CWD: 2005 Beaujolais

VLM

VLM
So I've been dipping back into 2005 Beaujolais this week (because all my 2002, 2006, and 2007 are gone) with some unfortunate results.

I had a corked bottle of 2005 Roilette Tardive. It was one of those wines that was lightly corked so that I felt that I could see glimpses of the wine underneath. Does anyone have recent data? Is it worth opening another bottle to check in?

I also opened a bottle of 2005 Desvignes Javernierres. This wine was just totally shut down and closed in on itself. How long do I have to wait? Will it ever open up? Anyone have a recent data point?

All of this makes me realize that I should have bought more 2006-2008 Beaujolais so that I would have some to drink now. The 2006s in particular were so open that I just went right through them. They might not even be alive now, for all I know.

Anyway, thoughts?
 
I opened a few '05s over the last year and I don't think any of them showed much development since release. Lapierre, one or two of the Vissouxs, Tete, I forget what else. I don't plan on opening any more for a few years.

I have to say, I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone lament a lack of Beaujolais for drinking now... there's always the current release!
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Keith Levenberg:
...there's always the current release!
Pish. Everyone knows that Da Monkey likes his wine with a good bit of age on it.

Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.

I'm not sure what you mean. He would have had us drink up the Raffault Picasses, 96 back in the early 00s. Mine have just come around to my taste. And I vaguely remember--or perhaps misremember--his declaring Coudert 02s needing to be drunk up some long time ago.
 
I opened a 2002 Tardive last week, and I don't think I've had it better. Though in vlm's defense, it's been delicious for years.
 
originally posted by VLM:
CWD: 2005 Beaujolais
So I've been dipping back into 2005 Beaujolais this week (because all my 2002, 2006, and 2007 are gone) with some unfortunate results.

I had a corked bottle of 2005 Roilette Tardive. It was one of those wines that was lightly corked so that I felt that I could see glimpses of the wine underneath. Does anyone have recent data? Is it worth opening another bottle to check in?

I also opened a bottle of 2005 Desvignes Javernierres. This wine was just totally shut down and closed in on itself. How long do I have to wait? Will it ever open up? Anyone have a recent data point?

All of this makes me realize that I should have bought more 2006-2008 Beaujolais so that I would have some to drink now. The 2006s in particular were so open that I just went right through them. They might not even be alive now, for all I know.

Anyway, thoughts?

Dude, what next - you are going to open 2005 Roumier Bonnes-Mares and declare 2005 red burgundy geschlossen ?

The two I had recently, Domaine des Moriers Moulin-a-Vent and Billards St Amour, were in a wonderful place, just at an early point of structural/flavour softening, where I could still catch the original fresh fruit but in a sufficiently transparent, safer (read: less superconductive) environment.

I think I preferred the 2006s a couple of years ago, as a rule.

But I am surprised you've gone through all the 2007s, especially if Desvignes was involved.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
I opened a 2002 Tardive last week, and I don't think I've had it better. Though in vlm's defense, it's been delicious for years.

It was the 2002 Regular, which we had at your place with the 1999, 2000, and 2001.

I didn't buy much Tardive in 2002. Maybe a few bottles. They were so delicious, they were sacrificed to the gods of my cravings.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.

I'm not sure what you mean. He would have had us drink up the Raffault Picasses, 96 back in the early 00s. Mine have just come around to my taste. And I vaguely remember--or perhaps misremember--his declaring Coudert 02s needing to be drunk up some long time ago.

The young man in question was kind enough to treat us to a seventeen vintage vertical of Coudert classique recently, and there appeared to be a consensus regarding the youthful nature of the 2002.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.

I'm not sure what you mean. He would have had us drink up the Raffault Picasses, 96 back in the early 00s. Mine have just come around to my taste. And I vaguely remember--or perhaps misremember--his declaring Coudert 02s needing to be drunk up some long time ago.

2002 Regular Coudert was ready to go a while ago and is on the downslope for my tastes.

I'm not sure when my last bottle of that Raffault was, but it was certainly on the downslope for my tastes. It isn't all that interesting to me as a wine anyway.

I like my wines with some age, but I'm not particularly taken with the generic "old wine" aromas and flavors. At a certain point, wines merge towards this. The timeline has a good bit of individual variability, but they do all head there.

I could predict your tastes better than you could yourself if I had the right data.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by VLM:
CWD: 2005 Beaujolais
So I've been dipping back into 2005 Beaujolais this week (because all my 2002, 2006, and 2007 are gone) with some unfortunate results.

I had a corked bottle of 2005 Roilette Tardive. It was one of those wines that was lightly corked so that I felt that I could see glimpses of the wine underneath. Does anyone have recent data? Is it worth opening another bottle to check in?

I also opened a bottle of 2005 Desvignes Javernierres. This wine was just totally shut down and closed in on itself. How long do I have to wait? Will it ever open up? Anyone have a recent data point?

All of this makes me realize that I should have bought more 2006-2008 Beaujolais so that I would have some to drink now. The 2006s in particular were so open that I just went right through them. They might not even be alive now, for all I know.

Anyway, thoughts?

Dude, what next - you are going to open 2005 Roumier Bonnes-Mares and declare 2005 red burgundy geschlossen ?

No, I would never buy Roumier Bonnes-Mares and I haven't opened a single bottle of 2005 Burgundy since release.

I don't think it is unreasonable to check in on 2005 Cru Beaujolais, even from Desvignes. The 1999 and 2002 were certainly very nice, even lovely at a similar stage. Has anyone experienced a vintage like 2005 from Desvignes? I'd hazard not.

I think I preferred the 2006s a couple of years ago, as a rule.

Yes.

But I am surprised you've gone through all the 2007s, especially if Desvignes was involved.

This is part of things. Unlike with some other wines, I don't immediately just buy every year (you can't just do that with everything if means are limited). So my few bottles of 2007 are gone, but I did drink quite a few, and with pleasure at local restaurants.

Thus, I have a hole between 2005 and 2009 and nothing to drink. I have a source for some 2008 Roilette Tardive, so I'll probably grab some of that.

Going forward, I think I'll probably need to just buy a few producers without thinking to make sure I have stuff around.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.

I'm not sure what you mean. He would have had us drink up the Raffault Picasses, 96 back in the early 00s. Mine have just come around to my taste. And I vaguely remember--or perhaps misremember--his declaring Coudert 02s needing to be drunk up some long time ago.

The young man in question was kind enough to treat us to a seventeen vintage vertical of Coudert classique recently, and there appeared to be a consensus regarding the youthful nature of the 2002.

Consensus, but not unanimous. I loved the 1999 which was svelte and still retained a bit of youthful fruit. The 2002 was lovely, but my sweet spot is a bit younger.

It was an interesting group of wines, shared with great friends in remembrance of someone who meant a lot to me. I won't forget it.
 
We opened a 2005 Thivin Cote de Brouilly and Granger Moulin-a-vent around September last year. Both were dumb the first day, both began to open the second day, and both sang through the third day. The Thivin was particularly lovable.

We opened a 2005 Coudert Roilette in February that was barely conscious the first day, after a two-hour decant, but sneaked up on us the second day, showing very prettily by the end of the evening. My first insight, really, into what the deal is with this wine.

Hope these data help.
 
originally posted by VLM:

I like my wines with some age, but I'm not particularly taken with the generic "old wine" aromas and flavors. At a certain point, wines merge towards this. The timeline has a good bit of individual variability, but they do all head there.

We agree on this point strongly, but if I were to follow this line of reasoning universally, I would be drinking my Beaujolais even earlier than you do. The two 2005s I mentioned illustrate why.

But there is an exception - hot vintages like 1989 and , I expect, 2009. Doesn't work for every terroir, but as they start out more generic to begin with, their generic old self can be a pretty attractive end game.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by .sasha:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Actually, he regularly drinks his Loire reds too early for me and declares Coudert dead when I think it's just getting ready.

That would be inaccurate. Unless it's an inside joke.

I'm not sure what you mean. He would have had us drink up the Raffault Picasses, 96 back in the early 00s. Mine have just come around to my taste. And I vaguely remember--or perhaps misremember--his declaring Coudert 02s needing to be drunk up some long time ago.

I could predict your tastes better than you could yourself if I had the right data.

You keep saying this. It wouldn't trouble me if you could, since my position about taste is captured by a line from a movie: I don't know what I like, but I know what art is.

But it would surprise me since, like Kant, I think of pleasures as opaque and not having sufficiently cognizable cause to be predicted. But I'm not tied to the position. Prove me wrong. Set up your questionnaire. I promise to answer it honestly and we can put the claim to the test.
 
originally posted by SFJoe:
Anybody had 2006 3.14 lately?
The '06 was rather dense and I wouldn't touch a bottle (if I had any) for some time. '07 came across more fragrant and showed a lot more nuance - I'd open one of those ahead of the '06, if you have them.
 
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