Wow … what a great evening! There wasn’t one bad wine on the table, although there were some that I definitely preferred over others. Group’s WOTN was the '04 Clos des Papes, followed by the '01 Boisrenard, followed by the '00 Usseglio Mon Aieul. My WOTN was the Usseglio, by a clear shot, followed closely by the '04 Clos des Papes, '00 Pegau, and '99 Clos des Papes. I had a great time seeing familiar faces again, and meeting some new ones, too. Many thanks are due to John R. for putting on such a fantastic event. I hope to run this back sometime soon!
2002 Louis Latour Montagny 1er Cru La Grande Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Montagny 1er Cru
Rich chard nose with slight oakiness. Medium-full bodied with juicy acidity. Light whisp of sea shells and a light finish. Simple. Enjoyable.
2002 Fiddlehead Cellars Sauvignon Blanc L’ Orvert - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
– see 10/11/09 note –
medium bodied, hint of cinnamon on the palate. I love this SB, both for its inherent quality as well as its uniqueness.
1999 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min. –
NOSE: celery; hint of leathery spice; a strong beefy note emerged with time in the glass; hint of red berry peeking through, as well.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; medium bodied; rustic ruby color of medium depth.
TASTE: loads of mineral; specks of spice and loganberry; garrigue on the finish; 14% alc. peeks through just a bit; not overblown. Seems loosely-knit, but somewhat closed-off at the same time. Wait a couple more years.
1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min –
very similar to my 6/12/09 note, but this bottle was a bit better – I didn’t get the sense that this bottle was slightly cooked, like I did with the 6/12/09 bottle.
Very primary on the nose, showing raspberry and a bit green/vegetal. Dark garnet color of medium-deep depth. This wine was clean as a whistle, showing notes of juicy cherry and spices (hint of cigar); on the acidic side of well-balanced; seemed tight right now; 13.5% alc. not noticeable at all. There’s absolutely no way I would have called this a Beau if I had been drinking it blind: this was much brighter and cleaner than I expect from Beaucastel. A very enjoyable and unexpected performance. Elegant - would work wonderfully with a wide range of foods.
2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 45 min –
– 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, and the rest tiny percentages of other permitted grape varieties –
Huuuge complex nose of garrigue, dark red/light purple fruits - think loganberry; bay leaf. Absolutely stunning nose leads into surprisingly elegant palate: tight red fruits, gorgeous spices with a touch of leather. Absolutely stuffed with material … actually pleasurable to drink now, but should really be moved to the back of the cellar for at least 10 years. My second favorite wine of the night, with tons of potential to improve with time.
2000 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. one hour –
This wine pretty much epitomizes what I love about CdP. Super big nose of anise, tar, dark raspberry, and funk. Loads of wonderful on the palate: garrigue, horsey; minerally. Full palate, with still grippy tannins. Garnet color of medium-deep depth. Medium bodied. This is in a good place now, but I would prefer another 5 years of age on it. A bit loosely knit, but that’s more of an observation than complaint. This was, hands down, my WOTN. So good it made me laugh. Awesome wine!
2000 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted single-glass non-blind over approx 90 min –
Had this wine exactly one year ago, and this bottle wasn’t quite up the standard set by the previous bottle. This seemed rather tight, especially on the palate. Lots of time in the glass helped reveal scallions, spice, blackberry, graphite and garrigue on the nose (fruits very tight here). Mostly spicy on the palate, with the fruits in hiding. Color was dark ruby of medium-deep depth. Clearly, a very impressive wine, but still needs time.
2004 Domaine de Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min –
– decanted for approx. 1.5 - 2 hours before tasting –
Very candied nose: a hint of anise, a bit inky; strawberry; and a hint of butter; not funky. Loads of red fruit on the palate: raspberry jam & strawberry. Very new world – not earthy, not funky - very fruit forward. This is a nice wine, but not the style I prefer for CdP. Purple-tinged ruby color. Somewhat disappointed in this wine … will sit on my other one for a few years to see if it finds a place more to my liking.
2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min –
Purple-garnet color of great depth. Loads of oak and strawberry on the nose, with deep florals in the background. Tons of oak on the palate, and quite alcoholic (labelled at 14.5%, but I would be willing to bet it’s much closer to 15.5%); red fruits. The '04 I had recently is a much better vintage of this bottling, to my tastes.
2006 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min –
Garnet color of great depth. Spicy black cherries on the “dark” nose. Peppery raspberry on the palate. Seemed somewhat tight (this didn’t get any air before tasting, and probably needed a healthy decant). Clearly a very nice wine that wasn’t given a real chance to shine at this event. Needs time in the cellar.
2006 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single-glass non-blind over approx. 30 min. –
Intense ruby color; medium-full bodied. Inky blackberries and deep florals complicated by a hints of caramel and mint on the nose. Good tannins on the palate: dark and fruit; concentrated fruits; a bit singular right now. Needs lots of time. We had 3 vintages of this wine on the table tonight: as they were drinking tonight, I preferred the '04, then the '99, then this '06. I see the '04 as being the “best,” followed by the '06, followed by the '99.
2007 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
– tasted a single glass non-blind over approx. 30 min –
Intense ruby color of medium depth. Very new world nose with loads of red fruits; not funky or earthy. Very fruity, and actually a bit candied, on the palate; cherry was dominant fruit; a bit overblown.