Brownish gold. Oxidized. Some dried fruit, nuts and caramel. With some air it has the potential to please someone looking for sherry, but otherwise this has just continued to disappoint vs. its spectacular showing when first bottled. D
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Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): This is back to that 'wow'. Incredibly fresh and complex and honey and a hint of carmelization and a bigger and rounder white but there's still some acid here. Drinking super well. Makes me wonder if it will be time soon to pull our last bottle.
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Color is a beautiful deep yellow/gold. Sauturnes like in appearance. Nose is an explosive melange of almond paste, marmalade, orange peel and tropical fruit. Nice amount of oxidization. Palate is viscous but well balanced delivering layers of dried peach, apple, brioche and almond. Dry and acid driven, but has a nose that suggests sweetness. Really interesting wine.
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Acker BYO Holiday Dinner (Tribeca Grille): I'm still chasing the 'wow' moment we had with the '98 a few years ago and while this was good and had moved past the oxidation stage, it was a bit more simple than that one. Light honey flavor and tasty, but more one dimensional and not sure I can use the word beautiful (it was also surrounded by some particularly stunning wines). Easy drinking though and wish I'd had it with the lobster dish - would have been a good combination.
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This wine continues to outperform. Obviously quite a bit of luck involved at this age! Dark gold color. Nuts and kerosene on the nose. Nuanced, evolving palate of guava; viscous mouthfeel. So fun to follow. Serve near room temperature for maximum change in experience!
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750ml bottle stood for a couple days, PnP after 2 hrs in the fridge and then sitting open for 30 mins (i.e. not overly cold!). Alongside 1994 Chave Blanc, this was much deeper golden in color but significantly lighter and more simple on the palate than the Chave. I opened my first bottle of this 97 Beau a few nights ago, and got quite a bit different profile than this bottle. The first bottle was more nutty and sherry-like; much more oily and viscous than was this "simple" second bottle. Short-ish finish on the second bottle, a touch longer on the initial one. The nose changed dramatically in the glass for this second bottle - initially more kerosene, which after 30 minutes changed entirely to honeycomb. These old Rhone whites are really fascinating.
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An alarming deep copper color, but the wine was fresh. There was an oxidative note, sure, but very discreet, and it fit the wine, which was beautiful, deep, and complex.
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my first exposure to the older Beaucastel white, so no score. Sherry-like, but of course more complex, less nutty and more subtle. Very nice with strong cheese at Thanksgiving, but not sure it is my "dream wine."
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French label. This was decanted 2 hours in advance, and served after dinner with cheese. Best showing of the wine since it was first in bottle - but still consistent with previous notes. Dark gold color, showing the nutty, sherry that previous notes suggest. But, I really think the 2 hour decant was the key. With the time to open, the nose showed a lot of fruit and a sweet and floral aspect to the nose that was not there last time. Still more sherry than anything else on the palate, this is a wine that only works for me after dinner, but I'm hopeful that if I give future bottles a couple of hours of air and serve at the right time that this wine will be at least as good - if not better over time? - than last night's bottle. A-/?
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English label. Gold color and still shut. Not unpleasant, but it is still more like a sherry and I can only get excited about it after dinner with cheese. Hoping it reemerges some day, but not counting on it. B
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Flavor profile similar to that described in earlier note, although the wine was much darker in color and more sherry-like. Some of the sweetness giving way. Not going to improve IMO.
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Friday Night Brown Bagger (Rich & Dana's): Initial note of acetone blows off to reveal aromas of almond, florals and pear. With extended time in the glass, notes of mineral, beeswax and guava appear. The palate is richly fruited, slightly nutty and maintains nice balance through the finish where it picks up a honeyed apple quality. My guess: Hermitage.
This was a treat, and it's in a terrific spot right now, should hold a while too. Drink 2010-2013+.
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This is one of the bottles I bought from the Chateau. Dark gold color, nutty, sherry nose. Thick and dry, showing some fruit but still seems closed. So hard to judge where this will go, but it is certainly good enough right now for after dinner/cheese - but I just don't know if it will become great again (as it was before the shutdown). B+/?
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Beaucastel Vertical 81-01 (Gurnee IL, Jordan's house): nose: rich and honeyed nose with all sorts of nutty tones, honeysuckle, sour lemons, star fruits, all sorts of various oils and citrus hints. Very deep and intriguing nose that is fully mature
taste: great feel with smokey tones, roasted nuts, drops of honey, citrus tones, various oils, and sour lemons
overall: the color was very rich and golden which caused some worry when popped. Upon first smell it wasn't a problem at all. As it opened up and warmed up a bit the mid palate formed a lot more and became more rich. Can definitely last longer, but there's little reason to not to drink it now
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Gold color shows it's age. Nothing much on the nose. On the palate it has some sherry and oxidized aspects to it, but starting to show some fruit and a sweet, thick, long finish. This is the first bottle I have had since the shutdown phase began that has shown any signs of the killer wine it was before it shut down. B+/A
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Opens with still-fresh peach, honey, and nectarine flavors. Pleasingly oily mouthfeel. With air, notes of orange peel and marmalade emerged. Nutty. Flowery. Drinking extremely well right now.
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Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape: Bit funky and oxidized with waxy quality. Concentrated. Bit short. Hmm. Nuts, warm apple juice. Interesting, but I don't like this very much.
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11/29/2022 - Yassine23 Likes this wine:
Amontillado like. Shame, previous bottle tasted was fresher
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5/18/2021 - MC wrote:
Brownish gold. Oxidized. Some dried fruit, nuts and caramel. With some air it has the potential to please someone looking for sherry, but otherwise this has just continued to disappoint vs. its spectacular showing when first bottled. D
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2/21/2020 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Wine in the Sunshine State; 2/20/2020-2/23/2020 (Florida): This is back to that 'wow'. Incredibly fresh and complex and honey and a hint of carmelization and a bigger and rounder white but there's still some acid here. Drinking super well. Makes me wonder if it will be time soon to pull our last bottle.
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2/9/2020 - Tree512 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Glorious. At full power, oxidative but lively and explosive with full ripe white fruit and a touch of passion fruit. Oily, rich and long.
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12/13/2018 - RockinCabs wrote: 93 Points
Color is a beautiful deep yellow/gold. Sauturnes like in appearance. Nose is an explosive melange of almond paste, marmalade, orange peel and tropical fruit. Nice amount of oxidization. Palate is viscous but well balanced delivering layers of dried peach, apple, brioche and almond. Dry and acid driven, but has a nose that suggests sweetness. Really interesting wine.
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4/8/2017 - morpheusrising Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wine of the night for me at our annual wine dinner.
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1/18/2017 - 14frimaire wrote:
Glorious. Shows oxidative notes, but there is plenty of interest and vibrant, deep material, with power and poise.
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12/13/2016 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Acker BYO Holiday Dinner (Tribeca Grille): I'm still chasing the 'wow' moment we had with the '98 a few years ago and while this was good and had moved past the oxidation stage, it was a bit more simple than that one. Light honey flavor and tasty, but more one dimensional and not sure I can use the word beautiful (it was also surrounded by some particularly stunning wines). Easy drinking though and wish I'd had it with the lobster dish - would have been a good combination.
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11/19/2015 - nortonnose wrote: 92 Points
This wine continues to outperform. Obviously quite a bit of luck involved at this age! Dark gold color. Nuts and kerosene on the nose. Nuanced, evolving palate of guava; viscous mouthfeel. So fun to follow. Serve near room temperature for maximum change in experience!
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12/10/2014 - RKatzDO Likes this wine:
Definitely orange colored, oxidized with fruit and acid left, but nuttiness has ensued. Maybe the bottle. Will try another to be sure.
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3/24/2014 - nortonnose wrote: 91 Points
750ml bottle stood for a couple days, PnP after 2 hrs in the fridge and then sitting open for 30 mins (i.e. not overly cold!). Alongside 1994 Chave Blanc, this was much deeper golden in color but significantly lighter and more simple on the palate than the Chave. I opened my first bottle of this 97 Beau a few nights ago, and got quite a bit different profile than this bottle. The first bottle was more nutty and sherry-like; much more oily and viscous than was this "simple" second bottle. Short-ish finish on the second bottle, a touch longer on the initial one. The nose changed dramatically in the glass for this second bottle - initially more kerosene, which after 30 minutes changed entirely to honeycomb. These old Rhone whites are really fascinating.
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3/2/2014 - 14frimaire wrote:
An alarming deep copper color, but the wine was fresh. There was an oxidative note, sure, but very discreet, and it fit the wine, which was beautiful, deep, and complex.
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11/24/2012 - bacchusnyon wrote:
my first exposure to the older Beaucastel white, so no score. Sherry-like, but of course more complex, less nutty and more subtle. Very nice with strong cheese at Thanksgiving, but not sure it is my "dream wine."
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6/16/2012 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
35th Anniversary Party Cellar Tasting; 6/16/2012-6/17/2012 (Rich & Dana's): Deep yellow color. Aromas of beeswax, honey and melon. Full and rich, with honey, white fruit, lemon and mineral oil flavors. Long finish. 93+ pts.
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4/3/2011 - MC wrote:
French label. This was decanted 2 hours in advance, and served after dinner with cheese. Best showing of the wine since it was first in bottle - but still consistent with previous notes. Dark gold color, showing the nutty, sherry that previous notes suggest. But, I really think the 2 hour decant was the key. With the time to open, the nose showed a lot of fruit and a sweet and floral aspect to the nose that was not there last time. Still more sherry than anything else on the palate, this is a wine that only works for me after dinner, but I'm hopeful that if I give future bottles a couple of hours of air and serve at the right time that this wine will be at least as good - if not better over time? - than last night's bottle. A-/?
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1/22/2011 - MC wrote:
English label. Gold color and still shut. Not unpleasant, but it is still more like a sherry and I can only get excited about it after dinner with cheese. Hoping it reemerges some day, but not counting on it. B
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11/20/2010 - vendange wrote: 93 Points
Flavor profile similar to that described in earlier note, although the wine was much darker in color and more sherry-like. Some of the sweetness giving way. Not going to improve IMO.
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8/27/2010 - AllRed wrote: 92 Points
Friday Night Brown Bagger (Rich & Dana's): Initial note of acetone blows off to reveal aromas of almond, florals and pear. With extended time in the glass, notes of mineral, beeswax and guava appear. The palate is richly fruited, slightly nutty and maintains nice balance through the finish where it picks up a honeyed apple quality. My guess: Hermitage.
This was a treat, and it's in a terrific spot right now, should hold a while too. Drink 2010-2013+.
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6/19/2010 - jestes wrote: flawed
Badly oxidized.
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6/8/2010 - plitton wrote:
Over the hill.
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7/26/2009 - MC wrote:
This is one of the bottles I bought from the Chateau. Dark gold color, nutty, sherry nose. Thick and dry, showing some fruit but still seems closed. So hard to judge where this will go, but it is certainly good enough right now for after dinner/cheese - but I just don't know if it will become great again (as it was before the shutdown). B+/?
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3/21/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Beaucastel Vertical 81-01 (Gurnee IL, Jordan's house): nose: rich and honeyed nose with all sorts of nutty tones, honeysuckle, sour lemons, star fruits, all sorts of various oils and citrus hints. Very deep and intriguing nose that is fully mature
taste: great feel with smokey tones, roasted nuts, drops of honey, citrus tones, various oils, and sour lemons
overall: the color was very rich and golden which caused some worry when popped. Upon first smell it wasn't a problem at all. As it opened up and warmed up a bit the mid palate formed a lot more and became more rich. Can definitely last longer, but there's little reason to not to drink it now
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8/31/2008 - MC wrote:
Gold color shows it's age. Nothing much on the nose. On the palate it has some sherry and oxidized aspects to it, but starting to show some fruit and a sweet, thick, long finish. This is the first bottle I have had since the shutdown phase began that has shown any signs of the killer wine it was before it shut down. B+/A
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7/8/2006 - vendange wrote: 97 Points
Opens with still-fresh peach, honey, and nectarine flavors. Pleasingly oily mouthfeel. With air, notes of orange peel and marmalade emerged. Nutty. Flowery. Drinking extremely well right now.
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2/18/2006 - Eric wrote: flawed
Legends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape with Leve (Los Angeles, CA): Badly corked.
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12/4/2004 - OneLastSyrah wrote:
Taverna - Chateauneuf du Pape: Bit funky and oxidized with waxy quality. Concentrated. Bit short. Hmm. Nuts, warm apple juice. Interesting, but I don't like this very much.
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