May 27, 2019 - On a third tasting, I love this wine. Perhaps this bottle is less oxidized than the other bottles I tried. Or perhaps my tastes have changed radically. Either way, I find the aromas of dried apricots, musk, dried ginger, and slivered almonds intoxicating. The rich flavor and oily mouthfeel is delightfully decadent. And the finish is immense.
March 23, 2019 - Like the bottle I tasted 6 months ago, this bottle is quite mature (i.e., oxidized). Lots of butterscotch and hazelnut, along with thick tropical fruit. Good minerality. The finish is bitter, and alcohol is noticeable too. While this wine is far more interesting and complex than most white wines, I see little else to commend about it. More generally, I'm not convinced about the wisdom of aging any dry white wine for 10+ years.
October 7, 2018 - Le viognier typique auquel je n'adhère pas, ciré, limite oxy qui a perdu fraicheur et charme, qui se montre puissant, concentré, massif, et donc sans relief ni finesse. Un bloc sans âme!
Je crois définitivement que cette cuvée doit être bu assez jeune pour garder du relief et de la buvabilité. Quoique...
September 19, 2018 - Drinking fabulous. From memory about 1 month ago when it was brought to a dinner.
September 11, 2018 - This wine, or at least this bottle, was bronze in color and quite oxidized, with a strong sherry-like nuttiness and a butterscotch sweetness. I liked the wine (I like sherry). But I felt the mature aromas -- which my wife described below as "century eggs flavored with soy sauce" -- obscured varietal characteristics. I have two more bottles of this wine, and I'm curious to see whether they taste the same.
September 9, 2018 - Very interesting aroma. Smelled like century eggs flavored with soy source. Tastes very mineral. Not too fruity or acidy.
October 6, 2017 - Blind Tasting While Watching the Cubs Win NLDS Game 1 (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL): Served double blind to the tasting group, and almost everybody correctly identified this as Northern Rhone. Lots of tropical fruits with dried figs and slightly sweet spice, but also lots of dried floral notes. Very concentrated and powerful. Came across as much more mature vs the last bottle from this same case that was opened one year ago. Glad this was my last bottle.
March 10, 2016 - Guigal Côte-Rôtie Mostly From the 1990s (RPM Steak - Chicago IL): Apricot and peach with mango and freshly grated ginger. Very ripe, very long and incredibly opulent throughout. Even better now vs when last tasted a couple of years ago.
September 7, 2015 - Incredible. A few years in the bottle and this thing has blossomed like the tail of a peacock. Gorgeous, amazing.
October 13, 2014 - A white of staggering proportion with loads of complex floral component supported by honeysuckle, rose water and citrusy finish. Unquestionably well worth the money and easily outclassed the Leeuwin Chard which came after it. Will continue to follow its progress in the coming years.