WTN La Bernardine Cdp M Chapoutier 07

Those who know me, know I am a fool for CdP,so you may take this note with a grain of salt. Tonight with my charcoal grilled brontosaurus-size sirloin strip,I decided to open a CdP. I decanted and splashed the La Bernardine 07 about 30 minutes before service. It favored me with a med. weight, med. ruby delight of mild tannins and red fruit. I am glad I opened it tonight, because I'm not sure it would be able to please me so in the near future. Later, just in the name of research mind you, I poured a glass from the bottle that I had corked since I had only decanted half of its' contents. What a difference a half hour makes! The wine which had not been given some breathing room, was hot..alcohol driven, with serious legs streaming the glass. Time in the glass and some serious swirling brought back the wine I had known and loved earlier. If you have them, drink them. I don't think these are going to entice much beyond this year.

Enjoy!
>clink<
JB

Julia - is this your assessment on 2007 CdP in general or this specific wine? A 2007 Clos St. Jean that I opened shortly after release was fantastic, but another opened about a year later resembled the part of your description, hot and alcohol driven. I have a couple of 2007 Pierre Usseglio, but the one I opened more than a year ago, went down the drain - totally undrinkable. After these few disappointments, I stopped buying CDP, in addition to the fact that I have so many from 2001-2004. I'm not sure that time will fix these wines.

Not Julia, and I don't drink a lot of CdP, but I will venture a limited opinion anyway. This was a ripe year in the region and some of the wines may be too hot and alcoholic, and not balanced. I purchased six bottles of Vieux Telegraphe, three of Roger Sabon Cuvee Prestige, and two bottles of Domaine La Milliere Vielles Vignes. The vast majority of the CellarTracker notes on the Vieux Telegraphe are very positive although they do describe it as a more modern-style CdP and fruit forward. Many notes from 2012 and 2013 say that it will reward patience and will improve with even more time although it is enjoyable now. (There were a couple negative reviews that found it hot and alcoholic or disappointing.)
On the Roger Sabon Cuvee Prestige one experienced reviewer said in 2012 that it will last for another fifteen years. Both the Vieux Telegraphe and the Roger Sabon received over 90-point averages from reviewers on CellarTracker and from the professional wine critics. The Chateau Milliere has an average of 89.8 points on CellarTracker and was rated 91 points in IWC. Several CellarTracker reviews comment on its restraint and balance for a 2007 vintage and its acidity which will allow it to age well. I had tried both the Vieux Telegraphe and the Roger Sabon at a tasting in 2010 and liked them in their youth. I think the Vieux Telegraphe may not appeal to a traditionalist because it is in a more modern, fruit-forward style but I wouldn't write off the whole vintage for CdP unless one has an intolerance for ripe fruit in wines.

Diane, my note was specifically of this bottle. Sorry to hear you had to feed the drain with the Usseglio. Did it have an air time? The difference between my decanted La Bernardine, and that right out of the bottle was dramatic. I have an 09 Clos St. Jean that I'm holding for another year or so.

JC, offered the same information I have.(Thank you) The 2007 vintage was a big year, very bright ripe fruit. In the past 12 months, I have opened a Pegua, Le Vieux Donjon and a Vieux Telegraphe of that vintage. The first two were delightful. Interestingly, I had same impression as JC did of the VT. Just by happenstance, I met the owner/winemaker Jean-Paul Versino of Dom Bois de Boursan last year. We discussed this very topic, about the stylistic change in some of the classic CdP's. Jean-Paul said that there is (lamentably) a move toward satisfying the "New World Palate" in Chateauneuf. I specifically mentioned the noticeable change in Vieux Telegraphe. While he wouldn't not comment on their production, he did say that some of the old established houses have been meeting to discuss this, and determine who will remain true to the style of region, and who will jump on board of the big fruit wagon. I unabashedly admit to liking grenache, but I want it layered in in some pepper, leather and a touch of funk. If I wanted a fruit bowl, I'd drink Shiraz.

JB

For a variety of reasons, 2005 is the most recent vintage of CdP in the cellar. As a general rule, I rarely opened a CdP with less than 10 years of age, except to take a peak to see what was happening. The sweet spot for me historically was 15-20 years out from vintage, so less than 6 years from vintage seems early to be popping these corks. Has the wine making style changed that much since ~2000?
Just curious.

[Jenise]

Has the wine making style changed that much since ~2000?
Just curious.

No. But 2007 was one of those record-book hot years and the wines were subsequently very Californicated--high alcohols, low tannins, short lives. Parker, however, loved them--a fact that seemed to prove that Parker's palate was tired and his reign over. I've owned the Chateau St. Jean that Diane mentioned--it drank more like modern California pinot noir than CdP but in a nice way, and we consumed ours young. I also tasted the Pierre Usseglio in a horizontal tasting of some of the better names back when they were released, a tasting that included high-flyers like Beaucastel (okay) and Clos du Pape (unremarkable), and I specifically remember that it was the only one I outright hated. The alcohol on that puppy must have been 16%--it was sappy, low acid, and porty, with none of the complicated spice that usually makes Usseglio wines stand out. Best in show went to Vieux Donjon.

Beaucastel from 2007 was also in the tasting I attended in 2010. It was my third choice after the Vieux Telegraphe and the Roger Sabon (out of 10 CdPs, all but one from the 2007 vintage.) I opened one of my bottles of the the Chateau Milliere in 2011 and thought it young but worthy of 90 or 91 points. Probably the Chateau Milliere has the most restraint of the three producers I purchased for the vintage but I happened to like the fruity Vieux Telegraphe and Roger Sabon although recognizing that they were atypical for CdP.