Font Michelle, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cuvee Etienne Gonnet

Soft perfumred red fruit, complex , forest floor, long finish, in a good spot. Palate is resolved, ripe fruit

1999 vintage

Hello to an old friend. Grenache nose, kirsch, red cherry fruit, white pepper, spices. Lovely sweet fruit on the palate, cherry, raspberry. Surprisingly fresh and lively, but such is 1999 in the southern Rhône. And there’s a thing with 100+ year old vines. Happy to have a few bottles left in the cellar.

1999 vintage

Very old vines Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The old Grenache shows here: the fruit is holding up very well, it is sweet and dense, there’s kirsch here. Pepper and garrigue notes underneath. Quite good Neuf from the time when spécial cuvées started to enter the scene. While there probably isn’t more to come, there is no hurry to drink up either.

2001 vintage

At Boston Wine & Poker: Tasted blind. Sweet, rich, slightly wild. A treat. Drink soon. Many thanks to Karl for providing this one.

2001 vintage

*1st night drinks great. Nice fruit in a good way. *2nd night fades fast. See how this will develop. Could go either way, from prior posts.

2001 vintage

Fading since the last bottle, definitely time to drink up.

2001 vintage

Drank over three days and the wine just kept getting more approachable each day. Brick red suggests the age it is. Wild forest strawberries, spice and rum cake on the nose. Intriguing nose. Resolved tannin and long, long finish. So enjoyable now but easy five year left.

2001 vintage

Tydligt att vinet har börjat mogna men fortfarande väldigt rödfruktigt. Sylvass syra men milda tanniner. Till en början smakar det rengöringsmedel men det försvinner snabbt. Sen kommer det mängder av röda bär, lakrits, och parfym. Långt avslut och tydligt att det här vinet är i en perfekt mognadsfas. Riktigt gott!

2001 vintage

BYOB hyped and disregarded vintages - a free interpretation (Sollentuna chez Innertällmo bryggeri) : Great wine that was served double blind and had me far far away from Chateauneuf in my guesses. Such perfectly integrated and complex aromas and surely in peak drinking window right now. I thought it for sure had some structure and a bit of tar but mostly just beautiful fruit with some age on it and a medium body with good freshness. Highly recommended.

2001 vintage

WOTN! Remarkable transformation in the glass and kept getting better during the evening. Drank it blind and was torn between Burgundy and Bordeaux, although there was a slightly smokey and meaty aroma on the nose which could have pointed me towards Rhône. Perfect drinking window, surely at its peak now.

2001 vintage

Hazy brick red in color. Hauntingly beautiful aromas of red berries, Christmas baking spices, licorice, sautéed mushrooms, forest-floor and florals. Medium bodied on the palate shows sweet and sappy red berry compote, savory brown sauce, medium acidity, fully resolved tannins and a very long licorice and floral tinged finish. What a pleasant experience!

2001 vintage

The Pope's Chateau (Casa Covolo) : Color dark ruby with some cloudiness. Nose of rustic dark cherry. Nothing special on the palate, but not offensive either. Finished tied for 4th out of 5.

2001 vintage

Nice older CdP that is not past age at all.

2001 vintage

Hazy maroon color. Plum and jammy black current fruit. Spice, underbrush, and cedar on the finish. A bit tired.

2001 vintage

My tasting notes align with the more recent "93 point" notes. I was surprised by how vibrant the wine was upon opening. Beautiful berry notes on the nose. Great finish. Got a little jammy as it sat. Lovely texture in spite of the little bit of silt. Typically I would have decanted a wine of this age to aerate it but this was not required.

2001 vintage

My last bottle of this and although it was pretty good, it seemed a bit tired and I'm sure was better in previous years. Almost like a very light Amarone but doesn't have the punch.

2001 vintage

A strong showing for an 18 year old Chateauneuf that was our last bottle of Cuvee Etienne Gonnet. Opaque purple with colored bubbles. Visually the poured wine looked somewhat silty but this did not make the wine any less enjoyable. Tasty raspberry fruit throughout. Very nice mouth entry with refreshing acidity, a smooth texture, and well integrated tannin. Consistently one of the top 3 wines when drunk with 6 others at lunch and dinner across 5 days, with no additional …

2001 vintage

Beautiful wine, drinking very well right now. I understand why the average tasting is low on this wine, but if you want GREAT QPR, then open a bottle now.

2001 vintage

Fading but still very pleasant on the palate. Expected an undrinkable from others comments but it was not. Will drink my remaining bottle soon The wine looks garnet colored. There is moderate sediment in the bottle.

2001 vintage

(random midweek) Dark ruby garnet in glass, brick rim, hint cloudy. Exotic spices, cured meat, late berries. Leather, black pepper, and lifted exotic spice. Palate is effortlessly concentrated, and very much alive! Beautiful balance, effusive dark florals, soft red fruit, edging on blue, compote concentration. Lifted tobacco sweetness, cedar spice and well-resolved tannins. haw-flakes. Good structure, balance and elegant! Very much intact, and finishes savoury with a minty streak, inviting the next sip. This is showing very well, despite what …

2001 vintage

Corked.

1999 vintage

Just opened my first from the Garagiste library sale and am pleased the bottle seems fine, although undoubtedly past its prime it is an interesting wine. The pruniness in a rich wine like this might even get a vote for Amarone in a blind tasting, as I found it enjoyable, but it is slightly lacking in structure and grip. Night two (pumped immediately first night), seemed fragile but not bad. Didn't improve but didn't disappear either. Best just to open …

2001 vintage

Opened one and it was well past gone. Tried a second and it is much better but past its prime. Not quite oxidized but certainly heading downhill rapidly. Wine shipped straight from Garagiste to offsite storage so not a storage issue on my end

2001 vintage

A very nice aged CdP. Funky medium dark fruit, with a fairly long dry finish. Not going to improve much but definitely held together and improved a bit over an hour and a half.

1994 vintage

Kept open for a week. Opaque but with a slight brown tone that reveals its 16 years in the bottle. The nose likewise exhibits a slight hint of oxidation with still noticeable raspberry fruit. The sip is broad and gentle with a softened texture. The tannin and acidity provide enough background structure to keep the taste from being flabby or bland. The swallow is a nicely balanced and enjoyable mix of fruit, acid, and tannin. Although on the down side …

2001 vintage

Another major disappointment from garagiste. All 3 bottles purchased were pretty much undrinkable. Wine was delivered in 11/16 so no excuse. Fortunately this is an unusual experience from Garagiste.

2001 vintage

Wine was undrinkable. Totally gone, Garagiste purchase of library wine that was a bust. Ordered 3 and 2 were goners. Hopefully it will be a different story for the last bottle.

2001 vintage

Corked.

2001 vintage

Corked.

2001 vintage

At Imperial Treasure, Singapore with Peking Duck. Deep cherry red colour. Nose of myrtille, cassis, lavender and earth. Palate finer than nose with beautiful spherical mouthfeel and fine tannin finish. In beautiful shape with a weightlessness that comes with age and balance ( in a very cool cellar ). A fine choice from a private cellar for this classic dish.

1999 vintage

Red brown/brick colour.Complex aromas of sweet dried fruit,plum,figs and spices.A little ower its peak but still in a very nice drinking condition and quite approachable.Drink up soon.

1999 vintage

5th of 12. Red brown, spicy and earthy with berry fruit, Quite vegetal on finish. 3+/5

1999 vintage

Smooth berry melange on the nose. Woodsmoke, sweet blackberries, and barn funk. In a perfect drinking window.

1999 vintage

4th of 12. Still young and fresh with upfront herby red berry fruit supported by some farmyard. Slightly bitter vegetal flavours in finish. Soft tannins remain. 4/5

1999 vintage

It's still okay for some people but over it's top for me.

1999 vintage

Grenache-driven wine. The fruit is sweet and light red without being flamboyant. Christmas spices in the mix. Plenty of fruit left to keep this going.

1999 vintage

This bottle was rather enjoyable in its own right and served to oven roasted red meat. Red cherry fruit and Christmas spices combined with the structure and freshness of the 1999 vintage. Some Grenache sweetness here but in the good way. Will surely last for a lot longer.

1999 vintage

First bottle corked, second bottle fine. Much sweeter compared to the 1998 Saint Cosme Gigondas, the Grenache showing through with kirschy, bonbon type of flavors. Probably a quite decent wine in its own right but next to the Gigondas it lacked character and was simply too sweet and simple.

1999 vintage

Dark with some bricking. Deep and very ripe red fruit with some finishing sweetness, baking spices, leather. Medium+ finish. Full bodied wine with resolved tannins, some slightly stewed flavors, and deep soft fruit. This wine is drinking really well right now. B+/A-

1999 vintage

Dank nose of predominantly dark fruit, saddle leather and earth. saturated dark fruits on the palate, very ripe as well, but balanced and integrated. Opened up after a few hours to show more delineated red/black fruit with an open mouthfeel and youthful tannins and complimentary flavors of mushroom and pommegranit.

1999 vintage

Brick red. Medium intensity complex aroma of herbs and farmyard. Slightly more stoney on finish. 4/% (90-92)

1999 vintage

RIP etienne gonet. it is not your fault that i waited way too long to drink you. you were probably something in your prime.

1994 vintage

This was not giving much away on the nose to begin with, aside from a slightly moldy aroma, and the color was suprisingly light red and even a bit cloudy. Nice, red fruit on the palate though and plenty of spices and garrigue. After an hour in the decanter, though, this baby started to show its stuff. The color also turned much darker and cleared up completely with air. A quite elegant nose of sweet, red cherry fruit and spices. …

1999 vintage

Rich, ripe, sweet, with an opulent, spicy character. Flavours of raspberry, cherry and redcurrant. Mature but still quite vigorous, and good length.

1999 vintage

Medium depth of colour. The nose is clean and pure, with raspberry and cherry fruit: quite evolved and complex; good definition on the palate, fairly mature, but still lively and with a somewhat spirity finish (14% abv). This was altogether a very enjoyable wine.

1999 vintage

Opened last night, really came into its own after 1 hour in decanter. Agree that the wine is at peak.

1999 vintage

Consumed a week ago. Brief note that this was drinking beautifully and fully mature now. Can carry further but why bother.

1999 vintage

Plums, black cherries, grilled steak, Mediterranean herbs. Very lively mouthfeel, plums, firm tannins, on the thinner side for a CDP but still ripe. Long fresh finish. Nice wine .. perhaps better with another couple of years.

1999 vintage

Last bottle, not the strongest. Nice aged CNP, did not stand out.

1994 vintage

Have had several bottles of this in the last few months and it's drinking great. Bricking cherry nose, dusty and funky nose. Graham crackers, lush, open, sexy, grenache-y, nice balance, a little watery. With air seemed to gain weight...took on much more of a roasted meat character.

1994 vintage

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Font Michelle, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cuvee Etienne Gonnet

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