I dunno about Parker 96, but this was a really pretty wine that packed a lot more structure than I realized. I never see CDP last for 3 days. No hurry on this one.
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2000 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (6/1/2009)
Day 1: Surprisingly fresh, classic Provencale market, lots of herbs. The last time I had this wine it struck me as extremely ripe, but this was much more classic than I expected. Very easy drinking. Had 1 glass and then stuck it in the fridge.
Day 2: Wow, big transformation. Now the personality is much darker and more brooding with tapenade and licorice and much more apparent structure than on day 1. Chewy, toothsome, sappy, spicy. Surprising structure with a little quinine on the finish. This is a beast!
Day 3: Usually Grenache would be badly oxidized at this point, and I hate oxidized reds. This was fresh, powerful, finally rounding out and gaining huge weight. I am quite shocked at how well this hung on for a couple of days. This is a wine with a bright future. I would wait a bit to let these move further along. (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
BTW, it is awfully nice to post a tasting note on a bulletin board and feeling good about it. For the past 3 years it has irked me to put notes on eBob when they were so hostile to me.
Eric, excellent note, thank you! I have had 3 or 4 bottles of different vintages of Bois de Boursan this year and have really fallen for the producer. I always get that sort of “Provencal market” that you mention. I have been struggling with descriptors and that is exactly what I was looking for. I have heard that the Felix is a more modern-styled cuvee that I probably wouldn’t like as much. Can you comment on any differences between the Felix and the normale bottling?
Thanks!
Michael
Eric,
This one is in the deep freeze for me.
Needs some time.
Great note.
Don
Don, deep freeze is right.
Michael, I don’t have a ton of experience with the producer. Here is the sum-toto of my notes below. The Felix didn’t strike me as very modern. Surprisingly structured though.
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2004 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5/10/2009)
Mmm, quite lovely, screaming of garrigue with a lovely, dry, dusty, pure personality. Faint hints of animal when first opened, but now this is very clean. A really textbook Châteauneuf-du-Pape, peppery with loads of dry herbs, you really are teleported to a Provencale market with one sniff of this wine. Loaded with structure and a nice wave of acidity. Lovely albeit a bit firm to drink now. It seems like a few years of patience will really be rewarded. (91 pts.)
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2003 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/8/2009)
True to te vintage, this opens with insanely ripe notes of raspberry jam. However, drinking slowly across an evening serves it very well. Spreading waves of bramble and garrigue burst out with fresh, woodsy flavors. Loads of white pepper and a spicy personality. Very enjoyable. (92 pts.)
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2001 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/2/2007)
Dinner with friends (Seattle, WA): Mmm, what a beautiful wine. Textbook nose with tapenade and Provencale market smells wafting quit readily from the glass. Popped and poured yet still quite rewarding. Pure, powerful, somewhat smoldering intensity with a brooding element, lots of black licorice and bittersweet flavors. A somewhat tough match with some exciting Vietnamese flavors (was worth a try) but sipped gorgeously on its own after we were done eating. Still a relative babe, this likely has amazing evolution ahead.
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2000 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (4/22/2007)
Incredible dinner at Momofuku Ssäm (New York, NY): Lovely wine. Licorice explodes from the glass. Spicy, herbal, a panoply of Provencale flavors and smells. Textbook Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Ripe, warm, lush and spicy. Definitely ripens up in the glass and shows the 2000 personality, a little bit of roasted character and some heat.
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2003 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/9/2006)
Value 2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape at Le Pichet (Seattle, WA): Earthy, smokey, leather, yeah! The fruit right now is a backdrop to the impressive structure and earthiness of this wine. Lovely! (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
BTW, despite the notes here I don’t say “Provencale market” on every CDP I drink, but looking at my notes it appears I say it for Felix a lot!
One of my favorite CdP producers. Here are 2 notes of this wine I had not too long ago. Really love this stuff!
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2000 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (4/12/2009)
Fantastic bottle! Started out tight but opened up beautifully after about 2 hours. Nicely concentrated and expressive, with black cherry, garrigue, pepper, fig, and asian spice. Elegant but deep, still a little tannic, but finishes rather short. Outstanding wine, finish is the only detractor. Drinking well with some air, but I think this will get better. (95 pts.)
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2000 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Felix - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/19/2009)
Expressive nose of kirsch, candied red fruits, lavender, and licorice. Elegant wine, medium body, racy, kirsch, cherries, blood orange and licorice. A little tannic, long delightful finish. Excellent wine, but not that much better than the regular cuvee-- more refined and complex but similar style (that’s not meant to detract from this wine, but to state how good the regular cuvee is). 93+ (93 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
I think there is more mouvedre in this blend than most of the “special” cuvees from Chateauneuf which, in my opinion, gives it more complexity and a darker, more rustic character.
Dave and Eric, thanks for the insights regarding the Cuvee des Felix. I have been operating under assumptions that it was not similarly styled to the basic cuvee (which I love) and now that I know better, I’ll have to run out and try to find some!
-Michael
Jean-Paul Versino makes some awesome wines doesn’t he. Thanks for the note.
Phil, he does. When I am buying again I need to beef up my stocks.
The 01 is one of my favourites of the vintage along with the Charvin. Fantastic wines. Nice notes Eric.
About bleedin’ time you chimed in Nigel! The 01 is a smasher as you say…
Well I wondered where you’d been!