Chateauneuf-du-Pape 00-11 at the TGJP

[Jonathan Loesberg]

originally posted by Yixin:
I think the 2011 is pretty good. The white, too.

The 2011 is a beautiful wine. But, like the 2008, it is from a less ripe vintage that makes the earthy, spicy side of Charvin sing. Since Pab was speaking of 98, 01 and 05, I thought it unfair to use either 08 or 11 as an example.

Good on you for importing the white. His American importer hasn't taken them after the 11. As long as I can get my fix here, I'm happy. But it's a loss for the US market since it's a white CdR for people who think they don't like white CdRs, especially the 13--at least when I tasted it before it was bottled in January.

 

[Cole Kendall]

originally posted by MarkS:

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:

originally posted by MarkS:
I'm surprised you guys drink CdP, seems so outside your range and against your tasting parameters, but perhaps you are working your way through the appelations?

You must not be a regular reader. Pab is as much a CdP afficionado as I am. Cole was more along for the ride I'm guessing, though he has a fair collection of old ones himself.

Well, the French deters me a bit, but I always got the sense this group liked lower alcohol wines that did not show as "big" and ripe (not that Chateauneuf is always this way, but can easily become so). Perhaps I misread or misjudged the notes?

Sorry I was travelling a bit but these guys love their Chateauneuf. If there is a bias (and as the Tyran I guess I can say what I want)it is not so much to low alcohol but to family made. pab is a believer in wines made by those who do much of the work themselves and who do not rely on machines and imported labor to harvest and produce the wines. Some of those wines are lower alcohol but some are not. My sense is that pab visits winemakers and has a sense of whether the place is run by a "flying winemaker" who drops in a few times a year versus someone who spends his life in those specific vineyards.

 

[SFJoe]

originally posted by Yixin:
I think the 2011 is pretty good. The white, too.

It's good, but it seems a step or two riper and more powerful than my beloved '06, at least on tonight's evidence. Trading a bit of elegance for ripeness without going totally overboard?

 

[Jonathan Loesberg]

originally posted by SFJoe:

originally posted by Yixin:
I think the 2011 is pretty good. The white, too.

It's good, but it seems a step or two riper and more powerful than my beloved '06, at least on tonight's evidence. Trading a bit of elegance for ripeness without going totally overboard?

I think the 11 just seems riper because it's younger. The 06 had bigisity in its youth too. If you like the 06, the answer becomes more definitive. Nothing has changed at Charvin since then except that he now makes a white CdR in very small quantities.

 

[Sharon Bowman]

originally posted by SFJoe:

originally posted by pab:

originally posted by SFJoe:
Forgive me if I misinterpret you, but you speak only of those:

originally posted by pab:
Taste a 1998, 2001 or 2005. Benchmark with Marcoux, Clos des Papes, Beaucastel, Vieux Donjon or Rayas !

You misinterpret because you "overinterpret" the voice of Parker. Try a Charvin 98 or 01 or 05 and you will discover a balanced and complex wine with a very nice evolution. Not a blockbuster.
Next time you come to Paris and with the clearance of Le Bon Tyran (of course), come to the TGJP and we will try to prove the "grandeur" of Charvin.

In truth, I haven't heard the voice of Parker in more than a decade. I have no idea what the guy likes or doesn't, unless it gets very notorious like Pavie.

I just bought 6 bottles of '06 Charvin a few weeks ago--an honest reflection of my motives.

I would be honored to eat the fabulous food that you guys display on the website--I don't exclaim over it every time, but it always looks amazing.

And one enjoys the pab fight.

 

[Oswaldo Costa]

Not me, it seemed like pab didn't know who he was talking to at all.