1993 Beaucastel CDP

[sedhed]

Just finished this. Had it with a spicey pepper steak meal.
Dark ruby and clear. I followed Fondie's advice and did not decant. Poured two glasses and let sit for an hour taking a sip every 20 minutes; took a lot of will power.
The aroma was leathery and spicey with some earth notes. My wife calls it "stinky feet" which is a good omen based on past Rhones we've had.
The taste keep improving for about 2 and 1/2 hours. Well balanced with cherry and berry flavor tannins very smooth. Wife detected a chocolately after taste. The body was med to heavy but not as powerful as the 1990 Guigal
Hermitage[unfair comparison I guess].
Finish was medium. ON the whole a very enjoyable wine. I recommend it highly specially for those who have not tried these types of wines.
P.S. Great looking bottle by the way; it has raised lettering on the glass and what looks like crossed keys.

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 01-30-2004).]

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 01-30-2004).]

[Thomas]

Usually a dynamite product. When an eleven year-old wine needs two hours to open up you know you've got something interesting.

But sedhed, you didn't have that sipping wine nearby to keep you while you waited. [img]http://wines.com/ubb2/eek.gif[/img]

It would be a nice experiment to have had two bottles--decant one and wait for the other to see if decanting takes anything away. I have not done that experiment, but the next time I have two bottles of a powerhouse wine lying around I will do it.

[sedhed]

I would love to do that but I don't think I could afford the cost or the alcohol intake. My wife and I are the only ones in our house that drink wine on a regular basis. I also have other addictions that my wife barely tolerates: I'm not allowed to enter a high end A/V store without adult supervision.

[tandkvd]

I know what you mean sedhed, A/V stores are my weakness also. And with the Panthers in the Super Bowl, every sales paper has big ads for Widescreen, Plazma, & Hi-Def TV's. I have had to throw them away as soon as I open the newspaper. I know if I looked at them long enough I would talk myself into buying one.

I did that a couple years ago with suround sound. My wife and I went shopping and she left me alone at Circuit City for about one hour and $2,200.00.

[sedhed]

We're like crack addicts going to crack town with hundred dollar bills in our pockets. You're lucky you went to Circuit City[aka the evil empire]. Some of the A/V stores I used to go to, you'd be lucky to get a powered subwoofer for $2,200.

[tandkvd]

At least with A/V parifanila I can explane it to my wife as "it's for the family". Now if I spent that much on wine I would be devorsed by now.

By the way I ment to say that the above wine sounds great. How much was it?

[Thomas]

$2,200...

[sedhed]

It was $23.99 marked down from $29.99 according to the price tag. I bought it in Gainesville, Fl. some time in 1996 give or take a year. I doubt you'll be able to find a bottle of it today; at least at that price.

[This message has been edited by sedhed (edited 01-31-2004).]

[tandkvd]

I didn't figure to be able to afford a bottle of a good '93 wine. I just like to see how much that particular wine was. I salivate over WW's TN's and then see that he paid $45 by the box. I would love to be able to buy wine like that and taste it at differant levals of maturaty.

But I have been at this wine thing, seriously, for just over a year now.

[winoweenie]

A really solid producer. I didn't buy any of the 93s' but have had many lovely fights
with other vintages. WW

[sedhed]

Hi WW.
From what I read the 1993 vintage did not get good reveiws early on.I think that's why the price was marked down. But as you know when you're dealing with a producer like Beaucastel you can take a chance if the price is right.