This is another fascinating tasting organised by Pierre Ghysens of the admirable Liège/Brussels wine firm TGVins/Le Vin Passion.
A group was formed a few years ago to study the annual evolution and form of the 2000 vintage from the following leading CdP estates – Clos des Papes, Mordorée R d B, Clos du Caillou Quartz, Beaucastel, Rayas, Janasse VV, Grand Veneur and Bosquet des Papes Chante le Merle. This was the fifth session but the first which I have attended.
The wines were served blind in decanters (decanted 2 ½ hours before the session), their order of service was determined by a person not participating in the tasting and their identities were only revealed after collation of the ratings.
Clos des Papes
C: Medium depth. N: Attractive sweet cherry with meat and spice notes but also a certain heat. P: Medium weight with an elegantly fragrant cherry and kirsch entry and mid-palate but marred by some bitter heat on the finish continuing into the after-taste. My rating 15; Pierre’s 15,5; group average 14,35.
Domaine du Grand Veneur
C: Quite deep. N: Powerful and round with some cherry notes. P: Quite deep but dark with not much fruit and aromatics showing though with slightly hollow mid-palate becoming drier and leading a bitter wood tannic finish. My rating 14,5; Pierre’s 13,5; group average 12,45.
Domaine de la Janasse Vieilles Vignes
C : Slightly less depth than previous. N: Slightly subdued at first but showing deep velvety fruit with kirsch touches and then developing further complexity with some raspberry and strawberry creeping in. P: Rich and velvety entry and mid palate showing fresh fruit with good elegance, depth , richness, structure and length. A fragrant after-taste. My rating 16,5, Pierre’s 18, group average 16,5.
Château de Beaucastel
C: Similar. N : Gamey notes dominate at first but quickly fresh and rich red fruit and flowery notes come up and the game moves into the background to form an attractively complex whole. P: A velvety and full entry and mid palate with complex notes as on the nose together with some bacon, dry muslin and chocolate leading to a generous, firm and long finish and attractive after-taste with some game notes. My rating 16,5; Pierre’s 16,5; group average 16,25.
Domaine Bosquet des Papes Chante le Merle VV
C: More limpid. N: Cherry, raspberry and game with hints of varnish. P: Quite tight, ungracious and simple but good matter, depth and length. In a closed phase; Pierre thinks that there is excellent development potential. My rating 15,5; Pierre’s 18; group average 15,65.
Domaine de la Mordorée Reine des Bois
C: Deep. N: Deep and rich with dark fruit, chocolate and even toffee notes, which receded with exposure. P: A rich, deep, powerful and complex fortissimo entry and mid palate showing dark fruit with good freshness, acidity and structure and thereafter a diminuendo to a long fragrant after-taste. Somewhat up-front and “modern” in its shape on the palate but very fine. My rating 17; Pierre’s 19; group average 18,25.
Domaine Clos du Caillou Les Quartz
C: Slightly more limpid. N: Fine cherry and kirsch. P: A more classical shape on the palate with quieter entry and crescendo thereafter showing very attractive cherry and red fruit notes but marred for me by a certain roughness on the long finish. My rating 15, Pierre’s 16, group average 16,55.
Château Rayas
C: Much lighter and more limpid than any of the others and, by that, instantly recognisable. N: Completely different from the others and quite burgundian; superbly elegant and complex with many red fruit, including black and red currant, cherry, raspberry and strawberry with a touch of liqueur. P: Lighter weight than the others but elegant, complex, intense and very long with notes of candied fruit and butter (someone said “Chardonnay, if blind”) in addition to those from the nose. There was a touch of Campari-like bitterness in the finish but it only added to the complexity of the delicious balance of the after-taste. My rating 17,5; Pierre’s 16,5; group average 18,05.
Looking at the group’s rating history of 5 years’ sessions, Mordorée, Beaucastel, Janasse and Bosquet have been fairly consistent. This was the least good, but still honourable, showing for the previously excellent Quartz and Clos des Papes was also punching below previous weight. On the other hand, Rayas showed poorly in the first two years but has come up strongly from the third year to reach its best rating yet in the present session.
I have Beaucastel, Mordorée and Clos des Papes in my cellar and am looking forward to some excellent drinking in future years. I will probably start with Clos des Papes which, on this showing, is the shakiest of the three.
(As an interesting calibrator of the colour of these Grenache dominated CdP’s, we looked afterwards at a Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Colombier 1999 (pure Syrah) which looked (and indeed tasted) much more youthful with still traces of purple at the rim.)