2001 E. Guigal Châteauneuf-du-Pape- France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5/8/2009)
Don’t kill the messenger…I think this wine is already on the downslope. Very light effort in general that doesn’t give up much on the nose other than a little smoke and earth. Better on the palate where there’s some plum, earth and red fruits. The best part of the wine is the finish, which has good length, but the flavors and aromas are so simple and one dimensional that it reminds me more of a decent Cotes Du Rhone than a CdP. The redeeming value of this wine is that it’s got nice freshness and works well with food. All in all, definitely a disappointment, and this needs to be consumed asap if you hold any.
Have you had other bottles recently that showed this is perhaps on the downslope? The CT reviews don’t seem to reflect that, and I’ve got 7 bottles that I am hoping aren’t on the decline!
I had a bottle of this more than a year ago and thought it was very light back then. I think it’s clear to me from my experience tonight that this bottle is even lighter than the last one and that it’s equally one dimensional. That means I see no complexity developing with age, and the fruit keeps disappearing. Not a good combo. I recommend you pull one and try for yourself.
SP
P.S. This was purchased from a top notch retailer in 2004 and shipped in the dead of the winter. Since then it’s been kept at 55 degrees, so I think heat damage is highly unlikely.
Steffen, thanks for the heads up on this one. There are enough supporting notes on CT to convince me that your experience wasn’t unique, and that it’s time to drink up. We’ve just got one bottle and it’s going to get popped sometime soon.
I cracked open a bottle, and while I wouldn’t go as far as you, it most definitely is a lighter weight CdP, no question. I’m getting some good meatiness, red fruits (especially plum), and a good dose of bacon on both the nose and the palate. It is light in texture, however, but does gain a bit of oomph in the finish, as you said. I’m enjoying it, and for what I paid I have no issues with it, although I was definitely expecting something a bit grander in scale. They will be consumed in the short term and should work well with many foods.
Sounds about right to me. Relative to the Bonneau I’ve been drinking over the last couple of nights, this is a failure. In the context of “regular” CdP, it’s drinkable.
This was tasty when young but never anything really special. I didn’t expect a long life for it, but it appears I’ve overlooked two bottles. Time to drink them up.