2001 Chateau Beauchene

Chateuneuf du Pape

90 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 12/03

Beautiful balance between ripe fruit, fresh acidity, mineral and stony i terroir n character. Full-bodied, this terrific wine lingers on the palate, offering subtle and caressing flavors. Almost an orange rind, citrus, fresh fruit note on the lovely finish. Drink now through 2010.
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2004 Domaine Calvet Thunevin

"Cuvee Constance"

90 Points Robert Parker

2005 Domaine du Caboche

Chateauneuf du Pape "La Mirande"

90 Points Robert Parker

2001 Domaine des Relagnes

Chateauneuf du Pape

90 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 12/03

Beautiful. Balanced, well-made, complex, subtle. Medium- to full-bodied, delivering ripe fruit, chestnut, smoke, plum and some leather. Sweet-tasting, with supple and ripe tannins, balanced finish. Drink now through 2008.
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2001 Domaine des Relagnes

Chateauneuf du Pape "La Cuvee Vigneronne"

92 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 12/03

Beautiful i terroir n in this wine filled with soil, wet earth, and mineral. Delicious, ripe, succulent black and red fruit, followed by sweet tannins and a long finish. A full-bodied wine with class. Needs time to come around. Best from 2006 through 2011.
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2001 E. Guigal

Chateauneuf du Pape

93 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 8/03

Old-fashioned, this full-bodied traditional wine seduces with its decadent game, saddle-leather, plum and sautéed wild mushroom aromas. No hint of fancy oak, just a mouthful of Châteauneuf character that swirls around to a long, sweet finish. Another great négoce red from Guigal. Drink now through 2008.
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2000 E. Guigal

Cote Rotie "Brune et Blonde"

90 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 8/03

Discreet red, with reserved mineral, wet earth character and a tightly wound tannin structure. The fruit isn?t very ripe, but shows up as cherries, blackberries and, in a different register, some floral notes. Very subtle oak, just touches of mocha and spices. Will improve with age. Best from 2005 through 2011.
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2000 E. Guigal

Hermitage

97 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 9/03

Ultrarich and ultrathick. A full-bodied, stunningly sweet-tasting Northern Rhône, it delivers a ripe mouthfeel and plenty of fruit, mineral and toasty, smoky character. Long, balanced finish. Great Hermitage red from Guigal. Drink now through 2012.
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2001 Mas de Boislauzon

Chateauneuf du Pape

90 Points Robert Parker 2/04

The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits a dark ruby/purple color as well as a pure bouquet of loamy soil aromas intertwined with balsam wood, earth, briery berry fruit, pepper, and spice. The aromatics are accompanied by a layered, lush, medium to full-bodied palate impression, sweet fruit, and moderate tannin. Cellar this 2001 for 1-2 years and enjoy it over the following 10-12.

2001 Mas de Boislauzon

Chateauneuf du Pape "Cuvee de Quet"

92 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 5/04

This dark and brawny red has its back turned to us for now, though there's a pile of dark currant and blackberry fruit, bittersweet chocolate, bitter almond and mineral notes that ambitious folks will look forward to scaling after extended cellaring. A burly wine whose spiky minerality is not for the faint of heart. Best from 2006 through 2019. 250 cases made.
–JM

1998 Louis Bernard

Gigondas

90 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 8/00

Thick and dense, with mucho smoke, toasted wood and spice from apparent oak accents, but also lovely ripe black and red fruit character. Black in color, expressive and flavorful, driven more by clean, pure terroir driven fruit. Best from 2006 through 2015.
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2001 Patrick Lesec

Cotes du Rhone "Rubis"

90 Points Robert Parker 2/04

The 2001 Cotes du Rhone Rubis is an outstanding offering. Aged in equal parts tank, neutral wood foudres, and used barrels, this blend of 95% Grenache and 5% Syrah was made completely from destemmed fruit. This deep ruby/purple-colored 2001 offers up a sweet perfume of blackberries, scorched earth, licorice, and beef blood. Rich and chewy, it is a delicious Cotes du Rhone to drink over the next 5-6 years.

2004 Paul Autard

Chateauneuf du Pape

90 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 11/06

A good beam of black currant and raspberry, with tobacco, tar and graphite notes on the racy finish. Slightly firm and toasty now, but has solid concentration. Should open up nicely in the near term. Best from 2007 through 2016.
–JM

2001 Pierre Usseglio

Chateauneuf du Pape

91 Points Robert Parker

The brilliant 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape should not be overlooked (the 1998 and 2000 are drinking spectacularly well at present). A peppery, leathery, earthy effort with copious quantities of black cherries, this dense, full-bodied 2001 is surprisingly precocious by Usseglio’s standards. Nevertheless, 1-2 years of cellaring is warranted given the size and structure of this big, chewy, 75% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Cinsault, and 5% Syrah blend. It was aged in neutral wood foudres for 15-18 months. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2014.

2003 Perrin & Fils

Chateauneuf du Pape "Les Sinards"

91 Points Wine Spectator Magazine 9/05

Juicy, modern style, with mocha, blackberry, fig and boysenberry flavors mingling with tar and mineral notes. Firm finish has plenty of pure fruit for balance, and this gains steam in the glass too. Drink now through 2013.
–JM