1991 Chateau Musar – I had this last night. After two bad bottles of this recently, this one was screaming good. Very pale color but packing flavors of nutmeg, blackberries, and spice. Good not great concentration. Balance overall is in synch. Decently long drawn out finish. My favorite vintage of the ‘90s.
1981 Beaucastel CdP - Great nose that combines black fruits, truffle, leather, and a touch of smoke. Still combines good intensity with elegance and a sharp delineation of flavors. Falls off a bit on the finish showing its age. My favorite vintage of Beau ever.
1997 Turley Aida Petite Sirah – Candied nose. Sense of artificial sweetness on the mid-palate that overwhelms. Tannins are noticeable but not intrusive. Yuck!
2001 Vieille Julienne CdP- Traditional CdP that is mostly grenache, this is drinking great now. I probably had 4 or 5 bottles in the last 2 months. Loads of red fruit and floral aromas combined with a bit of garrigue. It has good concentration and structure and while not a profound wine it is a superb example of CdP. Drink or hold this one although awfully hard to hold.
2007 Chateau Pesquie Cotes du Ventoux Cuvee Terrasse – Dense bright purple color with notes of cassis and lavender on the nose. Very primary on the palate with not a lot of depth but very appealing flavors of blue and black fruits buoyed by sweet tannins. Very good value wine and a near-term drinker.
2000 Pegau CdP – Ha-Ha. See my previous dozen notes on this wine. Gets better all the time and another one I can’t keep my hands off.
2000 Mont Olivet Cuvee des Papets CdP – Best showing yet as tannins are softening. Still shows very young but coming together with expressive red fruits and minerals and a killer long finish. A wine of power and structure with great intensity. I would hold this one a while longer.