1989 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/22/2020)
Holy moly this was great! I was blown over by the compelling nose of Christmas spice, gingerbread, old forest floor, cigar box, and gorgeous soil perceptions! Same for the taste: there was aged red fruit, gorgeous and easy to down, but maintaining a bright edge of dark cherry fruit and fun southern Rhone stuff. This has stayed fresh despite its age! This bottle was loaded with second and third stage age components; stuff that reminded me of an antique furniture store, or a dark, but clean old room of some ancient manor house, and the previously mentioned old forest perceptions. I am so sad this was my only bottle. Easily in top 10 for WOTY! (98 pts.)
This is a great wine. We’ve done several Beaucastel verticals in a tasting group over the years and it’s a consistent winner, except in one where it was edged out by the 1990. Recently I had a 1985 that was pretty close to that level as well. I have one bottle of 1989 left, plus a slightly sketchy looking mag.
I bought 3 cases of that wine on release and the couple bottles I had were so Bretty I got rid of them. Seems like some are mindbending and some undrinkable.
Hard to believe you waited this long on this wine! I always found the ‘89 to be very clean…and great. It was the ‘90 that to me seemed to have some Brett. And the ‘88 was poop city as I recall.