Super Chateauneuf Du Pape Rhone Wine Tasting

Friday, June 14, 2019 - 07:30 PM

This Event has been read: 2011 times.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef0120a5d454c0970b-pi

"When it came to writing about wine, I did what almost everybody does - faked it"
 - Art Buchwald

 

We’re not faking it here at Wine Watch we actually drink the wines!!  

We have an incredible collection of Chateauneuf Du Pape in the store right now so I thought it was time to host our first annual Super Chateauneuf Du Pape tasting.  This is one of France’s most prized wine regions and at one time one of the most counterfeited wines on the planet!  It was here that France’s AOC laws originated, they drew up a set of laws to guarantee the authenticity and the origin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the rest of France followed. 

Join us as we experience 10 different Chateauneuf Du Papes going back to the 1995 vintage.  There are only 14 spaces available for this event and the fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $195 + tax.  For reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

For those of you that can’t make the tasting I have included every bottle of this magical elixir that we have in the store after the info about this event.

 

Image result for Chateauneuf Du Pape

Super Chateauneuf Du Pape Wine Tasting at Wine Watch Wine Bar
Friday, June 14th 2019
7:30 PM

1995 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $119.00        Sale $104.72           Quantity in Stock: 10

(95 points) Very youthful, with a ripe core of red currant and raspberry fruit and licorice flavor surrounded by creamy tannins. Plenty of smoke, mineral and tobacco notes chiming in, but this still has a ways to go, with plenty of grip still on the finish. 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape retrospective. (JM) (3/2006) Wine Spectator

1997 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $95.00           Sale $83.60  Quantity in Stock: 11

(89-91 points) Yields for the 1997 Chateauneuf du Pape were tiny, averaging 22 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine is one of the most seductive and forward young Beaucastels I have tasted since the 1985. The blend was 35% Mourvedre, 30% Grenache, 10% Counoise, 5% Syrah, 5% Cinsault, and the rest other southern Rhone varietals. The deep ruby color is accompanied by forward, attractive aromatics consisting of black raspberries, cherries, licorice, floral, and herb scents. The wine is fruit-driven, with less structure than usual, but luscious cassis, licorice, and blackberries inundate the palate with no hard edges. (RP) (2/1999) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

1998 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $177.00        Sale $155.76           Quantity in Stock: 12

(95 points) Very youthful, with a juicy blast of red plum and fig fruit flavors on a racy frame, this also has plenty of spice, tar, plum cake and mineral in reserve, as the finish shows more structure and slowly darkens with time in the glass. Only just starting to hit its stride. (JM) (9/2007) Wine Spectator

2000 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $118.00        Sale $103.84           Quantity in Stock: 12

(94 points) The opaque ruby/purple-colored 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape offers a profoundly sweet perfume of melted licorice, blackberries, and black cherries backed up by loads of glycerin, full body, and moderately high but sweet, well-integrated tannin. There is a seamlessness to the 2000 that will make it accessible early in life, and thus atypical for Beaucastel. The 1985 behaved in this manner when young, but the 2000 possesses even more stuffing. Like its 2001 sibling, it is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise, and the balance other permitted varietals. (RP) (11/2009) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2000 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo
Price: $800.00    Sale Price: $650.00   Quantity in Stock: 2

(100 points) The 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is a monument to old vine Grenache as well as traditionally made Chateauneuf du Pape. Boasting a natural alcohol of 16%, this wine, which was bottled in spring, 2003 because its fermentation was extremely slow, has virtually everything you could ever want in a profound Chateauneuf du Pape. The color is inky/ruby/purple to the rim. The extraordinary nose reveals aromas of kirsch liqueur, new saddle leather, animal fur, Provencal herbs, spice box, licorice, and a salty sea breeze character. On the palate, the wine is enormous, with an unctuosity, thickness, and purity that must be tasted to be believed. Over 95% of this offering is old vine Grenache, and the rest a field blend of ancient vines. Representing the essence of Chateauneuf du Pape, it possesses so much concentration that it is easy to pose the question ... 'where’s the tannin?' Analytically, it has very high levels of tannin, but the tannin is barely noticeable given the wine’s exaggerated wealth of richness and power. This is a modern day legend in the making, and despite its precociousness and ease in smelling and consuming, it will not hit its prime for another decade. It should last for 25-30 years, and take its place among some of the greatest Chateauneuf du Papes ever made. (RP) (2/2004) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2007 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo
Price: $700.00    Sale Price: $460.00   Quantity in Stock: 3

(100 points) A deeper, richer version of the Cuvee Reservee, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is one of the more youthful, concentrated wines of the vintage. Coming primarily from the la Crau lieu-dit and over 90% Grenache, aged in an old foudre, its deep ruby color is followed by a bonafide smorgasbord of Provencal aromas and flavors of garrigue, cured meats, incense, beef blood, black currants and pepper. While a full-bodied, incredibly concentrated, rich and unctuous wine, it carries its wealth of fruit and mid-palate density with incredible elegance and purity, with a seamless texture, no hard edges and a finish that won't quit. The 2007 is more elegant and seamless than both the 1998 and 2003, with an incredible sweetness of tannin. Nevertheless, it still needs another 2-4 years of bottle age and will blow your mind over the following 10-15 years. (JD) (2/2017) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2010 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo
Price: $550.00    Sale Price: $415.00   Quantity in Stock: 3

(100 points) Roughly 85% Grenache and the rest Syrah and other permitted varieties, aged all in foudre, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee da Capo is sheer perfection in a glass. Wine doesn’t get any better. Incredibly rich and concentrated, yet ethereal and even graceful, it boasts off-the-hook aromas of blackberry, licorice, spice-box, smoked meats and underbrush that continue to change and develop in the glass. Massive and decadent on the palate, yet again, with no weight and a seamless texture, this brilliant effort needs a handful of years in the cellar and will live to see its 30th birthday in fine form. Drink 2016-2040. (JD) (10/2013) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2010 Domaine Roger Sabon Chateauneuf du Pape Secret De Sabon
Price: $260.00    Sale Price: $215.00   Quantity in Stock: 3

(99 points) If you can find any of the 150 or so cases made, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Le Secret des Sabon represents the essence of Chateauneuf du Pape, perhaps the essence of wine. It boasts an inky/purple color as well as a fabulous, intricate nose of blue, black and red fruits, graphite, chocolate, charcoal, forest floor, spring flowers and a touch of garrigue. Unbelievably concentrated, to the point of being viscous and nearly over the top, the wine is sensationally rich and pure with a nearly endless finish. There is plenty of tannin, but it is largely obscured by the luxuriousness of the wine’s high glycerin and intense fruit. Forget this beauty for 3-5 years and drink it over the following three decades or more. This is a magnificent Chateauneuf du Pape although it is impossible to say it is better than some of the previous blockbusters made at Domaine Roger Sabon, including the 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 Secret des Sabon. (10/2012) Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2015 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $87.00           Sale $76.56  Quantity in Stock: 8

(96 Points)  Bottled in late July, the 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape is an amazing effort, especially when one considers the production volume. Loaded with black cherry fruit and cola-like spice, this full-bodied, richly textured wine never seems heavy or warm, while exotic Indian spice notes linger on the finish. It should drink well for at least 20 years. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2016 Domaine Charvin Chateauneuf Du Pape
Price: $79.50           Sale $69.96  Quantity in Stock: 12

(95-97 points) Not yet bottled, the 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Laurent Charvin is a beauty, and I’d wager one of the finest to date. In addition, it has a vibrant, mineral-laced personality that I’m sure is loved by Laurent. As classic as it gets, with a rocking bouquet of black, black fruits, garrigue, crushed rocks, and pepper, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, remarkable concentration, yet also the freshness and purity that’s the hallmark of Laurent’s wines. I followed this bottle for two days, and it shut down with extended aeration, so I’d recommend trying a bottle on release and then hiding the rest for a good 4-5 years. The blend is the classic 82% Grenache, 5% each of Mourvèdre and Syrah, and the balance Vaccarèse and Counoise, fermented with 100% whole clusters and aged all in concrete tanks. Don’t miss this beauty. One of my favorite estates is Laurent Charvins’s Domaine Charvin. This estate is located in the cooler, northern part of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and you’ll be hard pressed to find a harder working vigneron out there. These are as traditional as it gets, and the wines are not stemmed, spend upward of three weeks on skins with pumpovers, and are aged all in concrete tanks. The wines always lean more toward the fresher, more elegant side of the spectrum yet rarely lack for depth of fruit and texture. They (Côtes du Rhône included) age beautifully, and true Southern Rhône lovers need to have these wines in their cellars. (8/2018)  Jeb Dunnuck

 

Menu
Tomme De Rabelais and ComtE Cheese
Tuna tartar with wild mushrooms and savory herbs
Rosemary rubbed New Zealand Lamb Chops with sweet potato Soufflé

There are only 12 seats available for this tasting which includes dinner, the fee is $195 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about Chateauneuf Du Pape

Alphonse Daudet, the French writer, once called Châteauneuf-du-Pape the "Wine of Kings and the King of Wines."  The wines of this region with the easy sounding name have been legendary for hundreds of years.  In 1309 a French Cardinal was elected Pope Clement V.  Because there was much strife between the French King and Rome, Pope Clement chose to remain in France.  The Pope, formerly the Bishop of Bordeaux, owned his own vineyard in the Graves district of Bordeaux (now known as Château Pape-Clement and one of the better properties of Graves); and he was very interested in cultivating vines in the new papal residence he established in Avignon.  It was really Clement's successor, Pope John XXII, who did extensive planting of vineyards and constructed a castle outside of Avignon, called the Châteauneuf-du-Pape or "new house of the Pope."  This was an affluent time in Avignon; many parties were thrown and much wine was drunk.  Although wine had been grown in the surrounding villages for 150 years, it was the papacy that spread the fame of these wines from Avignon.

In the 1920's some of the growers at Châteauneuf-du-Pape became really concerned about the amount of "foreign" wine being sold as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The late Baron Le Roy, the proprietor of Château Fortia, one of the great estates of the district, drew up a set of laws to guarantee the authenticity and the origin of Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  These laws later became the model for France's Appellation Contrôllée laws and were later copied by the Germans, the Spanish, and the Italians.  Although the laws have been in force for some years, it is common knowledge that there is still a great amount of illegitimate wine labeled Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  The local growers and estate owners realize that one of the problems is that 80% of the wine is made and bottled at facilities outside the district; this obviously leaves room for tremendous abuse.  We have found many Châteauneuf-du-Papes from shippers to be variable in quality, and we recommend only those wines that have been estate bottled within the district.  In order to make these wines more identifiable to the consumer, the growers use a bottle with the old papal coat of arms.  We enthusiastically recommend these wines and urge that you avoid almost all the plain-bottle négociant wines (shipper's blends).

Besides the great difference between estate-bottled and négociant wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the grape composition of the wines further complicates the picture.  As many as thirteen different varieties can go into the make-up of a Châteauneuf; each grower swears by the percentage of the grape he uses.  Since different grapes contribute different characteristics to the overall wine (Grenache and Cinsault for warmth and mellowness; Mourvèdre and Syrah for solidity and color etc.), it is understandable how different estates with different grape compositions can produce very different wines.  Further complicating everything is how the harvest conditions affect the grapes - all of which ripen at slightly different intervals.  It is easy to see why the variation in quality is broader in Châteauneuf-du-Pape than perhaps any wine district in France. 

Cart Summary

Your shopping cart is empty!

Wine Watch Events

Wine Bar Closed Private Happy Hour 4pm-7pm Wine Bar

Tue, Mar 19, 2024

Glynn

Wayfarer Wine Tasting with Special Guest Winemaker Todd Kohn

Wed, Mar 20, 2024

"Now wines are wonders; great wines are magical; and winemakers are mad. Like horse fanciers, they are always tryi...

Happy Hour Tasting Featuring Champagne Henriot with Special Guest Kelly McFadden

Thu, Mar 21, 2024

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right.” Mark Twain Can you have t...

VIntage Brunello di Montalcino Wine Tasting back to 1979

Fri, Mar 22, 2024

I like to drink wine more than I used to... Don Corleone, The Godfather The wines that I like to d...

Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tasting going back to the 2003 vintage

Sat, Mar 23, 2024

“High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water.”  ― ...

1989 Cos D'Estournel Tasting 12 bottles from the same case - A study in Bottle Variation

Thu, Mar 28, 2024

 "It wasn't always like this. Before Paris, people didn't drink our wine. I mean, my friends ...

1990 Vintage Bordeaux Wine Tasting Including Chateau Latour, Chateau Montrose, Chateau Lynch Bages and more...

Fri, Mar 29, 2024

The Wines of Bordeaux give tone to the stomach, while leaving the mouth fresh and the head clear.  More than one inv...

Domaine Leroy Burgundy Tasting

Sat, Mar 30, 2024

When it comes to wine, I tell people to throw away the vintage charts and invest in a corkscrew. The best way to le...

Wine Bar Closed for Private Event

Thu, Apr 4, 2024

Wine Bar Closed for Private Event -Fafone

Sine Qua Non California Cult Syrah and Grenache Wine Tasting

Fri, Apr 5, 2024

Sine Qua Non California Cult Syrah and Grenache Wine Tasting Friday, April 5th 7:30pm 2021 Sine Qua Non White Ce...