1981 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The 1981 vintage of Beaucastel remains one of my absolute favorites, alongside of the 1989, 1970 and 1959, from this iconic Châteauneuf du Pape estate. The wine has been drinking with great distinction since the early 1990s, but continues to cruise along as if time will have no dominion over its destiny and it is more beautiful today than at any time in its long and graceful evolution in bottle. The bouquet is flat out brilliant, soaring from the glass in a pure and vibrant blend of autumn leaves, acorns, sweet dark berries, saddle leather, a touch of licorice, gorgeous soil tones, hung game and a bit of bonfire in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and extremely elegant in profile for Beaucastel, with a lovely core of fruit, beautiful complexity, melting tannins, good acids and magical length and grip on the perfectly balanced and dancing finish. Thirty-five years out from the vintage, I profoundly regret only buying one case of this wine when it was first released, as I should have salted away at least five boxes! That original case is long, long gone today, but fortunately, I still have friends that were smarter than I was back in my youth!

A giant of a wine. Decant a few hours before serving if you want to drink it now. Deep in color, with super-ripe game, chocolate and tobacco aromas. Full-bodied, with a thick, massive fruit structure and tons of tannins. Has a gigantic finish. (JS)