1999 Paul Avril Clos des Papes Chateauneuf du Pape

I once had this wine but different vintage of 2007 (RP 100), I was so impressed with it that I started to purchase those back vintages to see how it evolved into the killer 2007. 1999 was a very good vintage for CDP as well, so that’s a good gauge to have a forward looking view of how it arrived at 2007’s perfect vintage. I decanted it for 2.5 hours, bouquet was slightly herbal, with a blend of dark and red fruits. Content was really mellow, easy and pleasant to drink, with a bit of medicinal taste and dried leaves, a tinge of Chinese medicine, but it didn’t bother me much, with some leathery taste as well as blackcurrants, I still feel it’s very ready to drink at 23 years old. The ending was slightly tannic, so it implied that it should still benefit for aging for another decade or more. Worth a punt based on the price, as they’re still considered cheap compared to exorbitant red burgundies and Bordeaux prices.