PnP. I was struck by the youthfulness of this wine. For the first several hours it offered a pleasant but not particularly striking experience. However, after open for a few hours, it showed more complexity in the way of dried flowers, dark fruits, and smoke. The smoke notes were wonderful. If I had another bottle I would decant for two hours before drinking.
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Beautiful clear garnet. Red fruit, a touch barnyard. Sweet tobacco, leather. Sweet fruit, touch of bacon. Fresh. Good to high acidity (started out spikey). Long leather laden finish. 14%. Zalto BDX.
That sweetness and acidity of an aged Rioja.
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Popped n' poured for turkey day yesterday. Nose remains quite aromatic with aromas of red fruit, leather and earth. Medium body, still showing nice amount of red cherry fruit, slightly herbal with some leather, and earthy mushroom notes. The years on this wine are apparent to any knowledgeable wino, but the wine was in far better condition than I expected and in fact is drinking quite nicely at 24 years of age. Wish I had another. Bottle went fast. Lovely wine.
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Age is evident, highly aromatic, slightly herbal, with a juciy and harmonious palate. Fully mature and maybe slightly weakening, but fully charming wine.
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Tasted blind along with the 2019. Mixed berries, but on balance a slightly more red types. Minor mushroom notes give away the age. Rather low intensity when compared to the 2019. The palate still shows primary fruit and was in decent balance. Good, but with limited complexity and blurry aromas.
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Quite a bright red. Hugely fragrant with a little air, fresh herbs and red and black fruit jumps from the glass. It is mellow, it is smooth and elegant, and it is also spicy on the end and on the first pour it seems a lot younger than it is and I wondered if, at 24 years, I had gone too early! Not so, it is just waking up, and as time goes by this gets better and better from the decanter. There is a cornucopia of southern charm here, wonderful. I had brought the 2005 as a backup but it wasn't needed, and on this showing I think I will bury it at the back of the cellar for a while. Top class CNdP and another big score for The Wine Society mystery "over the hill" case - 4/4.
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Fully mature. Still fruity, with a spicy bitterness in the finish. Soft and surprisingly elegant for a Clos des Papes. Could remind of a mature Burgundy.
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Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light garnet colour, with wide fading rims and legs. Nose: Clean, with medium intensity aromas of red fruit of raspberry and cherries, black fruit of blackberry and dark plum, floral notes of violet, pungent spice of black pepper, sweet spice of nutmeg, mineral notes of tar, kernel notes of coffee, maturity notes of savoury. The wine is developing. Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture, medium (+) in alcohol and medium (+) body, with medium (+) intensity flavours of red fruit of raspberry and cherries, black fruit of blackberry, mineral notes of tar, sweet spice of tarragon, maturity notes of mushroom. The wine has a medium (+) finish. Conclusion: Very good quality CDP with a reasonably intense nose showing great complexity, with a mix of red and black fruit, plenty of spice and tar, supplemented with coffee and development characters. On the palate the wine is robust yet elegant, with nice tannin of silky texture, good concentration in flavours and a fairly long finish. It is ready to drink now and can maintain for another 2-3 years.
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NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 3 hours. What a marvelous nose, pretty red and black fruits, floral, tar and garrigue with immense lift and purity. The palate mimics the nose and it's purity, the fruit and balance shines brightly here; ripe black and red currants, cherry, cherry skin, tar, exotic spices, quite spicy with a white pepper finish and sleek tannins. Loved it, in a great spot and no rush at all!
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New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): Pop and pour. Pink flowers, black to red fruit, anise, spice, mushroom, damp earth. I didn't know what to expect here and this was a fantastic well-aged CDP.
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Color/App: clear, moderately deep ruby core -> diffuse, fully mature garnet rim. Took about 1-1.5 hours to reach apogee after popping the cork. Classic, lovely and savoury bouquet of Herbs de Provence, forest floor, leather, a bit of that CDP spice and a touch of band-aid. Palate was all singed cherries, that wonderful sage/thyme/herbessence, garrigue and just a notion of meat (Syrah coming through?). While delicious and definitely on the plateau of enjoyment, I'm not sure this is going to go too much longer as I would say the finish is no longer than about medium-length. But seriously, what more can you want from a CDP in a really good vintage? I think at 20+ years this totally rocks my Rhone !
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Clear light red. Red berries, blood, and singed herbs in this gorgeous almost youthful nose. Dry balanced raspberry and cassis flavours and a beautifully balanced finish.
Loved this.
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Mature. Red-brown-orange. Stewed fruit nose, medium to light mouthfeel. At opening, red fruit (strawberry, tart cherry) with little structure; evolved over next hours, interestingly more integrated with some structure. Interesting but past peak. Drink up if you have some.
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Fantastic from the first sip. Brilliant bouquet, super clean, with light florals, toast, plums. Intense, succulent, and delicious. Fresh and gripping, with zingy acidity, a lovely clean streak of sage and eucalyptus, and a beautiful spiced finish. Definitely quite mature now, possibly near the end of its plateau. Not just great to drink but maybe the best it's ever been. Drink now and over the next few years.
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Very nicely aged Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Slightly brown meniscus, mellow nose with no oak and almost a raisin hint. Very smooth on the palate. Complex flavors with none predominating. Distinct lack of oak. Long finish with raisin flavor late. I know the 2016 vintage just received a 100 point rating. I would not say this is 100 points, but very good to excellent.
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On the fresh, bright, crisp and floral side, the cherries are still sweet, crisp, floral and elegant. The finish offers an elegant, bright, kirsch filled note. Not the deepest or more concentrated wine from the estate, but it is among the more refined and charming vintages produced here.
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Light ruby. This leads with high toned aromas of red fruit and orange peel, with undertones of game, mushroom, leather and spice. The palate adds a surprising late note of mint. A delicate style of Chateauneuf in an overlooked vintage. To my taste, drinking at peak right now.
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Definitely came across somewhat mature with some garrigue (thyme being most dominant) and meatiness on the nose at first, but it came around and started showing more red forest fruit. I showed it's best for balanced raspberry fruit and a maintaining good acidity on the 2nd night, I thought. Nice, but think these are ready to go over the next few years and seem unlikely to improve like the surrounding vintages.
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Not sure what happened with the bottle. This was supposed to be a RP94 but mine was near undrinkable. I suspect my (half) bottle was spoiled during storage at store, which is unfortunate as I had high hopes on this one. Better luck next time, maybe!
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My second bottle from the auction case. Disintegrating cork. This is a better bottle than the first, meaning I am happy to drink it, but it is still a lightweight with faded fruit. "Delicate" and "feminine" are not words I have ever used about Clos des Papes. I am picky about alcohol, but Clos des Papes is typically a 14-15% wine that does not show any overt alcohol. This is 14% and it shows. It's actually a very enjoyable bottle, just that you don't open a Clos des Papes expecting to meet a charming old lady. From what most others report, it looks as if I have a suspect case.
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Served blind. Very light color, clear rim. Herbal, garrigue nose centered around rosemary and sage. Herbal, cranberry, tart raspberry palate with a resonant acidity that makes this very persistent on the palate. Mature, open, ready to go. My guess is a high quality Chateauneuf producer from an older vintage like 1990. Doesn't seem like like Pegau or Beaucastel. This has matured considerably in the last 5 years.
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Tasted blind. Wonderfully expressive nose. Raspberry, thyme, dry roasted peanuts, balsamic-cherry reduction. Syrah? Soft and lithe, with great striking acidity. Composed herbal palate. Very warm and sunny, and the most accessible of the three.
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Notable funk upon first pour, but dissipated shortly. Spicy, herbal, and peppery. Powerful acidity alongside a sweet balsamic note, the palate is sharply herbaceous and potent, almost painfully so. Mature but should drink well for another 5 years easily, and probably more.
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From a 6 pack bought at auction. I have never had a bad Clos des Papes, but this is the first bottle and it's a sad excuse. Thin and weak and showing overt alcohol because of the hole where the fruit should be. If this was a geriatric Bourgogne Rouge I might give it some respect for being almost alive but it's not, it's a wine that should be in its prime but is lacking everything that makes a Clos des Papes enjoyable. This is like when your dog vomits over your favourite pudding. This is like when Elvis Presley left Sun Records. This is like when your football team falls to pieces. (I know of what I speak.)
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Another reviewer captured it perfectly: red fruit, orange peel, and almost nebbiolo like in body and texture. Floral and perfumey with lavender and dried herbs, low tannins.
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Dinner at Odette (Odette, National Gallery, Singapore): Has not moved much from the last bottle, in fact this felt a bit too young to enjoy. The nose was nice enough, with a blush of bright red fruit, almost candied, spiked with bits of garrigue and spice and just a little edge of bretty funk. The palate was still right, with a slight rasp of fine tannins and a decent amount of acidity wrapped around a core of primary red fruit. A touch of woody spice and garrigue then carried the wine into a strongish finish. This has quality - depth, balance and a decent sense of purity, but it needs time yet. 5-6 years to lose its puppy fat at least.
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I was quite nicely surprised by this. Initial aromatics are red fruit and orange peel. Almost a tad Nebbiolo like. Very floral and perfumy. The palate is red fruited with elevated acid, lavender, dried herbs. Low dusty tannin on the orange peel tinged finish.
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After complaining about several recent bottles of CndP not being worthy of the appellation's reputation, I am glad to say that here was one that was really performing. Furthermore, though in the past I have met big bottle variation in Clos des Papes, I can repeat almost verbatim my TN from over 2 years ago. This was a beautiful CndP at its peak. It was not a blockbuster and showed an unusual Burgundy type elegance. It had medium/full body, velvety texture, smooth acidity, round sweet cherry tinged fruit infused with game and forest floor notes leading to a decently long and firm finish with kirsch hints. It was a good pairing for our traditional New Year rabbit marinated in Trappiste beer with prunes. Excellent.
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From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, this medium garnet wine is very impressive. Now 17 years old, it flaunts complex aromas and flavors of dark plums, pipe tobacco, loamy earth, leather and baking spices. Medium-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14%) and with soft residual tannins, it is in a distinctly different but equally enjoyable place than it was when last tasted several years ago. Gaining traction on the mid-palate and finishing long, this is a Châteauneuf that has aged ever so gracefully. Those holding well-cellared bottles should find it to be delicious for at least 3-4 more years. Drink now-2020.
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Brisket Bash Deux: 10 Vintage Vertical of Clos de Papes and more (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20-30 minutes. Drank as part of a vertical of Clos des Papes (95, 98, 99, 00, 01, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09). My second favorite of the flight. This has great fruit, red to dark red,, good concentration, very balanced, nice tannins, and silky texture that stands out; earth, refined.
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Pretty musty on opening (but not TCA), this really didn't hit its stride until Day 2, when it showed a decidedly middleweight, elegant expression of CdP. No jam-packed fruit or blazing alcohol, this showed strawberry fruits, smoke, and spice in an understated, but no less compelling, fashion. If this is what "off vintage" CdP is like, I need to find more like it!
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This was spectacular! Lots of concentrated red fruit and spice. Had some earthy elements going on and great balance with a firmly acidic finish. Everything seemed to be in balance with this bottle.
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Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): Nose: This was just rearing to go, but in a more funky perfumed way with black cherries, violets, garrigue, kirsch, funk notes, potpourri, mesquitte smoke, and hot stones. There was a good amount of layering and depth that just constantly drew you into the glass.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. The feel is polished, poised, and refined with black cherries, violets, potpourri, mesquitte smoke, funky notes, raspberries, and hot stones.
Overall: This was a gorgeous Clos Des Papes. This is in its pomp right now with a perfumed and refines style to it.
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Occasional dinner group; A vertical of 15 vintages Clos des Papes and some great extra's. (@ B in SvG): This is a great and beautifully mature wine now with in the bouquet red berries, garrigue, minerals, smoke, tobacco and a pleasant touch of barnyard. On the palate still ripe red berry fruits, garrigue, earth, beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky, very good tannin. Great length! A wonderful wine to drink now and the next 3+ years.
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Cupo granato. Il naso rapisce, con sensazioni di legno di rosa e sandalo, amarena matura, pepe, appena accennata tapenade, carne arrostita, bergamotto, bello e netto. Bocca piena, elegante, giovanissima e lunghissima. Entusiasmante
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Consistent with previous notes. beautifully elegant, burgundian balance and fragrance, long and fresh and delicious. The balance will keep this good for years but lovely now.
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16 years old but tasting really young and soft. Surprisingly lightweight but all the better for that. A really pleasant, quality, subtle CndP. Lovely wine.
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I asked Paul if people will mistake his older vintage for a Burgundy. He opened this 1999. This is really gamey, almost farmyardy. Medium body, m+ finish. Slightly dry on the finish.
Tasted at the domaine.
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Quite open and delightful - also light on it's with underlying sweet noses of Grenache, and the rustic Mourvèdre more in the background. Though very fresh, this fully mature, if you not looking for the very old and very tertiary. To me, this hits the spot - and though i have no bottles left, I can live with that, and this will get me through #electionnight.
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This was really excellent tonight! Soft, round red fruit, with all the requisite cdp components, firm acidity at it's core and fine, dusty, well integrated tannins on the long finish. For my tastes, this is fully mature, but I suspect there's lots of life left here. Just delicious!!
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Monthly Tasting Group: CDP's and Southern Rhones (Meritage, St. Paul): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This was also quite good, nicely perfumed on the nose, it took a good 20 minutes to evolve in glass, showing darker fruits, damp earthiness, and spice. Refined palate, silky, nice dark fruits, spice, and good herb de Provence character.
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Popped and drank over the subsequent 3 hours. Initially, light garrigue on the nose, touch of black olive on the attack with some garrigue, moderate acid and good tannin on the medium finish. After an hour, the finish elongated, mouthfeel improved, dark fruit became more expressive. Well balanced wine (esp after an hour decant). I don't expect the wine to improve much with age.
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It started out astringent, but after about an hour decanting, it was beautiful; smooth texture, medium-to-light on the palate, fig, mushroom, cherry, well balanced and framed by nice acid.
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This was a beautiful CndP at its peak. It was not a blockbuster and showed an unusual Burgundy type elegance. It had medium/full body, velvety texture, smooth acidity, round sweet cherry tinged fruit infused with game and forest floor notes leading to a decently long and firm finish with kirsch hints. It was an ideal pairing for reindeer steak brought back from Finland. Excellent.
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This was drinking beautifully right out of the gate, but continued to improve over 3 hours. The colour is shimmering, translucent ruby, and as someone else pointed out, it gives the impression that the palate will be fairly light. Not so. It has size and structure with bracing acidity and firm tannins that make a statement on the mid-palate and finish. But it’s also complex and well balanced, with plenty of red fruit, garrigue, liquorice, leather, and peppery spice. It’s at a great point right now where the fruit is still fresh, the acid and tannins are still present, and there’s plenty of tertiary interest. Superb.
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Outstanding!! and drinking beautifully after about 2 hours or so of double decanting. Tonight this was all soft, rich, feminine red fruit with an edge. All the usual CDP elements make an appearance, garrigue, anise, leather, perhaps some Asian spice, a hint of stewed fruit, white pepper and some firmish, chalky tannins on the finish. While full bodied, this is not a blockbuster CDP, rather, this is a wine of finesse and elegance. Quite delicious, and while mature, I think it has a lot of life left, but for me, I'll probably drink my last bottle in the next year or so. I like to drink my CDPs while the stewed components are subtle, not dominant.
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Stony sweet strawberry-raspberry fruit supported by garrigue and licorice. Beautiful ruby color that belies the complexity beneath. If I could drink one type of CdP forever, this might be it. Damn good.
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mid red. Very burgundian in style on the nose. Lifted red fruits and sous bois. Nothing rustic. Mid weight on palate and well balanced red fruits. Finish long harmonious and fresh. Lovely bottle and loads of life.
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This is drinking beautifully tonight. Full bodied, but with a more delicate mouthfeel. Pretty red fruit with all the components that make CDP CDP. Quite nice with about 2 hours of air.
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Bought at release and appropriately cellared. 1/16" stain on the cork. It needed a half hour for the aromas to unfold and another half hour for the flavors to develop. High toned boysenberry, black raspberry flavors. Nice underlying herbaceousness with hints of anise. Atractive funk; saddle leather, pipe tobacco. Grenache dominates. Great balance. Drinking near peak but should keep this level of fruit for 5+ years and develop interesting flavors beyond that.
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Gives the impression of a well-resolved wine. Would have given higher score but for a vague impression of ash on the palate. This reflects how harshness of some previous bottles has receded with time. Drink now.
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Mid red some maturity. Beguiling almost Burgundian nose with sweet fruit damsons and some leather. Fruit continued on palate with minerals and elegant structure. A beautifully balanced wine from Avril
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This is an excellent bottle of wine with a cohesive, well integrated palate of red cherry, anise, garrigue and leather with some subtle white pepper on the finish. Medium to full bodied, but with a fairly delicate mouthfeel. For this bottle, the finish was just abit shorter than I would have liked, but all in all, this is really nice and drinking beautifully today.
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Needed 3-4 hours in the decanter to open. This is drinking beautifully today. Layers of candied cherry, cranberry, anise, garrigue and earth all perfectedly balanced on the palate, then followed by soft, dusty tannins and a finish that goes on forever( I stopped timing after 2 1/2 minutes.) This is full bodied but not at all heavy feeling in the mouth. A truly outstanding bottle of wine.
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Epic Evening (Home): Slow-oxed for 9 hours and decanted for sediment immediately prior to service. An elegant wine with plenty of savory elements and just a touch of brett. Well balanced.
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More finesse than some other vintages. Nice peppery fruit with balancing acidity. Improves with time in the glass. Unfortunately, my one and only bottle of this.
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Very nice and certainly not over the hill, but not one of the top vintages of this wine in my cellar. The fruit is slightly overripe and there's a lack of grip in the mouth.
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Light red, looks like Burgundy. Beautiful nose of cherry, coffee and earth. Delicious light red fruit and earth flavours and a soft mid weight finish. Delicious.
I love this style of CdP.
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Bill's Monthly Lunch - February 2012 (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind. Light to medium red. A Lighter and elegant nose that at first had some people guessing Pinot but with some time in the glass showed more of its Grenache profile with riper notes of cherry, spice and earth. On the palate the profile of the nose carries over with a fairly light and soft mouthfeel and resolved and mature flavours. Based on post-2001 vintages of Clos des Papes which I’ve often found to be over the top and quite modern in style, this is really nice and too bad more Chateauneufs weren’t made like this. Excellent.
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Slow-O 1 hour. A youthful core of ruby with an orange rim. Absolutely at peak now, but make no mistake, give this an hour or two in the decanter. Even then, the freshness is quite obvious. This isn't a wow wine of any sort, but you'll be hard pressed to find one more elegant and well composed. Plenty of savory, garrigue and red floral on the nose, with flavors corresponding on the palate. Above-average acidity, superb finish. Although we took our time, the last glass was still the best. Drink thru 2016, 14,0% abv, score: A-
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Beautiful bricking color. Initially a little dusty, but quickly opened up to exhale a complex mix of finely grained tannins underlying nice remaining mature fruit. Long finish. Excellent. At full matutity - drink up over the next couple of years.
Superbe robe tournant vers brique.Initialement un peu poussiéreux, mais s'est rapidement ouvert pour dévoiler un mélange complexe de tannins au grain fin soutenant un beau fruité à maturité. Excellent. A pleine maturité - à boire sur les quelques prochaines années.
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An outstanding bottle of wine. Cherry, anise and garrique in a full bodied but delicate feeling framework. The tannins have mellowed and the fruit has softened into a well integrated, perfectly balanced whole. For me, Clos des Papes never fails to shine. Mature and drinkIng well. Needed a couple of hours on the decanter. Day 2- Stored overnight in a screwtop 375ml bottle filled to overflowing. This was better today than yesterday. Exquiste! Velvety, mouthcoating black cherry, anice, tobacco notes, garrigue and damp, earthy undertones with the barest hint of white pepper on the long, satisfying finish. Old World styled CdP as it should be.
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Garnet. Nose reminds of fur, tobacco, garrigue, pepper, berries. Mouth is still youthful, balancced, elegant, with underbrush and goudron in the finish.
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Decanted for about 1 1/2 hours. Nose of dark fruit, garrigue, menthol and old leather. Palate of dark fruit, bright black cherry, garrigue, loamy earth and soft dusty tannins on the medium finish. This is an exceptional old world styled CdP that is drinking very well today.
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Classic French mini-tasting: Not a great vintage for Clos des Papes, and a bit foursquare, but nice ripe sweet Grenache fruit, and got better over days 2 and 3.
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Wow gorgeous showing of this wine. I am not sure they are making wines in this style at Clos des Papes. Popped and poured, pristine cork. Hugely expressive nose of gamy Syrah (think N. Rhone) that turned to notes of garrigue, flowers, cherries, and a tiny bit of heat that honestly didn't show up until the last glass (after the wine had warmed up to room temp). Wonderfully balanced on the palate with rich fruit, savory notes, decent acidity given the vintage, and soft tannins all combining in harmony. This is one of the better '99 CDPs I have tasted. While I think this wine is at its peak, it will hold for a couple of years more at this level.
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Verticale Clos des Papes Un joli nez floral avec des fraises des champs. Plusieurs évoquent la Bourgogne, j’écris pour ma part “à la Rayas”. La bouche est aérienne par sa belle texture, un vin au style bourguignon en effet, qui montre beaucoup de finesse et une belle longueur. Sans la profondeur des autres, mais un très bel exemple des vertus du millésime. 93 pts
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Popped and poured, drank over 2 hours. Mose of cherries, orange peel, sweet vanilla oak. Palate is quite fresh with the fruit becoming more prominent at the 2 hour mark
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Lovely stuff and not showing its age by any means....still even a bit tannic but much as described below with rich round tastes and none of the modern excess seen in so many special cuvees....great stuff
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner with Harry Karis (Againn, Washington DC): This wine showed very well. Nose was intoxicating rich with flavors of decaying leaves, violets, mushrooms, and garrigue. I will echo Faryan's comments from a previous note that while this doesn't have the brutish charm of Pegau or the blood/iodine driven palate of the Beaucastel, it has an elegance that takes those wines decades to achieve. An absolute pleasure to drink and a wine that will age effortlessly for 10-15 years.
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Wonderful. Had it along side some 2005 Ch du Papes from other producers and it reinforces why it's worth aging wines that'll age well. Decanted for a few hours, great nose from within 1/2 an hr, great depth and finish.
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An evening with Clos des Papes (Againn, Washington DC): The wine that was singing the best. I believe Kevin decanted this wine for roughly 3 hours. Resolved on the nose with beautiful hints of grange, sweet cherry and kirsch. In its delicacy, it is more akin to a N. Rhone syrah than a boisterous granache driven wine from a hot vintage. Returning to the comparison between Pegau and Beaucastel, this wine exhibits a delicacy and balance that the brutishness of Pegau often required more than 15 years to sort through and a pitch which the unique individualism of mourverdre often overshoots (in terms of brightness if that makes sense). A simply splendid wine to serve on any table with a wide mélange of foods. Great balance, interacting beautifully with the fish and bordelais. This wine is primetime and a real treat. Something to cherish even if it won't ever threaten a 100 point barrier. A wine that drinks to life!
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Vegetal and slightly mature on opening, light colour and very alcohlic that subdued on decanting. Lack of fruit and very unbalanced - will need to try another before making a full judgement.
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Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting: The nose of this wine had plum, cherry and some medicinal aromas. The palate was one of the fuller bodied wines of the tasting, and had a nice mix of red/black fruit flavors and earth. No brett in this bottle, and that was a nice change of pace for me from all of the other bretty CdPs that were around. My favorite CdP of the tasting.
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WLTV and others do CdPs (Bellevue Wine Storage): nose: bacon-y, with licorice and other meaty, olive-like flavors palate: I went back and forth on this one - at first I enjoyed the richness of the flavors and the spice on the palate, then I fought with the alcohol, then I got sucked back in by the meaty character and complexity of the fruit...I would have liked to examine this more closely, or returned to it after some air. Sadly, didn't get to it. This needs a revisit, though.
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CDP's at Edina Country Club; 12/27/2009-1/4/2010 (Edina Country Club): Medium purple with traditional CDP aromas of spice, leather and truffles. I put this through my areator and it revealed more fruit flavors and added some nice floral qualities. A nice wine overall but as good as the 2001 or 2004 from recent tastings.
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NOSE: celery; hint of leathery spice; a strong beefy note emerged with time in the glass; hint of red berry peeking through, as well.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; medium bodied; rustic ruby color of medium depth.
TASTE: loads of mineral; specks of spice and loganberry; garrigue on the finish; 14% alc. peeks through just a bit; not overblown. Seems loosely-knit, but somewhat closed-off at the same time. Wait a couple more years.
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Holiday CDP Tasting at Edina CC (Edina Country Club, MN): Nose: Somewhat musty originally then aromas of road tar, tobacco, and later bacon. Palate: The funk shows a little but after air showed red fruit, good acid levels, and an elegant medium length finish.
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Single-blind tasting with Hiroko at Vintage Wines in San Diego. Showing some age. Shoe polish nose. Very, very evolved. I'm not sure I like the nose. Palate is lovely. Very fine and elegant. 88/100 (mostly b/c of the palate).
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Medium color with some maturity. Perhaps less developed than last bottle. Olive, perfume, leather, herb, and some red fruit. Pleasing mid-weight for Chateauneuf with adequate ripeness of fruit. Solid but nothing special tonight.
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This bottle could have suffered a bit from poor storage as I know conditions where this wine came from weren't ideal. I expected this to be better than it was. It wouldn't be a wine I'd hang onto any longer as it was already in decline. The nose is very secondary with mushroom/game and funk (brett) which didn't overpower the fresher characters but was definitely noticeable. I enjoyed this more as we neared the end of the bottle when the beautiful chalkiness of the tannin started to emerge. A somewhat old school charm still evident in this but fading and if brett puts you off then give this a miss.
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Robe brique claire. Puissant nez musqué. En bouche, la puissance du nez laisse place à une trame raffinée de saveurs. Belle finale en longueur. A maturité, se gardera.
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Up and down-that has been the story with this. Tonight, delightful, mature aromatics that included lavender, candied fruit, and telltale green olive. Medium to lighter weight, savory, and fully resolved. Excellent drink and more alive than the last bottle.
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Very nice nose of bramble/leather/cherries. Great palate after an hour decant. Much lighter than current bottlings, complemented food wonderfully as opposed to being a show stopper. Not great length but fine. Became thinner on palate and finish with time in the decanter, drink up but very good now.
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After about one hour of air this wine was singing. Wonderful nose, great on the palate and a long finish. Other reviews do a great job of supplying the adjectives. For us this was a truly outstanding experience which merits a score of 92.
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Almost pinot noir in color. Nose was fresh leather, strawberries, cherries, a touch of pomegranate and damp earth with just a hint of allspice in the mix. Full flavored taste with the fruit being forward, but just as it seemed to be getting a little too sweet the tannin and acid kicked in to clear the palate. Great balance and very good, long finish. Just a delicious wine with a steak on a surprisingly cool night.
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Much better than the last bottle, basically due to the presence of fruit. Amazing what that will do for a wine. Guess there may well be some bottle variation.
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In an exercise of curiosity, I popped my second and last bottle of this and I have followed it over the last two days. Same exact profile as the last bottle. That takes bottle variation out of the equation. It does seem tired and over the hill to me. So the only thing I can imagine is that these bottles were stored sub-optimal sometime before I purchased them or that this wine is indeed in decline, in which case it would be interesting to see what other tasters experience with this wine right now. No obvious flaws though, and to me, no sign of overt heat damage (like stewed tomato notes or the like).
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Dinner Chez Pelz: OK. This could have been a mediocre bottle, but I'm not so sure. Purchased from a reputable retailer and stored perfectly for at least 5 or 6 years, this seemed like it's definitely in decline. Surprisingly light color. Initially, before I decanted it, there was a very obvious burnt rubber element in the aroma. On the palate, this showed odd, too. None of the kirsch and garrigue flavors I associate with good CdP. Rather, it had red berries, plum, and green olive going. Fruit has faded substantially, and I don't even get a lot of earthiness. Finish was the wine's highlight. In a weird zone and I suspect that this needed to be drunk a year or two ago. I have one left and will drink that one asap.
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Dark purple color; Tasted blind; There was some discussion that this wine might have been flawed as it was missing just about everything you might expect from this wine. No nose, little in the middle and slight finish. Just "missing in action". No obvious flaws.
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Clear medium core fading to light tawny edge. I haven't had this in several years, but the nose immediately brought back memories of this and other '99 Chateauneufs with lavender, evergreen, and olive. Medium weight with zingy acidity and adequate black fruit. On the lean and angular side, this is a more restrained, old fashioned Clos des Papes which would be totally unrecognizable to those who have come to know the property since 2000. That said, I plan to drink my remaining bottles over the next year or two before the fruit becomes more autumnal. At this point, it is very good but definitely not great; in truth, I'm not sure it's as good as it was 2-3 years ago.
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The South of France in Colorado: 1999 Chateauneuf Horizontal: This about the ripe, big fruit and lush glycerin-infused mouthfeel. Miles to go still, but very enjoyable now. Quieter on the bouquet, and it seems pretty classically styled if not true old school.
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Secondary aromas of dark garrigue, earth and smoke. Very little fruit on the nose or palate, in fact not really enough to make the wine enjoyable, even with dinner. However, some fruit began peeking out after about two hours of air time. Certainly nowhere near as enjoyable a wine as it was in its youth, and even at six years of age (see my TN below from 2005). Perhaps more time is needed to let some fruit reappear? But even then I'm concerned there may not be enough to balance everything out into a wine of elegance. Disappointing. Not Rated.
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Drinking beautifully right now. Moving on to secondary fruit aroma's, nice spiciness, round but with good freshness, good length, typical Clos des Papes.
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This wine has finally started to hit maturity. Deep ripe red fruits, cherry mostly, with a rich woodsy complexity. There are wonderful beef juices, fat, and herbal (thyme) notes. This wine's historical tannins are now starting to melt into licorice. Glad I just picked up five more of these.
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Light purple in the glass, this wine wasn't really giving too much on the nose other than faint aromas of crushed violets and wet stone. A very refined palate, though, featuring sour red cherry and baking spice. There is an abundance of acidity, which makes me somewhat regret drinking this on its' own. Barely any presence of tannin. Somewhat nicely balanced and a decent drink, though not really worth the sticker price of $50.
40+5+5+15+17+8=90
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Nose of red fruits and leather. Tangy red fruits are very evident on the palate with a nice, long finish. Very elegant. This is drinking really well right now and should continue to get better over the next 5 years.
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Medium ruby, with a narrowish ruby rim. Again, not a lot of colour change, but perhaps a little more tired looking than the '98. Starts with a little volatility, but this eventually blows off to reveal a denser fruited wine than the '98. More plum than cherry on the palate, but the fruit is gentle and coaxing and has more than a little depth. Nicely balanced and with very fine tannins which are beautifully 'fondue'. Good length. A little more backward than the '98 and although it's drinking well a couple more years of bottle age will reveal more complexity. Will certainly drink well for another ten to fifteen years after that.
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Clos des Papes offline (St John): Restrained power and sweet fruit. Full bodied, primary fruit, good concentration, and a long tannic/spicy finish. This stood up well beside the 1995. While lacking some refinement and therefore not quite in the same class it is an excellent example of Clos des Papes. dg
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Clos des Papes Offline: Less fruity nose initially, a bit muted, some vanilla and a touch of caramel. Fuller on attack, quite viscous. Spicy fruit. Chewy and plummy. Drinking nicely now though fruit still quite primary. Seems more simple with time. ***
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Double decanted about an hour before serving. Excellent nose featuring an elegant blend of dark fruit and dried herbs. The taste gives a blast of dark fruit that is very ripe that doesn't have the flavor density of the other two wines ('00 and '01 Clos des Papes). Plenty tannic but lacking the acidity to fill in the balance. Drinking pretty well now but is likely to improve a bit with additional bottle age.
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Nez de fraises très mûres, avec du kirsch et du tabac.
Bouche moyennement corsée, très gourmande, sur les fruits rouges et les herbes séchées. Une belle complexité avec une richesse en fruit, sans excès d’alcool ni de tanins. Bonne longueur et finale élégante. Un très bel exemple du millésime 1999, qui impressionne par son équilibre, tout en gardant ce petit coté rustique propre aux Châteauneuf du Pape au style traditionnel. Savoureux, il est arrivé à une belle maturité et devrait s’y maintenir plusieurs années. 91 pts
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Excellent notes of shoe leather, olive, oregano and mild horse waft from the glass. This medium to full bodied wine is still in its drinking prime and will be for the next several years. No need to hold any longer. The finish lasts for 30 seconds, and that is when the olive really starts to dominate. Tempenade anyone?
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Clos des Papes Vertical (Tribeca Grill): We were lucky enough to drink this out of magnum, so we were able to go back and get a second impression. At first, it was fairly charmless. Some kirsch, some vanilla, a bit of garrigue, but not much there. In the mouth in was a bit thin and diluted with a short finish. When we went back to it later, while it was still firm and buttoned down, it started to show a more elegant side. It was still more structure than anything else, but it came across as classy and old-school instead of stiff. Perhaps the .750s would show a little flashier, but I suspect that these will take time.
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Clos des Papes Vertical (Tribeca Grill, NYC): Drank from magnum. Very ripe and rich. What a contrast to the more elegant 1969 and 1989. Very big wine with a ton of cherry coming through and some alcohol. Initially this was pretty tight but with air this kept getting better and better.
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Nez d’herbes séchées, de la garrigue, le tout en sourdine avec un peu de fruit rouge À l’ouverture, le vin se révèle droit, assez souple et long mais plutôt austère, loin des gourmandises auxquelles le millésime 1999 m’avait habitué.
Il dormait.
La confiture de fraises que je cherchais sort au bout de 45 minutes, ajoutant du charme à ce vin qui me plaisait par son bel équilibre et sa structure. Le vin se réveille, il se montre ample et assez profond. Après plus d’une heure, les derniers verres sont absolument savoureux. Un Châteauneuf exemplaire au niveau de l’équilibre, sans aucun excès d’alcool, avec les arômes classiques de garrigue et de fruit rouge. Superbe.
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Ray's Birthday - Rhone with a new world twist (Jang Shou Korean BBQ, Esplanade): EN's donation. Excellent pairing with the BBQ beef. My favourite of the night amongst tough competition from a 2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel and a 2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz, just pipping the fomer wine because of its extra bit of elegance. Very pure expression of Grenache here, reflecting its primacy in the Clos des Papes CdP blend. Ruby coloured with a slight orange tinge. On the nose, stewed cherries wafting along on a bed of light vanilla scents. Cooked cherries again on the palate, but with a beam of meatiness and a long finish with a sweet aftertaste. As with most Clos des Papes, this was elegantly structured, silky smooth, with great balance and poise. Masculine, but with a sauve refinement. Maybe not as powerful or complex as Clos des Papes from outstanding vintages, just lacking that little oomph, but flawless in its execution nonethless. Very good and drinking well now.
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Light red with brown hints on edge. Iodine on nose, later gives way to more tar and leather notes, some smoke. Medium bodied, nice structure. Medium tannins. Very well made. Better than the last bottle.
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You really know it's a bad night when even the old reliable '99 Clos des Papes is a dog. Although not as horribly tainted by VA as our previous wine, and showing some garrigue in the background, still just a fraction of how good it can be and usually is. The VA worsened after the first pour and we threw away the rest. Oh well.
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A little dumb on first opening, but quite quickly evolved some nice meaty notes to go with the fairly intense red fruits. A clean finish of moderate length. A well balanced CNdP with life ahead of it.
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Exploring Chateauneuf-du-Pape @ Peter Z. (Belgium): Modest, almost reticent bouquet. Finer grained that both preceding Pegau's. Tasty notes of milkchocolate, kirsch, strawberry cheesecake. No emotion here, kind of clinical and unresponsive. But no faults either. 16.5/20
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Very pure nose of bright raspberries, cherries, some earthy peppery notes. Very clean on the palate with more of the raspberries/cherries and a touch of garrigue. Wonderful concentration and palate presence. Very clean wine for the brett phobic crowd. Excellent acid presence providing even more lift to the already explosive fruit. The wine retains a rather elegant feel and quality as it finishes long and strong. Very nice indeed.
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Astringent on opening, took almost an hour in decanter to open up to very nice fruit, great length. Nose almost non-existent at open, muted after a while. Last glass (two hours in decanter) the best, leave alone for a bit. A-.
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Deep red color. Great nose of cherries. Hint of meat and smoke with a very long finish. Fine tannins were well integrated. This is drinking beautifully!
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Rubinred with slight browning. At first it presents itself with a wonderful and sweet perfume of cherries, raspberries and some additional green elements. Unfortunately air quickly closes it down and makes it more restrained. Medium-bodied it is a tight and not altogether pleasent Clos des Papes with lots of acid and some sharp tannins in the finish. Works with food. Had I not known what this were I would surely have mistaken it for a Burg. Will probably mellow out in time. rating: 90+
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Popped and poured into a Reidel Vinum Cab Extreme. The color was a beautiful deep cherry red. The boquet was of cherries, raw beef, and ever so slight hint of alchol. On the palate, the wine was stunning. My first impression was "WOW". An explosion of red fruit with an underlying backbone of very fine tannins. The finish lasted for 45 seconds. I picked this bottle up a year or so ago, a lone bottle on the shelf, afraid it may be damaged from having sat on the shelf too long. Now I wish they had had more. It is definitely time to add more Clos des Papes to the cellar.
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Initially restrained / raw nose. Became great after 45 minutes of decanting. Lighter color, with signs of evolution. Very smooth in the mouth - beautiful equilibrium between fruit and tannins. Long. Ready, will hold. Make sure you serve not too warm (17°C max).
Initialement réservé, nez "brut". Après carafage (45 minutes), atteint l'excellence. Robe plutôt pâle, avec des signes d'évolution. Du velours en bouche - superbe équilibre entre le fruit et les tannins. Long en bouche. A maturité, se gardera encore de nombreuses années. S'assurer de ne pas le servir trop chaud (17°C max.).
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Big nose of iodine, earth and good 'ol funk. Cherries and shrooms on the palate with a spicy-peppery finish. This opened up as the night wore on. We should have decanted as the lush fruit was beginning to emerge as the last glasses were consumed. Good stuff.
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The '99 Clos des Papes is drinking beautifully. The light was poor in the restaurant so I don't have a good report on the color. The nose soared with jammy red and black fruits, earth, a bit of garrigue and other herbs, and smoke. Fatly medium-bodied, the wine tasted as luscious as it smelled with very good mid-palate persistance and a nice finish of about 15 seconds. This was outstanding and thoroughly enjoyable. It may continue to evolve and gain complextity, but I don't think it will be better, only diifferent.
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Absolutely delicious. Opened, once again, with a 1999 Janasse Chaupin to taste next to one another. Both are drinking extremely well, with the Chaupin having just a little more Rhone funk to it. Both very well balanced, intense, tasty fruit driven wines. If you want to turn someone on to Chateauneuf, open one of either of these two wines today. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France. $32.
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Tasted blind at an informal Friday tasting at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Deep ruby with red rim. Intense nose of smokey bacon, black cherry, clove and other exotic spices. Full-bodied, with ample but supple tannins giving the wine a silky texture on the palate. Long, smooth finish. To date, this is probably the best Chateauneuf that I have ever tasted. It should benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, then hold for another decade.
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5/4/2024 - North Willis Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP. I was struck by the youthfulness of this wine. For the first several hours it offered a pleasant but not particularly striking experience. However, after open for a few hours, it showed more complexity in the way of dried flowers, dark fruits, and smoke. The smoke notes were wonderful. If I had another bottle I would decant for two hours before drinking.
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3/27/2024 - Cofxc Likes this wine: 90 Points
Beautiful clear garnet. Red fruit, a touch barnyard. Sweet tobacco, leather. Sweet fruit, touch of bacon. Fresh. Good to high acidity (started out spikey). Long leather laden finish. 14%. Zalto BDX.
That sweetness and acidity of an aged Rioja.
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11/24/2023 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped n' poured for turkey day yesterday. Nose remains quite aromatic with aromas of red fruit, leather and earth. Medium body, still showing nice amount of red cherry fruit, slightly herbal with some leather, and earthy mushroom notes. The years on this wine are apparent to any knowledgeable wino, but the wine was in far better condition than I expected and in fact is drinking quite nicely at 24 years of age. Wish I had another. Bottle went fast. Lovely wine.
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7/13/2023 - robmatic wrote: 93 Points
Age is evident, highly aromatic, slightly herbal, with a juciy and harmonious palate. Fully mature and maybe slightly weakening, but fully charming wine.
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6/24/2023 - sirpat00 wrote: 90 Points
Tasted blind along with the 2019. Mixed berries, but on balance a slightly more red types. Minor mushroom notes give away the age. Rather low intensity when compared to the 2019. The palate still shows primary fruit and was in decent balance. Good, but with limited complexity and blurry aromas.
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6/23/2023 - oenanthe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Quite a bright red. Hugely fragrant with a little air, fresh herbs and red and black fruit jumps from the glass. It is mellow, it is smooth and elegant, and it is also spicy on the end and on the first pour it seems a lot younger than it is and I wondered if, at 24 years, I had gone too early! Not so, it is just waking up, and as time goes by this gets better and better from the decanter. There is a cornucopia of southern charm here, wonderful. I had brought the 2005 as a backup but it wasn't needed, and on this showing I think I will bury it at the back of the cellar for a while. Top class CNdP and another big score for The Wine Society mystery "over the hill" case - 4/4.
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12/16/2022 - Eric Wright Likes this wine: 93 Points
Lovely nose. Age is evident, port notes building. Palate note hugely complex; will be downhill from here. Enjoy now!
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8/25/2022 - astroman wrote:
Tannins mostly resolved. Drinking well now
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7/22/2022 - AudunG wrote: 91 Points
Fully mature. Still fruity, with a spicy bitterness in the finish. Soft and surprisingly elegant for a Clos des Papes. Could remind of a mature Burgundy.
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5/20/2022 - peterchoy wrote: 93 Points
Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of light garnet colour, with wide fading rims and legs.
Nose: Clean, with medium intensity aromas of red fruit of raspberry and cherries, black fruit of blackberry and dark plum, floral notes of violet, pungent spice of black pepper, sweet spice of nutmeg, mineral notes of tar, kernel notes of coffee, maturity notes of savoury. The wine is developing.
Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium (+) tannin of ripe and silky texture, medium (+) in alcohol and medium (+) body, with medium (+) intensity flavours of red fruit of raspberry and cherries, black fruit of blackberry, mineral notes of tar, sweet spice of tarragon, maturity notes of mushroom. The wine has a medium (+) finish.
Conclusion: Very good quality CDP with a reasonably intense nose showing great complexity, with a mix of red and black fruit, plenty of spice and tar, supplemented with coffee and development characters. On the palate the wine is robust yet elegant, with nice tannin of silky texture, good concentration in flavours and a fairly long finish. It is ready to drink now and can maintain for another 2-3 years.
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12/31/2021 - rocknroller wrote: 95 Points
NYE: Ringing in 2022 (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Dark red color. PNP, drank a glass over 3 hours. What a marvelous nose, pretty red and black fruits, floral, tar and garrigue with immense lift and purity. The palate mimics the nose and it's purity, the fruit and balance shines brightly here; ripe black and red currants, cherry, cherry skin, tar, exotic spices, quite spicy with a white pepper finish and sleek tannins. Loved it, in a great spot and no rush at all!
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12/31/2021 - galewskj wrote: 94 Points
New Years Eve 2021 (Kevin and Vicki's house): Pop and pour. Pink flowers, black to red fruit, anise, spice, mushroom, damp earth. I didn't know what to expect here and this was a fantastic well-aged CDP.
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6/13/2021 - BVal wrote: 93 Points
Color/App: clear, moderately deep ruby core -> diffuse, fully mature garnet rim. Took about 1-1.5 hours to reach apogee after popping the cork. Classic, lovely and savoury bouquet of Herbs de Provence, forest floor, leather, a bit of that CDP spice and a touch of band-aid. Palate was all singed cherries, that wonderful sage/thyme/herbessence, garrigue and just a notion of meat (Syrah coming through?). While delicious and definitely on the plateau of enjoyment, I'm not sure this is going to go too much longer as I would say the finish is no longer than about medium-length. But seriously, what more can you want from a CDP in a really good vintage? I think at 20+ years this totally rocks my Rhone !
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5/22/2021 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Still an awesome bottle. Intense herbals and florals, clean and piercing palate, long and deep. Absolutely charming.
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5/20/2021 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Clear light red. Red berries, blood, and singed herbs in this gorgeous almost youthful nose. Dry balanced raspberry and cassis flavours and a beautifully balanced finish.
Loved this.
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4/11/2021 - GEL Wines wrote: 90 Points
Mature. Red-brown-orange. Stewed fruit nose, medium to light mouthfeel. At opening, red fruit (strawberry, tart cherry) with little structure; evolved over next hours, interestingly more integrated with some structure. Interesting but past peak. Drink up if you have some.
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12/22/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 88 Points
drunk alongside the 2000 and much the poorer of the two, this bottle has seen much better days with the fruit all but gone
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11/9/2020 - robmatic wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic from the first sip. Brilliant bouquet, super clean, with light florals, toast, plums. Intense, succulent, and delicious. Fresh and gripping, with zingy acidity, a lovely clean streak of sage and eucalyptus, and a beautiful spiced finish. Definitely quite mature now, possibly near the end of its plateau. Not just great to drink but maybe the best it's ever been. Drink now and over the next few years.
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6/27/2020 - Dr_Bob wrote:
Over the hill
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5/27/2020 - lars1014 Likes this wine:
Drinking beautifully and it was as good as I remembered
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4/10/2020 - hargy Likes this wine: 91 Points
gentle and delicious and certainly mature and may be on a slow decline
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4/8/2020 - wehouck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nicely aged Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Slightly brown meniscus, mellow nose with no oak and almost a raisin hint. Very smooth on the palate. Complex flavors with none predominating. Distinct lack of oak. Long finish with raisin flavor late. I know the 2016 vintage just received a 100 point rating. I would not say this is 100 points, but very good to excellent.
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5/2/2019 - hargy Likes this wine: 90 Points
certainly mature and maybe the fruit is just starting to fade - drink in the short term
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10/6/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote: 92 Points
On the fresh, bright, crisp and floral side, the cherries are still sweet, crisp, floral and elegant. The finish offers an elegant, bright, kirsch filled note. Not the deepest or more concentrated wine from the estate, but it is among the more refined and charming vintages produced here.
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6/5/2018 - robferguson1 wrote: 90 Points
Nice
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6/5/2018 - robferguson1 wrote: 90 Points
Nice but a bit browny
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6/4/2018 - Mistress of Wine wrote:
Light ruby. This leads with high toned aromas of red fruit and orange peel, with undertones of game, mushroom, leather and spice. The palate adds a surprising late note of mint. A delicate style of Chateauneuf in an overlooked vintage. To my taste, drinking at peak right now.
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5/13/2018 - Dury wrote: 93 Points
No formal notes but enjoyed by all. Seems to be at or around peak--good secondary without meaningful loss of freshness.
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4/1/2018 - Mr T wrote:
Mature and maybe a little fade as fruit retreats and never a big fruit vintage. Nice wine to sip and savor
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3/23/2018 - hargy Likes this wine: 92 Points
lovely wine - certainly mature - complex and long - should last a few years yet!
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2/25/2018 - portman63 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Definitely came across somewhat mature with some garrigue (thyme being most dominant) and meatiness on the nose at first, but it came around and started showing more red forest fruit. I showed it's best for balanced raspberry fruit and a maintaining good acidity on the 2nd night, I thought. Nice, but think these are ready to go over the next few years and seem unlikely to improve like the surrounding vintages.
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1/14/2018 - Kevin Cheng wrote: flawed
Not sure what happened with the bottle. This was supposed to be a RP94 but mine was near undrinkable. I suspect my (half) bottle was spoiled during storage at store, which is unfortunate as I had high hopes on this one. Better luck next time, maybe!
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1/12/2018 - Jeff W wrote:
My second bottle from the auction case.
Disintegrating cork. This is a better bottle than the first, meaning I am happy to drink it, but it is still a lightweight with faded fruit. "Delicate" and "feminine" are not words I have ever used about Clos des Papes. I am picky about alcohol, but Clos des Papes is typically a 14-15% wine that does not show any overt alcohol. This is 14% and it shows. It's actually a very enjoyable bottle, just that you don't open a Clos des Papes expecting to meet a charming old lady. From what most others report, it looks as if I have a suspect case.
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1/7/2018 - JMFWC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pop and pour showed well. Good nose with leathery notes and good fruit acid balance. Finished nicely.
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12/21/2017 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
Served blind. Very light color, clear rim. Herbal, garrigue nose centered around rosemary and sage. Herbal, cranberry, tart raspberry palate with a resonant acidity that makes this very persistent on the palate. Mature, open, ready to go. My guess is a high quality Chateauneuf producer from an older vintage like 1990. Doesn't seem like like Pegau or Beaucastel. This has matured considerably in the last 5 years.
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12/16/2017 - Doc90 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tasted blind. Wonderfully expressive nose. Raspberry, thyme, dry roasted peanuts, balsamic-cherry reduction. Syrah? Soft and lithe, with great striking acidity. Composed herbal palate. Very warm and sunny, and the most accessible of the three.
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12/16/2017 - robmatic wrote: 94 Points
Notable funk upon first pour, but dissipated shortly. Spicy, herbal, and peppery. Powerful acidity alongside a sweet balsamic note, the palate is sharply herbaceous and potent, almost painfully so. Mature but should drink well for another 5 years easily, and probably more.
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12/15/2017 - Jeff W wrote:
From a 6 pack bought at auction.
I have never had a bad Clos des Papes, but this is the first bottle and it's a sad excuse. Thin and weak and showing overt alcohol because of the hole where the fruit should be. If this was a geriatric Bourgogne Rouge I might give it some respect for being almost alive but it's not, it's a wine that should be in its prime but is lacking everything that makes a Clos des Papes enjoyable. This is like when your dog vomits over your favourite pudding. This is like when Elvis Presley left Sun Records. This is like when your football team falls to pieces. (I know of what I speak.)
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9/15/2017 - champussi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wunderschöner reifer CdP. Noch Gerbstoffreste, aber tendenziell nimmt die Frucht wohl ab. Deshalb lieber bald trinken! Trotzdem sehr sehr schön!
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9/9/2017 - MikeCW wrote: 97 Points
Wow. Drinking so well right now. In a fantastic place. One of the best wines of the year.
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7/11/2017 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Another reviewer captured it perfectly: red fruit, orange peel, and almost nebbiolo like in body and texture. Floral and perfumey with lavender and dried herbs, low tannins.
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4/18/2017 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Dinner at Odette (Odette, National Gallery, Singapore): Has not moved much from the last bottle, in fact this felt a bit too young to enjoy. The nose was nice enough, with a blush of bright red fruit, almost candied, spiked with bits of garrigue and spice and just a little edge of bretty funk. The palate was still right, with a slight rasp of fine tannins and a decent amount of acidity wrapped around a core of primary red fruit. A touch of woody spice and garrigue then carried the wine into a strongish finish. This has quality - depth, balance and a decent sense of purity, but it needs time yet. 5-6 years to lose its puppy fat at least.
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1/25/2017 - Wine Canuck wrote: 92 Points
I was quite nicely surprised by this. Initial aromatics are red fruit and orange peel. Almost a tad Nebbiolo like. Very floral and perfumy. The palate is red fruited with elevated acid, lavender, dried herbs. Low dusty tannin on the orange peel tinged finish.
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1/1/2017 - eboracum Likes this wine: 94 Points
After complaining about several recent bottles of CndP not being worthy of the appellation's reputation, I am glad to say that here was one that was really performing. Furthermore, though in the past I have met big bottle variation in Clos des Papes, I can repeat almost verbatim my TN from over 2 years ago. This was a beautiful CndP at its peak. It was not a blockbuster and showed an unusual Burgundy type elegance. It had medium/full body, velvety texture, smooth acidity, round sweet cherry tinged fruit infused with game and forest floor notes leading to a decently long and firm finish with kirsch hints. It was a good pairing for our traditional New Year rabbit marinated in Trappiste beer with prunes. Excellent.
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11/12/2016 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 95 Points
From a bottle purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion, this medium garnet wine is very impressive. Now 17 years old, it flaunts complex aromas and flavors of dark plums, pipe tobacco, loamy earth, leather and baking spices. Medium-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14%) and with soft residual tannins, it is in a distinctly different but equally enjoyable place than it was when last tasted several years ago. Gaining traction on the mid-palate and finishing long, this is a Châteauneuf that has aged ever so gracefully. Those holding well-cellared bottles should find it to be delicious for at least 3-4 more years. Drink now-2020.
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11/9/2016 - Mr T wrote:
Similar to last bottle
Excellent
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11/5/2016 - rjpbath Likes this wine: 92 Points
Extremely elegant, with lovely vegetal notes. A light(ish) CdesP which is completely ready. Delicious
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10/29/2016 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Brisket Bash Deux: 10 Vintage Vertical of Clos de Papes and more (Siggy & Jenny's Place, Mpls, MN): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 20-30 minutes. Drank as part of a vertical of Clos des Papes (95, 98, 99, 00, 01, 04, 05, 06, 08, 09). My second favorite of the flight. This has great fruit, red to dark red,, good concentration, very balanced, nice tannins, and silky texture that stands out; earth, refined.
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8/21/2016 - Billigan Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty musty on opening (but not TCA), this really didn't hit its stride until Day 2, when it showed a decidedly middleweight, elegant expression of CdP. No jam-packed fruit or blazing alcohol, this showed strawberry fruits, smoke, and spice in an understated, but no less compelling, fashion. If this is what "off vintage" CdP is like, I need to find more like it!
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5/23/2016 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
This was spectacular! Lots of concentrated red fruit and spice. Had some earthy elements going on and great balance with a firmly acidic finish. Everything seemed to be in balance with this bottle.
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5/20/2016 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): Nose: This was just rearing to go, but in a more funky perfumed way with black cherries, violets, garrigue, kirsch, funk notes, potpourri, mesquitte smoke, and hot stones. There was a good amount of layering and depth that just constantly drew you into the glass.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. The feel is polished, poised, and refined with black cherries, violets, potpourri, mesquitte smoke, funky notes, raspberries, and hot stones.
Overall: This was a gorgeous Clos Des Papes. This is in its pomp right now with a perfumed and refines style to it.
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4/23/2016 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional dinner group; A vertical of 15 vintages Clos des Papes and some great extra's. (@ B in SvG): This is a great and beautifully mature wine now with in the bouquet red berries, garrigue, minerals, smoke, tobacco and a pleasant touch of barnyard. On the palate still ripe red berry fruits, garrigue, earth, beautiful acidity and still slightly sticky, very good tannin. Great length! A wonderful wine to drink now and the next 3+ years.
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1/18/2016 - Ludi Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cupo granato. Il naso rapisce, con sensazioni di legno di rosa e sandalo, amarena matura, pepe, appena accennata tapenade, carne arrostita, bergamotto, bello e netto. Bocca piena, elegante, giovanissima e lunghissima. Entusiasmante
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1/2/2016 - redders Likes this wine: 91 Points
Consistent with previous notes. beautifully elegant, burgundian balance and fragrance, long and fresh and delicious. The balance will keep this good for years but lovely now.
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12/2/2015 - rjpbath Likes this wine: 92 Points
16 years old but tasting really young and soft. Surprisingly lightweight but all the better for that. A really pleasant, quality, subtle CndP. Lovely wine.
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7/9/2015 - VeronicaXu Likes this wine: 91 Points
I asked Paul if people will mistake his older vintage for a Burgundy. He opened this 1999. This is really gamey, almost farmyardy. Medium body, m+ finish. Slightly dry on the finish.
Tasted at the domaine.
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6/18/2015 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
Quite open and delightful - also light on it's with underlying sweet noses of Grenache, and the rustic Mourvèdre more in the background. Though very fresh, this fully mature, if you not looking for the very old and very tertiary. To me, this hits the spot - and though i have no bottles left, I can live with that, and this will get me through #electionnight.
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4/19/2015 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was really excellent tonight! Soft, round red fruit, with all the requisite cdp components, firm acidity at it's core and fine, dusty, well integrated tannins on the long finish. For my tastes, this is fully mature, but I suspect there's lots of life left here. Just delicious!!
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2/15/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: CDP's and Southern Rhones (Meritage, St. Paul): Dark red color. PNP, drank 1 glass over 2 hours. This was also quite good, nicely perfumed on the nose, it took a good 20 minutes to evolve in glass, showing darker fruits, damp earthiness, and spice. Refined palate, silky, nice dark fruits, spice, and good herb de Provence character.
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1/30/2015 - cubswinws Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank from magnum, light in color but nice expressive nose and wonderful clean palate with great finish. Really a delight and so enjoyable.
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1/23/2015 - Dury wrote: 91 Points
Popped and drank over the subsequent 3 hours. Initially, light garrigue on the nose, touch of black olive on the attack with some garrigue, moderate acid and good tannin on the medium finish. After an hour, the finish elongated, mouthfeel improved, dark fruit became more expressive. Well balanced wine (esp after an hour decant). I don't expect the wine to improve much with age.
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10/5/2014 - ekenneth wrote: 95 Points
It started out astringent, but after about an hour decanting, it was beautiful; smooth texture, medium-to-light on the palate, fig, mushroom, cherry, well balanced and framed by nice acid.
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10/4/2014 - eboracum Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was a beautiful CndP at its peak. It was not a blockbuster and showed an unusual Burgundy type elegance. It had medium/full body, velvety texture, smooth acidity, round sweet cherry tinged fruit infused with game and forest floor notes leading to a decently long and firm finish with kirsch hints. It was an ideal pairing for reindeer steak brought back from Finland. Excellent.
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8/13/2014 - winemaker Likes this wine: 91 Points
The fruit here in the mid palate is dropping away.. The wine is good. Plenty of garrigue so you know it is CdP. Not a blockbuster.
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6/18/2014 - sunnylea57 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This was drinking beautifully right out of the gate, but continued to improve over 3 hours. The colour is shimmering, translucent ruby, and as someone else pointed out, it gives the impression that the palate will be fairly light. Not so. It has size and structure with bracing acidity and firm tannins that make a statement on the mid-palate and finish. But it’s also complex and well balanced, with plenty of red fruit, garrigue, liquorice, leather, and peppery spice. It’s at a great point right now where the fruit is still fresh, the acid and tannins are still present, and there’s plenty of tertiary interest. Superb.
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3/8/2014 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 93 Points
Outstanding!! and drinking beautifully after about 2 hours or so of double decanting. Tonight this was all soft, rich, feminine red fruit with an edge. All the usual CDP elements make an appearance, garrigue, anise, leather, perhaps some Asian spice, a hint of stewed fruit, white pepper and some firmish, chalky tannins on the finish. While full bodied, this is not a blockbuster CDP, rather, this is a wine of finesse and elegance. Quite delicious, and while mature, I think it has a lot of life left, but for me, I'll probably drink my last bottle in the next year or so. I like to drink my CDPs while the stewed components are subtle, not dominant.
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2/16/2014 - Ali wrote: 94 Points
Beautiful wine drinking at its peak. Burly red fruit at first, then mellowed into a lovely elegant CNP.
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1/18/2014 - Philippe_C wrote: 91 Points
Nose of gamey, mushrooms, black fruit… very light tannins, fresh red fruit, animal, hint of peperonis
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12/28/2013 - andtheodor wrote: 93 Points
Stony sweet strawberry-raspberry fruit supported by garrigue and licorice. Beautiful ruby color that belies the complexity beneath. If I could drink one type of CdP forever, this might be it. Damn good.
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12/14/2013 - rsbeck wrote: 90 Points
Popped and poured. Raspberry, Cola, earth, and garrigue.
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10/26/2013 - redders Likes this wine: 91 Points
mid red. Very burgundian in style on the nose. Lifted red fruits and sous bois. Nothing rustic. Mid weight on palate and well balanced red fruits. Finish long harmonious and fresh. Lovely bottle and loads of life.
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7/30/2013 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 91 Points
Powerful and fresh despite the age. In the back beautiful layers of terciary complexity.
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7/27/2013 - mmcdds Likes this wine: 92 Points
This is drinking beautifully tonight. Full bodied, but with a more delicate mouthfeel. Pretty red fruit with all the components that make CDP CDP. Quite nice with about 2 hours of air.
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2/13/2013 - backroadbob wrote: 93 Points
Bought at release and appropriately cellared. 1/16" stain on the cork. It needed a half hour for the aromas to unfold and another half hour for the flavors to develop. High toned boysenberry, black raspberry flavors. Nice underlying herbaceousness with hints of anise. Atractive funk; saddle leather, pipe tobacco. Grenache dominates. Great balance. Drinking near peak but should keep this level of fruit for 5+ years and develop interesting flavors beyond that.
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1/12/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 90 Points
David White comes to town (Domaine Wine Storage and Sun-Wah BBQ, Chicago IL): Nose: This was very shy and simple at first, but moved into very nice tones of black fruits, garrigue, herbs, and black cherries.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with a polished feel, but holding back a bit with tones of black cherries, garrigue, and a good bit of herbs.
Overall: I should've decanted this. I put some in a glass and put it to the side. It took a while to open up, but it didn't fully hit the next gear.
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1/12/2013 - tooch wrote: 88 Points
Saturday with David White (Domaine Wine Storage & Sun Wah - Chicago, IL): Seemed a bit shutdown and simplistic. The fruit was pure, but a bit too easy-going for me. Really beautiful florals and spice but everything seemed only about 2/3rds there. Should be a real beauty with some time.
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1/6/2013 - sharonandroland Likes this wine: 93 Points
Hawthorn (which I always like), rich, developed (at peak), tobacco, great length with a sweetish finish
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10/8/2012 - ski695 wrote: 91 Points
Drinking quite well now. Tannins are fairly resolved and Mourvedre is certainly there in a nice way. Still another 10 year sof life I think.
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9/1/2012 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 91 Points
Gives the impression of a well-resolved wine. Would have given higher score but for a vague impression of ash on the palate. This reflects how harshness of some previous bottles has receded with time. Drink now.
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7/18/2012 - wahoff Likes this wine: 92 Points
Still great - totally integrated and smooth while keeping good muscle.
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7/16/2012 - redders wrote: 92 Points
Mid red some maturity. Beguiling almost Burgundian nose with sweet fruit damsons and some leather. Fruit continued on palate with minerals and elegant structure. A beautifully balanced wine from Avril
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6/2/2012 - mariolanza wrote: 90 Points
Reliable but thinning on the edges especially after 6 hour decant
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5/12/2012 - mmcdds wrote: 93 Points
This is an excellent bottle of wine with a cohesive, well integrated palate of red cherry, anise, garrigue and leather with some subtle white pepper on the finish. Medium to full bodied, but with a fairly delicate mouthfeel. For this bottle, the finish was just abit shorter than I would have liked, but all in all, this is really nice and drinking beautifully today.
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5/1/2012 - mariolanza wrote: 88 Points
Drank with friends after a Opus One. Interesting to see the differences.
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3/25/2012 - mmcdds wrote: 95 Points
Needed 3-4 hours in the decanter to open. This is drinking beautifully today. Layers of candied cherry, cranberry, anise, garrigue and earth all perfectedly balanced on the palate, then followed by soft, dusty tannins and a finish that goes on forever( I stopped timing after 2 1/2 minutes.) This is full bodied but not at all heavy feeling in the mouth. A truly outstanding bottle of wine.
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2/18/2012 - zscheiner Likes this wine: 92 Points
Epic Evening (Home): Slow-oxed for 9 hours and decanted for sediment immediately prior to service. An elegant wine with plenty of savory elements and just a touch of brett. Well balanced.
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2/17/2012 - vanpe003 wrote: 92 Points
More finesse than some other vintages. Nice peppery fruit with balancing acidity. Improves with time in the glass. Unfortunately, my one and only bottle of this.
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2/11/2012 - wineamateur wrote: 88 Points
Very nice and certainly not over the hill, but not one of the top vintages of this wine in my cellar. The fruit is slightly overripe and there's a lack of grip in the mouth.
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2/7/2012 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Light red, looks like Burgundy. Beautiful nose of cherry, coffee and earth. Delicious light red fruit and earth flavours and a soft mid weight finish. Delicious.
I love this style of CdP.
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2/3/2012 - godx wrote: 92 Points
Bill's Monthly Lunch - February 2012 (Vancouver, BC): Tasted blind. Light to medium red. A Lighter and elegant nose that at first had some people guessing Pinot but with some time in the glass showed more of its Grenache profile with riper notes of cherry, spice and earth. On the palate the profile of the nose carries over with a fairly light and soft mouthfeel and resolved and mature flavours. Based on post-2001 vintages of Clos des Papes which I’ve often found to be over the top and quite modern in style, this is really nice and too bad more Chateauneufs weren’t made like this. Excellent.
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10/18/2011 - vacqueyras84190 wrote: 96 Points
beautiful wine, fresh, with fine tannins, complex floral, leather, fruit; total pleasure
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10/7/2011 - Tim Heaton wrote:
Slow-O 1 hour. A youthful core of ruby with an orange rim. Absolutely at peak now, but make no mistake, give this an hour or two in the decanter. Even then, the freshness is quite obvious. This isn't a wow wine of any sort, but you'll be hard pressed to find one more elegant and well composed. Plenty of savory, garrigue and red floral on the nose, with flavors corresponding on the palate. Above-average acidity, superb finish. Although we took our time, the last glass was still the best. Drink thru 2016, 14,0% abv, score: A-
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10/1/2011 - wahoff wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful bricking color. Initially a little dusty, but quickly opened up to exhale a complex mix of finely grained tannins underlying nice remaining mature fruit. Long finish. Excellent. At full matutity - drink up over the next couple of years.
Superbe robe tournant vers brique.Initialement un peu poussiéreux, mais s'est rapidement ouvert pour dévoiler un mélange complexe de tannins au grain fin soutenant un beau fruité à maturité. Excellent. A pleine maturité - à boire sur les quelques prochaines années.
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9/2/2011 - gthelen wrote: 95 Points
Expressive nose and great power. Integrated tannins, strong acids. Clean. Excellent wine. Delicious.
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8/3/2011 - Allaboda wrote:
Wonderful. Drinking really well right now. So balanced and nicely put together!
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7/22/2011 - mmcdds wrote: 95 Points
An outstanding bottle of wine. Cherry, anise and garrique in a full bodied but delicate feeling framework. The tannins have mellowed and the fruit has softened into a well integrated, perfectly balanced whole. For me, Clos des Papes never fails to shine. Mature and drinkIng well. Needed a couple of hours on the decanter.
Day 2- Stored overnight in a screwtop 375ml bottle filled to overflowing. This was better today than yesterday. Exquiste! Velvety, mouthcoating black cherry, anice, tobacco notes, garrigue and damp, earthy undertones with the barest hint of white pepper on the long, satisfying finish. Old World styled CdP as it should be.
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5/23/2011 - Ludi Likes this wine: 92 Points
Garnet. Nose reminds of fur, tobacco, garrigue, pepper, berries. Mouth is still youthful, balancced, elegant, with underbrush and goudron in the finish.
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5/12/2011 - mariolanza wrote: 90 Points
layers of quality Rhone, i love this as an everyday drink
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4/23/2011 - mmcdds wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for about 1 1/2 hours. Nose of dark fruit, garrigue, menthol and old leather. Palate of dark fruit, bright black cherry, garrigue, loamy earth and soft dusty tannins on the medium finish. This is an exceptional old world styled CdP that is drinking very well today.
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4/21/2011 - mariolanza wrote: 89 Points
This drank nicely after one hour decant. Delicate balance of flavours and aromas.
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3/11/2011 - winestine wrote: 92 Points
Weighty classic chateauneuf. Opened up nicely after 30 minutes in the glass. 30+ second finish of spicy goodness!
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3/6/2011 - wineamateur wrote: 89 Points
Classic French mini-tasting: Not a great vintage for Clos des Papes, and a bit foursquare, but nice ripe sweet Grenache fruit, and got better over days 2 and 3.
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2/28/2011 - ludwigbpm wrote: 92 Points
Un style aérien et quasi-bourguignon que j'ai bien apprécié. C'est atypique pour le domaine, mais l'équilibre était hors pair et le vin succulent.
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2/27/2011 - ebrown35 wrote: 94 Points
Wow gorgeous showing of this wine. I am not sure they are making wines in this style at Clos des Papes. Popped and poured, pristine cork. Hugely expressive nose of gamy Syrah (think N. Rhone) that turned to notes of garrigue, flowers, cherries, and a tiny bit of heat that honestly didn't show up until the last glass (after the wine had warmed up to room temp). Wonderfully balanced on the palate with rich fruit, savory notes, decent acidity given the vintage, and soft tannins all combining in harmony. This is one of the better '99 CDPs I have tasted. While I think this wine is at its peak, it will hold for a couple of years more at this level.
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2/17/2011 - d'Artagnan wrote: 93 Points
Verticale Clos des Papes
Un joli nez floral avec des fraises des champs. Plusieurs évoquent la Bourgogne, j’écris pour ma part “à la Rayas”. La bouche est aérienne par sa belle texture, un vin au style bourguignon en effet, qui montre beaucoup de finesse et une belle longueur. Sans la profondeur des autres, mais un très bel exemple des vertus du millésime. 93 pts
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2/10/2011 - G Kapoor wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured, drank over 2 hours. Mose of cherries, orange peel, sweet vanilla oak. Palate is quite fresh with the fruit becoming more prominent at the 2 hour mark
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1/1/2011 - beekeeper wrote: 91 Points
Very nice. Nice balance of fruit and funk. Not likely to benefit from further aging.
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12/13/2010 - Mr T wrote:
Lovely stuff and not showing its age by any means....still even a bit tannic but much as described below with rich round tastes and none of the modern excess seen in so many special cuvees....great stuff
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11/30/2010 - Faryan wrote: 93 Points
Harry Karris and co at Againn (Againn, Washington DC): Another superb showing. See my note below.
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11/30/2010 - tooch wrote: 94 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner with Harry Karis (Againn, Washington DC): This wine showed very well. Nose was intoxicating rich with flavors of decaying leaves, violets, mushrooms, and garrigue. I will echo Faryan's comments from a previous note that while this doesn't have the brutish charm of Pegau or the blood/iodine driven palate of the Beaucastel, it has an elegance that takes those wines decades to achieve. An absolute pleasure to drink and a wine that will age effortlessly for 10-15 years.
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11/21/2010 - chiddles wrote: 93 Points
Wonderful. Had it along side some 2005 Ch du Papes from other producers and it reinforces why it's worth aging wines that'll age well. Decanted for a few hours, great nose from within 1/2 an hr, great depth and finish.
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11/19/2010 - mariolanza wrote: 88 Points
Smelt somewhat overheated, but drank fine
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9/26/2010 - Faryan wrote: 94 Points
An evening with Clos des Papes (Againn, Washington DC): The wine that was singing the best. I believe Kevin decanted this wine for roughly 3 hours. Resolved on the nose with beautiful hints of grange, sweet cherry and kirsch. In its delicacy, it is more akin to a N. Rhone syrah than a boisterous granache driven wine from a hot vintage. Returning to the comparison between Pegau and Beaucastel, this wine exhibits a delicacy and balance that the brutishness of Pegau often required more than 15 years to sort through and a pitch which the unique individualism of mourverdre often overshoots (in terms of brightness if that makes sense). A simply splendid wine to serve on any table with a wide mélange of foods. Great balance, interacting beautifully with the fish and bordelais. This wine is primetime and a real treat. Something to cherish even if it won't ever threaten a 100 point barrier. A wine that drinks to life!
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8/14/2010 - mariolanza wrote: 88 Points
This one was better, still either not evolved or past its sell by date. Not sure. Have more to try.
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8/6/2010 - mariolanza wrote: 84 Points
Vegetal and slightly mature on opening, light colour and very alcohlic that subdued on decanting. Lack of fruit and very unbalanced - will need to try another before making a full judgement.
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7/31/2010 - last chance wrote: 94 Points
Châteauneuf-du-Pape tasting: The nose of this wine had plum, cherry and some medicinal aromas. The palate was one of the fuller bodied wines of the tasting, and had a nice mix of red/black fruit flavors and earth. No brett in this bottle, and that was a nice change of pace for me from all of the other bretty CdPs that were around. My favorite CdP of the tasting.
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7/31/2010 - tarheel17 wrote:
WLTV and others do CdPs (Bellevue Wine Storage): nose: bacon-y, with licorice and other meaty, olive-like flavors
palate: I went back and forth on this one - at first I enjoyed the richness of the flavors and the spice on the palate, then I fought with the alcohol, then I got sucked back in by the meaty character and complexity of the fruit...I would have liked to examine this more closely, or returned to it after some air. Sadly, didn't get to it. This needs a revisit, though.
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6/30/2010 - DonalOB Likes this wine: 94 Points
Probably my favourite CDP. Rich red spicy fruit with some vanilla. Nice tannins and med(-) acid.
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2/12/2010 - Philippe_C wrote: 89 Points
Vegetal nose, peperonis and bit of alcohol... in the month quite light, almost watery, light red fruits
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12/29/2009 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 90 Points
CDP's at Edina Country Club; 12/27/2009-1/4/2010 (Edina Country Club): Medium purple with traditional CDP aromas of spice, leather and truffles. I put this through my areator and it revealed more fruit flavors and added some nice floral qualities. A nice wine overall but as good as the 2001 or 2004 from recent tastings.
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12/27/2009 - grafstrb wrote:
Holiday CdP tasting (Edina Country Club, MN): -- tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min. --
NOSE: celery; hint of leathery spice; a strong beefy note emerged with time in the glass; hint of red berry peeking through, as well.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; medium bodied; rustic ruby color of medium depth.
TASTE: loads of mineral; specks of spice and loganberry; garrigue on the finish; 14% alc. peeks through just a bit; not overblown. Seems loosely-knit, but somewhat closed-off at the same time. Wait a couple more years.
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12/27/2009 - Mattshank wrote: 91 Points
Holiday CDP Tasting at Edina CC (Edina Country Club, MN): Nose: Somewhat musty originally then aromas of road tar, tobacco, and later bacon. Palate: The funk shows a little but after air showed red fruit, good acid levels, and an elegant medium length finish.
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12/18/2009 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 88 Points
Single-blind tasting with Hiroko at Vintage Wines in San Diego. Showing some age. Shoe polish nose. Very, very evolved. I'm not sure I like the nose. Palate is lovely. Very fine and elegant. 88/100 (mostly b/c of the palate).
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12/15/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium color with some maturity. Perhaps less developed than last bottle. Olive, perfume, leather, herb, and some red fruit. Pleasing mid-weight for Chateauneuf with adequate ripeness of fruit. Solid but nothing special tonight.
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11/6/2009 - dmalcolm wrote: 92 Points
Fantastic aged CdP. Medium bodied, lighter red / orange colour, and silky-smooth.
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10/5/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote: flawed
Brett. Yuck.
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9/27/2009 - AJ72 wrote: 84 Points
This bottle could have suffered a bit from poor storage as I know conditions where this wine came from weren't ideal. I expected this to be better than it was. It wouldn't be a wine I'd hang onto any longer as it was already in decline. The nose is very secondary with mushroom/game and funk (brett) which didn't overpower the fresher characters but was definitely noticeable. I enjoyed this more as we neared the end of the bottle when the beautiful chalkiness of the tannin started to emerge. A somewhat old school charm still evident in this but fading and if brett puts you off then give this a miss.
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9/19/2009 - wahoff wrote: 92 Points
10-year wedding anniversary (At home in Kraainem, Belgium): Light brick color. Powerful complex nose. In the mouth, the power of the nose gives way to a refined mesh of flavours in the mouth. Long finish. Mature, will hold.
Robe brique claire. Puissant nez musqué. En bouche, la puissance du nez laisse place à une trame raffinée de saveurs. Belle finale en longueur. A maturité, se gardera.
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9/19/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Up and down-that has been the story with this. Tonight, delightful, mature aromatics that included lavender, candied fruit, and telltale green olive. Medium to lighter weight, savory, and fully resolved. Excellent drink and more alive than the last bottle.
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9/4/2009 - J2K wrote: 94 Points
Outstanding wine drinking fantastic right now but seemed to have more bordeaux-ish flavor characteristics. Strong and long finish.
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6/26/2009 - Rechrom wrote: 91 Points
Very nice nose of bramble/leather/cherries. Great palate after an hour decant. Much lighter than current bottlings, complemented food wonderfully as opposed to being a show stopper. Not great length but fine. Became thinner on palate and finish with time in the decanter, drink up but very good now.
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6/20/2009 - Alex G. wrote:
From magnum, drank with steaks and it was a very good pairing. Soft, almost Burgundian but with a more typical Rhone peppery finish. Recommended
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6/5/2009 - curtispomeroy wrote: 92 Points
After about one hour of air this wine was singing. Wonderful nose, great on the palate and a long finish. Other reviews do a great job of supplying the adjectives. For us this was a truly outstanding experience which merits a score of 92.
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6/3/2009 - Druidh wrote: 93 Points
Almost pinot noir in color. Nose was fresh leather, strawberries, cherries, a touch of pomegranate and damp earth with just a hint of allspice in the mix. Full flavored taste with the fruit being forward, but just as it seemed to be getting a little too sweet the tannin and acid kicked in to clear the palate. Great balance and very good, long finish. Just a delicious wine with a steak on a surprisingly cool night.
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5/29/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 90 Points
Much better than the last bottle, basically due to the presence of fruit. Amazing what that will do for a wine. Guess there may well be some bottle variation.
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5/28/2009 - steffenpelz wrote:
In an exercise of curiosity, I popped my second and last bottle of this and I have followed it over the last two days. Same exact profile as the last bottle. That takes bottle variation out of the equation. It does seem tired and over the hill to me. So the only thing I can imagine is that these bottles were stored sub-optimal sometime before I purchased them or that this wine is indeed in decline, in which case it would be interesting to see what other tasters experience with this wine right now. No obvious flaws though, and to me, no sign of overt heat damage (like stewed tomato notes or the like).
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5/24/2009 - steffenpelz wrote:
Dinner Chez Pelz: OK. This could have been a mediocre bottle, but I'm not so sure. Purchased from a reputable retailer and stored perfectly for at least 5 or 6 years, this seemed like it's definitely in decline. Surprisingly light color. Initially, before I decanted it, there was a very obvious burnt rubber element in the aroma. On the palate, this showed odd, too. None of the kirsch and garrigue flavors I associate with good CdP. Rather, it had red berries, plum, and green olive going. Fruit has faded substantially, and I don't even get a lot of earthiness. Finish was the wine's highlight. In a weird zone and I suspect that this needed to be drunk a year or two ago. I have one left and will drink that one asap.
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5/23/2009 - Winetex wrote:
Dark purple color; Tasted blind; There was some discussion that this wine might have been flawed as it was missing just about everything you might expect from this wine. No nose, little in the middle and slight finish. Just "missing in action". No obvious flaws.
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5/21/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Clear medium core fading to light tawny edge. I haven't had this in several years, but the nose immediately brought back memories of this and other '99 Chateauneufs with lavender, evergreen, and olive. Medium weight with zingy acidity and adequate black fruit. On the lean and angular side, this is a more restrained, old fashioned Clos des Papes which would be totally unrecognizable to those who have come to know the property since 2000. That said, I plan to drink my remaining bottles over the next year or two before the fruit becomes more autumnal. At this point, it is very good but definitely not great; in truth, I'm not sure it's as good as it was 2-3 years ago.
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4/20/2009 - blanquito wrote: 93 Points
The South of France in Colorado: 1999 Chateauneuf Horizontal: This about the ripe, big fruit and lush glycerin-infused mouthfeel. Miles to go still, but very enjoyable now. Quieter on the bouquet, and it seems pretty classically styled if not true old school.
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4/16/2009 - TheOtherPoster wrote:
Secondary aromas of dark garrigue, earth and smoke. Very little fruit on the nose or palate, in fact not really enough to make the wine enjoyable, even with dinner. However, some fruit began peeking out after about two hours of air time. Certainly nowhere near as enjoyable a wine as it was in its youth, and even at six years of age (see my TN below from 2005). Perhaps more time is needed to let some fruit reappear? But even then I'm concerned there may not be enough to balance everything out into a wine of elegance. Disappointing. Not Rated.
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3/31/2009 - GVERJOT wrote: 94 Points
Just great !
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3/21/2009 - mcarpentier wrote: 92 Points
Drinking beautifully right now. Moving on to secondary fruit aroma's, nice spiciness, round but with good freshness, good length, typical Clos des Papes.
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2/21/2009 - lars1014 wrote: 94 Points
This wine has finally started to hit maturity. Deep ripe red fruits, cherry mostly, with a rich woodsy complexity. There are wonderful beef juices, fat, and herbal (thyme) notes. This wine's historical tannins are now starting to melt into licorice. Glad I just picked up five more of these.
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2/19/2009 - dannyk8232 wrote: 90 Points
Light purple in the glass, this wine wasn't really giving too much on the nose other than faint aromas of crushed violets and wet stone. A very refined palate, though, featuring sour red cherry and baking spice. There is an abundance of acidity, which makes me somewhat regret drinking this on its' own. Barely any presence of tannin. Somewhat nicely balanced and a decent drink, though not really worth the sticker price of $50.
40+5+5+15+17+8=90
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2/1/2009 - popquizkid wrote: 93 Points
Nose of red fruits and leather. Tangy red fruits are very evident on the palate with a nice, long finish. Very elegant. This is drinking really well right now and should continue to get better over the next 5 years.
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10/15/2008 - TBAFB wrote: 92 Points
Medium ruby, with a narrowish ruby rim. Again, not a lot of colour change, but perhaps a little more tired looking than the '98. Starts with a little volatility, but this eventually blows off to reveal a denser fruited wine than the '98. More plum than cherry on the palate, but the fruit is gentle and coaxing and has more than a little depth. Nicely balanced and with very fine tannins which are beautifully 'fondue'. Good length. A little more backward than the '98 and although it's drinking well a couple more years of bottle age will reveal more complexity. Will certainly drink well for another ten to fifteen years after that.
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9/19/2008 - Jeff W wrote:
Clos des Papes offline (St John): Restrained power and sweet fruit. Full bodied, primary fruit, good concentration, and a long tannic/spicy finish. This stood up well beside the 1995. While lacking some refinement and therefore not quite in the same class it is an excellent example of Clos des Papes. dg
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9/19/2008 - SimonG wrote:
Clos des Papes Offline: Less fruity nose initially, a bit muted, some vanilla and a touch of caramel. Fuller on attack, quite viscous. Spicy fruit. Chewy and plummy. Drinking nicely now though fruit still quite primary. Seems more simple with time. ***
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8/20/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 91 Points
Double decanted about an hour before serving. Excellent nose featuring an elegant blend of dark fruit and dried herbs. The taste gives a blast of dark fruit that is very ripe that doesn't have the flavor density of the other two wines ('00 and '01 Clos des Papes). Plenty tannic but lacking the acidity to fill in the balance. Drinking pretty well now but is likely to improve a bit with additional bottle age.
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8/8/2008 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Nez de fraises très mûres, avec du kirsch et du tabac.
Bouche moyennement corsée, très gourmande, sur les fruits rouges et les herbes séchées. Une belle complexité avec une richesse en fruit, sans excès d’alcool ni de tanins. Bonne longueur et finale élégante. Un très bel exemple du millésime 1999, qui impressionne par son équilibre, tout en gardant ce petit coté rustique propre aux Châteauneuf du Pape au style traditionnel. Savoureux, il est arrivé à une belle maturité et devrait s’y maintenir plusieurs années. 91 pts
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6/10/2008 - lars1014 wrote: 92 Points
Excellent notes of shoe leather, olive, oregano and mild horse waft from the glass. This medium to full bodied wine is still in its drinking prime and will be for the next several years. No need to hold any longer. The finish lasts for 30 seconds, and that is when the olive really starts to dominate. Tempenade anyone?
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4/27/2008 - grapist wrote: 92 Points
Classic CdP
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4/27/2008 - the godfather wrote: 91 Points
this bottle was very tight but the nose was classic clos des papes, lot's of spice but the fruit is a bit in the back
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4/23/2008 - bsherwin wrote:
Clos des Papes Vertical (Tribeca Grill): We were lucky enough to drink this out of magnum, so we were able to go back and get a second impression. At first, it was fairly charmless. Some kirsch, some vanilla, a bit of garrigue, but not much there. In the mouth in was a bit thin and diluted with a short finish. When we went back to it later, while it was still firm and buttoned down, it started to show a more elegant side. It was still more structure than anything else, but it came across as classy and old-school instead of stiff. Perhaps the .750s would show a little flashier, but I suspect that these will take time.
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4/23/2008 - JOsgood wrote: 94 Points
Clos des Papes Vertical (Tribeca Grill, NYC): Drank from magnum. Very ripe and rich. What a contrast to the more elegant 1969 and 1989. Very big wine with a ton of cherry coming through and some alcohol. Initially this was pretty tight but with air this kept getting better and better.
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4/19/2008 - d'Artagnan wrote: 91 Points
Nez d’herbes séchées, de la garrigue, le tout en sourdine avec un peu de fruit rouge
À l’ouverture, le vin se révèle droit, assez souple et long mais plutôt austère, loin des gourmandises auxquelles le millésime 1999 m’avait habitué.
Il dormait.
La confiture de fraises que je cherchais sort au bout de 45 minutes, ajoutant du charme à ce vin qui me plaisait par son bel équilibre et sa structure. Le vin se réveille, il se montre ample et assez profond. Après plus d’une heure, les derniers verres sont absolument savoureux. Un Châteauneuf exemplaire au niveau de l’équilibre, sans aucun excès d’alcool, avec les arômes classiques de garrigue et de fruit rouge. Superbe.
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4/4/2008 - noppakit s. wrote: 89 Points
I prefer the 2000 ( tested 2 times from magnum bottle ) but this 1999 is elegance, classic, good dept and clean, dual-layers.
Medium+ with a sweetness, round, a nice nice wine.
Very dry aftertaste and quite long-finished.
...Drink 2010 - 2013...89+/100...14% Vol.
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1/21/2008 - Paul S wrote: 92 Points
Ray's Birthday - Rhone with a new world twist (Jang Shou Korean BBQ, Esplanade): EN's donation. Excellent pairing with the BBQ beef. My favourite of the night amongst tough competition from a 2003 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel and a 2004 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz, just pipping the fomer wine because of its extra bit of elegance. Very pure expression of Grenache here, reflecting its primacy in the Clos des Papes CdP blend. Ruby coloured with a slight orange tinge. On the nose, stewed cherries wafting along on a bed of light vanilla scents. Cooked cherries again on the palate, but with a beam of meatiness and a long finish with a sweet aftertaste. As with most Clos des Papes, this was elegantly structured, silky smooth, with great balance and poise. Masculine, but with a sauve refinement. Maybe not as powerful or complex as Clos des Papes from outstanding vintages, just lacking that little oomph, but flawless in its execution nonethless. Very good and drinking well now.
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12/29/2007 - frenchlm wrote: 90 Points
Light red with brown hints on edge. Iodine on nose, later gives way to more tar and leather notes, some smoke. Medium bodied, nice structure. Medium tannins. Very well made. Better than the last bottle.
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10/28/2007 - drwine2001 wrote: flawed
You really know it's a bad night when even the old reliable '99 Clos des Papes is a dog. Although not as horribly tainted by VA as our previous wine, and showing some garrigue in the background, still just a fraction of how good it can be and usually is. The VA worsened after the first pour and we threw away the rest. Oh well.
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10/28/2007 - klang wrote: 84 Points
A little dumb on first opening, but quite quickly evolved some nice meaty notes
to go with the fairly intense red fruits. A clean finish of moderate length.
A well balanced CNdP with life ahead of it.
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9/30/2007 - Zweder wrote: 90 Points
Youthful, soft , juicy, fruity and spicy. A beautiful wine.
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8/18/2007 - jkoenen wrote: 88 Points
Exploring Chateauneuf-du-Pape @ Peter Z. (Belgium): Modest, almost reticent bouquet. Finer grained that both preceding Pegau's. Tasty notes of milkchocolate, kirsch, strawberry cheesecake. No emotion here, kind of clinical and unresponsive. But no faults either. 16.5/20
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8/4/2007 - Ali wrote: 92 Points
Raspberry upon opening. Smokiness developed after 4 hours in the decanter. Hold for a few more years
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7/12/2007 - gregg g wrote:
Very pure nose of bright raspberries, cherries, some earthy peppery notes. Very clean on the palate with more of the raspberries/cherries and a touch of garrigue. Wonderful concentration and palate presence. Very clean wine for the brett phobic crowd. Excellent acid presence providing even more lift to the already explosive fruit. The wine retains a rather elegant feel and quality as it finishes long and strong. Very nice indeed.
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5/26/2007 - popquizkid wrote: 92 Points
Nose of barnyard and leather. As it aired out gave way to cherry. A great elegant Close de Papes that was loved by all at dinner.
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3/31/2007 - kstoddard wrote: 91 Points
G7 (Alex): From magnum.
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1/21/2007 - Rechrom wrote:
Astringent on opening, took almost an hour in decanter to open up to very nice fruit, great length. Nose almost non-existent at open, muted after a while. Last glass (two hours in decanter) the best, leave alone for a bit. A-.
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11/22/2006 - Mr T wrote: 92 Points
Very nice and especially the longer I left it alone in the glass. Great w/ pork roast. Has the garrigue funk along w/ nice sweet fruit.
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10/31/2006 - popquizkid wrote: 93 Points
Deep red color. Great nose of cherries. Hint of meat and smoke with a very long finish. Fine tannins were well integrated. This is drinking beautifully!
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10/27/2006 - gorm wrote: 90 Points
Rubinred with slight browning. At first it presents itself with a wonderful and sweet perfume of cherries, raspberries and some additional green elements. Unfortunately air quickly closes it down and makes it more restrained. Medium-bodied it is a tight and not altogether pleasent Clos des Papes with lots of acid and some sharp tannins in the finish. Works with food. Had I not known what this were I would surely have mistaken it for a Burg. Will probably mellow out in time. rating: 90+
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10/10/2006 - vintage61 wrote: 93 Points
Popped and poured into a Reidel Vinum Cab Extreme. The color was a beautiful deep cherry red. The boquet was of cherries, raw beef, and ever so slight hint of alchol. On the palate, the wine was stunning. My first impression was "WOW". An explosion of red fruit with an underlying backbone of very fine tannins. The finish lasted for 45 seconds. I picked this bottle up a year or so ago, a lone bottle on the shelf, afraid it may be damaged from having sat on the shelf too long. Now I wish they had had more. It is definitely time to add more Clos des Papes to the cellar.
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9/27/2006 - wahoff wrote: 92 Points
Initially restrained / raw nose. Became great after 45 minutes of decanting. Lighter color, with signs of evolution. Very smooth in the mouth - beautiful equilibrium between fruit and tannins. Long. Ready, will hold. Make sure you serve not too warm (17°C max).
Initialement réservé, nez "brut". Après carafage (45 minutes), atteint l'excellence. Robe plutôt pâle, avec des signes d'évolution. Du velours en bouche - superbe équilibre entre le fruit et les tannins. Long en bouche. A maturité, se gardera encore de nombreuses années. S'assurer de ne pas le servir trop chaud (17°C max.).
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9/6/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
No notes taken, but this was a great bottle of wine. Served first and loved by all in attendance.
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8/4/2006 - decaturwinedude wrote: 91 Points
Big nose of iodine, earth and good 'ol funk. Cherries and shrooms on the palate with a spicy-peppery finish. This opened up as the night wore on. We should have decanted as the lush fruit was beginning to emerge as the last glasses were consumed. Good stuff.
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2/19/2006 - MichaelF wrote: 92 Points
Outstanding. Medium bodied, dark fruit/smoke, earthy, long finish. Very well balanced.
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1/20/2005 - TheOtherPoster wrote: 92 Points
The '99 Clos des Papes is drinking beautifully. The light was poor in the restaurant so I don't have a good report on the color. The nose soared with jammy red and black fruits, earth, a bit of garrigue and other herbs, and smoke. Fatly medium-bodied, the wine tasted as luscious as it smelled with very good mid-palate persistance and a nice finish of about 15 seconds. This was outstanding and thoroughly enjoyable. It may continue to evolve and gain complextity, but I don't think it will be better, only diifferent.
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1/16/2005 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Vineyard Terrace: Berries, smth as silk; peppery fin.; but too wild and too young this guy.
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10/1/2004 - duchamp wrote: 87 Points
Unimpressive, very little bouquet, flavor or depth, high glycerin, making it chewy but easily found in wine a third of the cost
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5/21/2004 - Terry wrote:
Absolutely delicious. Opened, once again, with a 1999 Janasse Chaupin to taste next to one another. Both are drinking extremely well, with the Chaupin having just a little more Rhone funk to it. Both very well balanced, intense, tasty fruit driven wines. If you want to turn someone on to Chateauneuf, open one of either of these two wines today. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France. $32.
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10/2/2001 - danstrings wrote: 94 Points
Dinner in Munich, liked it even better than the '98! Honeyed smoked ham, blueberry chocolate cassis, smoke, licorice, yumm! Smooth, elegant, meaty.
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7/27/2001 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 97 Points
Tasted blind at an informal Friday tasting at Vintage Wines, Ltd. Deep ruby with red rim. Intense nose of smokey bacon, black cherry, clove and other exotic spices. Full-bodied, with ample but supple tannins giving the wine a silky texture on the palate. Long, smooth finish. To date, this is probably the best Chateauneuf that I have ever tasted. It should benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age, then hold for another decade.
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