Châteauneuf du Pape AOC
These were served with a New Year luncheon of succulent venison. The first bottle was intended as an introductory outrider to the second which should have been a great bottle. Both were brought up from the cellar in time to reach 18°C approximately and were decanted about an hour before being served.
Château de Beaucastel 1997
C: Medium deep.
N: Well developed with dark fruit, garrigue and tar notes.
P: Harmonious and linear with good fruit, depth and length and medium weight body. Quite classy and good for this “mediocre” year though not singing quite like the Clos des Papes 97 a few weeks and less complex than a Beaucastel from a “good” year; 15.5/20.
Clos du Mont-Olivet Cuvée du Papet 1990
C: On decanting the foam was almost brown and in the glass the rim was bright orange.
N: Quite pungent cheese with a hint of varnish.
P: Notes of cheese, rancid butter and varnish dominated the entry but towards the rear palate some real depth of fruit was detectable once past the initially unpleasant aromatic barrier. What a pity! There have read glowing reviews about bottles of this, particularly in the “other place”. What was going on with this bottle? The cork and the level looked OK. I have no others.
Suspecting disaster upon decanting the above, I rushed back to the cellar and fished out the following. It was still somewhat cool when poured.
Domaine du Pegaü Cuvée Réservée 1999
C: Much deeper and darker than either of the previous.
N: Vigorous dark fruit with quite a lot of barnyard (too much for my son, OK for Germaine and me and great for my sister).
P: Likewise vigorous and quite barnyardy with good ripe “sweet” fruit, depth and mouth-fill. Very enjoyable (except for those allergic to brett) but I was expecting rather more complexity (perhaps a year of two more will provide) and it did not efface memories of other Pegaü, particularly an extraordinarily exuberant barrel sample of 2001; 16/20.
Neither the Beaucastel nor Pegaü, well though they drank, were superior to or even as good as the best CDRVs from Cairanne and Rasteau which I drank during November’s Wine Focus.