2009 Ferraton Père & Fils St. Joseph Blanc Les Oliviers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
Hard to believe a starter wine is wine of the night and this is the first time I remember this happening. Others thought it was corked but I indicated that it blew off on the preview. Lemon, shells, apple, orange peel and wood. This wine just kept getting better with an increase in temp. Nose was not great up front but got significantly better. Super complex wine and a rockstar effort. 94-96. (94 pts.)

2008 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted more like a Lirac than a CDP. Fruit forwards and lacked character with spice, smoke and floral notes. Short to medium finish. I would pay about $15 for this wine. (87 pts.)

2003 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
My CDP of the night. Game, funk, Garrique, cranberry and leather. Plenty of flavor and intense palate. Medium to long finish. Should age well for a decade more. 93-95. (93 pts.)

2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Not as good as the showing a year ago. Less Old World Charm. Floral, sour cherry, spice, and earth. A bit bitter on the finish. (92 pts.)

2001 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Garrique, spice, raspberries and stones. A bit rustic but lacks on the palate. A bit thin and medium finish. Hopefully this will come around in time. (91 pts.)

2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Not sure this is making me any more of a fan of Beaucastel. I think blending less of the 13 grapes would help. Dark in color with a soft nose of floral, wood and mild fruits. Palate was hard to distinguish a certain fruit. A bit of pine straw. Short to medium finish and lacks concentration. Not a great value wine. (90 pts.)

2004 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I knew my starter wine would outperform my CDP. Dark in color and a bit heavy. Lacks acidity with earth, licorice, stones and dark fruits. Medium finish and decanted 4 plus hours. Young and needs five plus years in the cellar. (91 pts.)

2007 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
NOt a fan. Some fruits, saline and earth. Not showing a lot at this stage of the game. A lot of big scores and I am not seeing it. I think Pegau is off my radar at this point. (87 pts.)

2005 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
My second favorite Rhone wine tonight even though theme was CDPs'. White pepper, meat, raspberries and stones. Medium to long finish and complex wine. One of the few wines I drank more on the second go around. Should improve some. 93-95. (93 pts.)

wineglas, thanks for the great notes. I'm already looking to next years tasting when my brother will be able to make it. Thanks to brashley and his lovely wife for making it to the dinner six years in a row at the club.

Nice notes. Thanks for drabbing these Cdps. Gives me an insight if I would like them or not. I liked the 2001 Pegau a little more than you did, though.

My annual Cdp Dinner Notes.

2009 Ferraton Pere et Fils St Joseph Blanc Les Olivers.

Bright yellow in color nose of toasted hazelnut candied orange smoke and minerals. Citrus and orchard fruits with some ginger and honeysuckle. This wine took on serious orchard fruit on the finish. 94 pts.

2008 Clos Des Papes Cdp

Ruby to the rim. Licorice, herbs, black tea, mineral and violet with lavendar and garrique with crushed cherry and plum. 87-88 pts.

2003 Charvin

Ruby purple to the rim. Nose of grilled herbs, garrique and peppar. Dark currant fruit with plum, blackberry and olive. Some earth and game on the finish. 93 pts

2001 Pegau Reservee

Inky violet to the rim. Nose of leather, garrique and coffee. Gamey candied cherry with pepper and herbs. The wine was surprisingly light bodied with alot of acidity. 91 pts.

2001 Clos Des Papes

Ruby purple to the rim. Nose of saddle leather herbs and black currants. Black Raspberry in the mouth with bitter chocolate and fig. 92 pts

2004 Clos Saint Jean Dues-Ex-Machina

Inky purple to the rim. nose of lavendar, pepper and cherry kirsch liqour.Dark fruits with blackberry, cassis. Lots of tannin and weight in the mouth. Future potential. 92 pts

2004 Beaucastel

Ruby crimsom purple to the rim. Smokey gamey nose with herbs and pepper. Blackberry, licorice and herbal notes in the mouth. 90+ pts

2007 Pegau Reservee

Dark ruby to the rim. Nose of musty garrique and black olive. Muted sour and bitter cherry fruit in the mouth. Some blackberry and coffee notes as well. 88 pts

2005 Domaine Jamey Cote Rotie

Inky purple to the rim. Gamey meaty earthy aromas with dark fruits. Rich ripe blackberry fruits and alot of weight in the mouth. 91+ pts

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mpls wine guy,

quote:

2004 Clos Saint Jean Dues-Ex-Machina

Inky purple to the rim. nose of lavendar, pepper and cherry kirsch liqour.Dark fruits with blackberry, cassis. Lots of tannin and weight in the mouth. Future potential. 92 pts

Minneapolis when I opened this to decant I knew it would not be nearly as good as the starter white. Should have bought more of the Ferraton!

ANNUAL CDP DINNER - Edina Country Club, MN (12/26/2012)

Another great event this year! Many thanks to my good friend, mwg, for once again organizing this annual event. My notes should be read as general impressions only: the nature of the event means I was only able to spend less than an hour with each wine, and I was additionally fighting-off a cold. I thought the '03 Charvin and '01 Clos des Papes were both showing significantly better than the rest of the lineup on this evening, with the '01 Pegau probably occupying the next tier by itself.
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• 2009 Ferraton Père & Fils St. Joseph Blanc Les Oliviers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
  -- popped and poured --
  -- tasted a couple pours non-blind over approx. 45 min. --
  
  NOSE: strong musty note --- like a damp canvas tent; faint tropical fruits; minty banana; with time in the glass, the musty note weakened (but never disappeared), and the fruits became more like caramel popcorn; expressive, engaging, but a bit odd.
  
  BODY: golden yellow color of medium depth; medium to medium-full bodied.
  
  TASTE: oaky; rich; plush; smoky; lots of mineral and lanolin; 14.5% alc. not noticeable; slightly oily; pretty rich; good today, but likely better further down the line --- I’d be inclined to give it at least 10 years.
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• 2008 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- 1 hr. slow-ox before the event; initial taste approx. 2.5 hours after cork first pulled --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 2 hours later --
  
  NOSE: red fruits; herby; sweaty shoes; smells very stemmy, which struck me as odd b/c I know Clos des Papes destems; cardamom; overall, this wine presents a cool-climate range of aromatics --- perhaps this is the vintage coming through?
  
  BODY: medium bodied.
  
  TASTE: fresh; drying tannin; 15% alc. not noticeable; kind of thin and weedy; a bit loosely structured; light orange juice note; light garrigue on the finish, which is of medium length and medium intensity. Not a bad wine, but this is a bad Clos des Papes, and a horrible QPR. I had hopes that, of all producers, perhaps Clos des Papes would be able to overcome the problems presented by the 2008 vintage --- sadly, they did not.
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• 2003 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- popped and poured --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 50 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 2 hours later --
  
  NOSE: zesty red/purple berries; moderate leather note; garrigue; black licorice spice; really nice.
  
  BODY: little bit of age creeping into the coloration at the wine’s edges; (forgot to note weight: seem to recall it being medium to medium-full bodied)
  
  TASTE: savory/herby; leathery; a bit horsey; tons of garrigue; drying tannin, and good acidity; 14.5% alc. well-hidden; very nice, and not typical of the ’03 CdP vintage. Drinks well now, but will probably continue to hold for at least another 5 years: I don’t see it improving much, however. My WOTN.
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• 2001 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- 1 hr. decant before the event; initial taste approx. 1 hour into the event --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 2 hours later --
  
  NOSE: savory; purple fruits; anise; dried herbs; meaty – lamb.
  
  BODY: some age showing in the wine’s coloration at the edges; medium bodied.
  
  TASTE: serious acidity here; spicy; hint of oak; fine tannin; 13.5% alc.. not noticeable; hint of walnut – not oxidized, but rather savory; I liked this a lot – probably more than all other attendees.
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• 2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- 1 hr. decant before the event; initial taste approx. 1.25 hours into the event --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 2 hours later --
  
  NOSE: red licorice and black licorice; fruits starting to smell a bit aged; 2nd pour was much less expressive than the first.
  
  BODY: medium bodied.
  
  TASTE: tight, and very acidic; reserved red fruits; 14% alc. not noticeable; fruit flavors are at a nice primary-tertiary balance point right now; drinking well now, but I do think there’s room for improvement over the short-term. This bottle showed much better than one we had at this event 5 years ago. My second-favorite CdP of tonight’s lineup.
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• 2004 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- before the event, this was decanted for 4 hours and also sent through a Vinturi 3 times --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 1.5 hours later --
  -- 60% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre --
  
  NOSE: lots of purple purple fruits and spicy florals (violets); moderate oak.
  
  BODY: very dark color of great depth; medium-full bodied
  
  TASTE: earthy and bitter; tannic, with drying medium-grained tannins; what fruit there is shows in the black/purple end of the spectrum; noticeable oak; 14.5% alc. showed itself quite readily. Needs time, but the moderately strong alcohol presence does worry me a bit.
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• 2004 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- 3 hours of slow-ox before the event --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 1.5 hours later --
  
  NOSE: weird: refried beans; cumin; raspberry; hints of petrol and citrus. Not off, just weird.
  
  BODY: dark color; medium to medium-full bodied.
  
  TASTE: non-descript fruit (call it raspberry, maybe?); 14% alc. stands-out, but perhaps this is due to the slightly elevated acidity; not much going on here right now. I’ll continue to hold my one bottle in hopes that this was merely in a closed stage this evening. If this bottle was representative (and I have no reason to believe it wasn’t), this wine should not be approached right now.
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• 2007 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  -- 4 hour decant before the event --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min., and then another pour non-blind over approx. 15 min. about 1.5 hours later --
  
  NOSE: lots of red-fruits; fruit leather; moderately expressive to expressive.
  
  BODY: dark color; medium-full bodied.
  
  TASTE: very ripe red fruit flavors, with a hint of leather and lots of garrigue; showing much better tonight than this same wine did two years ago: perhaps there’s hope for this wine after all.
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• 2005 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
  -- slow-ox for a couple hours before tasting --
  -- tasted a single pour non-blind over approx. 30 min. --
  
  NOSE: expressive; white fruits; oak; peppery.
  
  BODY: medium bodied.
  
  TASTE: thin and oaky; not much fruit (but my palate had tired at this point, so perhaps there was more fruit there than I was perceiving); 12.5% alc. not noticeable; I was expecting more from this wine, given the vintage and producer.

Thanks for the great notes Brashley! I had a wonderful time and I really hope you and Ashley can make it for next years event. If not we'll always have 2014. I have alot of Cdp that needs opening.

quote:

Originally posted by mpls wine guy:
Thanks for the great notes Brashley! I had a wonderful time and I really hope you and Ashley can make it for next years event. If not we'll always have 2014. I have alot of Cdp that needs opening.

Thanks for the kind words, mwg. You know Ashley and I will always be in attendance if we can do it --- we'll be in touch as the year progresses re: the 2013 installment of this offline.

And I, too, have lots of CdP that needs to be openend --- CT shows I have more than 6 cases, and I don't drink it as much as I used to! I reckon those 6 cases will be plenty good for me for many years to come; only problem is I have a hard time passing-up good deals on a select few producers, so my purchases are unlikely to come to a complete halt.

Brash where is your scores? I can't read that much.

LOL! I don't do scores in settings such as those. Sometimes I'll do gut impression scores, though, but not in this instance, as I'm not sure my palate was performing well enough to merit it.

Thanks for posting the great notes Wineglas et al. Sounds like a great dinner.