Rhone Valley & South of France - |
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Notes and impressions from a Rhone varietal tasting - Saturday, March 3, 2001, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-four wines were poured for a tasting fee of $19. Thirteen of the wines served were barrel samples of '99 CdPs from Alain Junguenet, and offered on pre-arrival (marked as $p/a). |
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Overall impressions: this was a unique opportunity to taste several '99 CdPs before their release. The barrel samples had been bottled for a trade show, and we were fortunate enough to get many of the remaining sealed bottles from the show. CdP favorites included both wines from Pierre Usseglio, as well as the Domaine Les Aphillanthes and Domaine de la Cote de l'Ange, and both wines from Domaine des Relagnes. No real surprises or disappointments here. Good solid flight, and obvious proof, in the face of all the $40-something Cal Cabs, of the values out there in French wines. |
1999 Vieux
Donjon Blanc - Chateauneuf du Pape. $23.99. Light-medium
yellow color. Dense nose of honeysuckle and citrus. Moderate citrus
flavors, slightly tart mouthfeel, long finish some leaf and toast
noted. 1/3 each Grenache Blanc, Clairette, and Roussanne. 1999 Mas
des Aveylans Syrah . $9.99. Dark ruby color. Mass of buttery
blackberry in the nose. Big mouthfeel, slightly stemmy and leafy
flavors, long of-sweet finish. Not quite as good as last year's
rendition. 1999 Clos
de L'Escandil La Liviniere - Minervois. $19.99. Very
dark ruby-garnet color. Somewhat stemmy and oaky nose, with a slight
Mandarin orange and evergreen quality in the background. Huge structure
on the palate, with lots of fruit, and a very long finish. 50% Syrah,
40% Mourvedre, 10% Grenache. 1998 Chateau
Roquefort Saint Martin Grand Reserve - Corbieres. $17.99.
Very dark ruby color. Nose of licorice, oak, blackberry, and shoe
wax. Big, young, oaky, and astringent mouthfeel. Fascinating nose
- hopefully complexities in the mouth will start to show, if this
gutsy wine comes around. Blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, and Carignane. 1999 Mas
de Boislauzon - Cote du Rhone Villages. $8.99. Medium-dark garnet-ruby
color. Smoky and fruity nose, with aromas of leaf and oak. Warm
spicy mouthfeel, with a bit of heat noted on the long finish. Blend
of Grenache, Mourvedre, and Cinsault. 1999 Domaine
du Bois de Saint-Jean - Cotes du Rhone. $8.99. Dark ruby-garnet
color. Not particularly huge, but beautiful nose of blackberry and
toast aromas. A bit green and slightly thin in mouthfeel. 1999 Domaine
les Grand Bois Cuvee Maximilien - Cairanne. $12.99. Dark
ruby color. A little swampy in the nose, with a peppery, toasty
and meaty quality. Nice mouthfeel and flavors, if slightly bitter,
with a long off-sweet finish. 55% Syrah, 25% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache. 1999 Domaine
Les Aphillanthes Cuvee 3 Cepages - Cotes du Rhone Villages.
$19.99. Very dark ruby color. Nose of slightly stemmy raspberry/blueberry
fruit and oak. Young, but very refined mouthfeel, with lots of fruit
that lasts through the very long finish. Blend of Grenache, Mourvedre,
and Syrah. 1999 Cuvee
du Vatican - Chateauneuf du Pape. $p/a. Medium-dark garnet-ruby
color. Sweet toasty red-berry fruit in the nose. Young, yet smooth
mouthfeel, with lots of spiced fruit and a long finish 1999 Domaine
des Relagnes - Chateauneuf du Pape. $22.49p/a. Medium-dark garnet-ruby
color. Very integrated nose of stemmy fruit, spice and oak. Big
smooth mouthfeel, with nice old-vine texture to the fruit, good
palate coverage, and a very long off-sweet finish. Very tasty. 1999 Domaine
des Relagnes La Cuvee Vigneronne - Chateauneuf du Pape. $26.49p/a.
Medium-dark garnet-ruby color. Nose of somewhat stemmy fruit, floral
aromas, and toasty oak. Full mouthfeel, sweet - almost caramelized
fruit, with a long toasty off-sweet finish, and very nice aftertaste.
Has more Syrah than it's stable mate above. 1999 Domaine
Bosquet des Papes - Chateauneuf du Pape. $23.99p/a. Medium garnet
ruby color. Complex nose of raspberry/boysenberry fruit, celery
seed, melon, and a bit of meat. Surprisingly light on the palate,
with off-sweet fruit, and a long finish. More a surprise than a
distraction, the light-medium palate delivers on fruit, if not on
chewy substance. 1999 Chateau
Fortia - Chateauneuf du Pape. $26.49p/a. Medium-dark ruby-garnet
color. Toasty, sweet caramelized nose, with floral background notes.
Moderate mouthfeel, nice flavors, good palate coverage, and long
finish. 1999 Domaine
Moulin-Tacussel - Chateauneuf du Pape. $22.49p/a. Medium-dark
ruby-garnet color. Floral, fruity, stemmy and smoky nose. Young
mouthfeel, seems quite astringent - even a little tough, with very
little sweetness to the fruit, and a very long somewhat rough finish.
Not for drinking tonight.
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1999 Mas de
Boislauzon - Chateauneuf du Pape. $23.99p/a. Medium-dark ruby-garnet
color. Big nose of dense black fruits carrying a Port-like quality,
and some background notes of oak and toast. Full mouthfeel, with
very good flavors, a long finish and nice aftertaste. 1999 Domaine
Pontifical - Chateauneuf du Pape. $p/a. Medium-dark ruby-garnet
color. Nose of stemmy and musty fruit, with aromas of clay, ash,
and oak. Medium-full mouthfeel, good palate coverage, with very
nice fruity flavors, and a long toasty finish. 1999 Clos des Pontifes -Chateauneuf du Pape. $33.99p/a. Medium-dark ruby-garnet color. Dark and brambly nose, with some floral and oaky notes that give it a nice edge. Toasty full mouthfeel, with off-sweet fruit, and a very long finish. Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+ 1999 Domaine
de la Cote de l'Ange - Chateauneuf duPape. $23.99p/a. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Burnished fruit in the nose, with vague hints
of Irish whiskey, pine needle, and a spicy balsamic/A1 note. Sounds
strange - but interesting. Sweet fairly substantial mouthfeel, with
black fruit and licorice flavors that drop off a bit on the otherwise
long finish. 1999 Le
Vieux Donjon - Chateauneuf du Pape. $29.99p/a. Medium-dark ruby
garnet color. Nose has a hint of swamp gas that seems to blow off,
along with red and black fruits, oak, and some stemminess. Big mouthfeel,
very smooth across the palate, off-sweet fruit, and long finish.
Seems to have a much bigger presence in the mouth that most of the
other CdPs in the flight, but this isn't without some cloying aspect
to the sweet fruit. 1999 Pierre
Usseglio - Chateauneuf duPape. $33.49p/a. Dark garnet ruby color.
Huge spicy balsamic/A1 sauce-influenced nose, along with toast,
stems, pine, and chocolate. Big mouthfeel of slightly burnished
red/black fruits, oak, bit of mocha and toast, all leading to very
long finish. 85-yr old vines. 1999 Pierre
Usseglio Cuvee du mon Aieul- Chateauneuf duPape. $44.99p/a.
Dark violet ruby color. Big spicy slightly burnished nose, with
notes of toast, stems, mint, and mocha. Young mouthfeel, off-sweet
stemmy and very Asian-spiced fruit, big and chewy consistency, very
long finish. This thing's a meal. 85-yr old vines. 1998 Tardieu
Laurent Vieilles Vignes - St. Joseph. $27.99. Dark ruby
color. Herbaceous nose of crushed fruit, oak, toast, and
celery seed. Off-sweet - almost tart fruit on the palate, with full
body, and somewhat stemmy long finish. 1998 Jean
Michel Gerin Champin le Seigneur - Cote Rotie. $35.99.
Dark ruby color. Incredible nose of roasted hardwoods, fruit, and
bacon fat. Spiced and smoky fruit fill the palate, with toast and
some stemminess adding to the very long finish. 1998 Domaine
de Durban Muscat de Beaumes de Venise. $18.99. Butterscotch
color. Spicy and clean nose, with lots of peach/pear and a bit of
persimmon. Less spicy in mouthfeel, clean fruity taste, long finish. |
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Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson
