Château Sixtine
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, Rhône, France
July's monthly WTF group meet up. Blind tasting with a theme of French wines. Bravo to all those who joined...great wines!
HOLY SMOKES. This is the best CDP I've tasted. This lines up with my traditional style...heavier, darker, full bodied wines and actually mirrors new world quite a bit. Sediment sat around the glass. On pour, almost black. Maple syrup notes. Black and blueberry preserves. Cedar, licorice, well integrated tannins. Best served at around cellar temp. Still a bit hot, so in about 3yrs, this should be incredible. For what it's worth, Parker gave this a 96. Thanks to @Mark Flesher for the help here!
July's monthly WTF group meet up. Blind tasting with a theme of French wines. Bravo to all those who joined...great wines!
HOLY SMOKES. This is the best CDP I've tasted. This lines up with my traditional style...heavier, darker, full bodied wines and actually mirrors new world quite a bit. Sediment sat around the glass. On pour, almost black. Maple syrup notes. Black and blueberry preserves. Cedar, licorice, well integrated tannins. Best served at around cellar temp. Still a bit hot, so in about 3yrs, this should be incredible. For what it's worth, Parker gave this a 96. Thanks to @Mark Flesher for the help here!
Always a great time at rimple's
Always a great time at rimple's
Sep 1st, 2016Bit too ripe for me. V. Dark.
Bit too ripe for me. V. Dark.
Mar 23rd, 2016
Given my poor French pronunciation, I was predisposed to like "Sixtine" but WOW. Layers of blueberry and blackberry on top of savory cured meat. Full-bodied and rounded with intricate structure.
Given my poor French pronunciation, I was predisposed to like "Sixtine" but WOW. Layers of blueberry and blackberry on top of savory cured meat. Full-bodied and rounded with intricate structure.
Mar 18th, 2015Delightful and drinkable. Went well with cheese and crackers and steak alike.
Delightful and drinkable. Went well with cheese and crackers and steak alike.
Dec 19th, 20202018 vintage tasted October 2020.. Granted this wine is quite young—however, while the tannins may mellow, the aromatics will fade—and the aromatics are what makes this wine interesting (IMHO). Toffee, sage, and rosemary on the nose. Blackberries on the front, but the mild fruit is immediately overwhelmed by a wave of rough tannins. The tannins aren’t velvety like your standard CNdP (I feel like these are Burgundian tannins transplanted south). Lots of tart high notes at the end with nothing to balance them. But Let this wine breathe for an hour and it will mellow out a bit. I suspect Burgundy drinkers will love this wine, but Cote du Rhône drinkers will find this wine just a wee bit raw. At the end of my imbibing, I felt like I had been sipping a mid-level Burgundy. Despite my criticisms, it’s very drinkable but not great.
2018 vintage tasted October 2020.. Granted this wine is quite young—however, while the tannins may mellow, the aromatics will fade—and the aromatics are what makes this wine interesting (IMHO). Toffee, sage, and rosemary on the nose. Blackberries on the front, but the mild fruit is immediately overwhelmed by a wave of rough tannins. The tannins aren’t velvety like your standard CNdP (I feel like these are Burgundian tannins transplanted south). Lots of tart high notes at the end with nothing to balance them. But Let this wine breathe for an hour and it will mellow out a bit. I suspect Burgundy drinkers will love this wine, but Cote du Rhône drinkers will find this wine just a wee bit raw. At the end of my imbibing, I felt like I had been sipping a mid-level Burgundy. Despite my criticisms, it’s very drinkable but not great.
Oct 24th, 2020
Dark ganache, espresso, blackberry and dark plum aromas and flavors, with a very pleasant and expressive aftertaste. Too young. This will blossom in 2 years.
Dark ganache, espresso, blackberry and dark plum aromas and flavors, with a very pleasant and expressive aftertaste. Too young. This will blossom in 2 years.
Jun 14th, 2020
För mycket starkvinssmak för min del, i övrigt lättomtyckt men saknar lite elegans
För mycket starkvinssmak för min del, i övrigt lättomtyckt men saknar lite elegans
Oct 20th, 2019Stayed away from a lot of 12 CDP but this was a deal i couldn't refuse here. Nose was very muted on initial cork pop and never really developed. Palate of this one after an hour was starting to come around. Tobacco, some dirty bing cherry, rose petal, dried oregano and sage notes with an acidic and slightly minty type of finish. Just wasn't a lot of it here. Medium bodied. Enjoyable. Not exactly sure what to do with the other 2 but probably would benefit from a few years in bottle.
Stayed away from a lot of 12 CDP but this was a deal i couldn't refuse here. Nose was very muted on initial cork pop and never really developed. Palate of this one after an hour was starting to come around. Tobacco, some dirty bing cherry, rose petal, dried oregano and sage notes with an acidic and slightly minty type of finish. Just wasn't a lot of it here. Medium bodied. Enjoyable. Not exactly sure what to do with the other 2 but probably would benefit from a few years in bottle.
Jun 23rd, 2019