TN: 2003 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Grossie

Have you had any other '03 CDNPs? How does the Veneur compare?

I haven't had any others yet, DJ (that I can recall). I'm just starting to delve into the 03 CdPs.

I've had their more expensive "Les Origines" bottling from 2003 and it's really excellent, worthy of the high marks from WS, and a great buy for the $40 or so that it was selling for. It drinks surprisingly well now, though I expect it would gain complexity and balance with several more years in the bottle first. Not quite as tarry and thick as the other 2003s I've tasted at this early stage.

quote:

Originally posted by grossie:
I haven't had any others yet, DJ (that I can recall). I'm just starting to delve into the 03 CdPs.

My experiences so far is the '03 CNdPs are pretty great and they are fairly approachable now, and may well be over the next 2-3 years.
I just wonder when they will shut down, or even if they will for long. It obviously will be a vintage to enjoy earlier than the classics, but it will also be more consistently gratifying as well...

"Approachable" is a euphemism for "drabbable." It has no relation to "ready."

I had the '03 Vieux Telefax last night; could not get a reading as it was our 6th or 7th bottle at the table. It did not suck, that's all I remember.

Ok. Well, I wouldn't drink another of these for quite a while. That being said, I feel incapable of evaluating young Rhones... I got all sorts of weird smells and tastes from this - I wondered if it was flawed. However, after about 90 mins airtime, I started noticing all the fruit kind of peeking out from the funk - one minute, raspberry, another blueberry, etc. These good flavors were kind of playing peek-a-boo, like my 3 year old - one minute they're there, one minute gone. JM's tar and mineral finish is there, as well as plenty of length. Quite tannic also. The heat on the palate I had at first seemed to go away with time.