2001 Beaucastel blanc - last 2 bottles were dead, should I do something different with bottle 3

WINE TALK
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Joe looks like there was a good bottle that Kevin had of this at a recent offline. Was bottle 3 yours at that event?

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I need to eat a bit of crow here. I was taking a 1994 Beaucastel Rouge to a tasting tonight and decided to take the Blanc as well. My previous bottle of 94 Blanc was opened in 2012 and it was not bad, though it had some oxidized character to if. This one seemed to as well but it was interesting and very drinkable, and as it sat it seemed to gain some freshness and grippy texture which made it even more appealing. Tasters were split on whether it showed oxidation or just Roussanne character, but I think everyone enjoyed it. There are a couple of CT notes on tonight’s bottle.

I don’t have as much hope for my few remaining bottles of 95 and 96, as they were closer to dead when I last tried them.

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Thanks for the comments. I am happy to report that the 3rd bottle was in fantastic shape. The most obvious indicator is the color. The color from this bottle was not nearly as dark as the first 2 bottles. The palate was not oxidative at all.

My thought is that white Rhones are subject to premature oxidation, similar to white burgundy.

2/17/2019 - I WROTE: (Edit) 90 Points
Chateauneuf and Hermitage: Unlike previous bottles, this was not oxidized at all. It was in great shape, and typical of my expectation for the bottle. Quite spicy, with all kinds of complexity on the nose. The palate is equally interesting and acidic enough that it benefited from some food. I find these white Rhones to be incredibly interesting and slightly challenging for my palate.

2/17/2019 - ROCKNROLLER favorite WROTE: 94 Points
Monthly Tasting Group: Older CDP’s and Northern Rhones (P.S. Steak, Mpls): Medium gold color. Drank a glass over 45 minutes plus. When these older CdP blancs are on, they really are exciting. This was one of those bottles, and it kept becoming even more expressive in glass over 30 minutes. Wonderful spice notes, white flowers, butterscotch, apricot, beeswax, tangerine, honeydew on the nose. The palate is rich, layered with awesome texture, more spices, apricot, hints of tangerine, lush and a little candied, still fresh and lively with a very long clean finish. Great bottle.