No decant. Light brownish color, very mixed nose. Bouquet of licorice, leather, garrigue, dark fruit. Nose getting better over the evening. At the end of drinking window: drink up within 1 or 2 years.
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Probably just past it's prime. Although didn't die at all with air or on the second day which confuses me. Just very little fruit left, but everything else has held together. The 2001 is better and/or just 3 years younger.
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Bill's wine, as it turned out, but so bright and youthful that when the restaurant served our bottles blind and we didn't know the order, he wasn't sure it was his at all. Brilliant ruby red, no browning, with complex notes of pomegranate, raspberry, leather, orange rind and Constant Comment tea. OFS.
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Heady nose of raisins, fruitcake and spice, a touch of cereal and black tea leaves. Ripe, sweet rancio edge, with smooth tannins and baked plum and fig pudding. A hint of eucalyptus, loads of black pepper and a very long finish. Tannins linger, but as a mild seasoning to the plum and pepper finish.
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Clear brownish red. Very funky, earthy plum and black cherry nose. Medium rich earthy black cherry and dried mushroom flavours and a long dry earthy finish.
Always great.
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Deep garnet in color with bricking edges. Nose of blackberries, leather, and hint of Brett. Tastes of dried blackberries, tobacco, and hints of vanilla and menthol. Resolved tannins. Slightly past its peak. Drink now and over the next two years.
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Medium to deep garnet, not showing age. Very rich, ripe nose, almost port like. Dried fruits, figs, nuts, black fruit liqueur. Full body, sweet and ripe , black fruit. Silky, soft with no tannins left. Alcohol very reasonable at below 14%. Very long and sweet aftertaste. Ready to drink but Still young with many years left. Excellent. Try again in 3yrs.
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I had a bottle of this in 2018 and thought it was tired and overrated and scored it an 89. But this bottle was fantastic. I don’t know if the other was a bad bottle (bottle variation is apparently an issue with this wine) or if it was just a bad night, but this bottle was perfectly mature, velvety and mid-weight with lovely secondary flavors after a few minutes and maybe a touch of sweetness on the finish. LOTS of sediment - must be decanted carefully or you’ll have a glass full of sludge. But enjoy!
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A fav CdP paired to excellent Persian kebabs. Great fruit intensity for a 22y old. Nose of maraschino cherry, candied strawberry, blood orange, and mint. Palette - I don’t know! A lot going on and quite a lot of fruit still, and a stew of other complex flavors. Reminds me of a barley wine. Still has a background of faint, supportive tannin and acid. This may not get much better, but I’m not in a rush to open my last bottle.
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Clear light medium red. A bit of spicy red fruit ripeness, hints of tobacco and cherry and a bit of earthy pepper. After the 90 and 95 this seemed a bit sweet. A long dry finish though.
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Riper spicy nose with excellent fruit levels and soft tannins. More emphasis on fruit and less on acidity and spice than I expected based on prior bottles of '98, but certainly impressive and not disappointing at all.
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I've been fortunate to drink and track this wine for nearly 20 years. Still sitting on a small pile all well kept under ideal conditions and still feel within peak. The color is a dark opaque, brick red with dark orange at the brim, viscous with slow to develop legs. The nose was potent all night and showed brambley red fruits, black tea, pepper, clove, thyme [spices]. Front hits with stewed red berry fruits, raspberries and red cassis more prominently, clove/spice, smoke, a meaty-iron-ey thing, some bacon grease towards the middle on a lower middle of the road acidity. The finish rides the fruit with still firm and mouth-drying tannins lasting quite a bit and fading nicely. There's more going on, would just struggle with words further. Its complex and it evolved over 5 hours and that was icing on the cake. Gotta believe from tonight that its got another 3 years to run at least, though defeinitely tail end of peak. Would recommend with food, something with weight and acidity. My 94.
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Mature color with secondary aromas, served blind thought either a 00 or 03 Rhone or Barolo, medium bodied with lots of fruits left, salted cabbage & bretty after 2 hours, very good mature cdp, drink up as will not improve 92
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Another great bottle of the 98. Earthy, spice, peppery berry fruit with hints of thyme. Dry black cherry and spice flavours and a long dry balanced finish.
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Double decanted 24 hours in advance. Deep color, with a slightly minty nose. There's not a lot of fruit, but it has some good bones. The wine was over-handled with the decanting ahead of time. This should have been popped and poured to let the wine show its best.
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The final bottle did not disappoint. This neuf has a lot of brightness. The nose is big with earth, smoke, with some cassis. Palate is chewy, nutty, dense, with more smoke. Silky acidity with a bit of spice. Beautifully integrated
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Dunnuck at WA gave this 96 points in 2015. He said it was firing on all cylinders and would last until 2023 but said some US bottles he tried were tired. This one was tired, but pleasant, mellow, integrated and showing lots of secondary flavors. But no way a 96. Drink up.
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Sunday blinds (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. Seems like I had this wine over six years ago and disliked it a fair bit. Well, amazing what having it without a label does for you. Poopy, but not in an offensively overdone sort of way, and along with that is a generous amount of red and black fruit that's quite sweet. Touch of brininess as well. The palate is also quite plummy, but it's not overdone or hot here.
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Some oxidation upon opening up with much of the fruit gone on the nose. On the palate has some bramble, sour cherry, and raspberry fruit notes with cinnamon and nutmeg on the finish. I agree with the other reviews here in that this is past its prime, not really holding up like the other 1998 CdP’s I’ve had in the past year.
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Coravin 11/25/17: Light clear ruby; medium aromatics, red fruit which fade a bit with swirling, garrigue; palate is light bodied, tart cherry, integrated medium tannins; short finish. Definitely more faded since my last bottle 3 years ago, but still enjoyable. Fully mature. 89 With air, this loses what little interest it had. For such a well known producer, this was disappointing at this age. 86-- 12/7/17: Remainder of the bottle. Now back to when first opened and poured, the nose has medium aromatics, red fruit, a bit of spice, slight floral garrigue; palate is light bodied, tartness throughout, integrated medium tannins, red fruit; short-medium finish. 89 again... won't let this get too much air and will drink my last bottle within the year. Better now than I remember it a few weeks ago...
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Not replicating the experience of other notes here, this wasn't over the hill at all, although I wasn't excited by the funky, earthy wine that has developed.
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Past its prime. My other '98 CDP have been drinking nicely but this bottle was DOA. Light brown on the edges and not in a nice bricking tyoe of color. Muted nose with over-ripe fruit, quickly fades on the palate. Tried about 1-2 hours later to see if any nicer tertiary characteristics developed to no avail. I say drink up and good luck.
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Huge fan of this wine, had never drunk one this old before (19 years). Definitely disappointed. Seemed flat without the characteristics we've loved in their 2005-2012 vintages.
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Clear light orange/red. Elegant nose of earth, menthol, red cherry and pepper. Later develops pepper and blood. This nose seems to have lost some of it's wildness but what replaces it is floral and elegant.
Delicious long spicy, earthy pepper flavours and a long dry beautiful finish. Keeps getting better in the glass.
It seems this wine has become a beautiful middle aged woman.
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Another wonderful bottle. Not near the end at all, so I'm moving the drink by date up a year to 2018. Nose is earthy, smoky, with cassis. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoke and a hit of spice. Silky acidity and soft tannins. Luscious.
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Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. There is a deftness to the palate with garrigue, black cherries, white pepper, licorice, and leather notes.
Overall: This was drinking beautifully. It's in a great place right now and showing maturity along with a savory side too.
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At Yusho in Chicago, worked perfectly. Similar notes to last bottle from two years ago -- but now fully mature. Red cherry predominates, with a hint of lavender, tobacco and earth flavors, beautifully balanced. Nice acid and structure. Delicious.
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Had the last 2 bottles of this the same bight and drastic bottle variation. One was a fantastic bottle while the other was a puzzle. not sure the issue with the poor bottle as both were bought and stored the same time. The good one was REALLY good and the other not so much.
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My 50th extravaganza (Chez moi): Perfect cork, perfect fill; showing youthful and bright, quiet intense (though softer and more provencal than the VT), it is rich, with sweetness, garrigue, very much Grenache, very much neuf – but with no prunes or the like.
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Fully mature, serene, majestic I dare say. Garnet/brown colored. Plummy nose with dried fruits very nicely developed with no signs of overripeness and burned aromas as I had sensed in 2011 when I last had this wine. Sweet fruit on the palate with an interesting ferral note. Texture is supple, tannins soft, body is medium full and finish is very satisfying. Overall significantly better than 5 years ago when it seemed to me tired. Interesting lesson...
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This beauty is drinking right where you want it to be. The ripe, sweet, fresh, peppery fruit is all there, with its earth, kirsch and garrigue profile. The wine is richly textured, full bodied, long, fresh and clean, leaving you with a trail of sweet, lush fruits in the end note. At close to 18 years of age, there is no reason to hold off any longer. The wine was produced from a blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and the remaining 5% comes from various, assorted varietals.
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Color: translucent light/medium ruby core -> fully mature garnet rim. Slightly barnyard-y bouquet with roasted red pepper, olives and CDP garrigue. Palate showing plenty of spiciness, game, roasted cherries, peppers and herbs. Good structure; rustic though -- like CDP's of old. Medium length finish that ends with a tannic bitterness I find a bit unappealing. Seems to have held together better than most other '98 CDP's, though it is probably high time to be drinking these.
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Beautiful Vieux Donjon. Drinking at a great spot and reminds me of the 1990 as another great Donjon. Old school style and likely has another 10yrs of life. Bought on release and cellared since so not sure about the bottles being over the hill.
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Nose is earthy, smoky, cassis that intensifies for hours. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoke underlying it all, and lovely integrated acidity. Soft tannins extend from the midpalate to the long finish. This is a great version of CdP.
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Medium ruby red with slight bricking at the edges in color. Full, forward & aromatic nose of well developed & mature ripe fruit aromas of black cherries, blackberries & kirsch with spice & pepper overtones, classic garrigue, floral notes of lavender, dried herb notes of sage & thyme, aged tobacco smoky, gamey/meaty, minerals, some iron notes and a hint of mint & anise. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced, smooth textured, mature & developed, ripe flavors of red cherries, cranberries & plummy with herbs, spices, minty & minerals. Lingering smooth & dry finish. Drinks quite well at present and is fully matured & at it peak of development, so drink up!
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Showing signs of it's age - pale watery rim and a browner / orange colour. Initially subdued and reticent but with 30mins in the glass it really opened up - still lots of fruit but with spice and herbs to compliment it. Slightly dry (not astringent) finish, but is still very long and slightly warming. Drinking very well - no rush but I doubt it will improve
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Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): Not so many notes, but reading my previous note, that must have been an off bottle. The bottle we tasted tonight had beautiful red berry fruits and garrigue. Beautiful acidity and nicely mature with still enough power for a few more years. Drink over the next two to three years is probably a good idea.
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Coravin 6/2/14: Color is medium ruby with slight age-appropriate bricking; nose has great intensity with tart red cherry fruit, some iron, some smoked meat, slight menthol throughout; palate shows light body, some defined structure throughout that drinks well, cherry fruit throughout, persists through midpalate, but fades into a slightly bitter short-medium finish. Nose was very promising and complex; palate is decent but fades significantly throughout the palate until the finish. Some early notes of maturity, but seems early in development. Very good to excellent for now with potential for more with 5 more years. 92+ 6/3/14: Same
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Stellar. Everything that is good about mature CDP. Perfect balance and harmony. Too bad I had only 1 but glad I drank it now. Not to say it doesn't still have legs. I would put it right in the middle of its zone - will last a few years for sure, but don't see how it can be better that it is now.
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Really good bottle. Very dark and quite restrained when poured, but opened up ever so nicely over the course of the dinner. Classic old school Châteauneuf. Clear notes of garrigue, cherry and tar. Great balance and much more youthful than the last bottle I had. Should keep well.
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Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Easily recognized as Chateauneuf, also accurately assesses as 1998 given its ripeness and advanced level of maturity. Very good fruit, just seemingly short on tannins and acid, so enjoyable combination of fruit and earth, but time to drink up.
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Classic CDP! Beautiful Cherry, herb and leather on the nose. Light tannins gve some structure - cherry, raspberry, tobacco up front later some olive with great mineral and anise finish. Fully mature. Tasted alongside an excellent 99 La Nerthe Cuvee Cadettes. Solid 94 points
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Red cherry, lavender, tobacco, earth flavors, beautifully balanced. Nice acid and structure, this is not by any means heading downhill. Still plenty of life, and even improvement. An excellent wine.
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This was a very good bottle. Good deep ruby color and little to no funk on nose. Quite rich and ripe after all these years and fairly old school...would have loved to share with fewer people over more time...will do that with my remaining bottle
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Brought to a backyard BBQ by someone else in our wine group. The owner of the btl was smitten while I was let down having recently had the last of my own btls. I loved my last btl which was much much fresher than this one and showed much more interesting forest floor like favors. This one showed considerable ambering in the color and seemd kind of tired to me. Mine was stored in a temp controlled wine cabinet, not sure about this btl?
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Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Lytton Springs Zinfandel vertical (C's): Wow, what a gorgeous wine. Aromas of spice, cherry, garrigue, licorice and a mix of red & black fruits. Very well-balanced with softened tannins and a terrific presence across the palate. Red fruit and white pepper tones on the attack turn to cherry, blackberry, sage, thyme and anise through the midpalate and finish. Ends with white pepper and red fruit nuances. No harm in drinking this beauty now. 94-95 pts.
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It has been quite a while since I have had the '98. Now at 15 years old it starts to show clear signs of age (at least this bottle did). Almost brown colour. Initial notes were very rustic and barnyard-like. After a bit of air notes of garrigue, tar and olives emerge. Very mouth filling and chewy texture. This particular bottle would not benefit from further ageing, but I would be surprised if that goes for all my remaining bottles of this classic Chateauneuf from this exceptional vintage.
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From an impeccable bottle - absolute class A. Tasted vis a vis the 2000, this both darker and dryer, more serious with less of the charming grenache sweetness, but certainly a very Provence-like structure with a lively, aromatic country-side nose and taste with garrigue, a bit of olives and dark meat. I am loving this, the harmony and the balance, the true character. I have three bottles left, no hurry, but keeping them longer is for academic purposes only, I think. (summer of '13, with lamb chops from the grill celebrating everything & the kitchen)
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Wow...this is why we cellar wines. Glad I have 3 more from this vintage. My original notes said it would last into the 2020's, I am doubting that but what a great wine!
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What an unexpected pleasure this was! I had high hopes it would be very good at age 15 but this totally blew me away. The nose was so Grand Cru / $300 plus Burgundian with intense damp forest floor aromas. Decanted 1/2 hour before tasting and immediately poured into Burg glasses. Very tight on the nose for the first 20 minutes and then slowly became amazing! Worth it just for the nose. The spicy soil tone flavors carried over to the palate which was almost perfection except for some ever so slightly rustic tanins at the end. The tanins are barely worth mentioning except I have to be completely objective. Terrific with grilled pork chops! Just awesome! I have three 01s in waiting but I definitely need more Donjon even if the price tag now is double the $30 price tag for this btl.
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Flock CdP Tasting - 2003 & Older (Jordan's): Ruby brown in color. Nose is just killer - wow. Aromas black fruit, herbs, garrigue, black pepper. Just keeps getting better. Palate follows suit by firing on all cylinders. Great herb-filled fruit with notes of pepper, tea and spice adding complexity. Long, intense finish. My 2/9, Group 1/9. Heard at the tasting that this bottling is hit or miss ... tonight we drank a hit.
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(Last bottle of a mini vertical bought at auction). PnP. This was an underwhelming bottle: structurally everything is there, it's bright, full rounded, smoothed out now but it just lacked fruit. It was a very "quiet" partner to a moderately flavoured lamb Provençal dish. Better on its own after dinner but disappointing nonetheless.
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Opened this for 3 hours before serving. Beautiful aged CDP color. Rich granache on the initial nose. Nose evolved into old leather and herbs de provence over a couple hours. Tastes of old leather books, like drinking your great uncle's library. I paired this with grilled lamb chops which really brought out the dark current and ripe fruit flavors as well. Nice finish if a bit short.
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Decanted and poured, this bottle was not nearly as thrilling as the last experience with this wine. This bottle seemed disjointed and somewhat awkward throughout the course of its consumption. Based on this showing the wine seems to be on the downside of its peak with the bouquet and palate showing mostly mature notes with the remaining youthful elements relegated to the background. Purchased on release and imported by Adventures in Wine.
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Light transparent red with some amber at the rim. Smells of sweet balsam. Big and juicy fruit with plenty of balsam and garrigue. Long finish. Sublime. I can only assume the other recently reviewed bottle was not stored correctly or damaged in shipment.
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Well, this seems to have fallen off the cliff. My last note about a year ago indicates this seemed to be prematurely aging. I have been following this wine by pulling bottles from an original case I bought on release. This one is nearly dead. Showing some VA and spiky alcohol now. A bit of mature fruit ,but not enough to make this very good at all. Didn't even care to finish the bottle. I'm not holding out much hope for remaining bottles (but definitely have previously noted variability on bottles within this same case...hope the rest are not shot...)
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AEG Consumed with beef Wellington and imported cheeses. Double decanted for 4 hours. Lovely smooth fruit and well-married tannins with a delicate amount of spice. Very elegant.
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This wine was double-decanted and served at a walk-around Super Bowl party, virtually the same setting as 2/5/12. My independent notes are similar, with the exception that this bottle has a bit more tart acidity. Drink now-12/16.
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This wasn't a good bottle of this wine that has shown very well for me several times over the years. It was decanted for a few hours - probably a mistake. It just never came around. Funky and earthy without enough fruit to balance that out.
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Double decanted around 10am; served around 9pm. Something was off about this from the moment it was opened. The nose was dominated by mineral and lacking fruit. Seemed a little funky on the palate too with more acid/less fruit than expected. I didn't discern any cork aromas but it performed a bit like it was stripped of fruit, so who knows. Regardless, this was different than previous bottles and not overly enjoyable.
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Bright med youthful crimson; subtle but clean pure deep nose of raspberry, menthol, kirsch, licorice, and violets. Regally tannic with low pH ( at least tart and focused on the palate- idk the actual pH but at 13.5 alcohol in a warm vintage in an era of imbalanced influence of the punditry on wine producers it appears this wine is made from grapes picked at a more traditional level of ripeness). Anyway this wine has from the outset outpaced other "notables" and is poised for a long fun ride in the cellar.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Similar notes as last taste. So so stinky on the nose. Massive earthy, shroomy funk. Barnyard fruit. Touches of age and campfire. Raisin fruit a bit but this just screamed Grenache. Some underlying baking spice and a little fatigued on the finish. Very nice and right up my alley.
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Medium dark red. Great nose of blackberry, earth, mineral, black pepper and smoked meats. Keeps improving over about an hour, it would continue to improve I'm sure but it was gone. Very nice mid wieght flavours and a quite tannic finish. A great bottle of an iconic vintage of Donjon.
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Terrific showing. This is showing a variety of complexities: spicebox, light soy, animál, light Donjon melted truffle notes, dates, figs, and raspberry fruit at the center core. Autumnal, without being dried out. Impressive secondary and tertiary development, yet it remains youthful. The tannins seem integrated, the mouthfeel very smooth, the wine long in the mouth. No over-ripeness, nothing out of proportion. Seems to be at a good plateau. With takeout from Molto and The League on DVD.
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Pungent nose of licorice and black cherry. Starts out quite acidic, and then with time the tannin starts to dominate the structure. Has good fruit, but somehow still a bit harsh.
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Perfect cork and fill. Double decant 2hrs and drank the following 2hrs. Wonderful nose of licorice, black currant, leather, tobacco, mollases, iodine, pepper, and toasted herbs. Similar notes on med bodied palate with great balance and very long finish.
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Popped and poured. Initially reticent but opened a little as the evening progressed. Old style CNDP - engaging rusticity with licourice and iodine supporting the cherry, tobacco and herby flavours. Overall not as complex or as fresh as I'd wish for, not sure if that's a 98 vintage thing or whether more time could help.
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Color was medium ruby -> light garnet/orange rim. On the nose there was lots of barnyard funk, peppers & olives and a wonderful melange of what I think of as CDP spice. On the palate once again plenty of spiciness, garrigue, roasted peppers and herbs. Good structure; rustic though -- like CDP's of old. Medium to medium-long finish that ends up being slightly bitter. I think I might have scored this slightly higher but for that bitterness. As others have noted, the wine looked advanced for only being a '98.
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Had this bottle completely to myself since others were not drinking. This bottle was generally consistent with my previous notes although slightly sub-par. I'm wondering if this is going through a bit of an awkward stage, or if there is some slight bottle variation at play.
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Mildly corked. Musty cellar TCA scent on the nose. Still showing a bit a dark berry fruit on the palate. Great mouth presence showing both finesse and power. I can see how this would be a great wine if it weren't flawed.
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Magnum. About 1 1/2" ullage and some prior leakage looking at the cork. Light ruby. Some worrisome VA upfront but this did not increase. Camphor and black olive but little fruit and overall, the aromatics seemed slightly off. Nevertheless, this improved and gained some texture over time, eventually expressing garrigue and some muted red fruit. Better than I feared it would be but not nearly as good as it should be from this format.
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Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Serious serious earthy shroomy funk driven wine. Rustic and old leather. Dirty fruit with pungent brie laced red cherries and passion fruit even. Some new car aromatics. Light spice. Palate follows suit with an earth driven somewhat savory red stewed vegetation. Long finish. Really liked this vintage.
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More variability...I quite enjoyed this bottle, BUT...it was very mature for its age. If I had been served this bottle blind I would have guessed a CNdP from the 1980s. And I would have scored it about 90 points, so that is what I gave this wine. Not at all unpleasant, but far too advanced for a 1998. Browning color, fruit still there but slightly faded, nice herbs, good texture. Acids frame the wine nicely. I have been working my way through an original case of this wine purchased on release and every bottle seems entirely different than the last...very strange.
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Dark garnet with medium viscosity in the glass. Pleasing nose of ripe red fruit, plum, mocha, tobacco and coffee. Rustic secondary hide, herbs and graphite. Medium body and thoroughly integrated on the palate. Cranberry, vibrant red fruit, mocha, tobacco and herbs on the palate. Secondary coffee and green pepper. Exquisite mouthfeel…about as silky and mouthwatering as you can get. Decent structure. Long finish.
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This medium garnet wine (purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion) was double-decanted, allowing approximately one hour prior to funneling back into the cleaned bottle. It was then served at a walk-around Super Bowl party. The nose is immediately expressive and complex, with a bouquet of cocoa, bramble fruits, clove and dried cranberries. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, melted tannins and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13.5%). The flavors are complex and mirror the nose. The middle palate is solid and the smooth finish goes on and one. Absolutely stunning at this point. Assuming well-cellared, it should drink nicely for at least another 3-5 years. Drink now-12/16.
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Vieux Donjon Vertical and a bunch of others (Mike's home): This was added at the last minute and colder then the rest so we knew it was the 98. Probably due to temps, the nose was muted until later in the evening. When it opened up, it had barnyard, cherries and cigar smoke. Great texture. This is still young but has a wonderful complexity. Balanced. Long finish. Juicy acidity keeps it lively. Great wine.
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I don't know if it is due to bottle variation or the stage at which this wine was now, but this was far more enjoyable than the bottle I opened a year ago (December 30, 2010). Medium ruby-garnet. Amazing freshness on the nose, with red cherries, violets, spices and herbs. A combination of Southern Rhone and Burgundian character. Same impression on the medium-bodied palate, with fresh and vibrant fruit, silky tannins and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Everybody at the table loved this, non-wine-afficionados included. Alas, I have no more bottles left...
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Again, you never know what's coming with a bottle of this wine. This one was unlike any of the ones before it. Last bottle (in 2010) was open for business and showing ready. This bottle was the tightest of any '98 Donjon I've tried in the last 10 years. The structure was so solid - no amount of decanting could soften it. Still lots of really wonderful CNdP character: tons of herbs and garrigue. Nice fruit - not over the top. But the wine showed as muscular and tight. I wonder if this is a phase? Or just the well-known bottle variation at work? Time and more bottles will tell!
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This bottle was nowhere near ready, displaying ferocious tannins and restraint. Several hours in the decanter later, and this barely budged. Chalky red fruit, plums, leather, and green peppercorns lurking, but this is 5 years away from prime time, IMO.
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HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From a magnum. Very animalistic nose with some jammy fruit and a big whiff of alcohol; it would be understandable to mistake this for a vintage port from the alcoholic and jammy notes. Just immensely alcoholic and jammy again on the palate, and while there are some barnyard notes that are quite interesting, this is simply just way too big, fruity, and alcoholic for me. Some cocoa notes, but there are some unpleasant chemical flavours on the palate as well. Tastes like a 14-14.5%. Not to my liking; this is simply a wine that I can't understand, and would derive no pleasure in drinking.
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Didn't live up to the WS hype. This this the 4th bottle over the last 8 years and I've been underwhelmed each time. That said, still. Great wine but not as big as expected. Paired very well with coq au vin.
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Dark red. Big wine, with concentrated, dark fruit. This has a nice mix of the earth, game, and cassis you get with a ripe CDP but with plenty of old school structure. Still young, this drinks well now with some air but still has some tannic bite to it that should soften a bit with time. Only worry is it may be a bit too dry and tannic on the finish if that doesn't mellow over time. A-
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Earthy, smoky, cassis nose that starts out light but intensifies over first half hour. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoky stuff just coming off the underlying flavor and very silky acid melding with soft tannins throughout the flavor profile. Throw in some subtle spicing all well. Incredibly integrated.
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No formal notes as I shared this with some good friends at a backyard pool party. Drinking exceptionally well from magnum format. Still tastes young but well within it's drinking window. Bright red fruits and great complexity. Nice to see people that don't normally drink wine this good look surprised at having a well made, mature CdP.
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Really nice showing. Upon opening, smooth black fruits with a hint of barnyard funk, the sides of the palate are nicely contoured with age, but the palate is still focused with a core of dark cherry fruit. There is a lot of complexity going on here: soil, light underbrush, leather, liquorice, even a touch of sous bois. Long, complex finish. The tannins are showing some softness and the wine as a whole is heading into a middle age integration, but there is still plenty of acidity to carry this wine further. Drinking well now, but still upside to cellar longer.
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Medium dark red. Roasted dark fruit, fairly ripe, easy to pick as a 98 but I didn't think Donjon because it missed the earthy animal nose I've always seen in 98 Donjon. After an hour in the glass that complexity developed. Needed an hour or so in the decanter to start to show what a great wine this is.
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Bill's Monthly Lunch - April 2011: Medium ruby with slight bricking on edges. Very nice Grenache characteristics on nose, showing some age. Nice, smooth palate. Let the wine sit in the glass for a few more flights and the fruit became more concentrated. Excellent
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Plums, earth and cherry on the nose. Full flavor fuming through the mouth, great red fruit. Lovely mixture of integrated tannin, full fruit and some acidity. Licorice and cassis. Absolutely yummy wine, which is drinking well now and will do so for a number of years.
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Very strange showing; after a 4 hour slo-ox followed by a short decant, wine opened up with typical nose of funk and provencal herbs followed by more herbs and understated notes of dried red fruit on the subtle but evolving palate - an interesting and enjoyable wine...however, as time went on, the flavors became more and more stewed to the point a few hours later where I was beginning to wonder if the bottle was slightly cooked. Confusing and certainly a bit of a letdown
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Opening this at the end of a lot of wine probably wasn't real smart, but boy did this taste good. Beautiful nose of dark fruit and dried herbs. Expansive on the palate with great texture, perfect balance and a long, long finish. I'm down to a case remaining and am beginning to wonder if I have enough to see this through to its prime.
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Wonderful funky nose, just like Vieux Donjon is supposed to have. This was one of the almost great 98s though. The fruit was there, dark and rich, but just almost as deep and sweet as the great ones. Loaded with other provencal flavors of garrigue, etc
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Decanted for 2 hours. Purple color with a hint of brick when it was decanged. The wine has an outstanding bouquet of dark fruit and earth. The wine has excellent fruit, good acidity and delicious earthiness. It went beautifully with lamb chops. Ready to drink now but could easily last another 10+ years.
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Opened and decanted for 90 minutes. Deep ruby, almost purple w no hint of bricking. A rich nose of dark berries, sage, and tar. Even more complex on the palate with dark fruit, tar & meat opening to sage, figs, touch of licorice and some wonderful flowery notes lingering on the finish. This wine is so much more evolved than the last tasting in 2006 when it still seemed tight and dominated by dark cherry notes that it seems like a different wine. this bottle, right now - a great CDP
This was an exceptionally nice bottle that still suggests several years of enjoyment ahead. Several tasters have mentioned variability within cases that i have not noticed (tasting between 2 cases purchased on release) but that also suggests caution when buying where the provenience is unknown. I have consistently rated this vintage between 92 and 94 with the higher scores over the last two years. That said, well worth seeking out as a great CDP at it's price point imo.
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Completely different experience than the last bottle. While a hint of "barynyard" in the nose, rather garrigue and earth were dominant. Just a hint of brick, but color still dense. In the mouth, lots of tar and leather, herbs/garrigue but with sweet ripe fruits still evident. The wine has smoothed out, but the fruit is still solid. A classic aged ChdP with a different character than the young wine, but still great structure and flavors. We thought the tar/leather/meat was dominant, but not barnyard, and everything was well integrated. We also tasted a 98 Beaucastel, and found them remarkably similar--98 was a great vintage and the wines appear to have been similarly made, with the intent to age well. In each instance, several years ago we were disappointed--perhaps the wines needed the additional years. Great wine. we had no sense of either overripe (I don't think these wines were as highly extracted or alcoholic as recent vintages) nor intense barnyard/brett (despite our experience with the same wine two years ago).
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Aromas of black cherry, ripe fig, and herbes de Provence. Ripe fruit on the attack and mid-palate, dark cherries, fig, blackberry - some raisin on the finish with a touch of fennel seed and tarragon. Balanced acidity and largely resolved tannins. Full-bodied - spreads across the entire palate. Enough fruit and acid to carry this another 5 or 6 years - longer if kept in a cool cellar.
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Deep garnet colour with some browning on the rim. Second time I have this wine in a shoret period. It is very interesting and complex but it has began to fade especially in the nose where there are signs of overripeness and burned aromas. At a lower temprerature these are less evident and the wine is more enjoyable. Aromatically the wine shows overripe fruit like fig and plum, tar, ash and leathery aromas and texture is supple, full and soft with lingering finish. Similar profile to the Pegau Reserve of the same vintage but Pegau was 100% healthy while this is sliding quickly down the slope. If not for the burnt aromas, the wine would merit a much higher score due to its complexity.
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Light brick. Intense barnyard, red and darker berries, nice blood orange and floral notes. Mid+ bodied, very smooth and fairly warm with sweetness, velvety tanins, rich fruit and moderate but adequate acidity. Long finish. Ready to drink. A very typical and enjoyable CdP at its peak.
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Medium ruby, lighter at rim. Opened 3 hours before pouring. An initial whiff of prune and port was worrisome but disappeared by time it wound up in the glass. At that point, gorgeous melange of red berries, caramel, and some late menthol. Perfect weight (i.e., not as fat as I had complained last time), in fact, quite elegant, excellent purity of fruit, and little in the way of remaining tannins. I was too hard on the prior bottle; this was a beauty and seemed to be drinking at its peak.
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The bottle apparently was of very dark glass and the wine seemed to me to be black. When poured it was just deep garnet. I was not able to take full notes, but the wine was not the leathery beast another cellartracker user was describing. Had lots of red and black ripe fruit and herbs and just a hint of leather, body was medium +, tannins resolved.
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Monthly Tasting Group LTB 2010-10; Châteauneuf-du-Pape (By VD): Mature bouquet with lavas and chocolate and disappearing quickly. On the palate the wine is more promising; full bodied, soft bitterness and beautiful spiciness. The tannin is completely dissolved. Still beautiful, complex and completely ready, if not on the brink of going past its prime. I was told this bottle came from a perfect cellar. So drinking this in 2011 might be the wisest thing to do. 89-90
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While we are accustomed to the "barnyard" version of ChdP, the nose was overpoweringly so, and it carried into the wine. It was a close call between barnyard and corked, either way, a major disappointment. Of note, we immediately opened a 99 Vieux Telegraphe...it was wonderful.
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Harry Karris and co at Againn (Againn, Washington DC): Candied nose but showing Donjon characteristics of herb, grilled meat and roast. It still is primary and in need of time. A bit clipped and some discernable heat on the finish.
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Another of the good, not great, bottles of 1998 Vieux Donjon. The grenache just wasn't that great deep sweet grenache that it is on the great bottles. That being said the wine was quite enjoyable. Had the typical Vieux Donjon barnyardy-ness and dark fruits.
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner with Harry Karis (Againn, Washington DC): Another classic example of Chateauneuf from Donjon. This is the second time I've enjoyed its 1998 vintage, and I felt it performed at the same level. Great combination of red fruit,"chicken-coop" aromas, and roasted herbs. Another great bottle.
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I served it too cold and it did not open enoughbut my wife exclaimed pepper. She loved it with the food. Next bottle I will open it earlier and warm it up. For me the flavor died at the end.
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CH9 1998 Horisontal (MG work): Blackberry with a little vanilla on the nose with a slight sweetness to it. After some air it also shows coffee and chocolate. Huge backbone on the palate with plenty of cherries and a little leather and lavender. Initial impression is of a huge wine that is still very young :-) A lot of power in the entire wine. Perhaps still a little singulary but simply a huge potential. Great wine!!
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An extremely enjoyable wine. Traditional CdP, yet I was expecting even more garrigue and an old school nose than what I got. Still, lots of yummy raspberry grenache, herbs and beef blood packaged in a very well put together structure, drinking wonderfully at the moment. This is a fantastic wine and worth drinking for years and years.
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No notes taken. Served with grilled lamb with porcini sauce, steak oscar with Bernaise, potatoe puree and Szechuan haricot verts. Audouzed about four hours. Split seven ways and everyone loved it. Soaring nose of dark fruit, dried herbs and mineral. Equally compelling on the palate with expansive flavors, great texture, excellent balance and a long, satisfying finish. Paired especially well with the lamb.
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This was one of the best bottles of this wine I have consumed. Drinking great - could not ask for more from this wine. Lip smacking, glass draining goodness! Hope the rest of the bottles show this well (it is a bit of a crapshoot as this wine shows variability from bottle to bottle).
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Pretty much as noted in late 2009. Dark, unevolved, round with great fruit and complicating tobacco. Excellent acidity for the year. No more than midway through its development, I think. In the context of two 1988 red Burgundies that came before this wine, it was positively thick and sweet. I don't mean that as a knock since it is beautifully balanced compared to so many '98 Chateauneufs, but with this sequence of drinking and tasting, even the Vieux Donjon comes across as fat and lacking precision. Apples and oranges.
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Dinner With Denyce (Fabio's NYC): Great nose: strawberry fruit with earthy, resin notes. More strawberry fruit on the palate with nice minerality, garrigue and pine resin. Medium acid, high tannin, long finish. Very nice wine.
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Despite some variability (even from within a single case), this was one of the good bottles. Wonderfully aged Chateauneuf. Saddle leather, herbs de Provence, sweet raspberry fruit, underbrush. Lovely bottle.
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Decanter and had with bbq pork. Stil very dark in colour. Nose of cherry liqueur, earth and spices. Full bodied, extracted but smooth. Delicious mouth coating wine. Much better than the 98 de La Gardine I had the other night. The 98 CDPs are drinking beautifully right now, and have many years in front of them.
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at first I was not sure a bit rough but it really came around , smooth integrated tannins , spicy with some mature fruit with the meaty flavors..........
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consistent tn's. Decanted 90 minutes. This continues to evolve slowly and beautifully. The purity is most noticeable, followed by the prescient focus and supple length. Outstanding structure. I look forward to trying this in 2-3 years' time. Recommended +
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Middle of the road bottle for this wine. Nose was reticent, not giving that blast of grenache found in the great ones. Palate was better though. Bit of nice funk rounded out the wine.
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Chateauneuf de Pape Tasting (Urbana, Washington, DC): Light nose at first....but the aromatics really built up. Soon, deep, dense kirsch and cassis flavors combined with barnyard notes to create a really nice nose. Out of all the wines tonight, this wine matured the most in my glass. Soon, more of the classic CdP notes took hold....raw meats, and horse flavors. Really enjoyable bottle.
Rich, full bodied. Very smooth and easy to drink. Not sure what bug the previous taster has up his butt, but clearly he does not know anything about great CDP. I live for wimes like this and am delighted I still have 1/3 of a case left and a strong vertical going up to '07
I was actually curious to try this because I remember going all around town trying to find this years ago after the big Wine Spectator score, back in my point-chasing days and before I realized that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an inherently shitty wine. This would probably be impressive to the type of wine drinker who thinks there is no greater virtue to wine than "concentration." Indeed, the impression it gives is almost as if it is a contest entry in a competition to produce the most concentrated wine possible, more as a Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's type feat than as something that would have any appeal as a consumable beverage. Unfortunately, the material it is concentrated with tastes like grenache and therefore it was barely drinkable. But it is something to marvel at, in the same way one marvels at the Ripley's picture of the 1200-pound man or the guy with elephantitis of the testicles. And just like you always end up giving those pictures one last look I actually tasted (and spat) this several times.
This wine was decanted and poured about fifteen minutes later. This showed an outstanding bouquet that offered aromatics of raspberry, iron, campfire, baked brick, strawberry and tar. The aromatics are complex and nuanced and at wonderful stage of maturity. The color is dark brick to dark ruby and is appropriate for the age of the wine. The medium bodied palate shows mature notes that are concentrated, balance and complex. Tannins remain and make and appearance on the finish. This is at or around its peak and should continue to drink well for a number of years.
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Deep red. Sweet plum fruit and meat nose. Bits of pepper and raspberry. Not as sweet in the mouth but in this company it seemed very rich. Long dry finish. One of my favorites. Outstanding.
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Drinking well right now but will still hold for a lot of years. Still dark and deep red in the glass. Decanted half an hour at restaurant - I had steak tartar followed by duck breast/confit and was a great pairing for both. Nice and earthy but still balanced; graphite and fruit still present with some nice pepper notes as well.
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Still very young and tight -- our first bottle of a case. Agree with the RP description -- not a lot of cherry/berry, more incense, roasted herbs, lavender, licorice, and kirsch liqueur. Decanted for 1-1/2 hours, needs more time, and definitely needs food with it. All that being said, delicious bottle.
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A 1998 Chateauneuf Dinner (Rivoli Restaurant, Albany, California): Still deep and dark. A great bottle with serious, savory flavors of licorice and tobacco, sappy, perfectly ripe fruit, and excellent underlying acid/tannin structure. My clear favorite tonight, this has a long way to go. I have loved the last 2 bottles of this I've tried. They have had everything you want in a Chateauneuf without any of the excesses that can creep into ripe vintages.
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Deep, deep brick red. Tight at open, with time in the decanter develops wonderful sweet fruit on the palate, with a garrique edge and a long and tasty finish. The nose is good, but more subdued than the wine at this point. Really very nice now with several years to go.
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Sotheby's pre-auction tasting: this wine is the colour of the deepest well; dark berries, fine perfume - quite sophisticated with figs and anis and cocoa and many other elements. on the palate the wine is a bit more burlesque. I really liked this.
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Wow what a treat! Opaque purple color Dark and brooding. Intense nose of spices, graphite, and dirt. The fruit is still huge, with notes of black raspberry and blackberry followed by more licorice, black pepper, and earth. This showed quite well, but could still improve over the next 3-5 years and should drink well over the next decade.
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A real treat to have this side by side with the 07. Knockout nose. Drinking really well right now and should hold for several long years. Textbook traditional CDP on the palate. Tons of complexity.
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Gian's house. Decanted for one our. Youthful reddish purple. Nose of kirsch, leather and dried herbs. Berries and figs on the palate, with earth, licorice, lavender and smoked meats. Long finish. Not yet at at its peak. Terrific.
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Friends brought over for dinner. Exceptional bottle of wine that needs some time to open up, might even need a year or two more as its still a big boy. Earth and herbal components really play well together in this along with the really well balance of acidity with tannins. Wonderful!
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Medium core with mature looking rim. Gloriously focused cherry and roasted plum with a subtle undertone of herbs. Beautiful balance of vibrant fruit enlivened by strong acids and sappy texture unencumbered by excess ripeness or alcohol. This is fantastic, much better than a bottle tasted at the beginning of the year, and completely justifying its reputation as a classic Chateauneuf.
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Opened last night. Popped and poured. Seemed a bit hot on opening. I poured off half the bottle and am having the 2nd half tonight. Sweet cherry, grenache fruit with plenty of garrigue and lavender. The acids are soft and on the finish the tannins are present and a bit drying but not in a bad way. Nice finish. Maybe not the heights of the last bottle, but still outstanding. Glad to have more left.
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Terrific, rich, medium-bodied blackberry/black raspberry fruit with tarry, peppery, smokey flavors, beautiful structure and length, elegant, and absolutely ready to ready
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Wonderful wine from a great vintage. Opened about an hour (should have decanted but no decanter at the party). Opened for a group of non-wine snobs and it blew them away with multiple people saying that it was the best wine that they had ever had. Was great with the food but would have been great with anything. Opened up well but was WOW from first glass. I wish I had another bottle.
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Light red. The nose on this wine is typical of a great Chateauneuf. Lots of raspberry, meat and black pepper. The weight of this wine is very burgundian but the nose and flavours are textbook CdP. Decent soft annins and a long dry finish. These 98s from the south never dissapoint me.
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Presented in double-blind fashion to our Friday tasting group. My tasting was unblinded. The bottle had been meticulously stored at 55 degrees following purchase (upon retail release). The wine was decanted at home (moderate sediment), allowed to aerate in decanter for 45 minutes, then decanted back into the cleaned bottle for presentation to the group. The wine was then serially tasted over a three-hour period. Medium-to-deep garnet robe with brick rim. Within 15 minutes of decanting, the wine showed an explosive bouquet of cocoa, garrigue, licorice and mushrooms, all resting on top of a core of beautiful black fruit. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, soft tannins and a silky mouth feel. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle is full. Long, smooth finish. This bottle was "singing" and is a beautiful example of mature Chateauneuf-du-Pape from a fine vintage. It has plenty of fruit to allow enjoyment for at least another five years. Very well-received by the tasters. Drink now-12/14.
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Garnet. Nose of raspberries and dried herbs. Taste was the same as the nose, with red fruits, cherries and raspberries/herbs. Very good, and still a touch young.
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Still rocking! Seamless sweet cherry fruit followed by a looong finish. Lively acids and balancing tannins. Terrific on Day two as well. Has added some tea notes on day two. This will age for several more years.
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Birthday tasting @ Roel's (Netherlands): Spicy bouquet with notes of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and kardamom. Cherries and rosehips in a middle-eastern bazaar. Milkchocolate, cocoa-powder. Mysterious and difficult to describe. The fruit is crispy and fresh, though there is something raisiny present, but the overall palate makes a dusty, smoky and meaty impression. Dusty, powdery tannines. Nice, wavy length and persistent finish. Very, very nice. 17,5/20
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Spicy nose. Lots of pepper for a Chateauneuf. Big palate of dark ripe fruit. Even with all this material and ripeness the wine is very fresh in the mouth. Fabulous length. Early maturity with a big upside.
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1998 CdP tasting at Il Corso, NY. Much darker, dense color than the Clos des Papes. Also it doesn't posses the same sweetness as the Clos des Papes. This is a more serious wine. I find this to be more pruney/plummy. Black plum flavors. There is also brown fruit here, dates and figs. The fruit has a baked quality to it, this wine, to me, is slightly marked by the hot weather. Almost porty in style. Still it manages to contain itself and not come across as over the top. I am not convinced about this one.
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This is the first time I've tried this in over a year. Still healthy color with slight brown edges. Rich, chocolate nose. Deep, dark fruit at first, but the longer this sat open, the more it showed olives and a stewed port-like quality with definite alcoholic heat. Not nearly as well balanced nor as complex as I remember. Disappointing.
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Pknut just read your note and thought this is almost right on with my thinking last night. Initially a bit musty with the smoke with hints of some good underlying fruit but not the 92-93 pt wine I was expecting. Seemed to get better with time while i decanted I drank over 2 hours vs 5.
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US/French Grenache (Ox Restaurant, Jersey City, NJ): 80% grenache. Nice but lots of alcohol on the palate, which seemed odd to me for a 10 year old wine. Drinkable, for sure, good, but not special. Less fruit than the Clos des Papes and Janasse, but considering the age difference, not much less fruit.
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With Michel. Was expecting more from a '98 Donjon that I've stored well since release. Initially somewhat coy, then opening up to smoked meat and beef jerky notes with light garrigue, but overall, rather understated and never really seemed to be expressive. The tannins are soft yet still there, suggesting less than complete integration; perhaps this wine just needs a bit more time. At the five hour mark, the wine shows some lavender and a still a reluctant, reticent demeanor. Quite surprising how shy this wine seems at 10 years. At one point, we even discussed whether this wine was over the hill (in its lack of expressiveness and generally listless, energy-less palate), or not yet ready.
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Popped and poured over a 2+ hour meal. More closed than previous bottles I've tasted. Intense, pure, spicy black cherry/kirsch flavors and a pronounced tobacco/garrigue/dried herb component on the midpalate. Big, heady, savory, and structured. Steadily improved with air, and the last sip was the best.
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Double decanted about two hours before serving. Muted and unimpressive. I didn't detect any TCA, but something was definitely wrong with this bottle as it was not consistent with previous great showings.
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Decanted 4 hours. Wine was still tight, but had some pretty blackberry, plum and leather notes on the nose with wonderful flavors with plum, tobacco, cedar, and gamey notes that stretch out on a nice, minerally spine. Long finish. This was very tasty and a wonderful example of Vieux Donjon, but will clearly benefit from more time in the bottle.
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A very pretty color. Deep red-violet that fades to clear at the rim. Quite tight upon opening. Spicy cherry and herbs, a note of black pepper and a good duration of bacon fat. Sweet on the entry with full coverage and a fat mid palate. A little heat on the back end but the finish is excellent. This seems to have a long life ahead of it.
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Mish Mash of wines (My house): Dark and youthful looking in the glass. Nose of pepper and sautéed shitake mushrooms, hints of tar and roasted coffee beans were very well integrated and showed nice focus. After a couple hours some nice precise lilacs started to turn the wine a bit more floral and feminine. In the mouth the wine was smooth and elegant with great balance. Overall the fruit was showing very dark and deep with a clear resolve that the wine can benefit from years and years in the cellar. Lots of upside here.
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taste: really wonderful and full flavors of roast beef, black fruits, black peppers, and red fruits. Nice and full with great length and feel
overall: a great wine with the possibility to get better. There is a great silkiness to the black fruit focused attack and pure balance to the wine as it works its way on the palate with a fun black pepper finish
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Trip to Boston; 6/4/2008-6/9/2008: classic, ripe red fruit in perfect balance, refreshing acidity through the middle, some tannins still there to keep the long finish fun, perfect food wine as well as quite complex offering some early notes of leather and bramble. excelent
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Showing a bit older than you'd think for a 1998 but still has lovely raspberry kirsch flavors. Soft & easy with touches of herb & mineral. Lovely. Drink up.
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Beautiful bricky garnet color. Nose was a bit muted, with some herbs, spice, pepper, and garrigue. Palate started out with all the quintessential CdP elements of pepper, tar, black fruits and leather, but never quite got going. Concentration was a bit lacking. Moderate finish. Hard to know if this bottle was closed or slightly off. One bottle left, which will probably not be disturbed for 3-5 years.
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Decanted 1 hour before tasting. Cloudy, unfiltred. Colour shows first signs of aging. Opens with a slightly off-putting nose of cold tea and wet wood. But after a half-an-hour of extra air-time it is unfolding a very complex bouquet of milkchocolade, cherry, just a whiff of barnyard, licorice, blood, cinnamon, cloves. Kept on reminding me of a good beefstew! Intriguing wine which kept me coming back for more. Totally a point. 17/20. My impression is that there is a lot of bottle variation. Had this one 2 or 3 times before and none were the same or even comparable. This one was the best till now. The rest seemed to suffer from early aging/oxidation.
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Dinner: Showing very ripe. The fruit is very ripe but not heavy or over extracted. Very easy to drink right now with its somewhat light and sweet tannins. Black cherries and spice. The nice acids balance the ripeness. Still so youthful.
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Tasting Group Dinner - Chateauneuf at Heidi's (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Second time I've had this. Wide-open, approachable nose of intense, high-toned red fruit and mushrooms. This palate is beautifully expressive, showing raspberry/strawberry fruit, forest floor, kirsch/red cherries, game, and garrigue. Really smooth and seamless, with a great combination of flavor intensity, elegance, and length. Well-integrated tannins. Awesome stuff and a great showing for this wine.
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Wednesday at Heidi's: Double decanted ~12 hours prior to serving. The color is an opaque dark red . The nose is dark and brooding featuring dark fruit, dried herbs, earth and lilac. The nose is fairly intense, but is still holding back at the moment. On the palate this gives dark fruit, licorice, and mineral. Showing a little sweeter than I remember. This is a large scale CdP -- possessing both concentrated fruit and lots of structure. The finish here is very smooth and appealing. This is a great wine that will be even greater with additional bottle age.
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Very deep garnet. Cinnamon and blackberry on the nose. Big, rich and deep. More fruit driven than the Pegau. Opened well. Just a bit heavy right now – could use a bit more time. A very strong wine. (93+)
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New Year's Eve with Friends: Decanted about four hours before serving. I tasted upon opening and it struck me as odd but I didn't think it was corked. When served with dinner I determined this was corked. The cork smell was extremely subtle, but the flavors of the wine were dramatically different (like much of the dark concentrated fruit had been stripped away) than previous bottles consumed. Most people still enjoyed this (it was poured before I detected the flaw). Sad, as I had planned this as the highlight of the evening.
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Medicines in the bouquet. The taste is ripe, juicy and spicy. Complex and showing signs of older age. I do not know the history of this bottle. Has it been stored too warm? I score it nevertheless.
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extremely spice laden and very sweet tannins. the wine was almost spritzy, and i'm not convinced this was up to par. not flawed, just a little peculiar. my only bottle so i can't get another check on it.
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Medium color core with definite tawny edges showing some degree of maturity. However, this developed wonderfully over six hours, suggesting a bright future. Dark core of aroma and flavor--this is not the bright, cheery Grenache face of Chateauneuf. Outstanding, harmonious, sappy mouth feel depsite some residual tannin, and natural sweetness without sugariness or the excess alcohol or weight of other '98s. The balance here is just superb. Only at the end did it really begin to show spice, herb, and secondary perfume. A great Chateauneuf which I enjoyed much more than a bottle 10 months ago. Looking back through the database, my experience with this bottle pretty much echos Dave Dalluge's note in July.
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Just opened - big explosive red fruit spectrum flavours but finishes very firm. I'm not sure how this will evolve as the fruit seem to be all there now and beginnning to showing signs of drying out. Was a little concerned going into this as a recent tasting of 98 CNDPs showed many with premature aging. This is thankfully devoid of this.
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Exploring Chateauneuf-du-Pape @ Peter Z. (Belgium): Sorry to say that this was a little ho-hum. Had great expectations when I bought this, but all together it was rather disappointing. Strange soupy aromas of cellery, broth and stewed meat. Intense, sultry and sweetish mouthfeel, yet the aromas are indistinctive, hard to separate from each other. Don't know if this bottle was a representative one. 15.5/20
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Rayas redux (Our place): Double decanted. Was very tight all night long, never revealing all that should be there. Some sweet fruit, the great cornucopia of scents which I usually get from Vieux Donjon were weaker than I would have expected. By the end of the night, seemed to open a little, showing some of the power and tannin. Half a bottle remains for tonight, looking forward to seeing if it finally sings...
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No notes taken, but this was excellent with a grilled New York Strip at the Sawchuk's. Double decanted about seven hours before serving. Everyone loved this wine. The nose is just so interesting -- a brooding blend of dark fruit, a dark herby garrigue, beef, and mineral. On the palate this is balanced and packed with flavor. The finish is long and satisfying. I've got to keep my hands off these, because they are going to be so great with another 5-10 years of bottle age.
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This wine rocks! Very complex, the kind of wine you just want to taste over and over again. Wonderful, and deep. Cherry grenache fruit layered with elements of forest floor, provencal herbs, accompanied by a long finish. Glad I have a bunch more of these.
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Hospice du Rhone; 5/3/2007-5/6/2007 (Paso Robles, CA): Brownish-red in color - almost rusty. An older nose of mature forest florr. On the palate, dark cherries, a bit of meatiness, and some saddle leather. Suprisingly mature. Drinking very well right now.
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HDR- Day 2 Seminars (Paso): Slightly brown around the rim. Plums and soy sauce on the palate. Medium bodied, with huge tannins that are difficult to get through. 88+
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Notes from memory. Popped and poured. Notes are consistent with the previous bottle, but maybe a bit tighter. Tasted beside the 2001 Mordoree Lirac RdB. The Mordoree was sweeter with more forward fruit. The Vieux Donjon was deeper and more concentrated fruit. Both are very good wines, but the Vieux Donjon is far superior.
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Dinner at Five (1998 Vieux Donjon, 1998 Monbousquet, and 2003 Turley OVZ): Opaque dark red color. The nose gives dark, brooding fruit that is just short of sur maturite complemented by dried herbs, animal, and garrigue. The nose is already intense, but you can just tell that this is still holding back at the moment. On the palate this shows dark fruit, spice, and mineral. This is full bodied -- possessing both concentrated fruit and lots of structure. The finish here is very smooth and appealing. My three companions had never had this wine and were savoring every last drop. Great wine that will be even greater with additional bottle age.
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It was difficult and perhaps impossible not to have our thoughts on the VD influenced by the 2001 Pegau Cuvee Laurence tasted next to it. The Vieux Donjon initially came across as a tad sweet to some of the tasters, dominated as it is by the ripe to super-ripe Grenache of the vintage presented in a traditional CdP package. But I found that the wine really sharpened up with time in the glass, developing more intensity, brightness and grip. The nose blossomed as well, showing lovely kirsch and strawberry aromas. In the end, I thought it held its own quite well with the slightly younger Pegau, although the difference in style was quite clear.
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Chateauneuf du Pape BYO Dinner (DUO, Miami): CdP BYO Dinner at Duo, Miami. Seems to be emerging from its sheel. Very good, somewhat reticent bouquet, deep black fruits and a modest finish. Expect to develop fully from here on out. I truly believe the 98's have been in a dormant stage, and will begin to shine around age 10.
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Drank at a tasting with 98 VT and 98 Beau - best wine of the three, great length, smooth tannins, nose somewhat muted. needs anothet year or so, but getting near ready.
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Tasted side by side with the 1998 Pegau Cuvee Laurence, which made for an interesting comparison,as they were two very different wines. The Pegau (see TN) was riper, with more red fruit and seemed less evolved and more polished. The Vieux Donjon impressed me with its old-school mix of brambly, dark fruit, game, earth and garrigue components. Expansive on the palate, with spicy, briary fruit and earthy elements. Nice balance. Though showing some evloution, it should continue to improve in the cellar for some time. Quite impressive.
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Dinner at 112 Eatery (Chave, Beaucastel, Pegau, Voge, Donjon, and others): Very interesting to taste this side-by-side with the 1998 Pegau Laurence. This is much more closed at this moment than the Pegau. This shows dark, brooding fruit with an undefined earthiness on the nose. One-dimensional at the moment but promising much more for the future. On the palate this shows dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Full bodied with concentrated fruit but lots of structure. The finish here is even longer than the Pegau, but not quite as interesting at the moment. This was a given to Steve for the tasting by Brad at Winestreet while Ben and Steve were there picking up an order. A generous gift and a great wine that just needs a few more years to show what its got.
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With B&R. My first of these, decanted couple of hours but still very young. Kirsch under tannin, and as it opens up then cedar and some spice. Will be an excellent CdP I think.
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Slowly dipping into these. This opened quite reticent - ungiving nose and fairly muted palate. Then the wine starts its striptease - every time we came back to it, the wine showed us a little more. Once open, the nose starts to display quite a lot of black pepper, saddle leather and red fruit. The palate spreads out more as the night continues. Sadly, by the time was hitting full stride it was drained. All my experiences with this bottling lead me to urge others to decant this wine for several hours before getting into it. And from now on, I'm taking my own advice.
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Very dark purple color. Huge wine that has everything you might think of - liquer-like, jammy fruits, licorice, spicy tannins, silky and never-ending finish. I'm writing this note on the next day and still feeling it in my mouth. We had it over the dinner for 3+ hours and it never lost a single touch. This is one of best Chateauneufs I've ever had.
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Delicious, raspberry liquer like flavors, with herbs too, concentrated but very well balanced. Jusr starting to open up -it was drinking very well. 94+
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Encouraged by other postings, I cracked one of these. Healthy purple color with lovely clarity. Huge, immediate, and sustained nose of garrigue, pepper, licorice, and BBQ sauce. This was the best part of the experience in my humble opinion. The palate evolved over several hours. Initially mostly pepper, spices, and jammy flavors, with almost a tart effect; however after 3 hours it definitely drilled downward and offered immense concentration and a wonderful presence on the finish. Powerful tannins present, moderately grained and balanced by broad currents of red fruit. Yoh, so this is what "traditional" CdP is supposed to taste like. Could definitely grow hair on one's chest. Should be near monumental in 3 to 5 years.
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Showing very well right now. On the nose, a bit of ripe banana and the scent of other ripe fruits. On the palate, the Grenache dominates with essence of ripe strawberry prevailing. There is a hint of cracked black pepper as well. Creamy and smooth, this should be even better when it knits fully.
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Limpid color and good depth with good legs and hints of evolution in the rim and a discrete nose of smoke, licorice and red fruit with a hint of cherry marmalede. in the mouth it has deep red fruit aromas,morello cherries and minerality. Long and balanced with a good dose of tannins. Very good.
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Tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg. Bottle provided by Frank Noble. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, very intense nose of blackberries, tar, damp earth, licorice, minerals and mushrooms. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, ample sweet tannins and similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. A knockout!
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(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Bricked medium dark red violet color; redolent, tobacco, cigar box, roasted black fruit nose; tasty, dried tobacco, roasted black fruit, mineral, charcoal, tar palate; medium-plus finish
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Bricking medium dark red violet color; a bit porty, chocolate pudding, licorice nose; tart dried berry, licorice, tar palate; medium finish (possible heat damage?)
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Dark brick red color; deep beefy nose with prune and cherry; tasty beef, pepper, black fruit, plum and bay leaf palate with medium spicy peppery finish (whole cluster in '98)
(Le Vieux Donjon) Just a classic CDP. Should be in the dictionary under Chateauneuf. Wild nose of garrigue, ripe cherry fruit, animal, leather and just plain old unidentifiable sauvage. Palate was juicy and bordering on port-like but held in check by acidity. Long finish with just a touch of warmth. But then that warmth is what classicaly styled CDP is all about. Great stuff.
(Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Short ribs, beets and beef gravy nose; tasty, beefy, meaty mid-palate, with resolved tannins and a medium finish 95+ pts.
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10/30/2023 - LT98 wrote: 93 Points
Very mature - soft tannins, still with good fruit, relatively low alcohol for CdP. A classic old-style CdP which is sadly getting hard to find.
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9/15/2023 - jdcarrie wrote:
tag only
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5/30/2023 - shafer1994 Likes this wine: 93 Points
No decant. Light brownish color, very mixed nose. Bouquet of licorice, leather, garrigue, dark fruit. Nose getting better over the evening. At the end of drinking window: drink up within 1 or 2 years.
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2/5/2023 - jpwines Likes this wine: 93 Points
Still drinking great--not past its' prime
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9/8/2022 - jdlee1232 wrote: 95 Points
Simply fantastic. Very well balanced, intense flavors and a beautiful nose. Still well in its prime
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6/6/2022 - nedbrooks@gmail.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
A lovely wine, a bit past its prime. Some browning, lots of sediment. Do not decant for long if at all.
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6/4/2022 - Jd6725 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Probably just past it's prime. Although didn't die at all with air or on the second day which confuses me. Just very little fruit left, but everything else has held together. The 2001 is better and/or just 3 years younger.
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10/16/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Bill's wine, as it turned out, but so bright and youthful that when the restaurant served our bottles blind and we didn't know the order, he wasn't sure it was his at all. Brilliant ruby red, no browning, with complex notes of pomegranate, raspberry, leather, orange rind and Constant Comment tea. OFS.
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9/16/2021 - shug14217 Likes this wine: 92 Points
[From Magnum] Open 48hrs.
Heady nose of raisins, fruitcake and spice, a touch of cereal and black tea leaves.
Ripe, sweet rancio edge, with smooth tannins and baked plum and fig pudding. A hint of eucalyptus, loads of black pepper and a very long finish. Tannins linger, but as a mild seasoning to the plum and pepper finish.
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9/8/2021 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Clear brownish red. Very funky, earthy plum and black cherry nose. Medium rich earthy black cherry and dried mushroom flavours and a long dry earthy finish.
Always great.
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8/26/2021 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 91 Points
Deep garnet in color with bricking edges. Nose of blackberries, leather, and hint of Brett. Tastes of dried blackberries, tobacco, and hints of vanilla and menthol. Resolved tannins. Slightly past its peak. Drink now and over the next two years.
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5/24/2021 - stinkycook wrote:
Amazing. Gentle tannins, long finish. Delicious with grilled rib-eyes and vegetables.
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11/22/2020 - Brain Capers Likes this wine:
Still drinking beautiful, aged plum fruitcake. No fading, went great with duck breasts and some nice Camembert. That was a good purchase!
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11/12/2020 - Chekib m. Likes this wine: 93 Points
Medium to deep garnet, not showing age.
Very rich, ripe nose, almost port like. Dried fruits, figs, nuts, black fruit liqueur.
Full body, sweet and ripe , black fruit. Silky, soft with no tannins left. Alcohol very reasonable at below 14%. Very long and sweet aftertaste. Ready to drink but Still young with many years left.
Excellent.
Try again in 3yrs.
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8/30/2020 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking very well!
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5/19/2020 - Zitan Likes this wine: 95 Points
I had a bottle of this in 2018 and thought it was tired and overrated and scored it an 89. But this bottle was fantastic. I don’t know if the other was a bad bottle (bottle variation is apparently an issue with this wine) or if it was just a bad night, but this bottle was perfectly mature, velvety and mid-weight with lovely secondary flavors after a few minutes and maybe a touch of sweetness on the finish. LOTS of sediment - must be decanted carefully or you’ll have a glass full of sludge. But enjoy!
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4/5/2020 - Nat_DP Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drinking perfect right now...raspberry notes with a rich raisin and leather finish
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2/9/2020 - yaCellar Likes this wine: 95 Points
A fav CdP paired to excellent Persian kebabs. Great fruit intensity for a 22y old. Nose of maraschino cherry, candied strawberry, blood orange, and mint. Palette - I don’t know! A lot going on and quite a lot of fruit still, and a stew of other complex flavors. Reminds me of a barley wine. Still has a background of faint, supportive tannin and acid. This may not get much better, but I’m not in a rush to open my last bottle.
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1/27/2020 - David J Cooper wrote: 92 Points
Clear light medium red. A bit of spicy red fruit ripeness, hints of tobacco and cherry and a bit of earthy pepper. After the 90 and 95 this seemed a bit sweet. A long dry finish though.
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1/19/2020 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Riper spicy nose with excellent fruit levels and soft tannins. More emphasis on fruit and less on acidity and spice than I expected based on prior bottles of '98, but certainly impressive and not disappointing at all.
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1/11/2020 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Deliciously aged Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Soft red fruit, with some earth and game notes, drinking beautifully.
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12/25/2019 - LotionInTheBasket Likes this wine: 94 Points
I've been fortunate to drink and track this wine for nearly 20 years. Still sitting on a small pile all well kept under ideal conditions and still feel within peak. The color is a dark opaque, brick red with dark orange at the brim, viscous with slow to develop legs. The nose was potent all night and showed brambley red fruits, black tea, pepper, clove, thyme [spices]. Front hits with stewed red berry fruits, raspberries and red cassis more prominently, clove/spice, smoke, a meaty-iron-ey thing, some bacon grease towards the middle on a lower middle of the road acidity. The finish rides the fruit with still firm and mouth-drying tannins lasting quite a bit and fading nicely. There's more going on, would just struggle with words further. Its complex and it evolved over 5 hours and that was icing on the cake. Gotta believe from tonight that its got another 3 years to run at least, though defeinitely tail end of peak. Would recommend with food, something with weight and acidity. My 94.
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12/9/2019 - JMellet wrote: 92 Points
Aged beautifully... perfect wine
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9/19/2019 - Claret & CdP Gang Likes this wine: 92 Points
Mature color with secondary aromas, served blind thought either a 00 or 03 Rhone or Barolo, medium bodied with lots of fruits left, salted cabbage & bretty after 2 hours, very good mature cdp, drink up as will not improve
92
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8/2/2019 - sastewart wrote: 93 Points
still in great drinking shape but on the back end. Plenty of secondary notes but nice red fruits and spice. 93 points
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7/31/2019 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Another great bottle of the 98. Earthy, spice, peppery berry fruit with hints of thyme. Dry black cherry and spice flavours and a long dry balanced finish.
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6/7/2019 - no leashes wrote: 83 Points
Could be bad bottle, could be over the hill?
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6/1/2019 - Pmysliwi Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very good. Probably a bit past it’s prime. Dry, pretty balanced, faint taste of fruit.
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5/4/2019 - zlasker Likes this wine: 91 Points
Old and smoove, still good structure and depth.
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12/19/2018 - Brain Capers Likes this wine:
Well, that was a blast from the past, opened with a broken cork, very nice, continued to put on weight till the finish. 13.5%! Very nice, drink up.
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11/14/2018 - Border Boss Likes this wine: 91 Points
Double decanted 24 hours in advance. Deep color, with a slightly minty nose. There's not a lot of fruit, but it has some good bones. The wine was over-handled with the decanting ahead of time. This should have been popped and poured to let the wine show its best.
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9/27/2018 - ppeterson99 wrote: flawed
sadly this was way past its prime. already elements of prune and oxidation
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9/20/2018 - JWG wrote: 95 Points
The final bottle did not disappoint. This neuf has a lot of brightness. The nose is big with earth, smoke, with some cassis. Palate is chewy, nutty, dense, with more smoke. Silky acidity with a bit of spice. Beautifully integrated
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5/26/2018 - Zitan wrote: 89 Points
Dunnuck at WA gave this 96 points in 2015. He said it was firing on all cylinders and would last until 2023 but said some US bottles he tried were tired. This one was tired, but pleasant, mellow, integrated and showing lots of secondary flavors. But no way a 96. Drink up.
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5/20/2018 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Sunday blinds (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. Seems like I had this wine over six years ago and disliked it a fair bit. Well, amazing what having it without a label does for you. Poopy, but not in an offensively overdone sort of way, and along with that is a generous amount of red and black fruit that's quite sweet. Touch of brininess as well. The palate is also quite plummy, but it's not overdone or hot here.
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1/28/2018 - rieslinghoarder Likes this wine: 88 Points
Some oxidation upon opening up with much of the fruit gone on the nose. On the palate has some bramble, sour cherry, and raspberry fruit notes with cinnamon and nutmeg on the finish. I agree with the other reviews here in that this is past its prime, not really holding up like the other 1998 CdP’s I’ve had in the past year.
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11/25/2017 - aagrawal wrote: 89 Points
Coravin 11/25/17: Light clear ruby; medium aromatics, red fruit which fade a bit with swirling, garrigue; palate is light bodied, tart cherry, integrated medium tannins; short finish. Definitely more faded since my last bottle 3 years ago, but still enjoyable. Fully mature. 89
With air, this loses what little interest it had. For such a well known producer, this was disappointing at this age. 86--
12/7/17: Remainder of the bottle. Now back to when first opened and poured, the nose has medium aromatics, red fruit, a bit of spice, slight floral garrigue; palate is light bodied, tartness throughout, integrated medium tannins, red fruit; short-medium finish. 89 again... won't let this get too much air and will drink my last bottle within the year. Better now than I remember it a few weeks ago...
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11/24/2017 - rlove wrote: 86 Points
Not replicating the experience of other notes here, this wasn't over the hill at all, although I wasn't excited by the funky, earthy wine that has developed.
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11/23/2017 - vinocerus Does not like this wine:
Past its prime. My other '98 CDP have been drinking nicely but this bottle was DOA. Light brown on the edges and not in a nice bricking tyoe of color. Muted nose with over-ripe fruit, quickly fades on the palate. Tried about 1-2 hours later to see if any nicer tertiary characteristics developed to no avail. I say drink up and good luck.
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11/15/2017 - ppeterson99 wrote: 88 Points
Huge fan of this wine, had never drunk one this old before (19 years). Definitely disappointed. Seemed flat without the characteristics we've loved in their 2005-2012 vintages.
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8/29/2017 - David J Cooper wrote: 93 Points
Clear light orange/red. Elegant nose of earth, menthol, red cherry and pepper. Later develops pepper and blood. This nose seems to have lost some of it's wildness but what replaces it is floral and elegant.
Delicious long spicy, earthy pepper flavours and a long dry beautiful finish. Keeps getting better in the glass.
It seems this wine has become a beautiful middle aged woman.
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5/3/2017 - Rieslingfan wrote: flawed
DOA
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4/22/2017 - JWG wrote: 95 Points
Another wonderful bottle. Not near the end at all, so I'm moving the drink by date up a year to 2018. Nose is earthy, smoky, with cassis. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoke and a hit of spice. Silky acidity and soft tannins. Luscious.
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3/19/2017 - Jdwinedrinker Likes this wine:
Mature and ready, drinking very nicely
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3/3/2017 - Mr T wrote:
Fully mature and definite browning to color. Lovely mature CNP with old style restraint and garrigue but no barnyard
Lovely wine
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9/4/2016 - no leashes wrote: 91 Points
Delicious, fully mature chateaupneuf du pape. Smooth, tobacco, earth and red fruit flavors.
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9/4/2016 - bonedocnine wrote: flawed
Old and tired
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5/30/2016 - Cmainardi wrote: 93 Points
My last bottle of 98 LVD. Beautiful example of mature CdP. No decant, PnP. Fully integrated tannins. In a perfect spot right now. Drink up.
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5/20/2016 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Birthday Celebration Chateauneuf-Du-Papes (Bill's, Wilmette IL): Nose: The nose is wide open and expressive with leather, kirsch, black cherries, meaty tones, black raspberries, white pepper, licorice, and garrigue.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and silky tannins. There is a deftness to the palate with garrigue, black cherries, white pepper, licorice, and leather notes.
Overall: This was drinking beautifully. It's in a great place right now and showing maturity along with a savory side too.
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3/8/2016 - beatles wrote:
Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1998 (Chez moi): Gone - pruny & terrible. From AD.
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2/13/2016 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
At Yusho in Chicago, worked perfectly. Similar notes to last bottle from two years ago -- but now fully mature. Red cherry predominates, with a hint of lavender, tobacco and earth flavors, beautifully balanced. Nice acid and structure. Delicious.
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1/11/2016 - calgarywino wrote: 94 Points
Had the last 2 bottles of this the same bight and drastic bottle variation. One was a fantastic bottle while the other was a puzzle. not sure the issue with the poor bottle as both were bought and stored the same time. The good one was REALLY good and the other not so much.
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12/26/2015 - saturnaisland wrote: 91 Points
Very much in the house style. Very subdued dark fruit with hints of fig, leather, maybe a touch of soy.
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10/31/2015 - stephen locke wrote: 94 Points
Fully resolved and mature CNDP. Typically my best bottle, and my last!
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9/26/2015 - bobadopolis Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly muted as compared to the '98 Domaine de la Janesse Vieilles Vingnes, but excellent none-the-less.
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9/22/2015 - beatles wrote: 93 Points
My 50th extravaganza (Chez moi): Perfect cork, perfect fill; showing youthful and bright, quiet intense (though softer and more provencal than the VT), it is rich, with sweetness, garrigue, very much Grenache, very much neuf – but with no prunes or the like.
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9/8/2015 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 94 Points
Fully mature, serene, majestic I dare say.
Garnet/brown colored. Plummy nose with dried fruits very nicely developed with no signs of overripeness and burned aromas as I had sensed in 2011 when I last had this wine. Sweet fruit on the palate with an interesting ferral note. Texture is supple, tannins soft, body is medium full and finish is very satisfying.
Overall significantly better than 5 years ago when it seemed to me tired. Interesting lesson...
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9/6/2015 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
This beauty is drinking right where you want it to be. The ripe, sweet, fresh, peppery fruit is all there, with its earth, kirsch and garrigue profile. The wine is richly textured, full bodied, long, fresh and clean, leaving you with a trail of sweet, lush fruits in the end note. At close to 18 years of age, there is no reason to hold off any longer. The wine was produced from a blend of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre and the remaining 5% comes from various, assorted varietals.
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9/5/2015 - BVal wrote: 90 Points
Color: translucent light/medium ruby core -> fully mature garnet rim. Slightly barnyard-y bouquet with roasted red pepper, olives and CDP garrigue. Palate showing plenty of spiciness, game, roasted cherries, peppers and herbs. Good structure; rustic though -- like CDP's of old. Medium length finish that ends with a tannic bitterness I find a bit unappealing. Seems to have held together better than most other '98 CDP's, though it is probably high time to be drinking these.
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7/29/2015 - ski695 wrote: 93 Points
Beautiful Vieux Donjon. Drinking at a great spot and reminds me of the 1990 as another great Donjon. Old school style and likely has another 10yrs of life. Bought on release and cellared since so not sure about the bottles being over the hill.
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6/21/2015 - yofog wrote:
Dying, over, falling apart, deceased. I normally enjoy LVD and all the other notes here are so positive, it may well be this was just an off bottle.
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6/2/2015 - JWG wrote: 95 Points
Nose is earthy, smoky, cassis that intensifies for hours. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoke underlying it all, and lovely integrated acidity. Soft tannins extend from the midpalate to the long finish. This is a great version of CdP.
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5/3/2015 - Rieslingfan wrote: flawed
Oxidized. DOA.
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4/5/2015 - KristianT Likes this wine: 94 Points
Really in a sweet spot. Impeccable bottle. Perfectly mature. Old school Chateauneuf with dark spicy, meaty and leathery notes.
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3/27/2015 - WilD wrote: 92 Points
Earth, tertiair aromas and flavours. Old fashion C9dP. Medium bodied. Wine benefits with some air. Great performance at 18 years.
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12/31/2014 - stephen locke wrote: 93 Points
Just great - all that you could want from a CNDP - easy drinking with interest and complexity
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12/24/2014 - beatles wrote:
Bottle looked impeccable - but the nose and the taste was prune & figs. Not corked, but this might have been an off bottle - if not, this is gone now.
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12/20/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 84 Points
Well past its peak drinking window, this doesn't seem to have the acidity to have lasted this long. Consistent with prior notes.
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12/13/2014 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium ruby red with slight bricking at the edges in color. Full, forward & aromatic nose of well developed & mature ripe fruit aromas of black cherries, blackberries & kirsch with spice & pepper overtones, classic garrigue, floral notes of lavender, dried herb notes of sage & thyme, aged tobacco smoky, gamey/meaty, minerals, some iron notes and a hint of mint & anise. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced, smooth textured, mature & developed, ripe flavors of red cherries, cranberries & plummy with herbs, spices, minty & minerals. Lingering smooth & dry finish. Drinks quite well at present and is fully matured & at it peak of development, so drink up!
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12/7/2014 - stephen locke wrote: 92 Points
Showing signs of it's age - pale watery rim and a browner / orange colour. Initially subdued and reticent but with 30mins in the glass it really opened up - still lots of fruit but with spice and herbs to compliment it. Slightly dry (not astringent) finish, but is still very long and slightly warming.
Drinking very well - no rush but I doubt it will improve
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12/1/2014 - Zweder wrote: 91 Points
Weekly tasting group #145; Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2005 (@ VD): Not so many notes, but reading my previous note, that must have been an off bottle. The bottle we tasted tonight had beautiful red berry fruits and garrigue. Beautiful acidity and nicely mature with still enough power for a few more years. Drink over the next two to three years is probably a good idea.
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7/26/2014 - cweiss wrote:
Very solid CdP, drinking well. Concentraton and no overripeness.
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7/8/2014 - rocknroller wrote: 90 Points
CDP Offline at Heyday (Donjon Vertical; Clos des Pape, Charvin, plus Whites) (Heyday, Mpls, MN): Very dark red color. Double decanted about 3 hours before the event. This was quite big, lots of cherry fruit, herb de provenance, kirsch on the nose. The palate was a bit green, herbs, lots of kirsch and spice, black cherry, cassis, full bodied. Lacks some finesse, but solid.
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6/2/2014 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
Coravin 6/2/14: Color is medium ruby with slight age-appropriate bricking; nose has great intensity with tart red cherry fruit, some iron, some smoked meat, slight menthol throughout; palate shows light body, some defined structure throughout that drinks well, cherry fruit throughout, persists through midpalate, but fades into a slightly bitter short-medium finish. Nose was very promising and complex; palate is decent but fades significantly throughout the palate until the finish. Some early notes of maturity, but seems early in development. Very good to excellent for now with potential for more with 5 more years. 92+
6/3/14: Same
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5/31/2014 - DAVIDMAC Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely lc Chateauneuf. Drink now
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5/24/2014 - dkeyes Likes this wine: 94 Points
Stellar. Everything that is good about mature CDP. Perfect balance and harmony. Too bad I had only 1 but glad I drank it now. Not to say it doesn't still have legs. I would put it right in the middle of its zone - will last a few years for sure, but don't see how it can be better that it is now.
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4/19/2014 - KristianT Likes this wine: 91 Points
Really good bottle. Very dark and quite restrained when poured, but opened up ever so nicely over the course of the dinner. Classic old school Châteauneuf. Clear notes of garrigue, cherry and tar. Great balance and much more youthful than the last bottle I had. Should keep well.
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2/15/2014 - Burgundy Al wrote: 88 Points
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Easily recognized as Chateauneuf, also accurately assesses as 1998 given its ripeness and advanced level of maturity. Very good fruit, just seemingly short on tannins and acid, so enjoyable combination of fruit and earth, but time to drink up.
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1/2/2014 - sastewart wrote: 94 Points
Classic CDP! Beautiful Cherry, herb and leather on the nose. Light tannins gve some structure - cherry, raspberry, tobacco up front later some olive with great mineral and anise finish. Fully mature. Tasted alongside an excellent 99 La Nerthe Cuvee Cadettes. Solid 94 points
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11/9/2013 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Red cherry, lavender, tobacco, earth flavors, beautifully balanced. Nice acid and structure, this is not by any means heading downhill. Still plenty of life, and even improvement. An excellent wine.
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11/4/2013 - Winevestor Likes this wine: 92 Points
Well balanced wine. Classic CdP. Heather and plum on the nose. Cherry in the mouth. Integrated acidity and tannins. Drinking well.
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10/19/2013 - jlgnml Does not like this wine: 85 Points
Dumb, just didn't open up , flabby.
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9/10/2013 - Mr T wrote:
This was a very good bottle. Good deep ruby color and little to no funk on nose. Quite rich and ripe after all these years and fairly old school...would have loved to share with fewer people over more time...will do that with my remaining bottle
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8/17/2013 - chablis28 wrote: 88 Points
Brought to a backyard BBQ by someone else in our wine group. The owner of the btl was smitten while I was let down having recently had the last of my own btls. I loved my last btl which was much much fresher than this one and showed much more interesting forest floor like favors. This one showed considerable ambering in the color and seemd kind of tired to me. Mine was stored in a temp controlled wine cabinet, not sure about this btl?
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8/16/2013 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Similar to my previous experience with this wine: Green, vegetal nose & palate. Seems to have lots of life left in it.
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8/16/2013 - brucemll wrote: flawed
appears to be corked
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8/11/2013 - AllRed wrote: 94 Points
Sunday Brown Bag Tasting: Lytton Springs Zinfandel vertical (C's): Wow, what a gorgeous wine. Aromas of spice, cherry, garrigue, licorice and a mix of red & black fruits. Very well-balanced with softened tannins and a terrific presence across the palate. Red fruit and white pepper tones on the attack turn to cherry, blackberry, sage, thyme and anise through the midpalate and finish. Ends with white pepper and red fruit nuances. No harm in drinking this beauty now. 94-95 pts.
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8/8/2013 - h2ofowler55 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine has really improved over the past 5 years. I see no reason to rush, but it's in a good place. Should hold for another 5-7 years easy.
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7/17/2013 - KristianT Likes this wine: 92 Points
It has been quite a while since I have had the '98. Now at 15 years old it starts to show clear signs of age (at least this bottle did). Almost brown colour. Initial notes were very rustic and barnyard-like. After a bit of air notes of garrigue, tar and olives emerge. Very mouth filling and chewy texture. This particular bottle would not benefit from further ageing, but I would be surprised if that goes for all my remaining bottles of this classic Chateauneuf from this exceptional vintage.
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7/14/2013 - Richard M wrote: 94 Points
This wine keeps getting better and better - a great combination of youth and wisdom, I only wish i had bought 2 cases...
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7/13/2013 - beatles wrote: 94 Points
From an impeccable bottle - absolute class A. Tasted vis a vis the 2000, this both darker and dryer, more serious with less of the charming grenache sweetness, but certainly a very Provence-like structure with a lively, aromatic country-side nose and taste with garrigue, a bit of olives and dark meat. I am loving this, the harmony and the balance, the true character. I have three bottles left, no hurry, but keeping them longer is for academic purposes only, I think. (summer of '13, with lamb chops from the grill celebrating everything & the kitchen)
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6/7/2013 - KLEM wrote: 95 Points
Wow...this is why we cellar wines. Glad I have 3 more from this vintage. My original notes said it would last into the 2020's, I am doubting that but what a great wine!
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5/27/2013 - uli369 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Guter Zustand und angenehmer Wein mit schöner Dichte und guter Länge.
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5/5/2013 - europat55 wrote: 89 Points
Euro Themed Lunch - Rhones (Donato Enoteca, Redwood City, CA): Green, vegetal nose. Seems to have lots of life left in it.
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4/26/2013 - chablis28 wrote: 97 Points
What an unexpected pleasure this was! I had high hopes it would be very good at age 15 but this totally blew me away. The nose was so Grand Cru / $300 plus Burgundian with intense damp forest floor aromas. Decanted 1/2 hour before tasting and immediately poured into Burg glasses. Very tight on the nose for the first 20 minutes and then slowly became amazing! Worth it just for the nose. The spicy soil tone flavors carried over to the palate which was almost perfection except for some ever so slightly rustic tanins at the end. The tanins are barely worth mentioning except I have to be completely objective. Terrific with grilled pork chops! Just awesome! I have three 01s in waiting but I definitely need more Donjon even if the price tag now is double the $30 price tag for this btl.
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4/3/2013 - Nanda wrote: 95 Points
Flock CdP Tasting - 2003 & Older (Jordan's): Ruby brown in color. Nose is just killer - wow. Aromas black fruit, herbs, garrigue, black pepper. Just keeps getting better. Palate follows suit by firing on all cylinders. Great herb-filled fruit with notes of pepper, tea and spice adding complexity. Long, intense finish. My 2/9, Group 1/9. Heard at the tasting that this bottling is hit or miss ... tonight we drank a hit.
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3/24/2013 - rob1869 wrote:
(Last bottle of a mini vertical bought at auction). PnP. This was an underwhelming bottle: structurally everything is there, it's bright, full rounded, smoothed out now but it just lacked fruit. It was a very "quiet" partner to a moderately flavoured lamb Provençal dish. Better on its own after dinner but disappointing nonetheless.
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3/24/2013 - Longnose Gar Likes this wine: 95 Points
Opened this for 3 hours before serving. Beautiful aged CDP color. Rich granache on the initial nose. Nose evolved into old leather and herbs de provence over a couple hours. Tastes of old leather books, like drinking your great uncle's library. I paired this with grilled lamb chops which really brought out the dark current and ripe fruit flavors as well. Nice finish if a bit short.
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3/13/2013 - sehill wrote: 86 Points
Decanted and poured, this bottle was not nearly as thrilling as the last experience with this wine. This bottle seemed disjointed and somewhat awkward throughout the course of its consumption. Based on this showing the wine seems to be on the downside of its peak with the bouquet and palate showing mostly mature notes with the remaining youthful elements relegated to the background. Purchased on release and imported by Adventures in Wine.
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2/14/2013 - winemaker Likes this wine: 95 Points
Light transparent red with some amber at the rim. Smells of sweet balsam. Big and juicy fruit with plenty of balsam and garrigue. Long finish. Sublime. I can only assume the other recently reviewed bottle was not stored correctly or damaged in shipment.
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2/11/2013 - Blair Curtis wrote: 82 Points
Well, this seems to have fallen off the cliff. My last note about a year ago indicates this seemed to be prematurely aging. I have been following this wine by pulling bottles from an original case I bought on release. This one is nearly dead. Showing some VA and spiky alcohol now. A bit of mature fruit ,but not enough to make this very good at all. Didn't even care to finish the bottle. I'm not holding out much hope for remaining bottles (but definitely have previously noted variability on bottles within this same case...hope the rest are not shot...)
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2/11/2013 - iwfsrst wrote: 92 Points
AEG Consumed with beef Wellington and imported cheeses. Double decanted for 4 hours. Lovely smooth fruit and well-married tannins with a delicate amount of spice. Very elegant.
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2/3/2013 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 93 Points
This wine was double-decanted and served at a walk-around Super Bowl party, virtually the same setting as 2/5/12. My independent notes are similar, with the exception that this bottle has a bit more tart acidity. Drink now-12/16.
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1/18/2013 - JOsgood wrote:
This wasn't a good bottle of this wine that has shown very well for me several times over the years. It was decanted for a few hours - probably a mistake. It just never came around. Funky and earthy without enough fruit to balance that out.
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1/17/2013 - EMichels wrote: 89 Points
Mature; Slight heaviness; A bit of acid still there to prop up the finish
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12/31/2012 - Dave Dalluge wrote: flawed
Double decanted around 10am; served around 9pm. Something was off about this from the moment it was opened. The nose was dominated by mineral and lacking fruit. Seemed a little funky on the palate too with more acid/less fruit than expected. I didn't discern any cork aromas but it performed a bit like it was stripped of fruit, so who knows. Regardless, this was different than previous bottles and not overly enjoyable.
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12/8/2012 - Tgood wrote: 96 Points
Bright med youthful crimson; subtle but clean pure deep nose of raspberry, menthol, kirsch, licorice, and violets. Regally tannic with low pH ( at least tart and focused on the palate- idk the actual pH but at 13.5 alcohol in a warm vintage in an era of imbalanced influence of the punditry on wine producers it appears this wine is made from grapes picked at a more traditional level of ripeness). Anyway this wine has from the outset outpaced other "notables" and is poised for a long fun ride in the cellar.
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12/1/2012 - Burgundy Al wrote:
Another Saturday at Knightsbridge - mostly blind (Northbrook, IL): Tasted double blind. Also quite advanced and aging more quickly than you would hope. Not sure if representative, but this showed as an 86-87 point wine today.
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11/10/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Similar notes as last taste. So so stinky on the nose. Massive earthy, shroomy funk. Barnyard fruit.
Touches of age and campfire. Raisin fruit a bit but this just screamed Grenache.
Some underlying baking spice and a little fatigued on the finish. Very nice and right up my alley.
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11/4/2012 - David J Cooper wrote: 96 Points
Medium dark red. Great nose of blackberry, earth, mineral, black pepper and smoked meats. Keeps improving over about an hour, it would continue to improve I'm sure but it was gone. Very nice mid wieght flavours and a quite tannic finish. A great bottle of an iconic vintage of Donjon.
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10/27/2012 - Pknut wrote:
Terrific showing. This is showing a variety of complexities: spicebox, light soy, animál, light Donjon melted truffle notes, dates, figs, and raspberry fruit at the center core. Autumnal, without being dried out. Impressive secondary and tertiary development, yet it remains youthful. The tannins seem integrated, the mouthfeel very smooth, the wine long in the mouth. No over-ripeness, nothing out of proportion. Seems to be at a good plateau. With takeout from Molto and The League on DVD.
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10/20/2012 - cooberp wrote: 89 Points
Pungent nose of licorice and black cherry. Starts out quite acidic, and then with time the tannin starts to dominate the structure. Has good fruit, but somehow still a bit harsh.
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8/16/2012 - DarinC wrote: 94 Points
Perfect cork and fill. Double decant 2hrs and drank the following 2hrs. Wonderful nose of licorice, black currant, leather, tobacco, mollases, iodine, pepper, and toasted herbs. Similar notes on med bodied palate with great balance and very long finish.
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8/15/2012 - EMichels wrote: 92 Points
Not as far developed as the Bosquet de Papes; Needs more time; Opens up really nice in the glass
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8/15/2012 - JOsgood wrote:
Excellent once again. This is aging quite well with plenty of life left in the bottle. Savage, old school CDP. Earthy and terrific.
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8/7/2012 - stephen locke wrote: 89 Points
Popped and poured. Initially reticent but opened a little as the evening progressed. Old style CNDP - engaging rusticity with licourice and iodine supporting the cherry, tobacco and herby flavours. Overall not as complex or as fresh as I'd wish for, not sure if that's a 98 vintage thing or whether more time could help.
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7/30/2012 - BVal wrote: 91 Points
Color was medium ruby -> light garnet/orange rim. On the nose there was lots of barnyard funk, peppers & olives and a wonderful melange of what I think of as CDP spice. On the palate once again plenty of spiciness, garrigue, roasted peppers and herbs. Good structure; rustic though -- like CDP's of old. Medium to medium-long finish that ends up being slightly bitter. I think I might have scored this slightly higher but for that bitterness. As others have noted, the wine looked advanced for only being a '98.
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7/26/2012 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Had this bottle completely to myself since others were not drinking. This bottle was generally consistent with my previous notes although slightly sub-par. I'm wondering if this is going through a bit of an awkward stage, or if there is some slight bottle variation at play.
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5/20/2012 - EhrlichDY wrote: flawed
Mildly corked. Musty cellar TCA scent on the nose. Still showing a bit a dark berry fruit on the palate. Great mouth presence showing both finesse and power. I can see how this would be a great wine if it weren't flawed.
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4/18/2012 - drwine2001 wrote:
Magnum. About 1 1/2" ullage and some prior leakage looking at the cork. Light ruby. Some worrisome VA upfront but this did not increase. Camphor and black olive but little fruit and overall, the aromatics seemed slightly off. Nevertheless, this improved and gained some texture over time, eventually expressing garrigue and some muted red fruit. Better than I feared it would be but not nearly as good as it should be from this format.
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4/18/2012 - David J Cooper wrote: flawed
Aw,no!
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4/17/2012 - godx wrote: flawed
Le Vieux Donjon Vertical Dinner (Vancouver, BC): Corked.
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4/14/2012 - beezer6 wrote: 92 Points
Saturday Tasting Group (Knightsbridge Wine Shop (Northbrook, IL)): Serious serious earthy shroomy funk driven wine. Rustic and old leather. Dirty fruit with pungent brie laced red cherries and passion fruit even.
Some new car aromatics. Light spice. Palate follows suit with an earth driven somewhat savory red stewed vegetation. Long finish. Really liked this vintage.
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4/8/2012 - no leashes wrote: 93 Points
Delicious, with sweet red cherry, lavender, licorice, and kirsch liqueur flavors. Nice structure and balance. Drinking beautifully.
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3/29/2012 - ews3 wrote: 93 Points
bramble notes
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3/25/2012 - Blair Curtis wrote: 90 Points
More variability...I quite enjoyed this bottle, BUT...it was very mature for its age. If I had been served this bottle blind I would have guessed a CNdP from the 1980s. And I would have scored it about 90 points, so that is what I gave this wine. Not at all unpleasant, but far too advanced for a 1998. Browning color, fruit still there but slightly faded, nice herbs, good texture. Acids frame the wine nicely. I have been working my way through an original case of this wine purchased on release and every bottle seems entirely different than the last...very strange.
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3/24/2012 - christophee Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark garnet with medium viscosity in the glass. Pleasing nose of ripe red fruit, plum, mocha, tobacco and coffee. Rustic secondary hide, herbs and graphite. Medium body and thoroughly integrated on the palate. Cranberry, vibrant red fruit, mocha, tobacco and herbs on the palate. Secondary coffee and green pepper. Exquisite mouthfeel…about as silky and mouthwatering as you can get. Decent structure. Long finish.
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3/21/2012 - winemaker wrote: 97 Points
Absolutely stunning wine! Big, deep, rich very complex, garrigue, pepper, spice. Extremely well balanced. Has structure, fruit, acids and tannins. Layered. Outstanding!
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2/5/2012 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 94 Points
This medium garnet wine (purchased upon release and cellared in pristine fashion) was double-decanted, allowing approximately one hour prior to funneling back into the cleaned bottle. It was then served at a walk-around Super Bowl party. The nose is immediately expressive and complex, with a bouquet of cocoa, bramble fruits, clove and dried cranberries. Medium-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, melted tannins and well-integrated alcohol (listed as 13.5%). The flavors are complex and mirror the nose. The middle palate is solid and the smooth finish goes on and one. Absolutely stunning at this point. Assuming well-cellared, it should drink nicely for at least another 3-5 years. Drink now-12/16.
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1/10/2012 - Michael Davidson wrote:
I'm in the raisin/prune camp on this wine.
The nose was amazing, all herb and subtle fruit. But the palate was overwhelmingly raisiny. Not at all pleasant.
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12/31/2011 - Loren Sonkin wrote: 96 Points
Vieux Donjon Vertical and a bunch of others (Mike's home): This was added at the last minute and colder then the rest so we knew it was the 98. Probably due to temps, the nose was muted until later in the evening. When it opened up, it had barnyard, cherries and cigar smoke. Great texture. This is still young but has a wonderful complexity. Balanced. Long finish. Juicy acidity keeps it lively. Great wine.
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12/27/2011 - Yiannis wrote: 95 Points
I don't know if it is due to bottle variation or the stage at which this wine was now, but this was far more enjoyable than the bottle I opened a year ago (December 30, 2010). Medium ruby-garnet. Amazing freshness on the nose, with red cherries, violets, spices and herbs. A combination of Southern Rhone and Burgundian character. Same impression on the medium-bodied palate, with fresh and vibrant fruit, silky tannins and balancing acidity. Long aftertaste. Everybody at the table loved this, non-wine-afficionados included. Alas, I have no more bottles left...
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11/15/2011 - Blair Curtis wrote: 92 Points
Again, you never know what's coming with a bottle of this wine. This one was unlike any of the ones before it. Last bottle (in 2010) was open for business and showing ready. This bottle was the tightest of any '98 Donjon I've tried in the last 10 years. The structure was so solid - no amount of decanting could soften it. Still lots of really wonderful CNdP character: tons of herbs and garrigue. Nice fruit - not over the top. But the wine showed as muscular and tight. I wonder if this is a phase? Or just the well-known bottle variation at work? Time and more bottles will tell!
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11/13/2011 - dmalcolm wrote: 93 Points
This bottle was nowhere near ready, displaying ferocious tannins and restraint. Several hours in the decanter later, and this barely budged. Chalky red fruit, plums, leather, and green peppercorns lurking, but this is 5 years away from prime time, IMO.
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11/8/2011 - EMichels wrote: 93 Points
Fresh, cool nose; Nice clean body
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10/29/2011 - acyso wrote: 80 Points
HDH auction tasting at Tru (Chicago, IL): From a magnum. Very animalistic nose with some jammy fruit and a big whiff of alcohol; it would be understandable to mistake this for a vintage port from the alcoholic and jammy notes. Just immensely alcoholic and jammy again on the palate, and while there are some barnyard notes that are quite interesting, this is simply just way too big, fruity, and alcoholic for me. Some cocoa notes, but there are some unpleasant chemical flavours on the palate as well. Tastes like a 14-14.5%. Not to my liking; this is simply a wine that I can't understand, and would derive no pleasure in drinking.
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10/22/2011 - Thobman wrote: 92 Points
Didn't live up to the WS hype. This this the 4th bottle over the last 8 years and I've been underwhelmed each time. That said, still. Great wine but not as big as expected. Paired very well with coq au vin.
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9/29/2011 - MC wrote:
Dark red. Big wine, with concentrated, dark fruit. This has a nice mix of the earth, game, and cassis you get with a ripe CDP but with plenty of old school structure. Still young, this drinks well now with some air but still has some tannic bite to it that should soften a bit with time. Only worry is it may be a bit too dry and tannic on the finish if that doesn't mellow over time. A-
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9/9/2011 - JWG wrote: 96 Points
Earthy, smoky, cassis nose that starts out light but intensifies over first half hour. Palate is chewy, nutty, rich, with smoky stuff just coming off the underlying flavor and very silky acid melding with soft tannins throughout the flavor profile. Throw in some subtle spicing all well. Incredibly integrated.
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9/3/2011 - huntinpagan wrote: 96 Points
No formal notes as I shared this with some good friends at a backyard pool party. Drinking exceptionally well from magnum format. Still tastes young but well within it's drinking window. Bright red fruits and great complexity. Nice to see people that don't normally drink wine this good look surprised at having a well made, mature CdP.
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7/23/2011 - cweiss wrote:
Excellent intensity but not overripe. After decant, lovely silky texture.
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6/11/2011 - ctjared wrote:
great, but more raisiny then I remember.
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4/24/2011 - Pknut wrote:
Really nice showing. Upon opening, smooth black fruits with a hint of barnyard funk, the sides of the palate are nicely contoured with age, but the palate is still focused with a core of dark cherry fruit. There is a lot of complexity going on here: soil, light underbrush, leather, liquorice, even a touch of sous bois. Long, complex finish. The tannins are showing some softness and the wine as a whole is heading into a middle age integration, but there is still plenty of acidity to carry this wine further. Drinking well now, but still upside to cellar longer.
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4/11/2011 - David J Cooper wrote:
Medium dark red. Roasted dark fruit, fairly ripe, easy to pick as a 98 but I didn't think Donjon because it missed the earthy animal nose I've always seen in 98 Donjon. After an hour in the glass that complexity developed. Needed an hour or so in the decanter to start to show what a great wine this is.
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4/8/2011 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Bill's Monthly Lunch - April 2011: Medium ruby with slight bricking on edges. Very nice Grenache characteristics on nose, showing some age. Nice, smooth palate. Let the wine sit in the glass for a few more flights and the fruit became more concentrated. Excellent
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3/29/2011 - Winevestor wrote: 93 Points
Plums, earth and cherry on the nose. Full flavor fuming through the mouth, great red fruit. Lovely mixture of integrated tannin, full fruit and some acidity. Licorice and cassis. Absolutely yummy wine, which is drinking well now and will do so for a number of years.
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3/20/2011 - DHJ1968 wrote:
Very strange showing; after a 4 hour slo-ox followed by a short decant, wine opened up with typical nose of funk and provencal herbs followed by more herbs and understated notes of dried red fruit on the subtle but evolving palate - an interesting and enjoyable wine...however, as time went on, the flavors became more and more stewed to the point a few hours later where I was beginning to wonder if the bottle was slightly cooked. Confusing and certainly a bit of a letdown
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3/20/2011 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Opening this at the end of a lot of wine probably wasn't real smart, but boy did this taste good. Beautiful nose of dark fruit and dried herbs. Expansive on the palate with great texture, perfect balance and a long, long finish. I'm down to a case remaining and am beginning to wonder if I have enough to see this through to its prime.
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2/27/2011 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 91 Points
Wonderful funky nose, just like Vieux Donjon is supposed to have. This was one of the almost great 98s though. The fruit was there, dark and rich, but just almost as deep and sweet as the great ones. Loaded with other provencal flavors of garrigue, etc
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2/7/2011 - NY Wino wrote: 94 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Purple color with a hint of brick when it was decanged. The wine has an outstanding bouquet of dark fruit and earth. The wine has excellent fruit, good acidity and delicious earthiness. It went beautifully with lamb chops. Ready to drink now but could easily last another 10+ years.
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1/30/2011 - awinestory wrote: 90 Points
Bouchon Napa - Joel sent over
deep intensity
nose: med + intensity, rich purple fruit
palate dry acid is med+ tanin sharp body med finish med+
Style: Very fresh '98 with lively acidity and flavors of chocolate, prune and spice.
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1/24/2011 - CMz wrote: 94 Points
Opened and decanted for 90 minutes. Deep ruby, almost purple w no hint of bricking. A rich nose of dark berries, sage, and tar. Even more complex on the palate with dark fruit, tar & meat opening to sage, figs, touch of licorice and some wonderful flowery notes lingering on the finish. This wine is so much more evolved than the last tasting in 2006 when it still seemed tight and dominated by dark cherry notes that it seems like a different wine. this bottle, right now - a great CDP
This was an exceptionally nice bottle that still suggests several years of enjoyment ahead. Several tasters have mentioned variability within cases that i have not noticed (tasting between 2 cases purchased on release) but that also suggests caution when buying where the provenience is unknown. I have consistently rated this vintage between 92 and 94 with the higher scores over the last two years. That said, well worth seeking out as a great CDP at it's price point imo.
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1/22/2011 - amred wrote: 92 Points
Completely different experience than the last bottle. While a hint of "barynyard" in the nose, rather garrigue and earth were dominant. Just a hint of brick, but color still dense. In the mouth, lots of tar and leather, herbs/garrigue but with sweet ripe fruits still evident. The wine has smoothed out, but the fruit is still solid. A classic aged ChdP with a different character than the young wine, but still great structure and flavors. We thought the tar/leather/meat was dominant, but not barnyard, and everything was well integrated. We also tasted a 98 Beaucastel, and found them remarkably similar--98 was a great vintage and the wines appear to have been similarly made, with the intent to age well. In each instance, several years ago we were disappointed--perhaps the wines needed the additional years. Great wine. we had no sense of either overripe (I don't think these wines were as highly extracted or alcoholic as recent vintages) nor intense barnyard/brett (despite our experience with the same wine two years ago).
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1/21/2011 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 90 Points
Decanted for 1 hour. Tight nose still. Never fully opened. Good, but = tp prior experince.
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1/17/2011 - mas01950 wrote: 94 Points
Aromas of black cherry, ripe fig, and herbes de Provence. Ripe fruit on the attack and mid-palate, dark cherries, fig, blackberry - some raisin on the finish with a touch of fennel seed and tarragon. Balanced acidity and largely resolved tannins. Full-bodied - spreads across the entire palate. Enough fruit and acid to carry this another 5 or 6 years - longer if kept in a cool cellar.
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1/13/2011 - Stefanos T. wrote: 91 Points
Deep garnet colour with some browning on the rim. Second time I have this wine in a shoret period. It is very interesting and complex but it has began to fade especially in the nose where there are signs of overripeness and burned aromas. At a lower temprerature these are less evident and the wine is more enjoyable. Aromatically the wine shows overripe fruit like fig and plum, tar, ash and leathery aromas and texture is supple, full and soft with lingering finish. Similar profile to the Pegau Reserve of the same vintage but Pegau was 100% healthy while this is sliding quickly down the slope. If not for the burnt aromas, the wine would merit a much higher score due to its complexity.
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12/31/2010 - Yiannis wrote: 93 Points
Light brick. Intense barnyard, red and darker berries, nice blood orange and floral notes. Mid+ bodied, very smooth and fairly warm with sweetness, velvety tanins, rich fruit and moderate but adequate acidity. Long finish. Ready to drink. A very typical and enjoyable CdP at its peak.
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12/24/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium ruby, lighter at rim. Opened 3 hours before pouring. An initial whiff of prune and port was worrisome but disappeared by time it wound up in the glass. At that point, gorgeous melange of red berries, caramel, and some late menthol. Perfect weight (i.e., not as fat as I had complained last time), in fact, quite elegant, excellent purity of fruit, and little in the way of remaining tannins. I was too hard on the prior bottle; this was a beauty and seemed to be drinking at its peak.
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12/21/2010 - Stefanos T. wrote:
The bottle apparently was of very dark glass and the wine seemed to me to be black. When poured it was just deep garnet. I was not able to take full notes, but the wine was not the leathery beast another cellartracker user was describing. Had lots of red and black ripe fruit and herbs and just a hint of leather, body was medium +, tannins resolved.
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12/16/2010 - Zweder wrote: 89 Points
Monthly Tasting Group LTB 2010-10; Châteauneuf-du-Pape (By VD): Mature bouquet with lavas and chocolate and disappearing quickly. On the palate the wine is more promising; full bodied, soft bitterness and beautiful spiciness. The tannin is completely dissolved. Still beautiful, complex and completely ready, if not on the brink of going past its prime. I was told this bottle came from a perfect cellar. So drinking this in 2011 might be the wisest thing to do. 89-90
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12/12/2010 - amred wrote: 81 Points
While we are accustomed to the "barnyard" version of ChdP, the nose was overpoweringly so, and it carried into the wine. It was a close call between barnyard and corked, either way, a major disappointment. Of note, we immediately opened a 99 Vieux Telegraphe...it was wonderful.
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12/10/2010 - ctjared wrote:
Drank at auction with Kevin and Andrew. Off the charts good with plenty of life left.
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11/30/2010 - Faryan wrote: 91 Points
Harry Karris and co at Againn (Againn, Washington DC): Candied nose but showing Donjon characteristics of herb, grilled meat and roast. It still is primary and in need of time. A bit clipped and some discernable heat on the finish.
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11/30/2010 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 91 Points
Another of the good, not great, bottles of 1998 Vieux Donjon. The grenache just wasn't that great deep sweet grenache that it is on the great bottles. That being said the wine was quite enjoyable. Had the typical Vieux Donjon barnyardy-ness and dark fruits.
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11/30/2010 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Chateauneuf-du-Pape Dinner with Harry Karis (Againn, Washington DC): Another classic example of Chateauneuf from Donjon. This is the second time I've enjoyed its 1998 vintage, and I felt it performed at the same level. Great combination of red fruit,"chicken-coop" aromas, and roasted herbs. Another great bottle.
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11/3/2010 - jlgnml wrote: 91 Points
I served it too cold and it did not open enoughbut my wife exclaimed pepper. She loved it with the food. Next bottle I will open it earlier and warm it up. For me the flavor died at the end.
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10/29/2010 - canan wrote: 96 Points
CH9 1998 Horisontal (MG work): Blackberry with a little vanilla on the nose with a slight sweetness to it. After some air it also shows coffee and chocolate.
Huge backbone on the palate with plenty of cherries and a little leather and lavender. Initial impression is of a huge wine that is still very young :-)
A lot of power in the entire wine. Perhaps still a little singulary but simply a huge potential.
Great wine!!
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10/17/2010 - cadamson wrote: 95 Points
An extremely enjoyable wine. Traditional CdP, yet I was expecting even more garrigue and an old school nose than what I got. Still, lots of yummy raspberry grenache, herbs and beef blood packaged in a very well put together structure, drinking wonderfully at the moment. This is a fantastic wine and worth drinking for years and years.
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10/11/2010 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 96 Points
No notes taken. Served with grilled lamb with porcini sauce, steak oscar with Bernaise, potatoe puree and Szechuan haricot verts. Audouzed about four hours. Split seven ways and everyone loved it. Soaring nose of dark fruit, dried herbs and mineral. Equally compelling on the palate with expansive flavors, great texture, excellent balance and a long, satisfying finish. Paired especially well with the lamb.
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10/2/2010 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
This was one of the best bottles of this wine I have consumed. Drinking great - could not ask for more from this wine. Lip smacking, glass draining goodness! Hope the rest of the bottles show this well (it is a bit of a crapshoot as this wine shows variability from bottle to bottle).
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9/14/2010 - ed-d wrote: 92 Points
Funky nose that blows off with air. Tremendous sweetness on the palate of raspberry ganache. Lovely. Tasted blind.
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8/12/2010 - drwine2001 wrote:
Pretty much as noted in late 2009. Dark, unevolved, round with great fruit and complicating tobacco. Excellent acidity for the year. No more than midway through its development, I think. In the context of two 1988 red Burgundies that came before this wine, it was positively thick and sweet. I don't mean that as a knock since it is beautifully balanced compared to so many '98 Chateauneufs, but with this sequence of drinking and tasting, even the Vieux Donjon comes across as fat and lacking precision. Apples and oranges.
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8/6/2010 - amgryger Likes this wine:
Dinner With Denyce (Fabio's NYC): Great nose: strawberry fruit with earthy, resin notes. More strawberry fruit on the palate with nice minerality, garrigue and pine resin. Medium acid, high tannin, long finish. Very nice wine.
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7/25/2010 - Blair Curtis wrote: 93 Points
Despite some variability (even from within a single case), this was one of the good bottles. Wonderfully aged Chateauneuf. Saddle leather, herbs de Provence, sweet raspberry fruit, underbrush. Lovely bottle.
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7/17/2010 - Stirling wrote: 93 Points
Decanter and had with bbq pork. Stil very dark in colour. Nose of cherry liqueur, earth and spices. Full bodied, extracted but smooth. Delicious mouth coating wine. Much better than the 98 de La Gardine I had the other night. The 98 CDPs are drinking beautifully right now, and have many years in front of them.
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6/26/2010 - Rick-again wrote: 91 Points
at first I was not sure a bit rough but it really came around , smooth integrated tannins , spicy with some mature fruit with the meaty flavors..........
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6/20/2010 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:
consistent tn's. Decanted 90 minutes. This continues to evolve slowly and beautifully. The purity is most noticeable, followed by the prescient focus and supple length. Outstanding structure. I look forward to trying this in 2-3 years' time. Recommended +
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4/19/2010 - KingSlacker999 wrote: 90 Points
Middle of the road bottle for this wine. Nose was reticent, not giving that blast of grenache found in the great ones. Palate was better though. Bit of nice funk rounded out the wine.
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4/19/2010 - tooch wrote: 92 Points
Chateauneuf de Pape Tasting (Urbana, Washington, DC): Light nose at first....but the aromatics really built up. Soon, deep, dense kirsch and cassis flavors combined with barnyard notes to create a really nice nose. Out of all the wines tonight, this wine matured the most in my glass. Soon, more of the classic CdP notes took hold....raw meats, and horse flavors. Really enjoyable bottle.
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4/12/2010 - cweiss wrote:
Grenache with great intensity but neither overripe nor overblown. Balance very good and nice match with roast duck. Drinking now but no hurry.
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4/7/2010 - allenAchilles wrote: 92 Points
Rich, full bodied. Very smooth and easy to drink. Not sure what bug the previous taster has up his butt, but clearly he does not know anything about great CDP. I live for wimes like this and am delighted I still have 1/3 of a case left and a strong vertical going up to '07
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4/6/2010 - Keith Levenberg wrote:
I was actually curious to try this because I remember going all around town trying to find this years ago after the big Wine Spectator score, back in my point-chasing days and before I realized that Châteauneuf-du-Pape is an inherently shitty wine. This would probably be impressive to the type of wine drinker who thinks there is no greater virtue to wine than "concentration." Indeed, the impression it gives is almost as if it is a contest entry in a competition to produce the most concentrated wine possible, more as a Guinness Book of World Records or Ripley's type feat than as something that would have any appeal as a consumable beverage. Unfortunately, the material it is concentrated with tastes like grenache and therefore it was barely drinkable. But it is something to marvel at, in the same way one marvels at the Ripley's picture of the 1200-pound man or the guy with elephantitis of the testicles. And just like you always end up giving those pictures one last look I actually tasted (and spat) this several times.
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3/27/2010 - sehill Likes this wine: 94 Points
This wine was decanted and poured about fifteen minutes later. This showed an outstanding bouquet that offered aromatics of raspberry, iron, campfire, baked brick, strawberry and tar. The aromatics are complex and nuanced and at wonderful stage of maturity. The color is dark brick to dark ruby and is appropriate for the age of the wine. The medium bodied palate shows mature notes that are concentrated, balance and complex. Tannins remain and make and appearance on the finish. This is at or around its peak and should continue to drink well for a number of years.
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2/28/2010 - David J Cooper wrote:
Deep red. Sweet plum fruit and meat nose. Bits of pepper and raspberry. Not as sweet in the mouth but in this company it seemed very rich. Long dry finish. One of my favorites. Outstanding.
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1/20/2010 - calgarywino wrote: 92 Points
Drinking well right now but will still hold for a lot of years. Still dark and deep red in the glass. Decanted half an hour at restaurant - I had steak tartar followed by duck breast/confit and was a great pairing for both. Nice and earthy but still balanced; graphite and fruit still present with some nice pepper notes as well.
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1/8/2010 - no leashes wrote: 92 Points
Still very young and tight -- our first bottle of a case. Agree with the RP description -- not a lot of cherry/berry, more incense, roasted herbs, lavender, licorice, and kirsch liqueur. Decanted for 1-1/2 hours, needs more time, and definitely needs food with it. All that being said, delicious bottle.
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12/16/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
A 1998 Chateauneuf Dinner (Rivoli Restaurant, Albany, California): Still deep and dark. A great bottle with serious, savory flavors of licorice and tobacco, sappy, perfectly ripe fruit, and excellent underlying acid/tannin structure. My clear favorite tonight, this has a long way to go. I have loved the last 2 bottles of this I've tried. They have had everything you want in a Chateauneuf without any of the excesses that can creep into ripe vintages.
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12/12/2009 - burgbob wrote: 92 Points
Drinkable now but will hold. Earthy with very nice balance and dusty tannins. Fruit a bit dulled and breathing did not help.
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11/13/2009 - Rechrom wrote: 93 Points
Deep, deep brick red. Tight at open, with time in the decanter develops wonderful sweet fruit on the palate, with a garrique edge and a long and tasty finish. The nose is good, but more subdued than the wine at this point. Really very nice now with several years to go.
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11/12/2009 - Omar Khayyam wrote: 92 Points
Sotheby's pre-auction tasting: this wine is the colour of the deepest well; dark berries, fine perfume - quite sophisticated with figs and anis and cocoa and many other elements. on the palate the wine is a bit more burlesque. I really liked this.
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11/5/2009 - bigwineguy420 wrote: 94 Points
Wow what a treat! Opaque purple color Dark and brooding. Intense nose of spices, graphite, and dirt. The fruit is still huge, with notes of black raspberry and blackberry followed by more licorice, black pepper, and earth. This showed quite well, but could still improve over the next 3-5 years and should drink well over the next decade.
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11/3/2009 - JOsgood wrote: 94 Points
A real treat to have this side by side with the 07. Knockout nose. Drinking really well right now and should hold for several long years. Textbook traditional CDP on the palate. Tons of complexity.
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10/18/2009 - Winger wrote:
Off btl. Not corked, but definitely off...oxidized?
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10/18/2009 - Winger wrote: flawed
$%^&ing corked!
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10/16/2009 - Fielding wrote: 93 Points
Gian's house. Decanted for one our. Youthful reddish purple. Nose of kirsch, leather and dried herbs. Berries and figs on the palate, with earth, licorice, lavender and smoked meats. Long finish. Not yet at at its peak. Terrific.
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10/10/2009 - Bellissimo wrote: 90 Points
Friends brought over for dinner. Exceptional bottle of wine that needs some time to open up, might even need a year or two more as its still a big boy. Earth and herbal components really play well together in this along with the really well balance of acidity with tannins. Wonderful!
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10/6/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium core with mature looking rim. Gloriously focused cherry and roasted plum with a subtle undertone of herbs. Beautiful balance of vibrant fruit enlivened by strong acids and sappy texture unencumbered by excess ripeness or alcohol. This is fantastic, much better than a bottle tasted at the beginning of the year, and completely justifying its reputation as a classic Chateauneuf.
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10/4/2009 - ed-d wrote: 94 Points
A bit stinky on the nose. Good Grenache fruit flavors. Lovely & balanced with dusty, rhubarb infused tannins. Classic!
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8/28/2009 - winemaker wrote: 93 Points
Opened last night. Popped and poured. Seemed a bit hot on opening. I poured off half the bottle and am having the 2nd half tonight. Sweet cherry, grenache fruit with plenty of garrigue and lavender. The acids are soft and on the finish the tannins are present and a bit drying but not in a bad way. Nice finish. Maybe not the heights of the last bottle, but still outstanding. Glad to have more left.
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8/5/2009 - Amerique wrote: 97 Points
Terrific, rich, medium-bodied blackberry/black raspberry fruit with tarry, peppery, smokey flavors, beautiful structure and length, elegant, and absolutely ready to ready
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7/27/2009 - Breguet wrote: 94 Points
Wonderful wine from a great vintage. Opened about an hour (should have decanted but no decanter at the party). Opened for a group of non-wine snobs and it blew them away with multiple people saying that it was the best wine that they had ever had. Was great with the food but would have been great with anything. Opened up well but was WOW from first glass. I wish I had another bottle.
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7/20/2009 - David J Cooper wrote:
Light red. The nose on this wine is typical of a great Chateauneuf. Lots of raspberry, meat and black pepper. The weight of this wine is very burgundian but the nose and flavours are textbook CdP. Decent soft annins and a long dry finish. These 98s from the south never dissapoint me.
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7/14/2009 - rmodak wrote: 93 Points
Initially very ripe and closed, but with air, the mineral notes emerged and balanced out the ripe black cherry, raisins, and herbs. Drinking well.
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7/10/2009 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Presented in double-blind fashion to our Friday tasting group. My tasting was unblinded. The bottle had been meticulously stored at 55 degrees following purchase (upon retail release). The wine was decanted at home (moderate sediment), allowed to aerate in decanter for 45 minutes, then decanted back into the cleaned bottle for presentation to the group. The wine was then serially tasted over a three-hour period. Medium-to-deep garnet robe with brick rim. Within 15 minutes of decanting, the wine showed an explosive bouquet of cocoa, garrigue, licorice and mushrooms, all resting on top of a core of beautiful black fruit. Medium-to-full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, soft tannins and a silky mouth feel. The flavors mirror the nose and the middle is full. Long, smooth finish. This bottle was "singing" and is a beautiful example of mature Chateauneuf-du-Pape from a fine vintage. It has plenty of fruit to allow enjoyment for at least another five years. Very well-received by the tasters. Drink now-12/14.
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7/3/2009 - Harry Cantrell wrote: 94 Points
Garnet. Nose of raspberries and dried herbs. Taste was the same as the nose, with red fruits, cherries and raspberries/herbs. Very good, and still a touch young.
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5/22/2009 - gorm wrote: 92 Points
Uncorked.dk does 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (and a few other gems) (Restaurant Premisse, Copenhagen): Dark core with light rim. Quite acidic nose with dark berries, cinnamon, juniper and hints of wet dog. Appears soft and mature in mouth with a nice aftertaste of licorice and tobacco.
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5/22/2009 - winemaker wrote: 94 Points
Still rocking! Seamless sweet cherry fruit followed by a looong finish. Lively acids and balancing tannins. Terrific on Day two as well. Has added some tea notes on day two. This will age for several more years.
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5/7/2009 - jkoenen wrote: 90 Points
Birthday tasting @ Roel's (Netherlands): Spicy bouquet with notes of cinnamon, cloves, ginger and kardamom. Cherries and rosehips in a middle-eastern bazaar. Milkchocolate, cocoa-powder. Mysterious and difficult to describe. The fruit is crispy and fresh, though there is something raisiny present, but the overall palate makes a dusty, smoky and meaty impression. Dusty, powdery tannines. Nice, wavy length and persistent finish. Very, very nice. 17,5/20
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4/9/2009 - DCornutt wrote: 94 Points
Spicy nose. Lots of pepper for a Chateauneuf. Big palate of dark ripe fruit. Even with all this material and ripeness the wine is very fresh in the mouth.
Fabulous length. Early maturity with a big upside.
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4/7/2009 - pbaek wrote:
1998 CdP tasting at Il Corso, NY. Much darker, dense color than the Clos des Papes. Also it doesn't posses the same sweetness as the Clos des Papes. This is a more serious wine. I find this to be more pruney/plummy. Black plum flavors. There is also brown fruit here, dates and figs. The fruit has a baked quality to it, this wine, to me, is slightly marked by the hot weather. Almost porty in style. Still it manages to contain itself and not come across as over the top. I am not convinced about this one.
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3/21/2009 - jlgnml wrote: 85 Points
Off putting nose. Almost dead. Disappoiniting as I had high hopes for the '98.
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3/16/2009 - JorgeH wrote: 90 Points
NY Berserkers Dinner @ Café Cortadito (210 E. 3rd St., NYC): Complex and beautifully nuanced notes of earthy mushroom, Chinese 5 spice and plums. Firm tannins in the palate. A great match with food. A beauty.
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1/31/2009 - drwine2001 wrote:
This is the first time I've tried this in over a year. Still healthy color with slight brown edges. Rich, chocolate nose. Deep, dark fruit at first, but the longer this sat open, the more it showed olives and a stewed port-like quality with definite alcoholic heat. Not nearly as well balanced nor as complex as I remember. Disappointing.
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1/28/2009 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
French Bakery 2nd Chateauneuf de Papes BYO Dinner (The French Bakery, 1023 Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands, FL): Bob's wine. 2 split firsts of 9, ave 91.0. Richadr-90 balanced ripe. Mark(me)-93 great body palate.John-91 fantastic.Charlie-90 beautiful balance, great minerality.
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1/17/2009 - Rick-again wrote:
Pknut just read your note and thought this is almost right on with my thinking last night. Initially a bit musty with the smoke with hints of some good underlying fruit but not the 92-93 pt wine I was expecting. Seemed to get better with time while i decanted I drank over 2 hours vs 5.
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1/15/2009 - Cheryl wrote:
US/French Grenache (Ox Restaurant, Jersey City, NJ): 80% grenache. Nice but lots of alcohol on the palate, which seemed odd to me for a 10 year old wine. Drinkable, for sure, good, but not special. Less fruit than the Clos des Papes and Janasse, but considering the age difference, not much less fruit.
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12/1/2008 - Pknut wrote:
With Michel. Was expecting more from a '98 Donjon that I've stored well since release. Initially somewhat coy, then opening up to smoked meat and beef jerky notes with light garrigue, but overall, rather understated and never really seemed to be expressive. The tannins are soft yet still there, suggesting less than complete integration; perhaps this wine just needs a bit more time. At the five hour mark, the wine shows some lavender and a still a reluctant, reticent demeanor. Quite surprising how shy this wine seems at 10 years. At one point, we even discussed whether this wine was over the hill (in its lack of expressiveness and generally listless, energy-less palate), or not yet ready.
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11/2/2008 - Jim wrote:
Wonderfull aromas and big mid pallate with a long lingering finish. Well integrated
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11/1/2008 - Siggy wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured over a 2+ hour meal. More closed than previous bottles I've tasted. Intense, pure, spicy black cherry/kirsch flavors and a pronounced tobacco/garrigue/dried herb component on the midpalate. Big, heady, savory, and structured. Steadily improved with air, and the last sip was the best.
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10/28/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote: flawed
Double decanted about two hours before serving. Muted and unimpressive. I didn't detect any TCA, but something was definitely wrong with this bottle as it was not consistent with previous great showings.
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10/18/2008 - keeno1 wrote: 94 Points
Decanted 4 hours. Wine was still tight, but had some pretty blackberry, plum and leather notes on the nose with wonderful flavors with plum, tobacco, cedar, and gamey notes that stretch out on a nice, minerally spine. Long finish. This was very tasty and a wonderful example of Vieux Donjon, but will clearly benefit from more time in the bottle.
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9/30/2008 - AtoZ wrote: 89 Points
At Jeanty. Rather subdued. Very smooth but perhaps a tad corked.. a bit of wet cardboard on the nose for me.
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9/23/2008 - Kevin_C wrote: 93 Points
A very pretty color. Deep red-violet that fades to clear at the rim. Quite tight upon opening. Spicy cherry and herbs, a note of black pepper and a good duration of bacon fat. Sweet on the entry with full coverage and a fat mid palate. A little heat on the back end but the finish is excellent. This seems to have a long life ahead of it.
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7/27/2008 - jordanj wrote: 94 Points
Mish Mash of wines (My house): Dark and youthful looking in the glass. Nose of pepper and sautéed shitake mushrooms, hints of tar and roasted coffee beans were very well integrated and showed nice focus. After a couple hours some nice precise lilacs started to turn the wine a bit more floral and feminine. In the mouth the wine was smooth and elegant with great balance. Overall the fruit was showing very dark and deep with a clear resolve that the wine can benefit from years and years in the cellar. Lots of upside here.
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7/27/2008 - KeithAkers wrote: 94 Points
an easy sunday afternoon in the great white north (gurnee IL, jordan's house): nose: great and balanced nose of black peppers, black cherry, black fruits, red fruits, and roast beef. A lot of depth to the nose and still kind of in that primary stage, but is a great nose already
taste: really wonderful and full flavors of roast beef, black fruits, black peppers, and red fruits. Nice and full with great length and feel
overall: a great wine with the possibility to get better. There is a great silkiness to the black fruit focused attack and pure balance to the wine as it works its way on the palate with a fun black pepper finish
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6/8/2008 - Mlermontov wrote: 92 Points
Trip to Boston; 6/4/2008-6/9/2008: classic, ripe red fruit in perfect balance, refreshing acidity through the middle, some tannins still there to keep the long finish fun, perfect food wine as well as quite complex offering some early notes of leather and bramble. excelent
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6/5/2008 - cweiss wrote:
King Fung. Quality evident but still too young. Big, "brooding" was one comment. Dark fruit aplenty.
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5/28/2008 - ed-d wrote: 92 Points
Showing a bit older than you'd think for a 1998 but still has lovely raspberry kirsch flavors. Soft & easy with touches of herb & mineral. Lovely. Drink up.
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5/4/2008 - Rechrom wrote: 94 Points
Wow. Great showing, very clear group WOTN in a vertical, love by everyone. Great weight, depth, drinking beautifully.
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5/2/2008 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 94 Points
Dinner Party (Chez Ellen, Brickell Place, 1915 Brickell Avenue, C1507, Miami, FL): Nearing its peak. Open for business. Everyone's favorite with the Braised Shortribs. Aromatic,slight brett, rich flavor, and intense lingering finish.
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3/17/2008 - JOsgood wrote: 96 Points
So much complexity in this wine. The finish goes on and on. Terrific stuff.
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3/17/2008 - the godfather wrote: 96 Points
best donjon I have tasted, the aroma hit me from across the table, very dark in color and flavor profile, fantastic
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1/26/2008 - DougLee wrote: 88 Points
Beautiful bricky garnet color. Nose was a bit muted, with some herbs, spice, pepper, and garrigue. Palate started out with all the quintessential CdP elements of pepper, tar, black fruits and leather, but never quite got going. Concentration was a bit lacking. Moderate finish. Hard to know if this bottle was closed or slightly off. One bottle left, which will probably not be disturbed for 3-5 years.
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1/19/2008 - jkoenen wrote: 89 Points
Decanted 1 hour before tasting. Cloudy, unfiltred. Colour shows first signs of aging. Opens with a slightly off-putting nose of cold tea and wet wood. But after a half-an-hour of extra air-time it is unfolding a very complex bouquet of milkchocolade, cherry, just a whiff of barnyard, licorice, blood, cinnamon, cloves. Kept on reminding me of a good beefstew! Intriguing wine which kept me coming back for more. Totally a point. 17/20.
My impression is that there is a lot of bottle variation. Had this one 2 or 3 times before and none were the same or even comparable. This one was the best till now. The rest seemed to suffer from early aging/oxidation.
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1/19/2008 - jasonh wrote:
Dinner: Showing very ripe. The fruit is very ripe but not heavy or over extracted. Very easy to drink right now with its somewhat light and sweet tannins. Black cherries and spice. The nice acids balance the ripeness. Still so youthful.
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1/16/2008 - Siggy wrote: 95 Points
Tasting Group Dinner - Chateauneuf at Heidi's (Heidi's, Minneapolis): Second time I've had this. Wide-open, approachable nose of intense, high-toned red fruit and mushrooms. This palate is beautifully expressive, showing raspberry/strawberry fruit, forest floor, kirsch/red cherries, game, and garrigue. Really smooth and seamless, with a great combination of flavor intensity, elegance, and length. Well-integrated tannins. Awesome stuff and a great showing for this wine.
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1/16/2008 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 94 Points
Wednesday at Heidi's: Double decanted ~12 hours prior to serving. The color is an opaque dark red . The nose is dark and brooding featuring dark fruit, dried herbs, earth and lilac. The nose is fairly intense, but is still holding back at the moment. On the palate this gives dark fruit, licorice, and mineral. Showing a little sweeter than I remember. This is a large scale CdP -- possessing both concentrated fruit and lots of structure. The finish here is very smooth and appealing. This is a great wine that will be even greater with additional bottle age.
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1/11/2008 - dbkitc wrote: 93 Points
Very deep garnet. Cinnamon and blackberry on the nose. Big, rich and deep. More fruit driven than the Pegau. Opened well. Just a bit heavy right now – could use a bit more time. A very strong wine. (93+)
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12/31/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: flawed
New Year's Eve with Friends: Decanted about four hours before serving. I tasted upon opening and it struck me as odd but I didn't think it was corked. When served with dinner I determined this was corked. The cork smell was extremely subtle, but the flavors of the wine were dramatically different (like much of the dark concentrated fruit had been stripped away) than previous bottles consumed. Most people still enjoyed this (it was poured before I detected the flaw). Sad, as I had planned this as the highlight of the evening.
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12/25/2007 - cweiss wrote:
Very big, with lots of tannin and kirsch. Will wait a couple of years before opening another.
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11/30/2007 - Zweder wrote: 87 Points
Medicines in the bouquet. The taste is ripe, juicy and spicy. Complex and showing signs of older age. I do not know the history of this bottle. Has it been stored too warm? I score it nevertheless.
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11/23/2007 - Rechrom wrote: 94 Points
Once again great, drinking very well after a double decant. Still red and youthful, wotn at Thanksgiving out of a large and good bunch.
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11/22/2007 - jeff nowak wrote: 88 Points
extremely spice laden and very sweet tannins. the wine was almost spritzy, and i'm not convinced this was up to par. not flawed, just a little peculiar. my only bottle so i can't get another check on it.
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10/4/2007 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 91 Points
Global GRENACHE BYO dinner at The French Bakery (The French Bakery, Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands, FL): Flight 4 A. Bob's wine. He said he decanted it for 6 hours. I believe this was a mistake, as my 98 Janasse Chaupin only needed double decanting.
The decanting led to a mellow wine, that to my mind lost the inensity I expect from this vintage.
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9/30/2007 - drwine2001 wrote:
Medium color core with definite tawny edges showing some degree of maturity. However, this developed wonderfully over six hours, suggesting a bright future. Dark core of aroma and flavor--this is not the bright, cheery Grenache face of Chateauneuf. Outstanding, harmonious, sappy mouth feel depsite some residual tannin, and natural sweetness without sugariness or the excess alcohol or weight of other '98s. The balance here is just superb. Only at the end did it really begin to show spice, herb, and secondary perfume. A great Chateauneuf which I enjoyed much more than a bottle 10 months ago. Looking back through the database, my experience with this bottle pretty much echos Dave Dalluge's note in July.
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9/1/2007 - cona wrote: 91 Points
Just opened - big explosive red fruit spectrum flavours but finishes very firm. I'm not sure how this will evolve as the fruit seem to be all there now and beginnning to showing signs of drying out. Was a little concerned going into this as a recent tasting of 98 CNDPs showed many with premature aging. This is thankfully devoid of this.
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8/18/2007 - jkoenen wrote: 86 Points
Exploring Chateauneuf-du-Pape @ Peter Z. (Belgium): Sorry to say that this was a little ho-hum. Had great expectations when I bought this, but all together it was rather disappointing. Strange soupy aromas of cellery, broth and stewed meat. Intense, sultry and sweetish mouthfeel, yet the aromas are indistinctive, hard to separate from each other. Don't know if this bottle was a representative one. 15.5/20
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8/12/2007 - bknysak wrote: 90 Points
Rayas redux (Our place): Double decanted. Was very tight all night long, never revealing all that should be there. Some sweet fruit, the great cornucopia of scents which I usually get from Vieux Donjon were weaker than I would have expected. By the end of the night, seemed to open a little, showing some of the power and tannin. Half a bottle remains for tonight, looking forward to seeing if it finally sings...
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7/6/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 95 Points
No notes taken, but this was excellent with a grilled New York Strip at the Sawchuk's. Double decanted about seven hours before serving. Everyone loved this wine. The nose is just so interesting -- a brooding blend of dark fruit, a dark herby garrigue, beef, and mineral. On the palate this is balanced and packed with flavor. The finish is long and satisfying. I've got to keep my hands off these, because they are going to be so great with another 5-10 years of bottle age.
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6/5/2007 - winemaker wrote: 95 Points
This wine rocks! Very complex, the kind of wine you just want to taste over and over again. Wonderful, and deep. Cherry grenache fruit layered with elements of forest floor, provencal herbs, accompanied by a long finish. Glad I have a bunch more of these.
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5/5/2007 - trankin wrote: 90 Points
Hospice du Rhone; 5/3/2007-5/6/2007 (Paso Robles, CA): Brownish-red in color - almost rusty. An older nose of mature forest florr. On the palate, dark cherries, a bit of meatiness, and some saddle leather. Suprisingly mature. Drinking very well right now.
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5/5/2007 - hutch wrote: 88 Points
HDR- Day 2 Seminars (Paso): Slightly brown around the rim. Plums and soy sauce on the palate. Medium bodied, with huge tannins that are difficult to get through. 88+
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2/25/2007 - dbkitc wrote:
(at Charleston – Baltimore) Sappy, grapey, very cool Grenache nose – awesome. Palate falls short – does not deliver what the nose suggested. (16)
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1/26/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 95 Points
Notes from memory. Popped and poured. Notes are consistent with the previous bottle, but maybe a bit tighter. Tasted beside the 2001 Mordoree Lirac RdB. The Mordoree was sweeter with more forward fruit. The Vieux Donjon was deeper and more concentrated fruit. Both are very good wines, but the Vieux Donjon is far superior.
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1/6/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 97 Points
Dinner at Five (1998 Vieux Donjon, 1998 Monbousquet, and 2003 Turley OVZ): Opaque dark red color. The nose gives dark, brooding fruit that is just short of sur maturite complemented by dried herbs, animal, and garrigue. The nose is already intense, but you can just tell that this is still holding back at the moment. On the palate this shows dark fruit, spice, and mineral. This is full bodied -- possessing both concentrated fruit and lots of structure. The finish here is very smooth and appealing. My three companions had never had this wine and were savoring every last drop. Great wine that will be even greater with additional bottle age.
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12/15/2006 - CSteefel wrote: 92 Points
It was difficult and perhaps impossible not to have our thoughts on the VD influenced by the 2001 Pegau Cuvee Laurence tasted next to it. The Vieux Donjon initially came across as a tad sweet to some of the tasters, dominated as it is by the ripe to super-ripe Grenache of the vintage presented in a traditional CdP package. But I found that the wine really sharpened up with time in the glass, developing more intensity, brightness and grip. The nose blossomed as well, showing lovely kirsch and strawberry aromas. In the end, I thought it held its own quite well with the slightly younger Pegau, although the difference in style was quite clear.
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12/12/2006 - markellen.foodies@gmail.com wrote: 92 Points
Chateauneuf du Pape BYO Dinner (DUO, Miami): CdP BYO Dinner at Duo, Miami. Seems to be emerging from its sheel. Very good, somewhat reticent bouquet, deep black fruits and a modest finish. Expect to develop fully from here on out. I truly believe the 98's have been in a dormant stage, and will begin to shine around age 10.
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10/11/2006 - Rechrom wrote: 93 Points
Drank at a tasting with 98 VT and 98 Beau - best wine of the three, great length, smooth tannins, nose somewhat muted. needs anothet year or so, but getting near ready.
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7/31/2006 - jdtonic wrote: 95 Points
Superb chateauneuf. rich, electric, fruity, profound. best I've had. will pour with most food. pure butter.
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7/18/2006 - Ben Andersen wrote:
Tasted side by side with the 1998 Pegau Cuvee Laurence, which made for an interesting comparison,as they were two very different wines. The Pegau (see TN) was riper, with more red fruit and seemed less evolved and more polished. The Vieux Donjon impressed me with its old-school mix of brambly, dark fruit, game, earth and garrigue components. Expansive on the palate, with spicy, briary fruit and earthy elements. Nice balance. Though showing some evloution, it should continue to improve in the cellar for some time. Quite impressive.
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7/18/2006 - Dave Dalluge wrote:
Dinner at 112 Eatery (Chave, Beaucastel, Pegau, Voge, Donjon, and others): Very interesting to taste this side-by-side with the 1998 Pegau Laurence. This is much more closed at this moment than the Pegau. This shows dark, brooding fruit with an undefined earthiness on the nose. One-dimensional at the moment but promising much more for the future. On the palate this shows dark fruit, leather, and mineral. Full bodied with concentrated fruit but lots of structure. The finish here is even longer than the Pegau, but not quite as interesting at the moment. This was a given to Steve for the tasting by Brad at Winestreet while Ben and Steve were there picking up an order. A generous gift and a great wine that just needs a few more years to show what its got.
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7/12/2006 - kstoddard wrote: 90 Points
Vieux Telegraphe Dinner with Henri Brunier's daughter Catherine (Backstreet Wine Salon, Phoenix): A very disappointing wine for me due to it’s critical acclaim. A big brawny fruit bomb with not a lot of character. Not even in the same league as the 1998 Vieux Telegraphe. Nonetheless a good wine that I would enjoy drinking again.
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12/25/2005 - cweiss wrote:
With B&R. My first of these, decanted couple of hours but still very young. Kirsch under tannin, and as it opens up then cedar and some spice. Will be an excellent CdP I think.
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11/28/2005 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
Slowly dipping into these. This opened quite reticent - ungiving nose and fairly muted palate. Then the wine starts its striptease - every time we came back to it, the wine showed us a little more. Once open, the nose starts to display quite a lot of black pepper, saddle leather and red fruit. The palate spreads out more as the night continues. Sadly, by the time was hitting full stride it was drained. All my experiences with this bottling lead me to urge others to decant this wine for several hours before getting into it. And from now on, I'm taking my own advice.
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10/1/2005 - ccn wrote:
tasted oct 2005 not showing wait min 3-5 years
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7/17/2005 - archer752000 wrote: 96 Points
Very dark purple color.
Huge wine that has everything you might think of - liquer-like, jammy fruits,
licorice, spicy tannins, silky and never-ending finish. I'm writing this note on the next day
and still feeling it in my mouth. We had it over the dinner for 3+ hours and it never
lost a single touch. This is one of best Chateauneufs I've ever had.
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5/21/2005 - EBoyer wrote: 94 Points
Delicious, raspberry liquer like flavors, with herbs too, concentrated but very well balanced. Jusr starting to open up -it was drinking very well. 94+
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1/16/2005 - peternelson wrote: 89 Points
Vineyard Terrace: Intense nose, big, lots of a’s; spicey evolution in mth; Big, young, too much, probably too young.
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10/17/2004 - DougLee wrote: 94 Points
Encouraged by other postings, I cracked one of these. Healthy purple color with lovely clarity. Huge, immediate, and sustained nose of garrigue, pepper, licorice, and BBQ sauce. This was the best part of the experience in my humble opinion. The palate evolved over several hours. Initially mostly pepper, spices, and jammy flavors, with almost a tart effect; however after 3 hours it definitely drilled downward and offered immense concentration and a wonderful presence on the finish. Powerful tannins present, moderately grained and balanced by broad currents of red fruit. Yoh, so this is what "traditional" CdP is supposed to taste like. Could definitely grow hair on one's chest. Should be near monumental in 3 to 5 years.
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8/15/2004 - Blair Curtis wrote: 94 Points
Showing very well right now. On the nose, a bit of ripe banana and the scent of other ripe fruits. On the palate, the Grenache dominates with essence of ripe strawberry prevailing. There is a hint of cracked black pepper as well. Creamy and smooth, this should be even better when it knits fully.
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3/25/2004 - claudio_bxl wrote:
Limpid color and good depth with good legs and hints of evolution in the rim and a discrete nose of smoke, licorice and red fruit with a hint of cherry marmalede. in the mouth it has deep red fruit aromas,morello cherries and minerality. Long and balanced with a good dose of tannins. Very good.
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11/2/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 96 Points
Tasted at the home of Amy Weinberg. Bottle provided by Frank Noble. Bright disc. Deep ruby robe with red rim. Clean, very intense nose of blackberries, tar, damp earth, licorice, minerals and mushrooms. Full-bodied on the palate, with medium acidity, ample sweet tannins and similar complex flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish. A knockout!
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7/17/2001 - SadEdjo wrote:
stunning rich grenache fruit bomb! mild tannins, plush mouth feel, long finish. top 5 tastings of the year.
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1/19/2000 - mdefreitas wrote: 90 Points
NYC Group goes Rhonish (NYC): Bacon, good fruit. Nice grip. Good finish. Nice wine.
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