TN: 2000 Clos des Papes - great bottle

[HarryKaris]

Already had this wine several times from split - normally very good - regular bottle - good to very good.....and this bottle from a different source BRILLIANT!!!

So seductive and lush multiple layered, loaded with red and dark cherry, the onset is just overwhelming, extremely balanced flavored and perfectly embedded spices. The finish goes on and on and on .....nothing more to wish.....for now.....
I had this with Dutch (belegen) Gouda cheese and French bread.....

CdP-Harry

[DavidG]

Do you think this represents different storage conditions or variability from the producer, Harry?

[AlexR]

Hi Harry,

It's true.

The normal reaction reading your notes is - are their different bottlings, or or you comparing wines stored differently?

All the best,
Alex
P.S. I have a bottle of this in my cellar, which shows I was on the way to salvation even before I met you .

[HarryKaris]

David, Alex, huge problem in the past in CdP were the bottling sessions over an extended period....sometimes more than 1 year....although this doesn't count for Clos des Papes.
I am very happy that winemakers (mostly caused by lacking storage capacity), especially the young generation, changed this.......now bottling sessions are limited, sometimes within a few weeks or max. 1 month. Of course there are still exceptions ........

CdP-Harry

[HarryKaris]

....of course transport and provenance are important too - although there has been a positive shift in the USA lately, I had many bad experiences.....

[DavidG]

Good to hear that things in Chateauneuf have generally moved in a positive direction, as well as with transport in the US, though I think there is still plenty of room for improvement in the distribution chain.

I always wonder about the "duds" that don't seem to perform as well as everyone else is talking about but don't demonstrate any specific flaw like TCA, heat damage, oxidation, etc. Was it production variation, transport, storage, wine temporarily shut down, or sometimes just a bad palate night. Often the next bottle from the same batch is just fine, making production variation, transport and storage unlikely culprits.

[HarryKaris]

Totally agree with you david......BUT, I know that sometimes cases are mixed ....with good (or bad?) reasons........