1998 Chapoutier Mt. Benson--Oz!

[Jenise]

$17!?!! Arrrgghhh! They cost about $55 only 15 miles north of you! I think you need to try one soon, say at the next offline as an aperatif

Well, that was a particularly good price--$40ish is the norm here in spite of the higher MSRP, but I have my ways... Speaking of next offlines, are you going to be there? I was thinking of you just yesterday as I handled my last Chapoutier Mt. Benson from Oz--we'd discussed that, and I promised to save a bottle for you. Trouble is, as it turns out the wine really isn't worth drinking. BUT you are welcome to find out for yourself--I'll bring it to you.

Well, that was a particularly good price--$40ish is the norm here in spite of the higher MSRP, but I have my ways... Speaking of next offlines, are you going to be there? I was thinking of you just yesterday as I handled my last Chapoutier Mt. Benson from Oz--we'd discussed that, and I promised to save a bottle for you. Trouble is, as it turns out the wine really isn't worth drinking. BUT you are welcome to find out for yourself--I'll bring it to you.

So what year is your Mt Benson. I still have some 98's that have been very inconsistent. The last was horrid, the one before rather nice. That seems to have been the pattern, 1 good, 1 not good, with nothing in between.

[Jenise]

Well, that was a particularly good price--$40ish is the norm here in spite of the higher MSRP, but I have my ways... Speaking of next offlines, are you going to be there? I was thinking of you just yesterday as I handled my last Chapoutier Mt. Benson from Oz--we'd discussed that, and I promised to save a bottle for you. Trouble is, as it turns out the wine really isn't worth drinking. BUT you are welcome to find out for yourself--I'll bring it to you.

So what year is your Mt Benson. I still have some 98's that have been very inconsistent. The last was horrid, the one before rather nice. That seems to have been the pattern, 1 good, 1 not good, with nothing in between.

Doug, we've talked about these before. Mine are 98 also, but I only had two bottles, or was it 3? Anyway, the wine was horrid. How much time elapsed between your horrid one and the rather nice one before it?

Well, that was a particularly good price--$40ish is the norm here in spite of the higher MSRP, but I have my ways... Speaking of next offlines, are you going to be there? I was thinking of you just yesterday as I handled my last Chapoutier Mt. Benson from Oz--we'd discussed that, and I promised to save a bottle for you. Trouble is, as it turns out the wine really isn't worth drinking. BUT you are welcome to find out for yourself--I'll bring it to you.

So what year is your Mt Benson. I still have some 98's that have been very inconsistent. The last was horrid, the one before rather nice. That seems to have been the pattern, 1 good, 1 not good, with nothing in between.

Doug, we've talked about these before. Mine are 98 also, but I only had two bottles, or was it 3? Anyway, the wine was horrid. How much time elapsed between your horrid one and the rather nice one before it?

I had a good one about 3 months ago -the bad one about 3 weeks back. Before the good I probably hadn't touched any for over a year.

[Jenise]

Doug, after reading your comments I went and pulled the cork. Although there was initially a bit of vinyl on the nose, it blew off quickly and what's left is a much better wine than the last/first bottle I had. Definitely doesn't belong in the trash heap. Interesting in that at this point, I would have a hard time ID'ing the wine--not really Shiraz, but it's not really European in style either. Which is pretty much what one would expect, isn't it? A different style and a different objective than most Shiraz producers, but the grapes come from where they come from.

Hey, what happened to 'my' bottle?!? Just kidding, I think you asked about the Chaoutier venture in Oz a while back and I said to the effect that I wouldn't bother if I were you. It sounds like I was right! I hear they're getting better, but back then they were just beginning to feel their way in the New World... I'm not sure if that was their first vintage, but I do think it was close to the first.

And yes, I'll be at the next offline. See you (and B?) then!

[Jenise]

Hey, what happened to 'my' bottle?!? Just kidding, I think you asked about the Chaoutier venture in Oz a while back and I said to the effect that I wouldn't bother if I were you. It sounds like I was right! I hear they're getting better, but back then they were just beginning to feel their way in the New World... I'm not sure if that was their first vintage, but I do think it was close to the first.

And yes, I'll be at the next offline. See you (and B?) then!

I did you a favor: wine tasted pretty good at 3:00, right? So I left the bottle open on the counter to have with dinner. By 7:00, it had faded quite a bit, and though we both thought the first glass pleasant enough with food, a second glass after dinner was too tired to enjoy drinking, so the rest of the bottle went down the drain.

Glad you'll be slumming in the south this month, I look forward to seeing you there.