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As always, I'm sceptical re panel tastings. But Prial's conclusions that the wines are well-made, but expensive and not compelling or especially evocative of place, tends to be my reaction. Though I do like the Terrabianca Campaccio normale a lot (they gave it two stars).
I also just wish they'd list the 30 wines they tasted, instead of just the top
Dale
Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply
Thanks, I saw that this morning (daily email summaries of the Times for free - great deal!). Same reaction here.
I had a wine tasting last night at my house with a 2000 Chateau La Nerthe,
99, 95, and 90 Beaucastel (all Chateauneuf du Papes). Wild card wine was a `82 Ridge cabernet sauvignon, which was my favorite. The 95 was the crowd (seven other lawyers) favorite. Since I'd placed the following descriptions at the place settings, we didn't really come up with anything independent but all agreed with Bobby:____ = your guess of the bottle number….
____Chateau La Nerthe 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape (88-91, 2002): A blend of 47% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 18% Mourvedre, and the remainder Cinsault and other varietals, it is a sexy, soft, plump effort displaying notes of licorice, blackberries, cassis, and cherries. Densely colored, spicy, full-bodied, and opulent, it will provide sensual drinking for 12-14 years.
____Chateau Beaucastel 1999 Chateauneuf du Pape (91, 12/2001): This prodigious wine boasts aromas of blackberry fruit intermixed with cassis, licorice, roasted meats, leather, and truffles. While it does not possess much fat or precociousness, it displays definition and elegance. This is a full-bodied, concentrated, classic Beaucastel. 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre,
10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the remainder a blend of the other varietals.____Chateau Beaucastel 1995 Chateauneuf du Pape (93, 10/1997): This will require discipline. Like most top vintages of Beaucastel, a decade of patience will be warranted before this wine will be enjoyable to drink. It is the rare vintage of Beaucastel (1989, 1990, and 1995) that is accessible in its youth, yet they will remain capable of aging for 20-25 years. It exhibits a deep dark ruby/purple color, and a provocative (probably controversial) aromatic profile of animal fur (note from Scott – given the numerous species of hairy animals, isn’t that kind of a broad brush?), tar, truffles, black cherries, cassis, licorice, and minerals. A medium to full-bodied wine, with a boatload of tannin, considerable grip and structure, and a weighty feel in the mouth, this appears to be a classic vin de garde (literally, “wine of guard”) made in the style of the 1978 Beaucastel (which is still not close to full maturity).
____Chateau Beaucastel 1990 Chateauneuf du Pape (94, 2/1996): Beaucastel made a great Chateauneuf du Pape in 1990. In stylistic terms, it is completely different from the profound 1989. The color is opaque black/ruby/purple. The perfume of smoked meats, coffee, hickory, Asian spices, and black raspberries is sensational. While concentrated, full-bodied, and extremely rich, the wine displays slightly harder tannin, higher acidity, and comes across as a more muscular, less opulent example than the `89. It is a profound wine, but I would rate it inferior to the
1989 and the 1981, yet easily equivalent to the `83 and `85. Both Francois and Jean Pierre Perrin compare their 1990 to the renowned 1967, and both prefer it to their `89 – high praise!____Chateau Beaucastel 1988 Chateauneuf du Pape (90, 2/1996): This has evolved from a surprisingly forward, supple style, to one that is now revealing more tannin and structure. Nevertheless, it already has accessibility and charm. It exhibits a healthy dark ruby/purple color with no signs of age. Medium to full-bodied, with plenty of earthy, sweet, ripe fruit, a dosage of brett (a sweaty horse/old leather scent), and a long, rich, concentrated, moderately tannic finish. The wine will evolve for another 12-15 years and last even longer.
____WILD CARD WINE: (your notes)
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A more interesting 'ringer' might have been a California Petit Sirah, though I'm not sure you could have fooled them.
As you know Dale from comparing notes on wines we had at the Tuscan gala in February, I think the Super Tuscan thing is waaaaay overdone. I take a good Vino Nobile, Chianti Riserva or Carmignano any day over these super-hyped overpriced wines.
As you know Dale from comparing notes on wines we had at the Tuscan gala in February, I think the Super Tuscan thing is waaaaay overdone. I take a good Vino Nobile, Chianti Riserva or Carmignano any day over these super-hyped overpriced wines.
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