Chaupin Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend

Burnt tasting maybe over the hill

Nose is brimming with pure and sweet cane berry liqueur, licorice, grilled fruit, and sweet floral aromatics. Deep and seductive aroma. Palate is sweet and full, lots of pleasure here. There’s some subtle garrigue and a little toasty burnt caramel note on the finish. Really elegant and satisfying.

Camphor and baked earth. Rich and round, perfectly layered and integrated, with fine tannins and a silky smooth mouthfeel. Long finish. Years to go.

2006 may be the most highly underrated vintage of the past decade in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This showed an intense nose of blackberry, plum sauce, charred meat and grilled herbs. On the palate, it displayed weighty textures with impeccable balance, showing blackberry, raisins, cherry liquor, and anise. It finished long on black cherry and spice. (Decanted for four hours)

Still opening...

Red to orange to yellow to clear lip. Unfined with sediment mixed in (clearly I disturbed her). Some initial strawberry on the nose, then anise, and mild petroleum. Strong green olives on the palate, any taster would immediately identify this note. Going to hold for a bit before pronouncing judgement...

1 hour in.... Olives have bent towards muddled mushrooms. Better...

So I certainly respect this wine, but there really isn't a lot to hang my hat on. The fruit is pretty much dead. The olives wouldn't relent overall. It remains savory. So this could possibly pair with a soft mild cheese (brie), or on the other side of dinner with something not too sweet (cheesecake), but I'm stretching. I guess , in
my opinion I would surmise that it is past peak.

90+ points

Ayoye! Quel vin.... Fruits noirs, pruneau, chocolat, un poil animal. Texture caressant le palais. Longueur impressionnante et aucune impression du 15,5% d’alcool. Tout simplement charmeur, sexy. Encore tres jeune... devrait s’améliorer encore sur quelques années.

Ethereal nose of blackcurrant and blackberry extract, a powerful brambly dream. So pure and layered on the palate, dark fruit and some secondary meat and blood, cement-stoniness. Great acidity, not a hint of wood or alcohol but the structure to go on for 20+ years.

Layers of ripe red fruit. Red plum and cherry. This is still youthful after 9 years. Really yummy. I we in a Grenache kinda mood tonight and I am a happy guy with this one.

Izek had this 9 years ago

Mike had this 11 years ago