With a dinner of a hastily thown-together pseudo-Jambalaya, I went to
the cellar for a CdR as a reasonable match. I came up with a bottle of
the '01 Dom. de la Grand Bois Cairanne 'Cuvée Maximilien' which proved
to be hideously corked, so back down for a backup bottle, the '01 Clos
du Caillou, which thankfully proved to be devoid of taint:

nose: reticent at first (too cold), showing a brambly dark fruit and
minerals

palate: medium body, dark cherry fruit, pencil lead, herbs, spices,
silky tannins, good acidity

comments: This is a North Berkeley Import, but unlike so many of their
wines, it wasn't oaky in the least. In fact, it could have passed for a
good quality CdP, as concentrated and ageworthy as it was. From the
taste, I guessed that it had quite a bit of Mourvedre in the mix, but
Jancis says it's 85% Grenache, so forget that. Still, I'm glad that I
have more of this in the cellar and I don't plan on opening them up for
a while longer.

Another afterthought: this is one of my first glimpses into what '01 is
like in the S. Rhone. On the basis of this bottle, I think that it's a
vintage to be excited about: richly fruity, with good structure and
excellent balance.

Mark Lipton

On Mar 28, 11:57�pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> With a dinner of a hastily thown-together pseudo-Jambalaya, I went to
> the cellar for a CdR as a reasonable match. *I came up with a bottle of
> the '01 Dom. de la Grand Bois Cairanne 'Cuvée Maximilien' which proved
> to be hideously corked, so back down for a backup bottle, the '01 Clos
> du Caillou, which thankfully proved to be devoid of taint:
>
> nose: reticent at first (too cold), showing a brambly dark fruit and
> minerals
>
> palate: medium body, dark cherry fruit, pencil lead, herbs, spices,
> silky tannins, good acidity
>
> comments: This is a North Berkeley Import, but unlike so many of their
> wines, it wasn't oaky in the least. *In fact, it could have passed for a
> good quality CdP, as concentrated and ageworthy as it was. *From the
> taste, I guessed that it had quite a bit of Mourvedre in the mix, but
> Jancis says it's 85% Grenache, so forget that. *Still, I'm glad that I
> have more of this in the cellar and I don't plan on opening them up for
> a while longer.
>
> Another afterthought: this is one of my first glimpses into what '01 is
> like in the S. Rhone. *On the basis of this bottle, I think that it's a
> vintage to be excited about: richly fruity, with good structure and
> excellent balance.
>
> Mark Lipton

I've only had scattered tastes, but what I have had makes me wish I
had bought more '01 Southern Rhones. Especially on the CdR level- all
I have left are a couple bottles of Coudolet de Bo and Charvin. I've
got a few CdP (Clos des Papes, Beaucastel, Pontifical, Cuvee du
Vatican) but not enough.

Thanks for notes

On Mar 29, 3:11�pm, "DaleW" > wrote:
> On Mar 28, 11:57?pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > With a dinner of a hastily thown-together pseudo-Jambalaya, I went to
> > the cellar for a CdR as a reasonable match. ?I came up with a bottle of
> > the '01 Dom. de la Grand Bois Cairanne 'Cuv?Maximilien' which proved
> > to be hideously corked, so back down for a backup bottle, the '01 Clos
> > du Caillou, which thankfully proved to be devoid of taint:
>
> > nose: reticent at first (too cold), showing a brambly dark fruit and
> > minerals
>
> > palate: medium body, dark cherry fruit, pencil lead, herbs, spices,
> > silky tannins, good acidity
>
> > comments: This is a North Berkeley Import, but unlike so many of their
> > wines, it wasn't oaky in the least. ?In fact, it could have passed for a
> > good quality CdP, as concentrated and ageworthy as it was. ?From the
> > taste, I guessed that it had quite a bit of Mourvedre in the mix, but
> > Jancis says it's 85% Grenache, so forget that. ?Still, I'm glad that I
> > have more of this in the cellar and I don't plan on opening them up for
> > a while longer.
>
> > Another afterthought: this is one of my first glimpses into what '01 is
> > like in the S. Rhone. ?On the basis of this bottle, I think that it's a
> > vintage to be excited about: richly fruity, with good structure and
> > excellent balance.
>
> > Mark Lipton
>
> I've only had scattered tastes, but what I have had makes me wish I
> had bought more '01 Southern Rhones. Especially on the CdR level- all
> I have left are a couple bottles of Coudolet de Bo and Charvin. *I've
> got a few CdP (Clos des Papes, Beaucastel, Pontifical, Cuvee du
> Vatican) but not enough.
>
> Thanks for notes- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


I bought a discounted '01 Beaucastel CdP knocked down (or mismarked)
at $35 a few weeks ago. It was really supple and fruity and left me
wanting more. Even with all of the forward fruit there was a nice
core of acidity that kept it from being cloying. The few 2001 CdP's
that I have in my cellar are Roger Sabon's which are a bit bigger and
riper in style with an abundance of oak.

On Mar 29, 3:22�pm, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> On Mar 29, 3:11?pm, "DaleW" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Mar 28, 11:57?pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > > With a dinner of a hastily thown-together pseudo-Jambalaya, I went to
> > > the cellar for a CdR as a reasonable match. ?I came up with a bottle of
> > > the '01 Dom. de la Grand Bois Cairanne 'Cuv?Maximilien' which proved
> > > to be hideously corked, so back down for a backup bottle, the '01 Clos
> > > du Caillou, which thankfully proved to be devoid of taint:
>
> > > nose: reticent at first (too cold), showing a brambly dark fruit and
> > > minerals
>
> > > palate: medium body, dark cherry fruit, pencil lead, herbs, spices,
> > > silky tannins, good acidity
>
> > > comments: This is a North Berkeley Import, but unlike so many of their
> > > wines, it wasn't oaky in the least. ?In fact, it could have passed for a
> > > good quality CdP, as concentrated and ageworthy as it was. ?From the
> > > taste, I guessed that it had quite a bit of Mourvedre in the mix, but
> > > Jancis says it's 85% Grenache, so forget that. ?Still, I'm glad that I
> > > have more of this in the cellar and I don't plan on opening them up for
> > > a while longer.
>
> > > Another afterthought: this is one of my first glimpses into what '01 is
> > > like in the S. Rhone. ?On the basis of this bottle, I think that it's a
> > > vintage to be excited about: richly fruity, with good structure and
> > > excellent balance.
>
> > > Mark Lipton
>
> > I've only had scattered tastes, but what I have had makes me wish I
> > had bought more '01 Southern Rhones. Especially on the CdR level- all
> > I have left are a couple bottles of Coudolet de Bo and Charvin. ?I've
> > got a few CdP (Clos des Papes, Beaucastel, Pontifical, Cuvee du
> > Vatican) but not enough.
>
> > Thanks for notes- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> I bought a discounted '01 Beaucastel CdP knocked down (or mismarked)
> at $35 a few weeks ago. *It was really supple and fruity and left me
> wanting more. *Even with all of the forward fruit there was a nice
> core of acidity that kept it from being cloying. *The few 2001 CdP's
> that I have in my cellar are Roger Sabon's which are a bit bigger and
> riper in style with an abundance of oak.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

This sounds more forward than I would have suspected. I hadn't planned
on visiting mine till 2015 or so, do you think that unwise?

On Mar 30, 4:30?pm, "DaleW" > wrote:
> On Mar 29, 3:22?pm, "Bi!!" > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Mar 29, 3:11?pm, "DaleW" > wrote:
>
> > > On Mar 28, 11:57?pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > > > With a dinner of a hastily thown-together pseudo-Jambalaya, I went to
> > > > the cellar for a CdR as a reasonable match. ?I came up with a bottle of
> > > > the '01 Dom. de la Grand Bois Cairanne 'Cuv?Maximilien' which proved
> > > > to be hideously corked, so back down for a backup bottle, the '01 Clos
> > > > du Caillou, which thankfully proved to be devoid of taint:
>
> > > > nose: reticent at first (too cold), showing a brambly dark fruit and
> > > > minerals
>
> > > > palate: medium body, dark cherry fruit, pencil lead, herbs, spices,
> > > > silky tannins, good acidity
>
> > > > comments: This is a North Berkeley Import, but unlike so many of their
> > > > wines, it wasn't oaky in the least. ?In fact, it could have passed for a
> > > > good quality CdP, as concentrated and ageworthy as it was. ?From the
> > > > taste, I guessed that it had quite a bit of Mourvedre in the mix, but
> > > > Jancis says it's 85% Grenache, so forget that. ?Still, I'm glad that I
> > > > have more of this in the cellar and I don't plan on opening them up for
> > > > a while longer.
>
> > > > Another afterthought: this is one of my first glimpses into what '01 is
> > > > like in the S. Rhone. ?On the basis of this bottle, I think that it's a
> > > > vintage to be excited about: richly fruity, with good structure and
> > > > excellent balance.
>
> > > > Mark Lipton
>
> > > I've only had scattered tastes, but what I have had makes me wish I
> > > had bought more '01 Southern Rhones. Especially on the CdR level- all
> > > I have left are a couple bottles of Coudolet de Bo and Charvin. ?I've
> > > got a few CdP (Clos des Papes, Beaucastel, Pontifical, Cuvee du
> > > Vatican) but not enough.
>
> > > Thanks for notes- Hide quoted text -
>
> > > - Show quoted text -
>
> > I bought a discounted '01 Beaucastel CdP knocked down (or mismarked)
> > at $35 a few weeks ago. ?It was really supple and fruity and left me
> > wanting more. ?Even with all of the forward fruit there was a nice
> > core of acidity that kept it from being cloying. ?The few 2001 CdP's
> > that I have in my cellar are Roger Sabon's which are a bit bigger and
> > riper in style with an abundance of oak.- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -
>
> This sounds more forward than I would have suspected. I hadn't planned
> on visiting mine till 2015 or so, do you think that unwise?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I bought it at a wine store so provenence was likely to have been
warm. The wine was quite forward and fruity and I wouldn't hold that
particular bottle of Beaucastel for that long. That being said, I've
had a number of '01 Rhones recently that really needed at least
another 3-5 years to pull together. The Sabons need time to tone down
a bit.