I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.

For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
box, 4 in my suitcase).

Thanks again for the recommendation!

- Chris

On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:06:54 -0700
Chris Sprague > wrote:

> I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>
> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>
> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>

Hi Chris,

You're very welcome. One of the things I really like about AFW is discovering
other people's recs -- they're not always a hit, but glad this one was! They're
great folks at CdC and the quality and typicity really is unimpeachable.

Grains de Novembre, that's the amazing sticky. Couldn't remember the name.
So, drink now or hold? So delicious and already so complex, it'll be hard
to wait.

So, where else did you visit on your trip? Let's have the full report!

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to ecom
by removing the well known companies
Questions about wine? Visit http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

We should probably add another line about CdC in the FAQ. Right now (I
just checked) it says "more rustic than CdP" -- true, but not that
helpful. Any suggestions for what it should say?

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

Mark Lipton > wrote:

> We should probably add another line about CdC in the FAQ. Right
> now (I just checked) it says "more rustic than CdP" -- true, but
> not that helpful. Any suggestions for what it should say?

CdC? Côtes de Castillon?

I'd by very cautious with acronyms like this or BdM (Bonneau de
Martray/Brunello di Montalcino), especially if there no context
in the posting.

M.

Michael Pronay wrote:
> Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
>> We should probably add another line about CdC in the FAQ. Right
>> now (I just checked) it says "more rustic than CdP" -- true, but
>> not that helpful. Any suggestions for what it should say?
>
> CdC? Côtes de Castillon?
>
> I'd by very cautious with acronyms like this or BdM (Bonneau de
> Martray/Brunello di Montalcino), especially if there no context
> in the posting.

Sorry, Michael, but the context is there in the post I was responding
to: in this case, CdC == "Clos de Cazeau." Sorry for any confusion.

Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

"Chris Sprague" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>
> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>
> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>
> - Chris

Chris,
Are you allowed to bring in a case of wine packed in you luggage?

I thought I had read on a few web sites that you could only bring in a quart
per person (or three 750ml bottles per couple).

Was I mistaken about this? I really hope I was.

Jon

"Zeppo" > wrote in
:

>
> "Chris Sprague" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
>> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
>> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
>> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>>
>> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
>> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
>> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
>> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
>> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
>> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>>
>> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>>
>> - Chris
>
> Chris,
> Are you allowed to bring in a case of wine packed in you luggage?
>
> I thought I had read on a few web sites that you could only bring in a
> quart per person (or three 750ml bottles per couple).
>
> Was I mistaken about this? I really hope I was.
>
> Jon
>
>
>

the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't charge
anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate tax not the fed
that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not going to be
much of a problem (DRC and several others may be another item!)

--
Joseph Coulter, cruises and vacations
www.josephcoulter.com

877 832 2021
904 631 8863 cell

"Joseph Coulter" > wrote in message
. 97.136...
> "Zeppo" > wrote in
> :
>
>>
>> "Chris Sprague" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>>I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
>>> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
>>> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
>>> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>>>
>>> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
>>> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
>>> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
>>> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
>>> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
>>> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>>>
>>> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>>>
>>> - Chris
>>
>> Chris,
>> Are you allowed to bring in a case of wine packed in you luggage?
>>
>> I thought I had read on a few web sites that you could only bring in a
>> quart per person (or three 750ml bottles per couple).
>>
>> Was I mistaken about this? I really hope I was.
>>
>> Jon
>>
>>
>>
>
> the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't charge
> anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate tax not the
> fed
> that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not going to be
> much of a problem (DRC and several others may be another item!)
>
Sorry, Joseph the coffee is just not taking hold this morning. DRC?
Democratic Republic of Congo? Department of corrections? Disaster research
center? Disability rights coalition?

Jon

On Oct 2, 10:22?am, "Zeppo" > wrote:
> "Joseph Coulter" > wrote in message
>
> . 97.136...
>
>
>
> > "Zeppo" > wrote in
> :
>
> >> "Chris Sprague" > wrote in message
> groups.com...
> >>>I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
> >>> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
> >>> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
> >>> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>
> >>> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
> >>> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
> >>> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
> >>> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
> >>> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
> >>> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>
> >>> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>
> >>> - Chris
>
> >> Chris,
> >> Are you allowed to bring in a case of wine packed in you luggage?
>
> >> I thought I had read on a few web sites that you could only bring in a
> >> quart per person (or three 750ml bottles per couple).
>
> >> Was I mistaken about this? I really hope I was.
>
> >> Jon
>
> > the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't charge
> > anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate tax not the
> > fed
> > that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not going to be
> > much of a problem (DRC and several others may be another item!)
>
> Sorry, Joseph the coffee is just not taking hold this morning. DRC?
> Democratic Republic of Congo? Department of corrections? Disaster research
> center? Disability rights coalition?
>
> Jon- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Domaine de Romanee Conti (he meant that customs seldom bothers with
duty, but would likely make an exception for superexpensive bottles)

"Zeppo" > writes:

> "Joseph Coulter" > wrote in message
> . 97.136...

(snip)

> >
> > the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't charge
> > anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate tax not the
> > fed
> > that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not going to be
> > much of a problem (DRC and several others may be another item!)
> >
> Sorry, Joseph the coffee is just not taking hold this morning. DRC?
> Democratic Republic of Congo? Department of corrections? Disaster research
> center? Disability rights coalition?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domaine_de_la_Roman

Doug Anderson > wrote in
:

> "Zeppo" > writes:
>
>> "Joseph Coulter" > wrote in message
>> . 97.136...
>
> (snip)
>
>> >
>> > the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't
>> > charge anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate
>> > tax not the fed
>> > that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not
>> > going to be much of a problem (DRC and several others may be
>> > another item!)
>> >
>> Sorry, Joseph the coffee is just not taking hold this morning. DRC?
>> Democratic Republic of Congo? Department of corrections? Disaster
>> research center? Disability rights coalition?
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domaine_de_la_Roman
>

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. Please search for
Domaine de la Roman in Wikipedia to check for alternative titles or
spellings.

Try:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domaine...n%C3%A9e-Conti

d
--
I didn't write it, but you can find the alt.food.wine FAQ he
http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com/

"DaleW" > wrote in message
ps.com...
> On Oct 2, 10:22?am, "Zeppo" > wrote:
>> "Joseph Coulter" > wrote in message
>>
>> . 97.136...
>>
>>
>>
>> > "Zeppo" > wrote in
>> :
>>
>> >> "Chris Sprague" > wrote in message
>> groups.com...
>> >>>I just wanted to thank Emery Davis for his recommendation of Clos de
>> >>> Cazaux. We were well received, treated with utmost kindness, and had
>> >>> a fantastic tasting. They even let us tromp around their vineyards
>> >>> for a bit afterwards to take some pictures.
>>
>> >>> For the record, I liked the Grenat Noble a bit more than you. Their
>> >>> Grains de Novembre was fantastic, and I also picked up some of the
>> >>> Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. Unfortunately, as I live in the US, space
>> >>> in my luggage was somewhat more limited than yours. From the entire
>> >>> trip, my cache consisted of 16 bottles (12 in a padded wine shipping
>> >>> box, 4 in my suitcase).
>>
>> >>> Thanks again for the recommendation!
>>
>> >>> - Chris
>>
>> >> Chris,
>> >> Are you allowed to bring in a case of wine packed in you luggage?
>>
>> >> I thought I had read on a few web sites that you could only bring in a
>> >> quart per person (or three 750ml bottles per couple).
>>
>> >> Was I mistaken about this? I really hope I was.
>>
>> >> Jon
>>
>> > the duty free part is one or two bottles, but customs usally won't
>> > charge
>> > anything if the whole bill is less than $10 (it is the sate tax not the
>> > fed
>> > that is large on wine) As long as you declare it a case is not going to
>> > be
>> > much of a problem (DRC and several others may be another item!)
>>
>> Sorry, Joseph the coffee is just not taking hold this morning. DRC?
>> Democratic Republic of Congo? Department of corrections? Disaster
>> research
>> center? Disability rights coalition?
>>
>> Jon- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> Domaine de Romanee Conti (he meant that customs seldom bothers with
> duty, but would likely make an exception for superexpensive bottles)
Thanks for the translation. That shouldn't be an issue. :-)

Jon

On Sep 30, 5:45 pm, Emery Davis > wrote:

> So, where else did you visit on your trip? Let's have the full report!
>
> -E

Though they're hopelessly amateur, and in some cases, embarrassingly
minimalistic, here they are, with some commentary (basically my
journal entry, picking up part-way through day 6):

Day 6: After leaving Minerve, we continued along the network of back
roads, encountering more harvesting equipment, with a destination of
Pouzolles, a village in the Languedoc with a population of 1001
people. It is squarely in the Languedoc wine region (which is
absolutely massive), and home to a fantastically unique winery,
Domaine de l'Arjolle. You have got to love these people's sense of
independence and adventurousness.

Arriving at the Caveau, we found a young woman, no older than her
early-mid 20s, in the office, who I asked about having a degustation.
She went and got Louis Marie Teisserenc for us, who is the Domaine's
founder and owner. He proceeded to give us a fantastic tasting in
their tasting room.

Tasting notes:

1) 2005 Delphine de Morgan Chardonnay, Vin de Pays des Côtes de
Thongue. Typical, good everyday if not a stand-out Chard. Fresh melon
and hint of citrus, with decent acidity and some minerality.

2) 2005 Equinoxe, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue (40% Sauvignon
Blanc, 40% Viognier, 20% Muscat a Petit Grains). This one had lots of
viognier character, with the other varietals being more subtle in the
mix. Good, but perhaps a little flabby, the viognier's low acids not
working all that well with the other varietals, which depend on bright
acidity for their character, as if the viognier dulled them a bit.
Interesting though.

3) 2004 Delphine de Morgan Chardonnay Vendages Tardives, Vin de Pays
des Côtes de Thongue. This was made from 100 late harvest Chardonnay,
which was then aged outside in oak barrels in order to induce a hint
of oxidation. Intensely rich and very interesting, wine is fermented
dry, but due to the late harvest character (i.e. density) and
oxidation, this has a hint of sweetness beneath it. Hard to pin down
the flavors, very different, but very intersting, too. I purchased one
of these.

4) 2005 Meridienne Rose, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue. A rose wine
made from a unique blend, not always associated with rose wines: 45%
Syrah, 45% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Grenache. Nice dry rose with good
fresh red fruit notes, hint of tannin, medium length finish with a
lingering fresh fruit note. Very good for a rose. I also bought one of
these, if for nothing else, to try to help me get out of my rose
aversion.

5) 2005 Z de l'Arjolle, Vin de Table. 100% Zinfandel. Yes, Zinfandel
from France. In fact, from the only 1 Hectare in the entire country.
This wine was largely the reason we went to this estate in the first
place, since it sounded so intriguing. On the nose, there was
absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Zin nose all the way. Jam and spice,
dense mouthfeel, with dark fruit notes. Nose has very small hint of
tar at first, which dissipates quickly, and does not follow through on
the palatte. Some tannins, and I feel this could use a bit of time.
Very well executed, and I'm very interested in seeing how this one
develops. I've found that dense zins tend to open up and get jammier
after 4-5 years in the bottle anyway. I brought home two of these.

6) 2002 Paradoxe Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue. Blend of Merlot,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Grenache. Bordeaux meets the Rhone.
Merlot on nose, palatte reveals the Syrah and Grenache more. Very
interesting blend that somehow tastes about like you'd expect it to, a
blend of bordeaux and rhone wines. Long finish, jammy, good.

7) 2003 Arlequin Côtes de Thongue. Cabernet Franc, Grenache. Big,
dense, woody, and definitely needs time, but this one had plenty of
stuffing. Maybe a little on the hot side, but not surprising given the
year and the ripeness of the grapes. Very good, but expensive.

8) 2006 Lyre, Vin de Pays des Côtes de Thongue. Muscat petits grains,
late harvest. Classis muscat, with an augmented acidity taking away
somewhat from the huge peachiness that is often associated with the
varietal. This, in my opinion, made it more interesting. Long finish,
well balanced, and very good. I bought one of these.

After the tasting, he showed us around the facilities a bit, stopping
first at the destemmer which was processing a fresh load of grenache,
being manned, it seemed, almost entirely by family members (brother in
law, nephew, etc). We were able to chat with them a bit, where they
explained and showed us the destemming process, which is partly
machine automated, and then manual by way of conveyer belt with two
people on each side manually sorting and removing large stems.

Following this, he took us down into the fermentation room and
cellars, where the smell, destined to become ever more familiar to us
over the course of the trip, of pressed and fermenting must was in the
air. We also saw their rows of oak barrels, a mix of American and
French, IIRC. It was here that he introduced us to his son, who was
working down there at the time.


Day 7: Thursday the 20th was the day we'd really set aside for
exploring the Rhone wine growing region. We had a 10am appointment in
Vacqueyras at Clos de Cazaux. We were greeted by an older woman, who
directed us into the tasting room, which was a former command post for
the Knights Templar in the 12th century. For the tasting itself, she
fetched a younger woman, about our age, who I presume to have been her
daughter, who ended up being very knowledgable about the family's
lineup of wines, down to the minute details of the blending and
vinification process.

Tasting notes:

1) 2005 AOC Vacqueyras Blanc (Cuvee les Clefs d'Or). Blend of 60%
clairette, 20% grenache blanc and 20% roussane. Fresh, crisp apple
notes, good underlying minerality, and something that I feel would be
a very good food wine. I like it.

2) 2005 AOC Vacqueyras Veilles Vignes Blanc. 40% Clairette, 30%
Roussane, 20% Grenache Blanc, and 10% Viognier from > 40 year old
vines. Possesses a pronounced softness, likely from the viognier. Very
drinkinable, with melon notes and soft acids. Would be a great wine to
accompany creamy sauces and white meats. Well balanced, and good,
medium finish.

3) 2006 AOC Vacqueyras Rose. Bright red fruit, pleasant freshess, easy
all around wine. A good rose which would be a good summer wine, and
might possibly go well with some lighter dishes.

4) 2006 Cotes du Rhone Rouge. A very up-front nose of bright, jammy
red fruit greets you, and follows through on the palatte. Low tannins
and jamminess, reminds me quite a bit of a good Beaujolais. Good and
easy, simple fruit-forward red wine. I think Brian bought one of
these, but I'm not positive.

5) 2004 AOC Vacqueyras Rouge, Cuvee St. Roch. 65% Grenache, 30% Syrah,
5% Mourvedre. (she noted that Parker gave this an 89). Complex nose of
oak and spice, red fruit with tannin on the nose. Well balanced on the
palatte, fruit forward with very good balancing acidity. Fairly long
finish, but this wine could use a little time to soften the tannins
up. I liked it.

6) 2004 AOC Vacqueyras Rouge, Cuvee des Templiers. Blend of Syrah and
Grenache. I found this one to be very Syrah forward, and the wine
overall was somewhat mroe approachable right now than the above. Syrah
without the over-ripe, manipulated international style that I'm really
starting to dislike greatly. A refreshing, honest syrah for once! Good
structure and entirely pleasant, and I feel this would probably last a
few years, too. Good!

7) 2004 AOC Gigondas Rouge Tour de Sarrazine. 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah,
10% Mourvedre. Serious fruit. Nose has some earth and spice, palatte
has LOADS of fruit! Complex, pleasant, with some size and structure.
Did I mention fruit? Great in my opinion, with a long, jammy finish.

8) 2002 Grenat Noble. Made from 40% Grenache infected with noble rot,
and 60% normal Grenache, then fermented dry to 14.5 ABV. A VERY unique
wine, perhaps unique in the entire world. From reading about it, you
might expect something that hints of Amarone, given the concentated
sugar then fermented dry method of vinification. Anyway... Definite
grenache character on the nose, which is dense, spicy, and fruity.
Different than Amarone, with spice replacing the dense raisiny notes
you get with Amarone. This still though has plenty of density and
power, the balance is just different. Unique and very good, and
honestly, better than expected. Black pepper notes very prevalent.
This is grenache on steroids. Great stuff, and I brought two of these
back with me.

9) 2004 AOC Vacqueyras Cuvee Prestige. 100% Syrah. Fairly sizeable
syrah characteristics greet you on the nose. Big and spicy with red
fruit, also some earth and alcohol. All of that follows onto the
palatte, which gives the drinker a heavy dose of red fruit. Great
acidity with fantastic balance, and fantastically made, this is
another syrah that is helping me restore my faith in syrah/shiraz. I
had to buy one.

10) 2004 Grains de Novembre, Vin de Table. This is classified as Vin
de Table because there are no provisions in Rhone AOC laws to classify
100% late harvest boyritys infected Grenache Blanc as anything else!
This also might be one of a kind (in the world!), as only a few rows
of their grenache blanc (4 to be exact) get noble rot once every 3
years or so, from which they produce exactly 1 barrel of wine. As a
botrytis dessert wine fanatic, I couldn't wait for this one! The first
thing I noticed was the fantastic amount of acidity on the nose. Acid
is what separates merely sweet, cloying dessert wine from great, well
balanced, age-worthy dessert wine. The nose, while acidic, was very
different than any other white dessert wine I've ever had (Sauternes,
Tojaki Aszu, Eiswein, Beerenauslese). Mouth is very full bodied with a
perfect balance between the sugars and acids. I mean perfect. Notes of
plum, apricot, white raisins, with amazingly thick legs on the glass.

Just fantastic, this was among the best dessert wines I've ever had.
Somewhat expensive, but I couldn't resist. I brought back two of
these, and don't plan on opening these for years.

The other winery tour scheduled for that day was at the very large and
very prestigious Chateau Beaucastel. Having got slightly lost, we got
there 1 minute late officially, but joined up with Mr. Fabrice
Langlois, the 34 year old resident tour guide and sommelier, right at
the beginning of the tour. The tour started in their garden, sitting
around in some chairs, where he discussed the winery's philosophy, and
also, some information about the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation in
general, such as which grape varieties are permitted, the purpose of
the AOC system, and his thoughts on other "competing" estates.

On the latter subject, he said there is only one kind of competition
in the wine world, and that is between honest wines made with honest
methods, and wines that are over-manipulated and made to meet some
recipe or formula. He said he could have easily gone to work for
another estate, as there were many great ones, but that Beaucastel was
the one that offered him the job. He seemed very sincere and open,
very fair, and had a good sense of humor in the way he explained
things.

>From there, we went into the cellar, where the smell of pressed and
fermenting must was very much in the air. One of the tanks was being
shoveled out, and I ate some of the extracted pomace sitting in a
bucket next to one of the tanks out of curiosity. It wasn't very good,
rather sour and bitter, but hey, I'm inquisitive and I wanted the
education. The pomace, he said, is fermented much like grappa, but the
alcohol is sold to the government for fuel, instead of being watered
down and bottled as Marc (the French version of grappa). These
extraction tanks, with the pomace next to them, contain what will
become the 2007 wines, of course. As much of this has yet to even be
harvested, the next part of the tour, the big oak maturation tanks,
only contained wines from the 2006 vintage and earlier.

The rows of very large maturation tanks, all affixed with a little
chalkboard indicating the contents and the date in which the contents
were put there, was impressive. I took pictures of some of them, such
as the ones labelled "2006 Chateau Beaucastel". There were several of
these, each indicating a grape varietal, as the 2006 Beaucastel still
exists only in individual parts, and has not yet been blended into
what will become the final assemblage of 2006 Beaucastel Red.

Next, we saw the part of their cellar that contained bottles. These
were also labelled with small chalk boards, and what impressed me most
in some cases was how little of some if their wines there seemed to
be. For instance, one enclave contained what we were told was half of
the world supply of 2006 Chateau Beaucastel Blanc Veilles Vignes. It
didn't look like all that much. Granted, the bottles were stacked
entertwined (alternating direction, with necks facing each other),
dozens high and dozens of rows deep, but still... Other parts
contained some older vintages, and they had healthy stocks of their
older vintages going back to at least 1981, that I was able to see.
Interestingly, none of the bottles in their cellar had labels on them.
Apparently, they label these upon shipment, presumably to avoid
bottles going out with old, cellar worn, musty labels on them.

Finally, we went upstairs to their tasting room for a magnificent
tasting, easily the most luxurious if not necessarily the most
enjoyable one of our trip. That is to say, all 3 of our large tastings
were equally enjoyable and interesting, in my firm opinion. I could
not pick a favorite. The Beaucastel one was simply the one were we
were given the largest number of very expensive wines.

Tasting notes:

1) 2006 Coudoulet Blanc, Cotes du Rhone. Fresh, bright acidity, well
integrated nose. Dense, rich, and somewhat soft on the palatte, with a
fairly long finish of fig and apricot. Very good, and I didn't want to
spit this one! (I spit most of the samples during this trip, as I was
driving, though I did swallow a very small portion of most of them).

2) 2006 Beaucastel Blanc, Chateuneuf du Pape. More melon and
canteloupe here, and less of the fig and apricot that I got with the
Coudoulet. Also somewhat more acidic, pleasant on palatte, medium
finish if melon, lighter red fruit.

3) 2006 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Veilles Vignes Blanc.
100% Roussanne. Dense, rich, and complex, with aromas of melons,
canteloupe, and similar tropical fruits. Lowish acidity, but the fruit
was absolutely *beautiful*. This wine was noteworth in it's elegance,
balance, and freshness. Absolutely fantastic, as it should be for the
$120 or so they ask for it. This vintage is not on the market yet,
only in primeurs, and we were probably among the first people anywhere
to sample this from a bottle.

4) 2005 Coudoulet Rouge, Cotes du Rhone. Fantastic spice with
raspberry notes, huge legs, and good integration. Fantastic flavor,
integration, balance, while also being very approachable right now.
Very! drinkable and good. I really liked this one.

5) 2005 Chateau Beaucastel Chateuneuf-du-Pape Rouge. Similar in some
ways to the above, but bigger in every way. HUGE nose with spice,
dense red fruit - dark raspberry, currant, and oak. Big in mouth, with
an explosion of flavor, still subdued compared to the nose. Will be
absolutely amazing with time. It's great now, but oh WOW will this one
age well! I'll probably end up seeking this one out here once it's
released, even though it's going to be expensive (hey, I bought the
2003, why not build a vertical?)!

6) 1989 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge. This note will
be difficult to interpret if you're unused to aged red wines, but I'm
going to transcribe it verbatim. Smells evolved. Hint of oxidation.
Fruit has softened and evolved, bringing the secondary characteristics
more to the forefront...barnyard, leather, utterly complex and
interesting. Very little bricking for the age, must have been well
extracted when vinified, though it is now overall just a tad orange.
Amazingly complex both on nose and palatte, with a long, lingering
finish of earthy red fruit, barnyard, leather...just wow. Among the
top 5 most intersting wines I've ever tasted.

The End.

- Chris

Chris Sprague wrote:

> Though they're hopelessly amateur, and in some cases, embarrassingly
> minimalistic, here they are, with some commentary (basically my
> journal entry, picking up part-way through day 6):

Chris,
First of all, thank you for posting these notes. You may consider
them amateurish, but they are well-written and convey a definite sense
of what you were experiencing. I almost feel as if I had visited those
domaines myself.


> 5) 2005 Z de l'Arjolle, Vin de Table. 100% Zinfandel. Yes, Zinfandel
> from France. In fact, from the only 1 Hectare in the entire country.
> This wine was largely the reason we went to this estate in the first
> place, since it sounded so intriguing. On the nose, there was
> absolutely no doubt whatsoever. Zin nose all the way. Jam and spice,
> dense mouthfeel, with dark fruit notes. Nose has very small hint of
> tar at first, which dissipates quickly, and does not follow through on
> the palatte. Some tannins, and I feel this could use a bit of time.
> Very well executed, and I'm very interested in seeing how this one
> develops. I've found that dense zins tend to open up and get jammier
> after 4-5 years in the bottle anyway. I brought home two of these.

Thanks for this note. Some years ago in this group, it was mentioned
that Zin was being grown in France, but this is the first note I've seen
on one. It's kind of like coals to Newcastle bringing these home, but
maybe not given your location.


>
> 6) 2004 AOC Vacqueyras Rouge, Cuvee des Templiers. Blend of Syrah and
> Grenache. I found this one to be very Syrah forward, and the wine
> overall was somewhat mroe approachable right now than the above. Syrah
> without the over-ripe, manipulated international style that I'm really
> starting to dislike greatly. A refreshing, honest syrah for once! Good
> structure and entirely pleasant, and I feel this would probably last a
> few years, too. Good!

The Rhone valley is where to go to refresh your interest in Syrah. In
Cote-Rotie and Cornas you can find several producers who make
spectacular, honest Syrah. For whatever reason, I usually find the
wines of Vacqueyras to show more Syrah character than either Gigondas,
Rasteau, CdP or CdR, despite the fact that AOC rules don't specify any
more Syrah in Vacqueyras than elsewhere.


8) 2002 Grenat Noble. Made from 40% Grenache infected with noble rot,
> and 60% normal Grenache, then fermented dry to 14.5 ABV. A VERY unique
> wine, perhaps unique in the entire world. From reading about it, you
> might expect something that hints of Amarone, given the concentated
> sugar then fermented dry method of vinification. Anyway... Definite
> grenache character on the nose, which is dense, spicy, and fruity.
> Different than Amarone, with spice replacing the dense raisiny notes
> you get with Amarone. This still though has plenty of density and
> power, the balance is just different. Unique and very good, and
> honestly, better than expected. Black pepper notes very prevalent.
> This is grenache on steroids. Great stuff, and I brought two of these
> back with me.

Fascinating note. Did the wine show any botyritis character? In white
wines, it usually imparts flavors of apricot and honey (to my taste). I
recently read some speculation about botrytized red wines; it's
wonderful to read about one that actually exists!


> 3) 2006 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Veilles Vignes Blanc.
> 100% Roussanne. Dense, rich, and complex, with aromas of melons,
> canteloupe, and similar tropical fruits. Lowish acidity, but the fruit
> was absolutely *beautiful*. This wine was noteworth in it's elegance,
> balance, and freshness. Absolutely fantastic, as it should be for the
> $120 or so they ask for it. This vintage is not on the market yet,
> only in primeurs, and we were probably among the first people anywhere
> to sample this from a bottle.

I can't ****ing believe that they served you the Roussanne VV! I am so
****ed that we missed our appointment at Beaucastel the last time we
were in CdP (long story -- don't ask) now.

> 6) 1989 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge. This note will
> be difficult to interpret if you're unused to aged red wines, but I'm
> going to transcribe it verbatim. Smells evolved. Hint of oxidation.
> Fruit has softened and evolved, bringing the secondary characteristics
> more to the forefront...barnyard, leather, utterly complex and
> interesting. Very little bricking for the age, must have been well
> extracted when vinified, though it is now overall just a tad orange.
> Amazingly complex both on nose and palatte, with a long, lingering
> finish of earthy red fruit, barnyard, leather...just wow. Among the
> top 5 most intersting wines I've ever tasted.

Now I am REALLY ****ed off. They served the '89? at a normal tasting??
This is the third positive note I've read on the '89 in the past week.
I've still got a bottle in the cellar, but I'm going to hold off as
long as I can before opening it. This note doesn't help, Chris.

Thanks for the great notes,
Mark Lipton
--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.hostexcellence.com

On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:39:11 -0400
Mark Lipton > wrote:

> Chris Sprague wrote:
>
> > Though they're hopelessly amateur, and in some cases, embarrassingly
> > minimalistic, here they are, with some commentary (basically my
> > journal entry, picking up part-way through day 6):
>
> Chris,
> First of all, thank you for posting these notes. You may consider
> them amateurish, but they are well-written and convey a definite sense
> of what you were experiencing. I almost feel as if I had visited those
> domaines myself.
>

Yeah, ditto. (Just back online after a thunderstorm provoked netless hiatus).
I often don't take notes if I'm on vacation, I thought these were just fine.

Neither time nor bandwidth to comment extensively, but:


[]
> 8) 2002 Grenat Noble. Made from 40% Grenache infected with noble rot,
> > and 60% normal Grenache, then fermented dry to 14.5 ABV. A VERY unique
> > wine, perhaps unique in the entire world. From reading about it, you
> > might expect something that hints of Amarone, given the concentated
> > sugar then fermented dry method of vinification. Anyway... Definite
> > grenache character on the nose, which is dense, spicy, and fruity.
> > Different than Amarone, with spice replacing the dense raisiny notes
> > you get with Amarone. This still though has plenty of density and
> > power, the balance is just different. Unique and very good, and
> > honestly, better than expected. Black pepper notes very prevalent.
> > This is grenache on steroids. Great stuff, and I brought two of these
> > back with me.
>
> Fascinating note. Did the wine show any botyritis character? In white
> wines, it usually imparts flavors of apricot and honey (to my taste). I
> recently read some speculation about botrytized red wines; it's
> wonderful to read about one that actually exists!
>

Yes, good note. I definitely tasted the botrytis character here, and found it
distracting. I wasn't bowled over by this wine, but maybe I was in a
traditionalist mood.

[]

-E

P.S. Professor, a Gentleman does not allow himself difficult language, even
in the face of such overwhelming provocation.

--
Emery Davis
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