beaucastel 95

[Jonathan Loesberg]

This is another 95 I am officially giving up on. Not that I won't drink the rest of my bottles. It isn't unpleasant. But like Pegau and others, it remains austere and haughty, even as one tastes it drying up. Rather like an unfriendly dowager in a Victorian novel. Not unpleasant to drink and it will probably stay in this state for some more years. But it will never be nearly as good as the supposedly lesser 94. Anyone who doesn't agree with me and has 94s, I'll be happy to trade bottle for bottle for them. I unloaded my 95 Pegaus this way (for 99s) and haven't regretted it a bit.

 

[Peter Creasey]

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg: beaucastel 95 it remains austere and haughty, even as one tastes it drying up.

Jonathan, Something has apparently happened to your stash of '95 as your experience appears to go against the grain. Might it have experienced heat (like quite a few Beaucastel shipments in times past)?

I agree with you about the fine drinkability of the '94 but wouldn't trade my '95s for more '94s.

. . . . . . Pete

 

[Chris Weber]

It would never occur to me to open a Beaucastel so young, so I don't have much experience with them at this stage. These days when I want one that's ready I reach for one from the early '80s. My case of '95s is still untouched from when I bought it on release.

I'm surprised to hear it is drying up already. I wonder what could have happened?

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg: beaucastel 95 it remains austere and haughty, even as one tastes it drying up.

Jonathan, Something has apparently happened to your stash of '95 as your experience appears to go against the grain. Might it have experienced heat (like quite a few Beaucastel shipments in times past)?

I agree with you about the fine drinkability of the '94 but wouldn't trade my '95s for more '94s.

. . . . . . Pete

Lots of Beaus were exposed to heat in those days, so I can't say. But this experience accords with other impressions and accords with its history from my cellar, and from a tasting at the domaine. As I read the tasting notes, I'm not sure others aren't having the same experience and evaluating it differently. VLM likes the 95 Clos des Papes less than I do, I think (one of the 95s that have done well for me), but I recognize us as tasting the same wine. Others have spoken highly of the 95 Pegau. Dan Kravitz has tasted from my stash and thought it what the wine was. Some people are entranced by haughty dowagers, I guess.

 

[Chris Weber]

Lots of Beaus were exposed to heat in those days, so I can't say. But this experience accords with other impressions and accords with its history from my cellar, and from a tasting at the domaine. As I read the tasting notes, I'm not sure others aren't having the same experience and evaluating it differently. VLM likes the 95 Clos des Papes less than I do, I think (one of the 95s that have done well for me), but I recognize us as tasting the same wine. Others have spoken highly of the 95 Pegau. Dan Kravitz has tasted from my stash and thought it what the wine was. Some people are entranced by haughty dowagers, I guess.

I had forgotten about heat damage, which I remember with the '89s at least. I've also wondered if the premox problem didn't extend to more regions, '95 would have been about the time for that.

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:

originally posted by Peter Creasey:

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg: beaucastel 95 it remains austere and haughty, even as one tastes it drying up.

Jonathan, Something has apparently happened to your stash of '95 as your experience appears to go against the grain. Might it have experienced heat (like quite a few Beaucastel shipments in times past)?

I agree with you about the fine drinkability of the '94 but wouldn't trade my '95s for more '94s.

. . . . . . Pete

Lots of Beaus were exposed to heat in those days, so I can't say. But this experience accords with other impressions and accords with its history from my cellar, and from a tasting at the domaine. As I read the tasting notes, I'm not sure others aren't having the same experience and evaluating it differently. VLM likes the 95 Clos des Papes less than I do, I think (one of the 95s that have done well for me), but I recognize us as tasting the same wine. Others have spoken highly of the 95 Pegau. Dan Kravitz has tasted from my stash and thought it what the wine was. Some people are entranced by haughty dowagers, I guess.

It's funny, but I actually had a great bottle of this Monday, maybe because it was a magnum.

My last 750 is exactly as you describe.

I had my last bottle of 98 VT recently and it was listless. Garrigue-y, but pretty dull and fruitless without charm.

I need to drink the one's I like much younger.

 

[Brad Kane]

Jonathan-

I've come to your way of thinking on the '95 Pegau, but I've had too many really excellent bottles of '05 Beaucastel recently and over the past few years to agree with your assessment of it, with the caveat of different strokes for different folks. I think it's a beautiful wine, full of personality and fruit.

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

Enough contesting claims for me to entertain the notion of heat damage or other causes of difference. I'm particularly interested in VLM's experience of a magnum. On the principle that magnums age more slowly, this confuses me even more. As little as 5 years ago, my 95 Beaus were still brooding monsters.

 

[Asher]

I agree with Jonathan 100% regarding 95 Pegau and 95 Beaucastel. With regard to the '95 Pegau, the Lawrence is even drier than the Reserve. I think, however, that both of these wines represent a style of Chateauneuf that is rarely seen these days. Such dryness and austerity, I would suppose, would be highly unlikely in the riper, more forward vintages that have followed 1998.

 

[Brad Kane]

originally posted by Asher:
I agree with Jonathan 100% regarding 95 Pegau and 95 Beaucastel.

Asher-

You need to spend more time with us drinking Jaouen's and Chris Kravitz's stash. Aside from an occasional corker, multiple bottles from them have been wonderful. I think Abood may even have brought a terrific bottle to something within the past year or so.