Rhone Varietal Tasting

This was a tasting designed to showcase Syrah (and Rhone varietals). It was never going to be that easy because the new world wines are so big and, on occasion, over the top, that they sometimes overshadow everything else. If I had to recommend any of these wines to buy a case of and then follow over the years, it would be the Le Meal. A consistent performer that is really tight and young now but drinking very wel. It should age wonderfully for many years. While some of the new world powerhouses are decadent to drink right now, I have my doubts that they will age particuarly well. In any event, this turned out very well.

• 2009 Keever Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Definitely enjoyed this a bit better than the previous bottle, which I tasted at the winery. Seems to have settled down a bit. Grass, citrus and honey on the nose. The acidity was nice and crisp. Short crisp finish.

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• 2008 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de l'Empire 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Incredible nose. Floral, honey, herbal tea, tropical fruit. A lot going on and it keeps developing. Really lovely. Palate was a bit creamy with mellow acidity. Medium finish. The nose is the star here.

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• 2006 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Slightly oxidized, nasal. Minerals, tropical fruit. Very nice mid-palate weight. Fruit in harmony with acidity. Brown sugar. Nice building finish. A nip of heat at the end.

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• 2005 Sine Qua Non The Petition 94 Points

  USA, California

  The chardonnay really ups the ante on this. Adds some real muscle tot eh wine. Darker color. Tropical fruit, salinity and minerals. Dense, lush tropical fruit on the palate. Consistent acidity. Sour apple on the finish. Whereas the previous two wines were more delicate, this was more in your face.

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• 1990 E. Guigal Hermitage 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Funk on the nose blows off. Gamey, earthy and secondary on the nose, but there is a bit of more delicate red fruit peeking through as well. Nice structure with great secondary notes. Black pepper, bell pepper, leather. Nice finish. 20 years on, this is still in a good spot and while I do not see it lasting in this spot for many more years, it is really nice right now.

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• 1995 Sine Qua Non The Other Hand 92 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast

  Good but not a stand out. Quite secondary at this point. Tobacco, menthol, earth, cedar and a lot of black pepper. It was a bit disjointed on the palate, I thought. Not a real sense that there was much fruit percolating below the surface. The lack of structure could indicate that the wine is on the downward side of the trajectory. It is still very nice and there is a lot to enjoy, but not sure how much longer.

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• 2005 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Deschants 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Overshadowed by other wines on this night. Black pepper, candied cherry and minerals on nose and palate. A bit watery on palate. Thin without the structure Nose better.

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• 2003 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde 89 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Pepper, plum and spice on nose. Well structured, smooth and clean palate. Nice acidity. However, this lacked fruit on palate. Muted, and never really opened up. The tannins were there but I'm not sure what will ultimately become of this wine. Did not seem to have the tannin to go long, and it may not evolve as other reviews have suggested. All that said, it has a very nose and a plush silky palate. Good wine, but missing that something extra.

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• 2006 Alain Voge Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  I quite liked this and it has considerable stuffing and a promising future. A good amount of oak on the nose. Red raspberry, red currant. Nice aromatic fruit and a touch of floral note. Good acidity and minerality on the palate with a hint of black pepper. Nice finish. This should develop very nice over the next few years. Rustic style.

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• 2006 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  I've had different vintages of the Le Meal on a few occasions and it has not disappointed. This is young, very young, but was decanted ahead of the tasting. Tight and young. Fine tannins, but exceptional structure. Red currant and red raspberry on the nose. Dense dark fruit on the palate, but a bit muted and overshadowed by structure right now. Silky smooth on the palate. Stuffing there for this to age gracefully for many years.

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• 2007 Rudius Syrah Emerald Pool Alder Springs Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino County

  Very different style than many of the other new world offerings. On the feminine side. Delicate nose. Mocha, kirsch, raspberry and a floral note. A bit restrained on the palate with finer tannins. Chocolate, plum and darker fruit. Nice finish. Very well structured wine with time to go.

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• 2008 Carlisle Syrah Papa's Block 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Inky dark color. Nose of a lot of dark fruit and oak. The nose is an in your face type, with huge dark fruit, but there is a nice little floral note that emerged with some swirling in the glass. The palate does not let up. Big big fruit with menthol and pepper. Everything seemed to be within balance, though. It is just too big for my tastes, and lacked some nuance. Very nice long finish, but there was some heat on the finish.

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• 2005 Lillian Winery Syrah Blue Label 95 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County

  My second tasting this and the verdict is unchanged. A very dense, concentrated wine but it is still very young. Loads of black pepper on the nose, big dark fruit, menthol, mocha and cedar. Well balanced on the palate with enough acidity to keep the big fruit, and the alcohol in check. Fine dusty tannins. This is not going to be confused with a delicate wine. It is quite good. Silky smooth and concentrated. I'll be curious to taste this against the regular Lillian some day because I'm not sure the "Blue Label" is very different, at least not right now. Ageworthiness might be a different story.

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• 2007 Cayuse Syrah En Chamberlin Vineyard Flawed

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  Not scored. Stewed fruit and green. Probably a bad bottle.

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• 2007 Saxum James Berry Vineyard 94 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  This is really hard to score. I have a feeling my score is ultimately way too low -- this could be a 96-97. It is huge fruit and very grapey on the initial nose. Menthol, black pepper and saline. Loads of fruit on the palate. Blue fruit, black fruit, menthol, saline. I could sense that the structure is there, but there is so much fruit right now. Silky smooth. If you own any of these, you have to let them sit for a few years. There is just so much going on here on the palate. You need to really contemplate and swirl to get the structure. The finish is long, but the one major nit I had with the wine was that I thought there was a touch of heat on the finish.

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• 2005 Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine 96 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  This may have been the WOTN. Dense minerals, chocolate covered cherries and dark fruit on the nose. Terrific structure on the palate. Menthol, fruit and mocha. A lot going on but everything in its right place. Very long finish. This had a little of everything and was quite a surprise.

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• 2006 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden 93 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  A definite step up from the Lily's Garden, which is definitely consistent from vintage to vintage. Dense and concentrated. Dark fruit on the nose. Mocha, coffee and fruit on the palate. Nice concentration. A nip of heat on the finish.

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• 2005 Two Hands Shiraz Lily's Garden 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Big mistake on my part. I meant to pull the 06 vintage to taste alongside the 06 Bella's. Oh well, except only one bottle of this left. Nice dark fruit on the nose. A little heat. Good concentration on the palate but not on the same level of the Bella's Garden, which we tasted immediately afterward. A bit less concentrated and less structure. Good dark fruit and mocha.

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• 2004 M. Chapoutier Hermitage Vin de Paille 97 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  My wine of the night. Slightly oxidized note. Just an amazing and intense blend on the nose of honey, apricot, salinity, peach. Dense palate with enough acidity and minerality to really give this a boost. The finish was amazingly intense and long. This was a revelation.

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• 2004 Domaine du Mas Blanc (Docteur Parcé) Banyuls Rimage 85 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Banyuls

  Maybe it needs more time? A bit too much heat and not enough balance. Plum and kirsch. While there is some nice concentration and sweetness here, this was a mild disappointment.

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