Wasn’t the vintage highly regarded by most critics at the time? I stopped buying S Rhone wines in any quantity with the 1998 vintage, and I think I have no wines after 2003 in the cellar (2 bottle of Pegau), but that is what I recall
If any Chateauneuf would be less vulnerable to this kind of thing it’s Beaucastel. Mourvedre can take heat. I’ve always liked Beaucastel as having a more solid midpalate and being more structured than flabby fruit bomb Grenaches.
Thanks for the notes and the wit.
I have not dipped into the bigger 07’s CNDPs yet but am looking forward to it, despite the notes.
Mostly I have liked the CdR and village level wines so far.
Even though I tend to like the traditional producers better. Both for style/value, I’ve never really like the whole tete du cuvee Rhone movements.
trivia question: Do people think the modern producers cost more/less than the traditional ones?
Worst review ever. Do you believe it? The Wine Advocate agreed to give thousands of points to these wines. Why?
Because Parker liked them. Simple as that
It’s true. All of it.
Those TNs prove that alcohol is a poor way to freshen stinky toilet bowls.
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Exactly.
It’s a little strange that there’s so much outrage over difference in taste.
I cannot stand the taste, smell, look (and effect on my sensitive teeth and the rest of my body) that Coca Cola offers.
Yet I would never work myself up to a loud cry of disgust over the billions of people all over the world who seemingly enjoy the s***.
That said, I do agree that several wines from the area don’t develop as I (and a lot of reviewers) have hoped.
But that isn’t restricted to just this specific vintage.
I have almost two hundreds tasting notes of all the 2007 CdP and Gigondas I’ve followed from the time of bottling up to now. If anyone should be interested I’ll gladly post them here when I’ve retasted the 20 or 30 on which I have no recent notes.
Will taste 18 of them in two weeks…
Peter
The producers themselves expressed considerable excitement over the vintage when I was visiting the Rhone in 2011. We visited a wide mix of classicists and modernists, and across the board they felt it was a great year. We were there to look at 09s mostly, so there was no sales pressure to tout 07.
So, umm…
What was the wine of the night?
vintages like 2004, which have the twin virtues of being better to my palate and considerably cheaper
A much-overlooked vintage. Although the hyped 2005 wasn’t as bad as 2003 or 2007. I remember tasting 2007s with some French people and after a dozen or so I told one of them that I thought the 2006 and 2008s were actually preferable. He gave me a big hug and a thank you. I wasn’t wearing my nice clothes so I assumed he agreed with the assessment.
Clos Mt. Olivet is a Cambie wine.
A few of them are. Here’s a list, probably not up to date, of his consulting just in Chateauneuf du Pape:
• Domaine Giraud since 1998
• Domaine de Villeneuve since 1999
• Les Cailloux since 1999
• Clos du Mont Olivet since 1999
• Domaine Jean Royer since 2000
• Domaine Patrice Magni since 2000
• Domaine de Saint-Paul since 2000
• Domaine du Grand Tinel since 2000
• Chateau de la Font du Loup since 2000
• Domaine Olivier Hillaire since 2000
• Clos du Caillou since 2001
• Clos Saint Jean since 2002
• Domaine Porte Rouge since 2003
• Chateau de Vaudieu since 2003
• Le Vieux Donjon since 2003
• Domaine Barville since 2006
• Domaine Bosquet des Papes since 2006
• Domaine des Senechaux since 2006
• Domaine Duseigneur since 2007
• Domaine la Consonniere since 2007
• Chateau Cabrieres since 2010
• Vignobles Mayard since 2011
• Chateau Gigognan since 2011
• Domaine de la Charbonnière
• Domaine l’Abbé Dîne
Lol
If I recall correctly, you do not seem to have the same reaction to what Uncle Rollo has done in Bordeaux. I view them as fundamentally the same.
Let’s just nuke the entire region.
Sorry France. A lot of fantastic people, really fantastic . . . . some of them very good . . . . I’ve been hearing a lot about them . . .doing great things . . .but there are some mauvais hommes over there.
BTW, I just realized that Trump talks like Parker writes dot dot dot dot dot dot dot
There is a (possibly apocryphal) story of Robert Parker advocating 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (en magnum) as a pairing to sushi. As this is the tenth anniversary of the vintage, and since Robert Parker is a critic of such great renown, we decided to follow his sage advice and try this pairing.
What is apocryphal is that it was 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (en magnum) …
In fact it was 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape (en magnum), specifically:
2003 Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf du Pape Mon Aïeul (magnum) - 99 points
2003 Clos St.-Jean Châteauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina (magnum) - 100 points
2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf du Pape (magnum) - 97 points
2003 Domaine de St.-Préfért Châteauneuf du Pape Collection Charles Giraud (magnum) - 98 points
Parker said:
“A remarkable and mind-bogging array of creative sashimi and sushi from perhaps the world’s greatest master of sashimi and sushi, Masa Takayama oversees a sushi bar that probably sits no more than ten people, with a few tiny tables to the side. Expect to pay $300 to over $500 (depending on how much toro you eat). There’s no doubt this restaurant won’t work for many people, even putting aside the high cost of it, but this is a lifetime experience, especially if you admire the purity, simplicity, and precision of a great Japanese master working with the freshest possible fish. You watch him dissect it and serve it to you in its unadorned, most virginal state. I will go to Masa at least once or twice a year as long as I live, and as long as he continues to stand behind his sushi bar, doing what he does. It is an experience worth every cent, and I would have even paid twice as much to enjoy it. It is simply extraordinary. I have eaten in the finest restaurants in Tokyo, including the only three-star Michelin sushi bar in Tokyo. (Masa has three stars from the Michelin Guide for New York as well). Masa is in a class by himself, offering a transcendent experience. But if you’re not into raw fish and sushi, it’s a waste of your time.
…
There are so many myths regarding food pairings with wine, and on the surface, one would think that some of the most powerful, concentrated, heady wines from Châteauneuf du Pape would not be a good match with an assortment of remarkable fish, sea urchin, Osetra caviar, and. probably my favorite food in the world, toro. Nevertheless, they worked fabulously well, and it shows that if you live within too strict parameters, you’ll never experience the majesty of sashimi with great Châteauneuf du Pape! We had four from the irregular 2003 vintage, but all four are titans, current-day and future legends of the southern Rhône. All of them performed magnificently, with three bordering on perfection, and the Clos des Papes a great example from that estate, only eclipsed by what they did in 1990 and 2007. The 2003 Clos des Papes is pure raspberries and kirsch liqueur with hints of roasted Provençal herbs, licorice, and spice box. It is full-bodied and fleshy, but the texture is more Burgundian than the Châteauneuf du Papes that followed. It is a big wine, but gloriously pure and rich, with everything in balance. It should drink nicely for at least another decade”.
For anyone who subscribes and wants to read the whole thing, the link is here:
http://www.erobertparker.com/members/gazette/hg527.asp
And it seems that sushi and sashimi could be even better with 2003 Guigal LaLas …
http://www.erobertparker.com/members/gazette/hg727.asp
Huh. So has anyone…tried…Chateauneuf and sushi? If so, have you recovered enough to tell us about it? Can someone dictate for you? Blink once for Bad twice for Good.
Should I be worried about my Bordeaux 2009? Bought en Primeur based on raving reviews by all critics and not touched ever since. It seems not, based on TN I keep reading on CT and elsewhere, but perhaps people here have a different view?
Every person here has a different view. Different from each other and, in many instances, different from heir own previously expressed opinions. 2009 was an opulent vintage pretty much across the board, and many wines will likely be over the top to some. Indeed, the producers that are viewed as over the top by, say, Chinon fans, will, in 2009, be viewed as colored kerosene. Most people I think will find them friendly and lush (these are scatological references in some quarters).
So it depends on the kinds of wines you like. If you primarily drink Napa cabs, I suspect these wines will be less alcoholic, less rich, and more elegant that what you are used to. If you primarily drink valtelina, well, good luck to you then
Glen GOULD stepped up from his grave and dictated this for me:
Two blinks from this geezer with a third added because when you listen to the above mentioned pianist playing Bach’s Goldberg variations (second rendering) while dining the whole experience lifts off to anther level
Now go and try it Glen, and mail your ![[thankyou.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/df165fe9c1593d19166ae7e1ffe5e272089cc07b.gif "thankyou"){kind=small}
to me (or Robert Parker)
Sorry, but while that is your view, and based on your likes and dislikes, I would not have expected anything different, I find 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape to be great vintage for many producers. I love the sensuous, rich, ripe, concentrated and complex style of the wines. I own several and yes, I like them.