1995 Dom. St. Benoit CNdup Grande Garde - my last bottle of this reserve wine from an excellent vintage (second best of the 90s after 1998). This less well known producer has in my experience been fairly reliable in producing very decent wines and the fact that it isn’t better known is probably a result of marketing connections.
Colour almost Burgundian now, and the nose carrying some similarly Burgundian notes along with faint black pepper hints, berry fruit (strawberry?) and a bit of oriental spice. Nice medium length smooth finish. Sipped in the garden with a friend, followed by a small Havana cigar was the best way to say farewell to an enjoyable wine.
I had several bottles of the 1990 and it did indeed age well. I probably drank them up by age 25 or so, but a few years ago a lone bottle showed up at K&L and I bought it. Still very good.
BTW do you really rate vintages 95 and 98 above 1990 in Chateauneuf?
I am very fond of both the 1989 and 1990 vintages and still cellar both - I consider them to be of equivalent standing. 1995 was not as good as either of them, but nonetheless very decent. 1998 was the first vintage that could rival the two classic vintages.
I’ve based my assessment on several vertical events I have arranged using wines like Beaucastel and Vieux Donjon.
I still hold significant amounts of Beaucastel 89, 90, 95, 98, 99, 2001 etc. and will likely do at least one more vertical dinner before the oldest wines (or myself) slide into senescence.
