Author: Dirk Chan
This past week’s Top Drops Beaucastel tasting revealed a remarkably consistent house, the Beaucastel rouge reds were not as bretty as some in the past with the 1997 at peak and a full blown aromatic nose of earth, figs, bog and prunes, the palate was fully resolved and drinking well. The 1999 can still use a little more time although with an hour’s decant revealed it was in a drinkworthy phase. The sublime 1998 has been a superstar all its life and this was a particularly good showing, displaying secondary aromatic complexity with a long, lingering finish of dried dark berries with noteworthy finesse and class.
The younger Rouges were interesting to taste as it provided a reference point to what some aging will do, the 2005 (a bit closed down but with a gratifying combination of blackberry fruit and strong ageworthy tannins) while the 2007 hasn’t yet started its hibernation and was a deep deep color of purple hues and gushing black and red berry fruit, anise, figs and spice – some of us who tasted the 1998 young think the 2007 is a superior wine at the same stage and given the status that the 1998 has achieved, this is a must purchase vintage, and we have 375mL, 750mL’s and1.5L magnum formats available now. Get these before the Wine Specator’s Top 100 announcements are made.
The 2003 Hommage a Jacques Perrin was the wine that threw the most sediment of all the wines and it is showing magnificently now.
Layers and layers of fruit and superb length and class. It screams to be drank now, and given the sediment, I do not think this is going to make old bones. The 2005 Hommage on the other hand will be a legend, distinctly different than any wine of the tasting, it had bog, winter wet lands, eucalyptus, mint, star anise and much more going on – everyone was floored and would like to wonder what will happen to this goliath. The 2007 (which is on the water and arriving soon) is said to be even better, but we cannot fathom it given the quality of this 2005.
Having said all this, the wine of the tasting for many was the discovery of the Beaucastel Blanc 2006, with its superb honeycombe, beeswax, lanolin and acacia flowers – it was an amazing show. Decanted for an hour and served relatively cool rather than cold, this was a revelation and and epiphany for many who had not previously experience a Chateauneuf white. You owe it to yourself to discover a world class white, a great food pairing wine big enough to stand up to appetizers, seafood and poultry.
Salute!