Now, this is more like it. A big step up from the disjointed Les Chailles, the 2019 Cornas Vieilles Vignes is a classic rendering of Cornas, with hints of crushed stone, mint, blueberries and red berries on the nose. It's... Read More
Two great back to back vintages are the 1990 and 1989. The more developed 1990 boasts an incredible perfume of hickory wood, coffee, smoked meat, Asian spices, black cherries, and blackberries. Lush, opulent, and full-bodied,... Read More
The 1994 seems less successful than my early tastings indicated. The high percentage of Mourvedre (40% versus the normal 30%) has given it an earthy, leathery character with hints of mushrooms and tree bark. Although dense and... Read More
The opaque ruby/purple-colored 2000 Chateauneuf du Pape offers a profoundly sweet perfume of melted licorice, blackberries, and black cherries backed up by loads of glycerin, full body, and moderately high but sweet, well-integrated... Read More
The 2003 Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape turned out as well as I could have hoped and is certainly an outstanding wine, deep ruby/purple with a tight but promising nose of black fruits, loamy, earthy notes intermixed with pepper,... Read More
The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape is a beauty and has a rare level of concentration and depth in the vintage. Blueberry, crushed flowers, pepper, and violet aromas and flavors flow nicely to a medium to full-bodied, structured and... Read More
The Cuvee Centenaire is produced from ancient vine (planted in 1889) Grenache (80% of the blend, along with 8% Syrah and 12% Mourvedre). The 2001 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Centenaire is superior to the 2000, but slightly behind... Read More
Almost entirely Grenache from les Bédines, the 2019 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Safres delivers ripe black-cherry fruit and is remarkably silky and full-bodied on the mid-palate, then turns more firmly tannic and dusty on the finish.... Read More
The 2010 Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron has fleshed out since last year offering notes of black olives, garrigue, licorice, forest floor, bacon fat, raspberries and black currants. This medium-bodied Cote Rotie veers more toward... Read More
Marcel Guigal was shrewd enough to recognize the greatness of this vintage and bought heavily from all his sources in Chateauneuf du Pape, resulting in one of the finest Chateauneufs this firm has produced. Already delicious,... Read More
From the Cote Blonde, the 2009 Cote Rotie Domaine des Pierrelles reveals classic notes of black olives, black raspberries, sweet cherries, meat and earth. Ripe and medium-bodied with sweet tannin, it comes across as structured... Read More
Two stellar performances from the Jamet brothers, both the 1996 and 1995 are impressively-endowed, rich, highly-extracted yet beautifully harmonious examples of Cote Rotie. The spectacular 1995 Cote Rotie reveals an even more... Read More
Concentrated as well as aromatic, the 2001 Cote Rotie offers up scents of wild game, roasted meats, animal fur, berry fruit, and mountain flowers. Full-bodied, thick, concentrated, and tannic, it cuts a broad swath across the... Read More
Now that it is in bottle, the 2018 Chateauneuf du Pape exhibits dark-fruit aromas of plums and blackberries, plus notes of cola, dried spices and licorice. It's medium to full-bodied, lacking a bit of richness on the mid-palate,... Read More
And a candidate for the wine of the vintage, the 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes is always a rough blend of 85% Grenache and the balance Syrah, Mourvedre, Clairette and other permitted varieties, that has the Grenache... Read More
Chave produced the best red Hermitage of this vintage. Yet for Chave 1985 was not a year he cares to remember. Holding back the tears, he sadly states that his beloved mother, as well as his faithful sidekick, his dog, passed... Read More
The magnificent 1995 Hermitage is one of the classic Rhones of the vintage. The wine, which had just been bottled, was revealing no signs of fatigue. The color is opaque purple, and the wine is beautifully made, offering up scents... Read More
The 1998 Hermitage is also gorgeous, yet has more concentration and depth. Described as a granite year? by Jean-Louis, this puppy has searing, liquid rock-like qualities to go with ample dark fruit, gunpowder and flint. Structured,... Read More
Along with the single vineyard offerings from Michel Chapoutier, Chave's 2000 Hermitage is a candidate for this appellation's "wine of the vintage." A dense ruby/purple color is accompanied by sumptuous aromas of licorice,... Read More
The hot summer with some rain in '88 made thick, full-bodied reds. This is no exception. Still young and closed, with tough and chewy tannins, with the terroir expressing a mineral, lead pencil and iron-tasting quality. Layered... Read More
From a low-yield, hot-summer vintage, this full-bodied Syrah is still very young and tough, with a plummy, ripe character, chalk, mineral and leather notes and excellent concentration. The tannins are beginning to integrate nicely,... Read More
From a low-yield, hot-summer vintage, this full-bodied Syrah is still very young and tough, with a plummy, ripe character, chalk, mineral and leather notes and excellent concentration. The tannins are beginning to integrate nicely,... Read More
From a low-yield, hot-summer vintage, this full-bodied Syrah is still very young and tough, with a plummy, ripe character, chalk, mineral and leather notes and excellent concentration. The tannins are beginning to integrate nicely,... Read More
Much more expressive on the nose than the '97--and darker and thicker--adding to the evidence that '96 is a better vintage in the northern Rhône. Delivers a round, clean, pure mouthfeel of vibrant, focused red berry and... Read More