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"THE STORY OF THE VINTAGES"

by Pierre CASAMAYOR
Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc
Cuvée classique


1994 : Vivid flower scents, with slightly anise and fennel flavoured tones. Round, flavoured in mouth, phasing out and fresh end. The woody flavour knows how to remain unobtrusive. A nice wine, already charming.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc
Cuvée les Vieilles Vignes



1994 : Rather solid straw yellow colour, scents are of balsam, resin, pine tones with dried fruit. Full and structured in the mouth, rich and strong in the end, currently woody and spicy flavours stand out. Wait for all that to merge.

1993 : A golden colour, an elegant nose combining white flowers, vanilla and bush peach. Very scented in the mouth with a deep fruity fragrance, elegantly woody playing its role without being overpowering, ending on a grilled dried fruit flavour. Wine has nice length.

1992 : Straw yellow and golden colour, superbly elegant nose, with a sophisticated and merged range that extends from white flower to exotic spices. Round and harmonious in the mouth, a good balance between richness and final freshness. A great bottle, at its peak.

1991 : A straw yellow colour, nice nose with hard candy, roasted fruit and mild spice tones. Full in the mouth, flavoured elegance, not as rich as the 1992, but reserves. It can wait.

1990 : A bright golden colour, honey-scented nose, full bodied, a nice spicy strength. Structured in the mouth, a lot of presence, well built, heavy and warm substance. End is still very square and there is an impressive length. A wine that you have to know how to wait for or energetically decanter.

1987 : Straw yellow colour, with brilliance. The nose is elegant, racy, with merged spicy notes. In the mouth it is a synthesis of fruit and woody contributions, without either overpowering the other. A success to drink in its best shape.


Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge
Cuvée classique


1994 : Colour is still young, the nose shows an intense fruity scent, with cooked and spicy tones. Powerful in the mouth, still square, with spicy tannins, slightly woody, a lot of fruit and a warm end.

1993 : Caramelised fruit, brown sugar and mild spice colour. Nicely fruity in the mouth but powerful, well built and with a good balance between tannins and roundness. End is lively and phased out.

1992 : A nose where pit fruits and meaty tones merge with clove and smoked smells. Full in the mouth, a little light, with very spicy tannins, rather dry. To drink.

1991 : A nice vanilla, plum, custard nose, with mineral tones. Nice secondary fruity flavour in the mouth, merged tannins and full and rich body. Flavours remain in the end, a success of the vintage.

1990 : A strong colour, with spicy aromas, meat juice, cedar and tobacco. Frame in the mouth is particularly velvety and substance is heavy and fleshy. Tannins are spicy, tasty, and remain. A great wine, well balanced.

1989 : Nose is more discreet than the one of 1990, but knows how to show its sophistication, with zan and pit fruit. Strong in the mouth, heavy, with strict tannins, spicy, tight grain. Wine for ageing that you have to know how to forget.

1983 : Colour takes on old brick shades. The nose, complex, combines prune, exotic wood and roasting tones. Smooth in the mouth with mild spices, an elegant and racy body. Tannins are well merged, strength is balanced. A great characteristic wine.

1981 : An enlightened colour, a small pit fruit nose, with game and soot tones. Supple in the mouth, with a quite light substance, well merged, no angles nor harshness. A wine with charm and suppleness.

1979 : The colour is still vivid, nose is creamy and roasted, and astoundingly complex. Exotic woods, tobacco, stewed fruit, rare spices, the range is complete. In the mouth, it is between an intense fruity flavour and a well organised structure. Tannins stand to attention, young and with contours. A great wine in great form.

1978 : Brick colour, spicy, smoked, roast juice and fig nose, with developed tones, spicy tannins starting to dry. To drink without delay.


Châteauneuf-du-Pape rouge
Cuvée des générations Gaston-Philippe

1994 : Dark colour with purple shades. Nose is rich, very spicy, with tar and vanilla tones. In the mouth, the structure is well built, with a lot of berry and strawberry jam. Tannins are covered but not concealed by the vanilla woody flavour. High promises.

1993 : Nice deep colour, creamy nose combining pine, milky tones, berry and woody spices. Full and rich in the mouth, substance is concentrated and the end still has tannin and is woody, and extends into a sophisticated aroma length. Obviously, wait.

1990 : Colour is nearly dark. Nose is full or richness, with creamy tones, blackcurrent, exotic spices, pit fruits. Heavy in the mouth, all in roundness, with rich and dominating tannins giving a very impregnating end. A contest wine that has to be waited for, but already knows how to seduce.

1989 : A deep colour, with a tarry, smoky and spicy nose. The fruitiness is there, blackcurrent, blackberry, with vanilla tones. In the mouth, it is full, and aromas blow up, rich and covered tannins which give this wine an irresistible seductive aspect. Woody flavour is in the wine, not next to it, demonstrating that the combination works.

1987 : A rather intense colour, a pleasant brown sugar, Catalan sauce and stewed fruit nose. Supple in the mouth, aromatic, not very heavy but a nice complexity and silky tannins, no warmth nor heaviness. A wine for immediate pleasure.

1986 : Medium colour, meaty and fruity nose, emphasised by the mild spices. Well built in the mouth, with fleshy tannins, but the style hesitates between fruity and tertiary tones. This wine is changing categories and you still have to wait for it a little while.

1985 : A nice colour, still young. Nose starts out triumphantly with cocoa, liquorice; ginger, and prune. Heavy in the mouth, with a structure all in roundness, where everything merges into a textbook balance. Tannins are covered, complex and spicy. This wine sparkles with youth.

1980 : A very complex nose, with spices, exotic wood, and meaty tones, harmonious in the mouth, a pleasant combination of wood and wine, racy tannins which provide this wine with character.


La Revue des Vins de France - November 1995
See
The Vine
in
Movement