Private Minneapolis Wine Club
Annual CDP Tasting
December 2009
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Ten of us gathered for the annual CDP tasting at the Edina Country Club (The best offline venue in Minneapolis). Wines were either popped and poured or decanted for a time prior to the tasting. Some needed more air time and others were drinking well right out of the bottle.
Starter Wines
2002 Fiddlehead Cellars Santa Ynez Sauvigon Blanc
Medium gold with aromas of grass, petrol (blew off quick), floral and gunflint. Medium finish and still drinking well. Sampled an hour later with even more grass. 88 points
2002 Louis Latour La Grande Roche Montagny 1er Cru
Color: Medium gold
Nose: Lemon, shell
Taste: Mineral, lemon, apricots, candied apples
Finish: Medium and shows nice fruit and minerals
Evaluation: One of the top wines of the year for the price. $5 in a closeout bin 87 points
- 1999 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/29/2009)
Medium purple with traditional CDP aromas of spice, leather and truffles. I put this through my areator and it revealed more fruit flavors and added some nice floral qualities. A nice wine overall but as good as the 2001 or 2004 from recent tastings. (90 pts.) - 1999 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/29/2009)
Medium purple with a much more expressive nose then the 99 Clos des Papes. Floral, spice, game, leather and raspberries domintate the nose and palate. Medium, smooth finish followed. Drinking well right now. (92 pts.) - 2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/4/2010)
Medium purple. A lot going on on the nose with truffles, violets, raspberry. This wine picked up a carmel note later on. The taste was great with cherry, leather, game, truffles, and raspberries. Medium finish and I see this wine improving with some bottle age. I have enjoyed several wines from the under appreciated 04 vintage! (93 pts.) - 2000 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/29/2009)
Medium dirty red. Some classic funk which blew off along with leather, spice, earth pepper and meat. This nose change over two hours. I areated this wine prior to tasting it. Big finish and concentrated wine. The best structue of all the wines tasted tonight. Easily 15 more years of enjoyment on this one 94+ points (94 pts.) - 2000 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (12/29/2009)
Dark purple. Nose of truffles, rapsberries and cherries. I was surprise at the heavy fruit on the nose. Palate shows similar fruit and truffles. Finish is concentrated and long. This should age nicely. (92 pts.) - 2004 Domaine de Ferrand Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/4/2010)
Dark purple with aromas of ink, spice and strawberry. Palate was odd as I picked up some orange peel and strawberry. Also spices and floral. Medium finish. (89 pts.) - 2001 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/4/2010)
Dark purple. Beautiful nose and the best of the lot even though it was not classic CDP. Aromas of raspberry, black fruits, violets and pepper. Taste was black olives, earth, pepper, and dark fruits. Multi-layered finish and concentrated. This wine was showing really well. (95 pts.) - 2006 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/1/2010)
Dark purple. Floral, spice and licorice on the nose with a similar palate. A little rasberry added to the palate and the medium finish was concentrated with flavors. I think this wine should evolve over time but not even close to the quality of the 05 sampled the previous year. (91 pts.) - 2006 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/2/2010)
A bit shut down with floral, spice and licorice. A concentrated wine that would have benefitted with more then an hour of decanting. It was much better last February. (92 pts.) - 2007 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (1/2/2010)
Medium purple. Spice and cranberry aromas and a big palate that features spice, cranberry, and cherry. A medium finish. This wine would have benefitted with some decanting. Hard to tell if this will be a 97 pointer as I don't see any evidence of this. (92 pts.)