WTN: Beaucastel '92, '01, '04 + Finca Dofi '92-'05

Tonight we had a tasting of Beaucastel vs. Finca Dofi. We had several corked wines, sadly: Les Terrasses '01 and Finca Dofis '96 and '98. I really liked the Beaucastels, but the Finca Dofis were rather difficult for me.

• 2004 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofi - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Closed. Nutty, creamy aromas, air brings out some strawberry, but mostly it is about oak-based aromas. The palate is quite a bit better with highish acidity, copious soft tannins, brambly fruit but sadly also lots of oak and extreme concentration. Thick. Impressive, but not my style at all.
• 2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5/6/2008)
  Sweet and open scent of strawberries and tea, attractive dark fruit underneath the sweet exterior. Lovely structure: bright and refreshing acidity for a Southern wine, honest tannins, but sweet and spicy fruit, too. Refreshing and mineral aftertaste despite all the sweet fruit. A very complete CdP. Very nice.
• 2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5/6/2008)
  Sweet and open, very concentratedly cherried scent - almost liquorous in its sweetness -, spicy and dark toned but savoury. Dense, sweet, well structured and though not as bright or refreshing as the '04 it is still a very attractive young CdP.
• 2001 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofi - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Very oaky, brambly and milk chocolatey aromas, some herbs, very dark fruit - lifted but unrefreshing. Tannic, brutish and highly extracted. Quite unpleasurable now, and I think it won't evolve into anything I would enjoy either.
• 1992 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (5/6/2008)
  This was an exceptionally lovable wine! The nose was a little bit animal, bright and red toned, cherried, lifted - reminds me quite a bit of Musar except not so volatile. Sweet, aged fruit, still a little tannic, rather soft acidity but still refreshing. Only the slightly weak aftertaste shows this to be from a lesser vintage. Lovely.
• 1992 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Clos Dofi - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Very woody nose, but with some attractive aged fruit, secondary aromas. Still some strawberried fruit, but it hasn't really aged gracefully since the wood and tannins make this really hard and charmless - over-extracted or still too young? The secondary aromas would make me think that too much was done to this wine. Graceless.
• 1995 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Clos Dofi - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Blueberry, oak, bramble, herbs - a mix of attractive greenish notes and international style. Concentrated and oaky, too dense, a bit hard.
• 2005 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofi - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Sweet, massively oaky, banana, cola and toffee aromas and nothing savoury to balance all that oak and sweetness. Another slightly sweet, oaky monstrosity - 100p.
• 1998 Costers del Siurana Priorat Dol'C de L'Obac - Spain, Catalunya, Priorat (5/6/2008)
  Blind dessert: Tarry, herbal, strawberried - very Grenachy aromas. Sweet, but not overly so, refreshing structure, attractively herbal. Pretty nice.
• 2006 Klinec Sivi Pinot - Slovenia, Primorje, Goriška Brda (5/6/2008)
  A "natural" wine, strongly mineral, appley, earthy - deep and lovely yet refreshing scent. Quite heavy, but very light on its feet thanks to both high acidity for the grape and a very strong minerality. Long and lovely.

Posted from CellarTracker

Thank you for the notes Otto.

I've the 2004 Beaucastel twice last year and pretty much had similar experiences as yours. My tasting notes are somewhere in the forum and I remember the ripe and approachable characteristics. Anyway, do you think there's anytime when this wine would close at all?

Ramon

Anyway, do you think there's anytime when this wine would close at all?

I don't have much experience with the way Beaucastel acts. One person at our tasting who has followed the property since the 70's opined that they never really close down in that the aromatics are always open; but sometimes the palate can be so dominantly showing one aspect (fruit or structure) at one time that it isn't very pleasurable. But this is all second hand information. I would hold the '04 simply because it is so terribly primary and I like secondary nuances in my wines.

-O

I have yet to open a 2004 Beau, but it sounds like it would be a good idea to hold off for a couple of years. The 2001 was superb when I had it last, about 3 years ago.
I recall a 1998 Beaucastel that I tasted a few years ago that was totally shut down with reference to both the nose and palate, so who said that Beaucastel aromatics do not shut down?
Thanks for the notes.