Boston Wine Festival

[Charles Smith]

Question #1:  Since participants on this thread collectively have more information on Beaucastel than I could ever hope to have, how long should I hold onto my '98s before drinking? (I only have 2 bottles)

- buy more- it will be an amazing wine.

with only 2, I'd open one in 2007 and then see how it's drinking to gauge the next open-

about the Squires' thread-

insane. I don't drink enough burg to wade in, but I'm a fan of both '93 and '98 ;-)

[MartyL]

how long should I hold onto my '98s before drinking? (I only have 2 bottles)

I'm certainly no expert, but I'm planning to wait until around 2008 before I check on the 98 again. I suggest you make a note to yourself to check with MikeC or Steve P. around then to see how the 98 is doing. Of course, by then Steve may be unreachable due to his elopement with Becky Wasserman...

Edited to add the following: I'd also suggest you periodically consult the Beaucastel website (link below), which includes tasting notes and food pairing recommendations for all the vintages. I believe the notes were written by Mike Rijken, a former sommelier and currently the pr man at Beaucastel, and I expect they will be updated from time to time. As MikeC and Steve will tell you, if you ever find yourself in the area of CDP and call ahead to make an appointment, Mike will give you one of the best winery tour/tastings around.

http://www.vinternet.net/Beaucastel

Edited December 12, 2002 by MartyL (log)

[MartyL]

I don't drink enough burg to wade in, but I'm a fan of both '93 and '98 ;-)

I also don't drink enough Burg. I could drink a bottle every day and still wouldn't be drinking enough Burg

Anyway, apropos of your comment, I had a bottle of Jadot's 98 Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos St. Jacques" last night that was just stunning. I'll quote a friend of mine, a wine professional from Italy who I believe you know, who's description of the aromatics was "an infusion of wild daisies and chamomile." He also said he was moved at what the winemaker was able to draw out of the grapes and the terroir in that wine. Yes, there were some tannins on the finish, but I did not find them to be coarse or overbearing at all. This was a recent auction purchase at a rather depressed price, for which I have Mr. Rovani's criticism of the 98 vintage to thank.

Now, if only we could get him to start criticizing the 99s...

[mikec]

Question #1:  Since participants on this thread collectively have more information on Beaucastel than I could ever hope to have, how long should I hold onto my '98s before drinking? (I only have 2 bottles)

Bushey,

Personally I would hold the bottles for about 10 years before trying the first one. Assuming good storage, I think that the 98 is an epic bottle of wine that will gain complexity for about 10-12 years and then drink well for another 10-12.

Enjoy,

Mike

[bushey]

Now, if only we could get him to start criticizing the 99s...

Speaking of which, at lunch yesterday my husband mentioned he would be stopping by our favorite wine/gourmet type store to pick up some bread and cheese, and asked if I wanted him to get anything. So I answered "Sure, pick up a bottle of the $100 wine I want, the '99 Clos de Tart".

And he did!

Thanks for all the Beaucastel advice. I've set all of my 98 CdPs on one side of the wine rack in a "do not touch" area. Guess I'll have to label it "do not touch until 2010".

[Steve Plotnicki]

Marcus - I find Rovani pretty useless at this point. He is good at rating the estates that make huge wines. If Ponsot happens to get it right one year, Rovani and Parker are your men. Same with Leflaive. But if you want to drink producers who feature terroir, you're better off with one of the other publications. In general for the type of Burgundys I like, there is much better info out there with Meadows being the best. By the way, on this thread we have been talking about on eRobertparker.com, someone talks of how his 1996 Verget La Romanee are shot and taste like sweet wine. I sold mine a few years ago .

Bushey - The '98 Beaucastel is going to be legendary. When it was first released, I bought a bottle and opened it. I left it on the kitchen counter for 4 days and it didn't oxidize at all. It kept getting better. To me, 2010 is too early. I think we are talking 20 years here.

MikeC - That's my point exactly. A score of 68 only antagonizes Burgundy drinkers. And then when they criticize the WA for "knowing nothing" Rovani posts a rant. It's all ego and hubris with no substance to back it up.

[bushey]

I found the Beaucastel at a wine store in the French West Indies last year for 40 euros and brought back two bottles. The storage conditions appeared to be good and the owner spent a while chatting with us -- he only has wine shipped during the cool months and he had cases and cases of really high end stuff for the big money winter crowd. I wish I had bought a few more...............twenty years, huh? What am I gonna drink in the meantime?