WTN: Clos St Jean CdPape 2004 and Musar Question (1995)

Very young and pretty tannic. A little closed right now, perhaps? But I still enjoyed the red fruits, licorice. Given the dominance by Grenache, there is definitely some strawberry here, but the licorice was very interesting. Bitter note on the finish, but I like that, so...

Very light in texture on the palette-especially when compared to the Port-like Garretson Syrah(tossed my tasting sheet, so I can't recall the name) also in the tasting flight!

Nice. High $30s at Back Room Wines, Napa 3* with upside potential. I am trying to learn Rhone, because I have enjoyed so many recently. If I am looking for a cheaper bottle of wine, it seems like you cannot "miss" with a good Cotes du Rhone!

My Musar question-I don't know what I was seeing, or the bottles simply sold, but the Musar at JV Spirits on the shelf now was 1995, and the price was $67. Is the 1995 a good year for Musar, and is $67 a reasonable price?

If I am looking for a cheaper bottle of wine, it seems like you cannot "miss" with a good Cotes du Rhone!

Here's one to try: 2004 Domaine de Mourchon Cotes du Rhone Villages Seguret Grande Reserve ($24). I tasted this last year and loved it. Bucko published a review of this wine recently, ending with a recommendation to buy it by the case.

-- Clark

Thanks, Clark. I'm also big on Andre Brunel right now (Cuve Sabrine CdR Villages rocked my world a couple of weeks ago!)

1995 Musar should be selling between $40-$50 at the most, some places may even have it for less than $40

Whether it's a good vintage or not is impossible for me to tell. Musar is so strange, I have seen so much bottle variation, even within the same case kept in my cellar since purchase, and that is true of almost every vintage I've tried. I have stopped buying it now. You may get lucky and get one of the amazing bottles.... or not.

The Moose '95 rocks. Classic stuff and not far behind IMO to my favourite, the 1991. The price is a bit steep, though.

-O-

1995 Musar should be selling between $40-$50 at the most, some places may even have it for less than $40

Whether it's a good vintage or not is impossible for me to tell. Musar is so strange, I have seen so much bottle variation, even within the same case kept in my cellar since purchase, and that is true of almost every vintage I've tried. I have stopped buying it now. You may get lucky and get one of the amazing bottles.... or not.

That pretty much sums up my view. In vintages I like I tend to run across a 1:1:1 ratio (great to ok to flawed). When Musar was $25, it seemed maybe worth it. Now that it passed $40, I need more than a 33% chance of great.

As to '95, I thought one we (Paulo, Jay, Jeff G, etc) had at an offline had unacceptable levels of VA (and I don't think of myself as VA-intolerant). Others liked more.

Could the variation that so many experience be due to the combination of Musar using minimal sulphur and shipping in non-heat-regulated cargo? But could such a combination provide as radical differences within a case as reported here? FWIW, I find there is no more bottle variation with Musar as with the few other wines I drink as much of.

-O-

Very light in texture on the palette-especially when compared to the Port-like Garretson Syrah(tossed my tasting sheet, so I can't recall the name) also in the tasting flight!

Sounds like the Aisling.

My Musar question-I don't know what I was seeing, or the bottles simply sold, but the Musar at JV Spirits on the shelf now was 1995, and the price was $67. Is the 1995 a good year for Musar, and is $67 a reasonable price?

The price sounds high. It's what I'd expect to pay here in Canada (though with the dollar at parity. . . .)