfull. More baucastel than VT in my mind. Difficult to approach at the moment unless you like big powerfull beasts. patience, 5yr min.
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11/13/2010 - junglejuice wrote: 94 Points
Drank mid October,notes are from memory - after a three hour decant this wine simply exploded and just got better all night. A wonderful wine with 15+ years ahead of it. I will revisit in 5-8 years and expect it to be stunning.
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10/24/2010 - SAvino wrote: 94 Points
Excellent wine. Decanted for 1.5 hours then drank over 2-3 hours. I found the ripeness of fruit, acidity, tannic structure and alcohol levels quite balanced overall. Very velvety tannins with great length. Drank this bottle a bit early, glad I have more. Will try again in 1-2 years. Notes were consistent across 2 bottles.
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10/23/2010 - Justin B wrote: 92 Points
Had this at Napa Rose in Anaheim, CA.
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10/18/2010 - Opusone99 wrote: 92 Points
Pour les Télégraphe, le 2005 a bénéficié de 3h30 de carafe et le 2006 de 1h30 et ils furent consommés sur une période de 2 heures. Le 2005 l'emporte par sa plus grande amplitude en bouche, par son registre de saveurs plus complexes (fruits rouges, notes fumées, épices orientaux), ce sont également deux vins bien structurés où l'on ressent l'imposant potentiel du 2005 face au 2006. Pour le 2006, bien qu'il risque de s'améliorer aussi, je ne crois pas qu'il se transforme en vin magistral en me fiant uniquement à ce qu'il m'offre présentement : plus mince, plus rond en ce moment et manque de profondeur pour les 73$ exigés. Qui sait, peut-être que 2 heures de carafe de plus l'aurait avantagé, mais même en le consommant sur 2 heures, nous étions unanimes quant à ce que le 2005 lui était supérieur même à ce stade. 92pts pour le 2005 et 90pts pour le 2006. J'ai hâte de revoir le 2005 dans une dizaine d'années. Pour le 2006, sera à consommer davatange pour le plaisir en attendant les 2005.
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10/15/2010 - BarnyardFunk wrote: 93 Points
Like a date who is classy and refined, but get them liquored up and they'll show you their dark and dirty side.
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9/19/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 93 Points
Another fine showing for this wine. This has the components to improve with additional bottle age.
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8/28/2010 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Fight Night Wines VI; 8/27/2010-8/28/2010 (my place): nose: deep and robust nose of black cherries,s garrigue, lavender, black fruits, licorice and all sorts of provencal spices. While it it seems like its holding back a bit, the nose is real deep and just filled with classic CdP tones
taste: chewy and rich tannins that are on the coarse side along with deep tones of black cherries, licorice, loads of provencal spices as well as mesquite tones backed up by medium acidity and medium body. The tannins are on the rough side and hold this back a bit on the palate, but the class is there with good depth
overall: this received a good 3 hour decant before drinking. It was drunk over another3 hours and the tannins were still very chewy. This will need a good bit of time to fully show itself, but there is a ton of promise behind it and can very much turn into a real stunner
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8/28/2010 - UROMD wrote: 90 Points
Decanted 2 hours, a lot of heat. A little softer the next day but still way to young.
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7/15/2010 - dionysis wrote: 92 Points
Needed more decanting time -- opened from 375 and still too young. Will wait another year or so.
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7/9/2010 - llink wrote:
Very clean nose (compared to the Pegau), with some spice, garrigue, lavendar and some citrus/tangy notes. Deep rich palate, with a savory edge and some well balance tannins. Long finish, really nice wine and my favorite of the 05s.
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6/25/2010 - OT wrote: 94 Points
This is how Chatoneuf should taste. Decanted for only 30 min --> too lillte. 1-2 houers will suit it. Dark coloue. Nose of rasberry, blackberries, liqorice and more. Very rich and big bodied. Long aftertaste. Enjoied with Dr. Rislin who brought the bottle. OT
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5/4/2010 - winelovr2001 wrote: 94 Points
This wine is obviously young, but still showing some flashes of brilliance. The nose shows rose petals, herbs, spice; the palate is tight, but still shows some tar, black fruit, and a long long finish. Quite austere in the beginning, but after a couple hours in the decanter it has opened up...
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4/9/2010 - Dr. Rislin wrote: 95 Points
Opened. Dark, opaque color, not a typical Telegraphe. Too cold to start out but fantastic nose with kirsch essence, blueberries, white pepper. Decanted 1 hour. drank with steak bearnaise. Very heavy and still somewhat closed. smell of blood rare steak, wood-smoke. Taste of red berries, licorice, crushed earth, provencal herbes. good tannins, very long aftertaste. This will prove fantastic for the patient. Can be drunk from now with heavy foods and decanting, though. Lat minute last glass edit: After 5-6 hour decant: Heaven. multi-dimensional, full, long. Almost Chambolle-like softness to it. Best Telegraphe i have ever had, even though it's so young. Very close to an extraordinary score. It will be hard keeping my hands off the rest of the case!
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4/4/2010 - JJL wrote: 89 Points
From magnum - too young, bit austere and hot, lots of spice.
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4/4/2010 - kstoddard wrote: 94 Points
Dark garnet hue. Aromas of dried red berries and Herbs de Provence. Flavors of raspberry, violet, sage, rosemary and anise. Beautiful balanced. Firm chewy tannins. Expansive mid palate with a long elegant finish. Just finally becoming approachable. Decant now or hold. 14.5% alcohol.
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3/16/2010 - keelegl Likes this wine: 92 Points
From .375 off list at Tom Aikens in London. Decanted for about 45 mins prior to serving. Pretty nose with kirsch, spice and a bacon/meaty streak. Palate showed a red fruit profile with raspberry and cherry fruit leading to chewy tannins and a long, spicy finish. Very backwards as expected at this stage, but the stuffing is there.
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3/14/2010 - pilot360 wrote: 90 Points
Nose of eucalyptus and menthol and red cherries. Tastes of currant, fall spices, cranberries. Decanting really brought this out.
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3/13/2010 - g-man wrote: 89 Points
Out of 375ml. Still too young. Has not had enought time to integrate the alchohol and tanin but does show very good structure to keep it from falling apart in the future. Even on day 2 the fruit is just beginning to emerge. At this rate it will be another ten years before I open a750ml.
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3/10/2010 - mmcconnell Likes this wine: 92 Points
Smooth but complex, red berry pepper licqorich, long in the mouth, just delightful
The wine looks Purple colored.
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3/2/2010 - tournesol wrote: 88 Points
Classic bouquet but surprisingly short finish and one dimensional. Needs more time. Decanting helps.
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2/28/2010 - jm28 wrote: 93 Points
Showed beautifully last night. Nose: floral, perfumy. Taste: Very well--balanced. Jammy with lingering finish. Not too early to drink! Very happy I opened it! (Waiter greatly appreciated tasting it as well...)
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2/26/2010 - mghomula wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours prior to first tasting. I agree with someone else who said the color was atypical for a Vieux Telegraph. It was more burgundy in color, cranberry like almost. Nose was concentrated and well put together with blackberry, cherry, licorice, smoke, briar patch and sweet baking spices. There was a touch of that good old barnyard funk that I appreciate in CdP. The palate was full bodied and rich with blackberry, black cherry, currant, more licorice, some minerality and some more of that baking spice. Full bodied with some very bright and juicy acidity but sweet fine grained tannic structure. May age forever and I am confident this is going to gain some structure, complexity and points with some more age. The finish was long, enticing and full of more black cherry, fertile soil, briar patch and baking spice. Outstanding! 50+4+13+18+8=93 pts.
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2/14/2010 - bschwindtcoffee wrote: 89 Points
Decanted about one hour, served at just above cellar temp. Nose has a fainter profile than two years ago along with a more muted midpalate. Long finish of menthol, anise, mint and leather. This may be going through a dumb or closed down phase. Looking forward to others notes over the next year or 2.
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2/10/2010 - Papies wrote: 90 Points
Chateau Beaucastel vs Vieux Telegraph with Steven Spurrier (Handford Wines, London): Handford Wines, Beaucastel & Vieux Telegraph with Steven Spurriier, London10-Feb-10
Young wine and needs another 5yrs. Still not harsh or rough. Grenache wins again, lots of fruit.
SS Aditional notes - 2005 was a great vintage but worse than 07. A wine to be drunk relatively young.
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1/12/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 Points
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Much better then in December with cherry, floral, spice
Taste: Spice, floral, mineral, cherry, raspberry, not over powering
Finish: Medium without much heat. It certainly is not a massive CDP
Evaluation: Showed better then December but I don't see this as ever being a blockbuster wine 91 points
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1/6/2010 - UTPK wrote:
Quite elegant and surprisingly ready to drink. Light and bright colour (untypical for Vieux Telegraph which is normally darker in colour), open knitted and almost overseas pinot-type nose of cherries (red berries) and spice. Fairly liniar attack with lots of presence on the palate. Sweet and long aftertaste.
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12/28/2009 - ggb wrote: 88 Points
Beaucoup de matière et de structure. Complètement fermé au nez malgré un long séjour en carafe. Des notes de mûre, de griottes, mais c'est fermé à double-tours. Un peu chaud en bouche. Un vin qui sera probablement magnifique vu les tannins serrés et la matière dans 10 ans. À oublier encore au moins 5 ans. 88+
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12/21/2009 - ColinR wrote: 94 Points
Garnet-crimson; blackberries, blueberries, wood smoke; ripe berry, plummy, glycerin, full body, excellent balance, good structure, ripe silky tannins, lingering finish.
Silky ripe fruit with power, density, chewy tannins and a lengthy finish. A rare wine with structure yet drinking beautifully young. More complexity would have made this 'extraordinary'.
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12/16/2009 - ChinonRouge wrote: 87 Points
Nice aromatics but thin. Almost no mid palate flavor. Nothing special about the finish. Really disappointing. Maybe this wine is entering a "dumb" phase. Definitely not recommended at the price. Not sure what happened but certainly not a flawed bottle. Major, major pass.
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12/13/2009 - prakashkrishnan wrote: 93 Points
Opened and decanted. Needs time. Flavors of blackberry and cherry and aromas of flowers and lead. Just needs time will be awesome in 5-6 years.
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11/18/2009 - drwine2001 wrote: flawed
Five Days in Paris; 11/17/2009-11/21/2009: Corked magnum! Double the distress.
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10/31/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Six Vintages of Vieux Telegraphe (Vin Vino, Palo Alto): Same color as the '06. Mint and menthol on the nose here with a touch of complicating sweatiness that dissipates. Less showy than the prior 2 wines with predominant tobacco at first, but this deepens and sweetens in the glass. Dense to the point of feeling almost solid, darker profile fruit, and very firm but smooth tannins. Although approachable now, it is pretty tightly wound and less complex than any other wine in the tasting. Serious and excellent potential, but this will evolve very slowly. For 2020 and beyond.
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9/20/2009 - g-man wrote:
Not fair to score, just too young. Not giving much of anything even on the second day. Hold off another 2-3 years
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9/18/2009 - Surfdoc wrote: 91 Points
Drank from 375. Medium ruby color. Nose of spice, white pepper and black licorice. Raisin, plum, leather and cedar on the palate. Medium tannins and acidity. Still a bit tight, but well balanced wine with good aging potential.
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9/2/2009 - Gene_Mo wrote: 94 Points
Just getting into CdP's and this will drive more purchases.
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8/29/2009 - sehill wrote: 93 Points
This wine was decanted and poured. It continues to improve since its release. It shows similarly to a a bottle opened three months ago and has developed additional complexity and nuance. This will benefit from additional bottle age.
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8/10/2009 - ebrown35 wrote: 94 Points
A beautiful young wine. Paired with a Herb grilled veal chop, crawfish-goat cheese bread pudding, tomato fondue from Dogwood in Atlanta. I double decanted this and re-corked for 4 hours....nice dark garnet color. This had a stunning nose, of cherry,herbs, licorice and gravel. This was an excercise in balance between fruit, tannin, acidity and concentration. The finish really tells the story on this one, going on for days. This reminds me that I don't drink enough CDP.
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8/9/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 89 Points
nose of earth, leather, cherry,. mouth with good fruit, acidic backbone. had alittle complexity, but wasn't coming together like VT's usually do. I wonder if we are at an in between stage as secondary characteristics are emerging.
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7/3/2009 - ginfizz wrote: 93 Points
These are not bad at all to drink now. Initial fruitiness has toned down, so this is now effusively fruity instead of lush. Brilliant grenache fruit (more purple fruits than black) with a touch of liquorice (red and black), medium+ concentration and medium+ finish. No brett in this bottle to speak of.
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7/1/2009 - Vinsant wrote: 93 Points
Drinking well for such a young pup. Spicy red fruits, cinnamon, anise, smoky tobacco, and peppered pork on the nose. Ripe and rich cherries on the palate that were actually very similar to the 05 Bionic Frog tasted along side. But the similarities stopped there. Baking spices, dried herbs, anise, moist earth, and strawberries. Nicely balanced wine with a great dry finish. Would like to try in 10 years to see more secondary notes. A very enjoyable bottle that reminded me I need more CDPs...and let em age a bit. Went extremely well with lamb chops and olive/anchovy tapenade.
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6/28/2009 - bajayngo wrote: 92 Points
So fruit forward in the decanter but came around w/some air. This wine was a classic example of an outstanding wine that was upstaged by a classic wine so it probably wa a lil better then I remember or give it credit for. But with that being said I thought it drank well but would definitely improve with some more cellar dust. Lot's of cinnamon, cherries, anise, pepper, sandle wood and hot stones. It was big and pretty luscious. Huge finish but just a bit out of balance at this stage for me. Had with roasted veggies and rack of lamb and the food really balanced the wine out. Nice to see even a big young wine calmed down with the right food pairing. Of course I had a cold so what do I know. I would love to see where this is at in a decade.
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6/21/2009 - Charlie Carnes wrote: 94 Points
A wonderful wine, still young and quite purple. I was amazed at the purity and how clean and balanced this wine was. In fact, at first, I thought if it were any "cleaner" I would think it had lost something in the middle. But this thought went away with time as it put on weight and became a beautiful perfumed, dark red fruited wine, with lots of stuffing, purity, and balance. It is good now . but it needs a few years. Recommended.
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6/11/2009 - Lucky96 wrote: 93 Points
Delicious. Plenty of cassis, bit of leather, and a little tar. Long warm and round finish. Early, but still drinking very nicely.
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6/4/2009 - JimHow wrote: 94 Points
Probably the wine of the night, up against some tough Bordeaux competition. This beauty had perfect balance. Very smooth, with a sexy spicyness. Maroon-colored, classy, lots of depth but light on its feet. Drinking amazingly deliciously now, but will certainly last. A borderline outstanding effort.
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5/1/2009 - sehill wrote: 92 Points
This wine was decanted and poured. It was tasted side-by-side with the 2004. This wine showed a more forward and complete profile than previous bottles of the '05. Compared to the '04 this appears to have more depth and complexity. The '04 showed almost as well but did not have the completeness of the '05. This is drinking well now with decanting and should age effortlessly over the next 10 - 12 years.
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4/15/2009 - jeff nowak wrote: 92 Points
14.5% alcohol. not decanted, but you can, and probably should at this point as the wine continued to open up dramatically over the 4 hours it took to consume the bottle between 2 tasters. medium body, guardedly tannic/somewhat closed, but giving a peek at it's future. nicely perfumed after an hour...red fruits, a pleasant smokiness, solid undercarraige. i expect this wine to take on weight and be an excellent VT. my own preference sits for aging at the 8-12 year interval. hold. 92 for now, with potential to 94.
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4/2/2009 - Miceri wrote: 93 Points
Good wine. Sound semi-dark colour. Nose is clean and pure with black pepper, red fruit and a bit of vanillin. Taste is again clear with good and plenty layers of fruit, a bit of spiciness and prickleness. Fine after taste. Nice structure. Likely to keep for long. Not shot down for the time being.
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3/21/2009 - BSteffes wrote: 93 Points
This wine is like 4 wines in one! Lots of fruit, gravel, and structure. Nice nose of dark shiraz like fruit...but under control. Wine needs some time to open ...but shows it's character after only 2-3 hours. This wine has amazing structure and clarity. I think this wine will only get better with age. Will wait another 2-3 years to open the next one!
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2/23/2009 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 87 Points
Color: Medium purple
Nose: Plum, cherry, mineral
Taste: Blackberries, spice, a bit hot
Finish: Mineral, pepper and red currants
Evaluation: Not a top 10 wine of the year in my opinion 87 points
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2/14/2009 - goofy Yno wrote: 90 Points
nose of forest floor, plub. nice balance but lack of complexity. medium finish. drank from half bottle
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12/27/2008 - mmyette wrote: 92 Points
Did not like this nearly as much as the beaucastel or the Clos du pape. This was rustic, and big, with lots of autumn mulch and cigar box on the nose. The taste was dominated by tannins and loads of up front acid. Might be long for the cellar, or just not ready yet. A little disjointed, but perhaps with all the tools to become something more.
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12/26/2008 - grafstrb wrote: 88 Points
Post-Xmas CdP Tasting at Edina Country Club in Edina, MN: Tasted blind: Served 8th out of 12
NOSE: "dark smelling" -- a bit smoky, and extremely tight.
BODY: ruby color of medium-great depth; clear; medium-full bodied.
TASTE: pronounced minerality; raspberry; tannic and a bit hot; a secondary hint of cigarbox suggests complexity further down the road; extremely tight. Everyone, myself included, was shocked when the bag was pulled on this one. This wine didn't impress anyone tonight, and many don't believe it has a bright future. I felt as if I detected some extremely shy complexity that is going to need years in the cellar to gain confidence ... still, WS's "95" is very confusing. Although a "good" wine, this may have been the consensus disappointment of the evening. Do not drink these now ... hold for at least 10 years ... and pray.
B: 50, 5, 11, 15, 7 = 88
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12/26/2008 - Mattshank wrote: 87 Points
Blind CDP Tasting at Edina Country Club: Nose: A little alcohol heat, blackberry and not much else. Palate: Simple wine with black cherry. Not much going on with this wine. We were all shocked that it turned out to be this wine. It is amazing it was picked by Spectator to be one of the best wines of the year (perhaps Spectator should drink it blind, as we did). Actually finished just behind the R Wines Chateau Chateau. Perhaps this bottle, although not flawed, was not representative or is in a major dumb phase.
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11/29/2008 - ludwigbpm wrote: 93 Points
Dégusté après 5 heures de carafe. Le vin est tout d'un bloc, concentré en textures et saveurs. La finale est marquée par de fins tanins et une amertume chocolatée. L'alcool ressort aujourd'hui et l'équilibre n'est pas pas parfait, mais le vin risque d'être grand d'ici 7 ans.
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11/26/2008 - olm2000 wrote:
too tight to rate fairly...think there is great material here but another couple years will help
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11/15/2008 - pgm wrote:
Poured at a retailer tasting featuring four of the WS Top 10 wines. This did not show at its best, unfortunately. It showed some nice grenache fruit on the palate, but the nose was restrained and the finish came up somewhat short. I like this wine plenty, based on previous tastings in better settings, and I think it's worth a buy, but today it just didn't show up. Not scoring this one.
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10/26/2008 - greenblanket wrote:
Paired with a rustic Provencal daube alongside a 2003 Chateau Banneret (which was beautifully old school). Despite its youth this wine was compelling and delicious. It offered a bouquet of raspberry and cherry fruit smothered in garrigue and culinary spices and finished with delicate notes of game. For me the great promise of this wine is its presence in the mouth from the big and brilliantly balanced attack through the full and complex mid palate to the long and intertwined finish. Outstanding right now this has all the makings of a classic. No more for at least five years.
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10/4/2008 - Tarrant wrote: 91 Points
Very nice CNDP, however perhaps this is a bit of infanticide as I didn't feel it was a 95 pointer at this stage of it's life, in fact we had a bottle of Coudoulet de Beaucastel along side, and it was slightly better at this point, and half the price, still this is an awesome wine for sure - Dark red, well structured with notes of bright, sweet cherry fruit, cinammon spice, earth and vanilla on the nose, well structured, complex and balanced, sweet and smooth on the palate with excellent length, excellent (91 Points).
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9/21/2008 - AZ Cat wrote:
(1) Drank with dinner at Del Friscos in Manhattan. Mike and Dad loved this. I thought it was very good and got much better with air, but didn’t seem to have a lot of complexity to it (in all fairness it might have been overpowered by the Alvaro Palacios
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8/21/2008 - HatingWhitey wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding. Decanted for 90 minutes - ate with rack of lamb. Standard CDP flavors and smells, but the finish on this thing is the kicker - 45 seconds at least. I'm buying another bottle and cellaring it for at least another 3 years.
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7/27/2008 - Rechrom wrote: 92 Points
Very nice and drinking well young after an hour of air. Nice classic nose, great entry and mid-palate, very good length. Went beautifully with food and sipping after dinner. Smooth, not powerful, not as stuffed as other vintages like 98 but a long happy life ahead.
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7/1/2008 - g-man wrote:
Opened a 375ml of this just to try realizing it's way too young to truly enjoy. Decanted for two hours and only got a hint of what's to come. Sensed great concentration with thick fruit but the tanic wall never came down. Try again in about five years and the patience will be rewarded.
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6/19/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 94 Points
dark fruit, raspberry nose, tight but with good fruit nice complexity, spice long finish.
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6/18/2008 - goofy Yno wrote: 93 Points
raspberry nose, great balance, spice, complexity long finish
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6/1/2008 - keepitreal wrote: 90 Points
Very tight and young with loads of ripe red fruit, spice, and earth. Firm tannins provide plenty of backbone. This should age beautifully.
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5/12/2008 - remeny1 wrote: 88 Points
Not bad. DOn't have all of the notes.
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5/5/2008 - pgm wrote: 94 Points
A bottle we had last fall seemed just way too early, it was closed up tight. We chose this as a good value on a wine list not otherwise loaded with good value or representing our tastes, but not very confident that the La Crau would show well.
We were definitely in luck. It took 30 or 45 minutes in the glass to open up, but when it did, it wouldn't quit. A slightly floral nose at first, giving way to pretty big asian spice and anise, with some smoky, sanguine notes and just a bit of garrigue over a core of black cherry, raspberry, and blackberry fruit. The nose continued to evolve over the night toward more overt licorice and cherry notes. Evenly powerful in the mouth, with more of the earthy/garrigue components making their presence felt.
I'd been holding off purchasing much of this, even though I think this has shown good value over the past few vintages, but I'm ready to buy now.
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4/15/2008 - Vinoguy wrote: 92 Points
Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe, CNdP & Domaine les Pallieres, Gigondas (Roberts & Speight): Poured with the 2004. Deep purple fading to a cherry red rim. Primary, medium bodied and concentrated with a strong spicy profile, excellent structure and an intense finish. A 10+ year wine, no doubt about it. 92+ £29.99 per bottle.
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4/11/2008 - llink wrote:
A little closed and reticent. Nose of kirsch fruit, garrigue and blackberries. Very composed and balanced palate, with noticeable structure and dusty tannins. Still incredibly tight, but in a refined way. Long languid finish promises great things in the future for this wine.
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3/28/2008 - Frijole wrote:
medium plum red, medium clarity, ruby brick hue
Nose: earth, moss, oak, pepper, smoke, geranium
Pal: blackberry, current, gravel, sweet spice, stone, white pepper, garrigue, earth
Feel: grippy, tannic, full
Finish: long
TC9 (almost a 10)
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3/13/2008 - Squirreljam wrote: 94 Points
On the nose, cherry, currant and some sweet maple syrup. Color is a lovely ruby red. Tons of flavors going on, but rich fruit, mostly purple, with heaps of spice and a nice spine of minerality. Lasted a long time on the palate. This was a tester from my LWS to see what I thought; I'm going to get more.
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3/3/2008 - bschwindtcoffee wrote: 93 Points
An excellent earth -driven, spice. and leather balanced with firm tannins and acidity. Wonderful. Even so young.
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3/2/2008 - hammie1234 wrote: 91 Points
Openned up well but didn't have that earthy wholesome goodness that I like in other Chateauneufs (e.g. Beaucastel). Still a pleasure and needs more time in the bottle.
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2/21/2008 - remeny1 wrote: 92 Points
Still extremely young. Good nose of garrige, and a tough of fruit. Good pallate, strong but fine tannins, and leather flavors. After about 1.5 hours, good red fruit flavors. Good wine with plenty of structure.
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2/11/2008 - snipes wrote:
Decanted 4 hours. Young and primary, not giving up much at this point, but wanted to try one before burying them in the back of the cellar.
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1/27/2008 - shiraz guy wrote: 93 Points
Tasted this at a local wine shop today. After 3-5 hours open, this was really good. Smooth and delicious. My first CDP, and I enjoyed it a lot.
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1/24/2008 - nwk wrote:
Pretty forward with oak, chocolate and earth impressions coating a core of dark red fruits. Fairly suave for a young VT, this is pretty full with balanced tannin.
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1/15/2008 - cbuhlman wrote: 90 Points
nose of strawberry, sour cherry, tea and herbs. Very firm and slighly tannic on the finish. A well-made classic CnDP, but not remarkable, will need some time for the taninns to soften.
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1/13/2008 - mpricher wrote: 92 Points
Drank to understand what a great C-D-P should taste like! This was a very clear and distinctive wine. Clear vegtable tones from bell peper, tomato, herb flavors, with-out the barnyard smell I have had with some bordeaux. Mid-palate was hoolow in some way I could not percieve. Tannins fstructure firm, but not affecting the taste negatively. Fun to try-would cellar for 5+_ yrs to see the difference.
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1/9/2008 - nwk wrote:
Fresh strawberry, sweet herbs and smoke notes. Very firm and trim for an obviously big wine. Some cocoa and sweet flavors on the firm/hard mouth that is rich and complex. very young.
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1/8/2008 - dannyk8232 wrote: 90 Points
No formal notes.
This wine needs time. Nice balance and flavor profile. Nose is closed and I think we will see in a few years what this is made of.
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12/31/2007 - KeithAkers wrote: 95 Points
ending the year in style (chicago, ward's apartment): nose: loads of spice with some blueberry and cherry with hints of earth and leather
taste: big time structure on this wine. good lord, the tannins are big and firm, but they aren't overpowering. The mouth is utterly explosive with tons of blueberry, sour cherry, earth, leather, and some underbrush too.
overall: this wine is a Knockout. Utterly massive that can be approached right now, but this will be insanely amazing with about ten years on it. tons of polish and a great finish, this is in that next level of wine that makes you very happy that you are drinking it and you know that you are drinking something special
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12/2/2007 - kris.h wrote: 94 Points
Dark ruby red color. The nose starts off very tight but a couple hours in the decanter helps open it up. The nose is very nice with herbs, raspberry, and the faintest hint of leather. On the palate, the wine is complex with moderate acidity and ripe firm tannins. The finish is long and complex with a melange of berries, and some pepper. An outstanding wine with great balance that will no doubt improve with additional time in the cellar. 50 + 5 + 11 + 18 + 10
24 hours later, the wine is much the same. Still shows beautiful balance and a wonderful pure raspberry aroma on the nose. Do not touch for 5+ years!
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12/1/2007 - Wine Spam wrote: 94 Points
Vineyard Gate: 2005 Chateauneuf du Pape (Millbrae, CA): Hard to evaluate. Strong dark fruit nose with a slight minty, herbal character. On the palate it is big and serious. Excellent structure, deep complexity. Awesome effort. From 2015 at the earliest.
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11/30/2007 - Thilo wrote: 93 Points
Color is medium ruby. Nose shows tightly-coiled cherry, garrigue, stone, and spice. On the palate, intense, tight cherry, minerals, herb, and a tight finish. This was not decanted enough and is a baby. It will be truly great in some years.
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11/25/2007 - duchamp wrote:
(from a good deal on 375 bottle) DO NOT even think about opening this wine for another 5 (or if you want to play it safe, 10) years. It's wound tighter than Karl Rove on November 7th, 2006. Bright brilliant ruby, very closed nose even after hours of decanting, the wine just engulfs the mouth with alcohol, cherry liqueur, raspberries, spice, tannins, sweet red fruits, clove, mint, bark and damp earth, the finish just keeps evolving and evolving and evolving for 45 seconds plus, an absolute bomb of a Chateauneuf. Not as balanced, rich or approachable as the Clos des Papes but much racier and high-toned. Impossible to score but easily a 93+ wine.
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11/23/2007 - win wrote: 90 Points
SWILL Southern Rhone Tasting: Closing down a bit.
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11/23/2007 - wineismylife wrote:
SWILL November Tasting - Southern Rhone (win's house in Southlake, TX): WIMLNR
Tasted November 23, 2007. Opened and served immediately. Dark garnet color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of red currants, perfume and a hint of dark chocolate. Tight and tannic on the palate yielding a little red berries, red raspberries and a bit of bitters on the finish. Medium to high acidity, very firm tannins and full body. Hold. Not rated. Wouldn't be fair.
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11/23/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
From half bottle. Was curious to try this and, as expected, it was incredibly tight and tannic. All the elements are in place though, so this should turn out well.
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11/19/2007 - aimp wrote: 93 Points
still very tannic. needs a while to integrate.
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11/16/2007 - mtmary wrote: 93 Points
So much potential!!!!. After decanting for about 2hrs, the first taste was dominated by rich peppercorns at the front followed by beautiful vanilla poached plums. The spiciness dropped off a bit, but was replaced by balance throughout the palate. Definitely one to lokk at over the next few years
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11/10/2007 - hudamang wrote: 91 Points
Nice dark berries and some hay and metallic nose. Silky mouthfeel with nice fruit. I wish this was decanted longer since the aromas started to really appear after an hour in the decanter. Still somewhat closed...there is a lot of tannins leaving a nice chalky finish. Nice wine.
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11/7/2007 - mattiasjansson wrote: 91 Points
Tight and tannic still
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11/7/2007 - jivey wrote: 95 Points
Backstreet - WOTN.. Cherry, cranberry, rose, stone and an absolute juggernaut in the mouth. The complexity and balance of this wine put it above previous 12 we tasted.
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11/7/2007 - goofy Yno wrote: 93 Points
red fruits, sweet mouth with minerals, fruits that expand with complexity. still tight, but very good
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11/7/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 94 Points
eRobert Parker Offline - Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Amarone (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): Decanted for two hours prior to serving. Beautiful complex floral nose with lots of red fruit. Tastes of raspberries, hay, earth, tea, kirsch, garrigue and cherries. Great structure. Incredible depth and complexity. Well balanced with nice acidity. Rather shut down at this point as was the '98 on release. The '03 and '04 were much more approachable in their youth. Needs at least 5-10 years before it really shines. Should easily last for 30 years. 14.5% alcohol.
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11/7/2007 - win wrote: 93 Points
Very nice, deep wine involving brooding cherry and some earth. Nice finish - great potential.
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11/6/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Served a bit too cold. Tasted double blind. At first I didn't care for this wine. It had a tannic, bitter finish and was quite closed. However, after it warmed in the glass for about an hour it began show its true potential. Raspberry and cherry fruit on the palate. Great mid palate depth and complexity. Needs lots of time to come into its own. 14.5% alcohol.
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11/3/2007 - ginfizz wrote: 93 Points
From a half bottle, delicious already, with hints of raspberry, sweet oak, touch of tar, forrest, and blackberries. Ripe, concentrated, with medium to heavy weight flavors that grow with air. Medium finish. Tannins are ripe and at this point hide behind the fruit a bit. A tasty bottle, and well balanced for ageing. Lastly, very cleanly made. No brett in this bottle. Delicious.
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11/1/2007 - cellarbrator wrote: 96 Points
My first 2005 Chateauneuf. Holy $%*#. In criticizing boring and disapointing wines, I like to use the term uninspiring. This, indeed, would be the rare case where I'd call a wine inspiring. The superb mouthfeel combined with the striking minerality is mind boggling. I couldn't stop thinking about that Lexus commercial where the bearing ball effortlessly rolls along the lines of the car. You cannot help but just roll the wine around in your mouth. Parker is right about the nose (black raspberries, kirsch, ground pepper, and incense). I'm not sure whether to call this new world or old world - maybe it's a new world wine that old world fans would like or maybe it's neither. All I know is it's something special. I can't wait to find out if this is commonplace for the 2005 Chateauneufs.
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10/25/2007 - winefool wrote: 91 Points
WS NYWE Grand Tastings; 10/25/2007-10/26/2007 (Marriott Marquis): Bright red color. ripe round nose with tight acidity. very tight acidic red fruit. A bit austere for my taste.
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10/6/2007 - tcfishler wrote: 93 Points
Rhone / Languedoc-Roussillon / Southwest (Wine Exchange in Orange, CA): Medium light salmon. Tight and just giving up some cherry on the nose. But the flavors tell the story: herbs and pepper, dense fruit, outstanding persistence, and gravelly tannin. Should really be something when it peaks.
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9/22/2007 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Poured at a retailer tasting. Briary spice and bright red fruit aromas with chewy tannins, deep red fruit flavors and a long, persistent finish.
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5/10/2007 - Siggy wrote:
2007 France Trip - Pegau, Pierre Usseglio, Monpertuis, Vieux Telegraphe, Dinner w/ Philippe Cambie (Southern Rhone): Cask sample; to be bottled starting next month. Deeper nose – rhubarb and red fruits. Perfumed. Lightly spicy. Moderate concentration and length. Tasty.
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4/11/2007 - SimonG wrote:
Uncorked Rhone Tasting (Uncorked, Exchange Arcade, London): Slightly fuller and richer than the 04 on the nose. harmonious, long. Slight astringency on the finish. 4
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