1985 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape

I have had some great bottles of the 1985 Clos du Mont-Olivet Chateauneuf du Pape, but none of them have come from those I purchased, which were imported by Robert Kacher. At its finest, this wine, which won first prize in the Festival of St.-Marc, is one of the top 1985s. Other bottlings have been lighter-weight, more diluted, straightforward cuvees that barely resemble the wine that won so many raves in Chateauneuf du Pape. Depending on which 1985 you have, it is either a wine that can be drunk over another 7-10 years, or one that should be immediately consumed. The 1985 Chateauneuf du Pape demonstrates one of my major concerns at Clos du Mont-Olivet - it often takes as long as ten years to bottle a given vintage, resulting in unacceptable bottle variation. It is a practice employed by far too many Chateauneuf du Pape estates, and unfortunately, is too rarely criticized. Because the wines tend to dry out in the windy, hot, dry climate of Chateauneuf du Pape, a wine bottled 4, 6, or 8 years later than a wine bottled after 14-16 months of cask aging will be completely different. Usually less fresh, fat, and concentrated, it will, in short, be a lesser wine. Rarely does the reverse exist. The bottle variation that plagues Clos du Mont-Olivet and other Chateauneuf du Pape estates needs to be rectified by the appellation authorities. It is a shame, as the raw materials are excellent. Readers are advised to always purchase the earliest releases, and approach those wines released 5-8 years after the harvest with caution. Importers: Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 832-9083 and A Peter Vezan Selection, (Paris fax # 011 33 1 42554293) various American importers.