1998 Beaucastel - Serving suggestions? Drink or hold?

Based on the feedback I received on the 2002 Clos des Tart and my decision to hold off on the 2001 Sabon Secret, I’m now leaning towards a 1998 Beaucastel.

Any recent experience with this wine? Suggestions on decant times? Drink? Hold?

I opened one about 2 years ago and was pretty unimpressed.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

I had a 98 Beaucastel last week - popped and poured. It was great right out of the bottle but faded over a couple hours, especially so after the 89 Lynch Bages was opened.

Agree with Jerry. Did a pop n pour this summer on a bottle. Ready to go.

From two sources the wine was fully ready, a 3rd bottle from my cellar (very cool) was close to full maturity.
Nevertheless a good to very good but not great wine, for me it was lacking a bit of depth and complexity, to straightforward in its fruit expression, too plummy and broad. better with food than solo.
I would slow-ox it for 4-5 hours - then decant only for sediment and serve immediately … or no decant when you´re only 2-3 persons …

I agree with the suggestions above. As a FYI, I did have a good amount of sediment in the bottle(s), so be prepared to decant.

I’m glad to see some positive notes. After buying some on release without trying it first, I consistently detested it in blind tastings, so I buried it in the cellar and have been repressing its existence there. Time to drag out a bottle and see if it has gotten better to my taste. My objection was that it was tooty-fruity and confected, the polar opposite of the 1980s and 1990 wines that I adored.

Great, thanks! I decided to open a 1982 Phelan-Segur, but am taking the Beau as my backup bottle, should the PS not show well.

Thanks!

That’s a little unfair

My notes, Jorge, from October. Pop and pour for me too, IIRC.


1998 Beaucastel

Dark cherry, plum and certain leather aromatics here. Also had a slice of fresh herbs. Dans la bouche, it sat and flowed quite nicely, plum and leather replays and cooler down the throat than one might expect. This isn’t a superstar Beaucastel, but it has ended up in a very nice place. I enjoyed it.

Here was my note on the 1998 Beaucastel from about a month or so. I would definitely say it’s “ready”.

92-93+ Points. Tasted serially over 2-3 hours at 60-65 degrees.

On the nose dried red fruits, roasted meat, incense and savory spices. On the palate, dried raspberry and red currants gave way to roasted meat, dried herbs, cedar wood, spice and a lengthy and resonant cigar wrapper finish.

Still seemed to be quite fresh although it seemed at a point where it might be in a graceful descent from its peak. Good overall acidity with nice density and steady structure. Moderate weight and texture on the palate but well delineated with nice clarity.

Tried one recently that tasted a tad oxidized, maybe exposed to heat. Definitely a big disappointment.

When I had it about 2 years ago, it seemed “ready”, but incredibly boring. I would just pop and pour.

After having it few times and once twice in a blind tasting, which was incredibly interesting as they tasted like 2 different wines, recommend a third option. Sell them.

So you think it will be “less boring” if pop&poured ?

(I would definitely slow-ox it)

Oh yeah, I forgot slow-ox is the miracle cure for mediocre or bad wine.

Obviously not, but by your estimation it certainly wouldn’t be any worse!

A polarizing wine? What’s one of those doing here?

I rarely score and I’m not a softie when scoring, probably 85-86 if you wanted one from me. For me that DOES mean the wine was enjoyable…I hold to the 90 level really being an outstanding wine…not to

Pretty controversial and variable wine, that on average fell a long way short of the hype. In my experience at least of several bottles from different stashes.

Reflected in prices, which are somewhat modest.

The 1998 seems to be highly variable and disappointing, the 1999 no great shakes, and presumably only the 2001 even has a prayer in approaching the legendary 1989. Don’t drink much C9 these days, but - is Beau a lost cause? Not a wine I associate with much these days.

Anyone tried 98 Clos Des Papes? Is it ready, and how does it stack up against its peers.

I had one of these a few weeks back. Ready and quite good, with typical CdP complexity and richness. Not amazing, but a good company to a hearty meal. So: drink away .