Guigal Hermitage 1998

Red.

Wonderful nose of smoke, spice, herbs, potato and slow-roasted meat. Yes - like a good stew.

Linear and acid-driven, like the Chave, but deeper and more powerful thanks to a better, riper vintage. Nose repeats in the mouth, as well as red fruit (redcurrant/cranberry?). Late note of iron on the long chewy finish. No sense of effort here either, but not as harmonious as Chave.

I'm a big fan of Guigal's "basic" wines from the major appellations - no oak to speak of and usually showing considerable complexity from day 1. Reasonable $$ too.


$50

Clape Cornas 1998

Deep red.

Deep nose of nuts (hazelnut butter?) and sl. game, herbs and blackcurrant. Bordeaux-ish.

Bordeaux character repeats in mouth - deep black fruit, big, chewy tannin buttressed by lively acidity. Not as rustic as expected, which is something I noticed several months ago with the 2001 (very suave and fruit-driven).

This really needs several more years in the bottle, but I doubt the tannin will ever take a back seat.
Still, this is really good action.

$60

Chave Hermitage 1997

Red/garnet.

Smoked breakfast sausage. Nuances of chocolate, herbs.

Linear in the mouth, acid-driven flavors of smoked sausage, wilted greens - much better than it sounds. Quite harmonious, no sense of an effort to "improve" the wine in the cellar with new oak, more extraction etc.

'97 was not a great vintage in the Northern Rhone.
Maybe that's what 500 years in one place is good for - quiet confidence.

I'd like to try this with a good duck.

$100-150?

Torbreck Steading 2004 (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Mataro)

Medium red.

Game, nutty oak and vague red fruit nose. Distinctly Torbreck nose (also Massena - as Dan Standish makes both. It will be interesting to see if Torbreck changes as Standish is apparently no longer making the wine). There is a feral/saline quality here that I find salivating in its youth (in past vintages growing more off-putting with bottle-age).

Fat, sweet, sl. saline initial palate impression. In fact, this is even more concentrated, broad and orgasmic than the Massena Moonlight '03 blogged earlier. Structure here is a saline/tannic. Very long. I wonder if this will keep Brett in bounds? I'm thinking it will.


$25

Clos Saint Michel Chateauneuf du Pape 2004

Deep red.

Full, fruit-driven nose that includes Frangelico and Provencal herb spice.

Full in the mouth too. All the typical, traditional elements (garrigue, nuts) allied with a deep fruit mid-palate. Serious, chewy tannin kicks in very late. I need to get more of this. Will age well for several more years.



$25

Les Cailloux Chateauneuf du Pape 1999

Light red/rust.

Iron, cherry, sl. gamy, low intensity nose.

Limited sweetness/textural dimension in the mouth. Tannin really clamps down quickly and doesn't let up. Very '99.
I don't see how this can absorb its tannin before the fruit fades. It might be declining already.

Day 3 - Forget what I said earlier. Just needed air. Garrigue, nuts and brown spices on the nose. Low-toned and sumptuous.

Medium-bodied, with v. nice richness in the mouth and even acid/tannin structure that frames, but doesn't overwhelm flavors riding through medium length finish. Savory meat character. This really does have a Pinot-like tang.

I'm a moron.

$25

Zenato Amarone 1998

Deep red.

Smoke/truffle, cherry jam, oak(?) spice nose. Great, dense nose - smells packed.

It is. Very full in the mouth - real textural density (some RS?). Abundant, acid re-inforced tannin kicks in to the front of the mouth.
Cherry/cranberry/strawberry jam and spice flavors ride through it all. Moderate length.

This would benefit from a few more years in the bottle.


$40