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Overall impressions: nice cross-section of currently available CdPs. From my perspective, Janasse walked away with all the awards in this tasting. Three of their wines finished in my top four, and the regular bottling was just beautiful - which at $35, is arguably the best value in the tasting. If not a "value" from a price standpoint, the Janasse Chaupin and V V were certainly fabulous wines in their own right. In the under-$30 category, the Vatican was my winner. As far as surprises go, after hearing all the glowing remarks about the Pegau lineup, I found the regular bottling to be less remarkable than expected. Aside from this, it was an impressive lineup. |
2001
Mas Boilauson - Chateauneuf du Pape. $24.99. Medium ruby garnet
color. Tarry and toasty nose, with a touch of ash and slate. Somewhat
tarry on the palate, with a moderately sweet fruity back end. Good
balance, maybe a bit Spartan in fruit, though seems good in mouthfeel.
Dry, slightly off-sweet and astringent finish. 2001
Beaurenard - Chateauneuf du Pape. $24.99. Dark ruby garnet color.
Slightly sweet nose, with almost candied aromas, and more raspberry/Grenache
seems apparent. Full mouthfeel, sweet fruit with light tarry flavors,
and a gripping, chewy finish. 2001
Monpertuis - Chateauneuf du Pape. $28.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Toasty and meaty nose, with beef jerky spices and a touch
of wet stone and licorice. Well balanced, nice flavors, a bit backward
and rough - even a touch bitter - but quite immense! Very nice long
finish. 2001
Cuvee Vatican - Chateauneuf du Pape. $29.99. Dark ruby garnet
color. Fascinating nose of candied fruit, vanilla, tar, and hickory
scents. Very big on the palate - also very young in mouthfeel. Lots
of fruit, and a fabulous long chewy finish. 2001
Brunel Cailloux - Chateauneuf du Pape. $34.99. Dark ruby
garnet color. Huge nose of smoked mesquite and meat. Off-sweet/sour
mouthfeel, nice touch of A-1 sauce flavor, but the whole package
is just a little too sour for my tastes. Maybe with ham.... 2001
Guigal - Chateauneuf du Pape. $34.99. Dark ruby garnet color.
Very nice meld of raspberry, herbs, and light tarry scents in the
nose. Full mouthfeel, well-blended and slightly sweet flavors, nice
and fruity with a long gripping and tasty finish. Classic CdP, though
a bit tame. 2001
Janasse -
Chateauneuf du Pape. $34.99.
Very dark ruby garnet color. Fascinating hint of floral with lightly
stemmy qualities (in a good way). Sweet mouthfeel, with very tasty
fruit and flavors, and a nice touch of roasted meat and wood. Long,
smooth, succulent finish. 2001
Vieux Donjon - Chateauneuf
du Pape.
$39.99.
Very dark ruby garnet color. Nose of charred hard woods, grilled
meats, and herbs. Somewhat sweet mouthfeel, with lots of roasted
flavors in the mouthfeel, and very big and chewy finish. Very nice! 2001
Pegau - Chateauneuf du Pape. $39.99. Dark ruby garnet color.
Roasted and slightly charred herbs and meat in the nose. Dry, and
somewhat pinched mouthfeel, and the surprisingly short finish detracts
from what might have been a nicer wine. 2001
Clos des Papes - Chateauneuf du Pape. $49.99. Very dark ruby
color. Nose of light raspberry and ashes - not much going on here.
Off-sweet mouthfeel has just a hint of a bitter/sour flavor through
the long finish, though there seems to be plenty of complexity to
even things out a bit. 2001
Autard Cote Ronde - Chateauneuf du Pape. $34.99. Dark
ruby garnet color. Young, complexand somewhat stemmy in the nose,
with some very nice floral and raspberry aromas. Well balanced -
a bit to the acid side, with plenty of fruit and a smooth tasty
mouthfeel, followed by a very long gripping finish. |
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2001
Boilauzon Quet - Chateauneuf du Pape. $49.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Very ripe and floral in the nose, with sweet
toasty aromas and a hint of stem and quinine. Very nice mouthfeel,
plenty of spicy fruit - with an almost root beer quality to the
taste, and a spicy somewhat off-sweet and lightly bitter finish. 2001
Font du Michelle Etienne Gonnet - Chateauneuf du
Pape. $59.99. Medium dark ruby garnet color. Smelled slightly
corked, though with obvious fruit and spice in the background. The
corky quality did seem to blow off with time. Somewhat bitter/sweet
mouthfeel, with a light sour streak to the flavor profile. Lots
of fruit, nice balance, and long finish. 2001
Vatican Reserve Sixtine - Chateauneuf du Pape. $44.99.
Dark ruby garnet color. Thick and dense in the nose, with a lots
of fruit, vanilla and apple spice. Very tasty off sweet fruit, with
a nice long flavorful finish. Very nice! 2001
Monpertuis Tradition - Chateauneuf du Pape. $49.99. Medium
dark ruby garnet color. Beautiful nose of roasted and charred meats,
coffee, licorice, herbs, and a touch of vanilla. Slightly sweet
fruit, excellent balance, lovely mouthfeel, and very long flavorful
finish. Wow! 2001
Beaurenard Bois Renard - Chateauneuf du Pape. $59.99.
Very dark ruby color. Seductive and fleshy in the nose, with a ripe
burnished slightly roasted quality in the background. Very ripe
in flavor, with a sweet mouthfeel, and long finish. Just a trace
of heat apparent on the long finish. 2001
Janasse Chaupin - Chateauneuf du Pape. $59.99. Very dark
ruby color. Stunningly complex nose of fruit and herbs, licorice,
olive, and toast. Huge mouthfeel, with flavors of roasted meat,
licorice, spice, and dried herbs, capped off with a long delicious
finish. Just beautiful! 2001
Janasse VV - Chateauneuf du Pape. $79.99. Very dark ruby
color. Slightly sweeter than the Chaupin, with more licorice
and raspberry nuances. Very tasty, with a smooth integrated mouthfeel,
and more subtle flavors than the Chaupin. Long, savory finish,
with a sweet toasty aftertaste. |
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No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson Last Update 1.27.04 |