10/01. Bought in London, Aug-96 for $75.
It's been a while since I last tasted this supreme Chateauneuf du Pape. Tonight, for a quiet dinner at home, I opened my next-to-last bottle.
Though I have tasted quite a few of both, I could never decide which of the two fine vintages, 1989 or 1990, is the better one for Beaucastel. Both have a lot in common though they are unmistakably different.
COLOR: Dark red with some maturity hues beginning to show up. Thin clearing around the rim. Lots of sediment.
NOSE: Explosive yet elegant aromas of fresh but complex dark fruit together with spicy elements like pepper and cinnamon. Earthy and flowery tones add to the harmony and the complexity, and bring about a most enticing nose.
TASTE: Every bit as good as the nose. Multi-dimensional wine with a spectrum of deep savory flavors. Delicious fruit, plenty of winyness and a fine structure to support it all. Complex and serious, but never so much so as to lose its charm and appeal.
LENGTH: Medium long aftertaste that is as complex and pleasing as the wine itself.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine of great focus and grip. Abundant fruit and winyness as well as integrated tannins and fine acidity. Perfectly balanced too. This wine is completely ready now. It will surly gain complexity and become even more harmonious in time, but I doubt that it will significantly improve on its present stage.
OVERALL: Outstanding! At 11 years of age this wine is now in its prime.

MARK: 19/20.

BUY MORE? Yes.

Reach Me? yak@yakshaya.com

Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.