WTN + Q: Beaucastel '04 + Meerlust Rubicon '01

I guess I shouldn't write notes about wines that I drink at home with dinner because they always seem to become too long and boring! With a chunk of bloody meat:

Meerlust Rubicon 2001 Stellenbosch 13,5% 24,90€

Very dark red. The nose at first was rather toasty and oaky, but a couple hours in a decanter calmed that and let the lifted yet surprisingly dark toned Cabernet fruit come to the fore. There is a slight but delightful vegetal note also.

This is very full bodied, ripely fruity yet tight and tannic - it needs some bloody meat to work now. The palate is refreshingly acidic and has nice "green"/herbal notes also. I like this, though it is a very big wine; much bigger than what what is in my usual comfort zone.

Château de Beaucastel 2004 14% 69,90€ (ouch! is it really this expensive elsewhere?)

Not long ago I managed to get a tiny pour of this in a big walkabout tasting. I loved the wine then, so I bought a bottle "to cellar", but I guess I have a weak will as I opened it over dinner tonight. But it is good to drink "great" wine on occasion also - too often the "great" wines are such that I only get a very brief sip of in big tastings. So how did it work with the chunk of bloody meat?

What a lovely wine - and this must be praise since I rarely enjoy CdP! A very spicy nose (like the Damascus Souq FWIW), slightly honeyed, with lots of ripe and sweet red fruit. There are darker, possibly even animal tones underneath. But the nose isn't cloying: there is a lifted, green-tea note to it and a brightness to the red fruit that keep it very refreshing.

The palate is well structured for a CdP, with upright tannins and refreshing acidity, but it is still a vibrantly fruity wine. Very long, and for a CdP, surprisingly refreshing aftertaste.


And now for the questions:

Where does that honey (or even acacia honey) note in Beaucastel come from? I don't get that in the other CdPs we have had in our tastings, only in Beaucastel. And it seems so unique that some of the only blind tasting "good guesses" I have had have been in finding the Beaucastel out of other CdPs in '95, '99 and '01.

Are there any other CdPs or S. Rhônes that might suit my taste? I gather that Clos des Papes is a possibility. Any others?

-O-

[David M. Bueker]

Look for CNdP with a high proportion of Mourvedre. That's the hallmark of Beaucastel.

Clos des Papes is great, but totally different. Given the Mourvèdre in Beaucastel, I'd be inclined to try some Bandols.

[David M. Bueker]

Good idea Cliff. Tempier or Pradeaux would be right up Otto's alley.

Château de Beaucastel 2004 14% 69,90€ (ouch! is it really this expensive elsewhere?)

The 2005 was just released at about $98. For a bandol fix, try also Pibarnon. Not as 'spoofy' as Tempier IMO.

Otto,
Beaucastel is sui generis in CNdP. I'm afraid that no other CNdP will scratch that itch, alas, and ceratainly not Clos Des Papes, which is a different wine altogether. As Cliff says, better look to Bandol.

Mark Lipton

Thanks all for your help - Indeed Bandol rocks! We have Bunan's very servicable one available here.

But I am also open to suggestions of Clos des Pape-like, brighter, more Burgundian or cool climate like CdPs. I understand Charvin is like that too? (And Rayas from the unaffordable ones.) Any others?

-O-

Hi Otto,

At a recent tasting, we also liked the 2004 Beaucastel.
Included were some notes on the 2004 Clos des Papes, as well. Here's the link.


http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/forum/v ... highlight=


Ramon

Thanks all for your help - Indeed Bandol rocks! We have Bunan's very servicable one available here.

But I am also open to suggestions of Clos des Pape-like, brighter, more Burgundian or cool climate like CdPs. I understand Charvin is like that too? (And Rayas from the unaffordable ones.) Any others?

-O-

Clos des Papes is one of the traditionalists in the region. Others to look for are Vieux Telegraphe, Clos du Mont-Olivet, Vieux Donjon and Pegau. As usual in that region, look for the cuvée normales from those producers*, as they tend to be the least spoofy.

Mark Lipton

*In fact, most of those traditionalists don't even make a luxury cuvée.