After a brief nap in a fat decanter this was singing. It’s pretty tertiary with notes like roasted peppers, smoked meats, and olive tapenade. At the time of ordering the CT suggested window ends in 2015, which made me a bit nervous. But, like I’ve found with many other wines, that date is nonsense. This is in a great place and could go even longer for those who like their Syrah particularly advanced.
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Completely reduced down to its essential core. I was amazed at the concentration of flavors and the unexpected roasted coffee notes with hazelnut, cedar, leather, wild strawberry, dried lavender, and a large quantity of Provencal spices. Such a fun wine to drink, and from one of the best vintages of the last century. Drink it now or within the next two years.
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The 4th time we had this wine over 6 months ( Papies 93 all 3 previous times) and this time had a taint of TCA, just enough to spoil the fun. Gladly we have had this before from much better bottles as this is super solid wine. Better luck next time.
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Shockingly good. Nose is spectacar and persistent. This is clearly a wine that has aged beautifully. All aspects are in place . Fantastic big nose in the glass,light alcohol and fruit still present. After one hour, fruit is beginning to fade. I wish I could drink this every day......
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3rd time and 3rd time in a row this wine delivers. For lovers of well aged Rhône this forgotten , undervalued and ignored wine delivers time and time again. It’s a baby La La not with depth of the top cuvées but full of charm and elegance and a nose to make everyone smile . Just a blind buy. 93 once again
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Dinner at the Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Another pretty show of this underdog and undervalued wine. Soft, elegant, smoky, soft leather, soft spice. Earthy of course and albeit lacking a bit of weight on the fruit still another great 93 performance.
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There is an element of luck of the quality of the bottle in this wine but we were lucky to hit a good one. The nose is classic and at par to the single vineyard La Las for the year in a way but the palate is lacking vs those bigger wines. But the wine is solid, healthy and full of character and charm for those like us who like the aged , smoky and soft spicy evolution of Syrah. Smoky, roast meat on the nose a beautiful nose and easily the highlight of the wine. The palate is solid too but shows its age and could use some more energy. Better than the 1990 Hermitage and frankly adjusted for price vs the La Las this is a superb bottle. 93-94
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Lots of funk when first opened. Some metallic notes as well. After an hour this was better and got much better a couple hours in. Opened but no decant. Good red berry fruits, classic N Rhone spices, pepper, some game. This was moderately complex. On the delicate and more feminine side. Overall a very pleasurable bottle. No further upside but no rush either- should hold here for a while.
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Small Rhone Tasting w/Aussie Ringer (R&D's): Single blind, another of our hosts' bottles. Pretty deep color. Opens with a terrific meaty note, with dark fruit, tar and herb notes adding complexity. Flavors of dark fruit, red berry, tar, plum and spice. Balanced. Has a slight bit of tannin too. Opens further in the glass. Tar, asphalt, meat, spice, red fruit- gorgeous bouquet- could smell this all night. Long, balanced across the palate, lingering on the finish. For me the clear wine of the flight. My guess: given the similarities I found between this and wine F, I assumed they were the two from the same producer, and I assumed this was the Hommage. The meaty note makes sense from the C-R, and no surprise that Domino ranked the C-R first- she absolutely loves 'em. An absolutely stunning example of this wine.
My #1, Domino's #1 Group #1, 11 pts
Three firsts and two seconds, with a lone fourth- the clear WOTN.
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Surprising liveliness, does not taste old at all. Note, this was a Brune et Blonde-- somewhat mislabeled by me as Château d'Ampuis. Masterpiece of shiraz by Guigal in a top year for the Côte Rôtie. Beautiful, rich balance of matured fruit and silky soft tannins. Blackberries and cinnamon strong on the nose. Pleasant and alcoholic sweet hint on the palate, very very long finish. Quite a bit of deposit, in fact wine itself did not clear completely, but no discernible effect on taste or texture.
Has gotten lighter due to age. Still firm and attractive with great depth of complexity. Very much mature but only left a tiny sediment. Cedar and leather.
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Flawless performance from this wine, it shows virtually no sign of its age except that the tannins have softened. Big fruit, and the wine changed dramatically after a couple of hours - sugar plums and Asian spice. Impressive.
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Paired with Chef's lamb rib appetizer at Farmhouse ($20 corkage). Faded crimson color with a bit of bricking. An initial aroma of tapenade is followed by pepper, bacon fat and red berry fruit. Tannins are fully resolved. Flavors of pepper and red fruit with a long finish. We caught this bottle at the perfect moment.
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Sourced from Chambers St NYC, the magnum was double decanted and served with a lamb shank at HOQ Des Moines. I liked the wine, but I wanted to like it more. The tell-tale green olive and iron jumped right out at the nose even during the decant, but in the mouth the wine was, for lack of a better word, flat. Although the wine remained in balance, the tannins were essentially gone, giving it no grip. Perhaps some more life is too much to expect at 26, but I had a beautiful rendition of this bottle a couple of years ago. My guests, including my wife -- who loves her wine bloody -- were far less critical. Cork, fill and color were fine, so hard to know if bottle variation, storage or just age?
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Balling out a bit on Xmas duck dinner with two lovely Syrahs: '90 Guigal Cote Rotie BB and '00 Alban Lorraine.
Color: deep ruby core -> ruby/garnet rim. Beguiling bouquet of black pepper (fading but still present, though not overwhelming), herbs, funk, bacon and freshly conditioned leather. I let this develop over the course of 3-4 hours and enjoyed how the wine changed. Initially seemed a little short and sour but after 40+ minutes it blossomed and expanded wonderfully on the palate. Black tea, forest floor, lightly charred beef and roasted cherries all combined to make this quite the compelling drink. Lovely Syrah certainly at the plateau of maturity. Medium-bodied (vs the very well-endowed Alban Lorraine it was pitted against), this had a medium-length finish and excellent acidity. I'd opt for drinking this within the next 5 years or so . . . . Call it a 92+. In the cage match, I'd have to give it to Lorraine.
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From magnum. The only magnum I had, so didn't know what to expect from this one but it exceeded any reasonable expectation. Residual dark fruit, funk, attractive mustiness and faint both sweet and savory spice on the nose. I would love to have this bottle back for a blind tasting. Palate was slightly short of the nose but still very rich and deep with a long finish. Smooth tannins, overall a silky umami experience. Purists would fault this for a shortage of sense of place but a good wine by any standard. Paired with duck breast. My wine of the night.
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Still kicking after all these years. The fruit was quite diminished but there remained interesting notes of herbs and white pepper. thin upon opening...I hadn't planned to serve it and it was pop and pour from the cellar. As it warmed and opened it took on weight and was very pleasurable.
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Drank with my beautiful bride to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Brought up from the 58 degree cellar, opened and tasted and then decanted for over an hour and a half. It was OK, but not spectacular. Medium weight and color, better suited for pork than the rib eye from the grill. Actually was wondering if I had decanted too long. Then took outside with dinner to enjoy into cooler night air and as temp dropped slightly, the wine came alive. Roasted meat and mid-palate depth unfolded, the nose opened and the wine began showing its full potential. Lesson learned with vintage wine, open, try, be patient, change temp settings and find optimal time to enjoy. This wine waited 25 years to be opened. We can't always be in a rush to drink in an hour or two. Patience will be rewarded. In both relationships and wine:)
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A pristine bottle carefully cellared since release, this was decanted off its sediment and served. Garnet core with some bricking. Aroma of white pepper dominates, with herbs and red currants underneath. Medium-bodied and fully-integrated, with flavors of white and red currants, pepper and bacon fat. Finishes well, with herb and red fruit qualities. At peak, drink over the next year, maybe two.
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Nose: ash, bacon fat, peat, the fruity herbal notes from previous tasting are starting to fade. Maybe some violets if you don't inhale it in too deep
Taste: leather, blackberry, dried tart cherry, bacon, smoke, tobacco, , good mid-palate, medium long finish. Smooth integrated tannins. Drinking really well
Overall: it's in the right place. I bought a case after tasting this in 1996. Every time since then it has seemed still not ready, really don't wait much longer. I wish I had bought 2or 3 cases.
Celebrating Cobb's birthday (Phil's place, Chicago IL): Nose: Very well balanced with layered and perfumed tones of black fruits, bacon fat, violets, black pepper, and some funky tones. There is very good depth to this as well with a good amount of elegance and class.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The feel is well layered and elegant with elegant tones of black fruits, bacon fat, violets, and black pepper.
Overall: This was a pretty and mature Cote Rotie. There is a refined quality to this with nice depth and layering.
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Smoked bacon. Very gamey. Some pepper. A bit busty/earthy. Really enjoyable bottle of wine, though not necessarily the most typical of cote roties. At its peak (or very slightly past it). Drink up!
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Gamey nose but a lingering aroma of dust - opened up with more time, we finished it too early. Probably deserves a better score with suitable decanting (4hr +)
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UCD wine group (My House, Denver, CO): Double decanted 4 hours. Orange-brown tinged red. Served blind (and first). Attention-grabbing, smile-inducing hugely complex nose showing cherries, bacon, pepper, asian spice, leather, smoke, dark berries and even more stuff that I can't quite describe. Soft and round on the palate with a little acid zip near the midpalate to the end. Flavors are quite complex and do persist well. Medium low finesse. Larry and Rod put this as WOTN do to the mesmerizing complexity on the nose and palate and the velvety texture.
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delightful, elegant cote rotie. sulphur/rubber, spice, camphor and smokiness on the nose. fruitiness tending to stewed but hint of raspberry in there somehwere - contrast black fruit in earlier tasters. length in the mouth declined during the evening but tannins kept the the balance (decanted an hour beforehand which was probably too much). In good nick but should be drunk soon.
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Rhone - Västra Gastronomiska Akademin Vänförening (Göteborg): Fortfarande inte helt moget och definitivt kvällens mest komplexa vin. Med rostat kaffe, choklad, stall, jord, blommighet, fläder i näsan och mycket tanniner och en lång god syra i munnen var det svårt att inte bli imponerad. Lite spretig med ett ”piptobaksslut”.
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Aged Rhones with the bad boys (Bistro Champagne Lincoln Square Chitown): This took some time to open up. Showed black pepper,lavendar,smokey meats, beef juice-you likea the juice? yes I do. Very balanced and complex mouth of really lovely dark berries,bacon,smoked meats,and tanned leather. This was a pretty energetic bottle- another one that would be fun to spend more time with as it really started to hit it's stride as we were finishing it up and moving on to the next flight.
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Northern Rhones 90 and Older (Bistro Campagne, chicago IL): nose: took a bit to get going, but when it did, lovely tones of dark florals, bacon fat, violets, dark cherries, dark berries, and a touch of black pepper all round out together in a relatively feminine style. Very classy and elegant that becomes more layered and deep as it gets air
taste: A very pretty medium/full feel with still very good tannins gives this a elegant backdrop with plush and round tones of black pepper, dark florals, bacon fat, and dark cherries. Rather feminine on the palate too, this served as a real nice contrast to the verset and Jamet
overall: Has a good life ahead of it. It took about 90 minutes of air to really get going, but when it did, it was a thing of beauty. Very well balanced that helped make this a very classy and elegant wine
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Big gamey nose with mint and hints of pepper, charcoal and fruit. The wine has delicious blackberry and cherry fruit followed by lovely flavors of leather, clove and smoke. The finish is terrific with lots of spice, earth and cloves that lasts almost a minute. Still has excellent acidity with smooth, silky tannins. For a 19 year old wine this one still has some life left in it. That being said, I cannot imagine that it can get more complex and evolved from here, so glad that we drank it up tonight!
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With Randy. Begins rather earthy, takes a couple of hours for the fruit to emerge. Smooth black fruit, more black than red (surprising to me, at 19 years old), and overall this is a young wine in both appearance (no brown) and dark palate profile. As it opens, flavors of full-on bacon, lavender, black fruit compote, black currant, light pepper and a whiff of smoke. Interesting that the most recent TNs on this wine both mention bar-b-que sauce, as I also detected a bit of mesquite bbq in this wine. Impressive freshness overall and sweetness to the fruit. The tannins are soft. The acidity is still very vibrant, culminating in some grapefruit citrus acidity in the last glass. I think this wine is still showing young and has at least 5-10 years to go. The last of my bottles of this vintage, and I believe the best.
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Wow wow wow. Thanks Andy for coughing up this gem. This wine should be a role model for how people should age with grace, elegance, and dignity. Incredible terroir with rich refined fruit on the back. As this wine opened it went through various incarnations, all with the central theme: smoke. There was bacon, there was worcestershire sauce, and there was barbecue with barbecue sauce. I bet the combination of this wine with one of the top Texas briskets would be mind blowing. Strangely the wine most reminiscent to me was of a fine aged Chateau Musar from Lebanon, but this was a creature unto itself. A fantastic wine to open the Christmas season with.
Oh yes, forgot about the olives. Never had a wine that smelled of kalamata olives before, but there they were.
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Decanted for about 20 minutes then poured. In the decanter and immidiately after pouring, a huge black olive nose that moved quickly to the bacon direction and went through several different meaty smoky phases including braised meats with olives, smoked bacon, and finally settling into a very precise barbecue sauce flavor. A beautiful, mature, elegant wine that is probably on the back end of it's prime. If you have one, open it soon; a great pairing with goose and good friends.
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Classic earthy French nose (I could almost feel the dust of the soil in my nose) with some herbal characteristics hanging out in the background along with worn saddle leather. Quite easy in the mouth, with the tannins thoroughly integrated and a soft, supple, almost velvety feel flowing across the tongue. While there's still a bit of fruit left (black cherries, plums), this wine is really dominated by earth, herbs, a hint of chocolate and some coffee. While not over the edge by any means, I definitely think this wine is on the downward side of life and any remaining bottles should be drunk within the next 12 - 18 months.
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Fantastic showing for this wine. Deep, earthy nose, with hints of bacon, smoke, and blackcurrant. Good, smooth mouthfeel, with a smoky flavor and more cassis and cherry coming through. Really enjoyed this one and it was at its peak - I wouldn't hold it any longer.
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Champagne and Rhones at Craig's (Henriot, Chapoutier, Guigal, Chave, Telegraph, others): What a great showing for this wine. The nose was the best of the night offering a touch of barnyard funk nicely complemented by red cherry, smoke, dried herbs and bacon fat. Spectacular. The taste was impressive, too, although not quite up to the standard set by the nose. The texture comes across as a bit rough and rustic. The flavors are dominated by red fruit and smoke but are compressed/compact -- giving the impression of more structure than fruit. Still showing some tannin. Decent length on the finish. It was a real treat to taste this. Thanks Diane and Derek.
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Wine battle 2 (Niels' place): Light brown/red. Amazing mature nose of tobacco, leather, buttermilk and dark fruits. Taste is dominated by the dark fruits and the tobacco and kept in check by a great and vibrant acid.
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Wines of the Rhone (Casa de la Mata): Tasted blind. Still youthful with good fruit on nose with some spice hints. Good fruit flavors with some simple spice elements and hints of emerging mature development. Well balanced. I preferred this vs. the group tonight.
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Older Rhones - Group #1, My #1 - Full red. Wow - incredibly rich clean pepper spice nose. Awesome black pepper black fruit. Finishes forever. Almost like an Alban Seymours! 3/06
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NobleRottersSydney - Blind Shiraz Options 88, 90, 92 (Lucio's, Paddington): {cork, 13%}Mid red. Somewhat sulphurous certainly, and shows white pepper & spice. Shows some brett, and bacon fat aromas too. The palate is mid weight. Tannins are fine, texture is quite light and savoury beside the local wines. Good balance, fresh, still seems to have plenty of life left. 1990 Guigal Cote Rotie. Becomes increasingly smoky and peppery as it sits and the apparent sulphur dissipates nicely. Quite a contrast to the other bottles.
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IWFS at Cafe DuPont (Birmingham AL): Outstanding bottle. Great fruity presence, cassis and plums and cheeries...something exotic in the midpalate (passionfruit and sandlewood), must be that viognier peeking through. Wine at its peak, sadly my last bottle! WOTN for me
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Bright garnet with some fading and some browning on the edge. Very intoxicating nose of beef, garrigue and a little barnyard. Fully integrated round tannins, smooth with flavors of herbs. Nice finish but a little short in the midpalate. While the nose is incredible, the wine is loosing its fruit. My last bottle. If you got some, drink up.
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10 Rhone Wines Tasted: Nose of pepper, allspice, and rich fruit, tastes young but faded to ole and tired toward the end of 90 minutes. My #8 tied of 10.
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9/7/2023 - BostonRedtuna wrote: 93 Points
Enjoyable now.
Bottle decant for 1 hour.
Drank over 3 hours but didn't fade out, rather showed plenty.
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3/27/2023 - evjoh Likes this wine:
After a brief nap in a fat decanter this was singing. It’s pretty tertiary with notes like roasted peppers, smoked meats, and olive tapenade. At the time of ordering the CT suggested window ends in 2015, which made me a bit nervous. But, like I’ve found with many other wines, that date is nonsense. This is in a great place and could go even longer for those who like their Syrah particularly advanced.
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10/20/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Fida's Private lunch with Philippe Guigal and Ralph Garcin (Gramercy Tavern): All all of the gamey-ness and somehow my mind wanted to say sanguine but it wasn't really bloody. Maybe just the essence somehow? It's an interesting one, but also quite enjoyable.
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10/13/2021 - Sanlucar Likes this wine: 93 Points
Completely reduced down to its essential core. I was amazed at the concentration of flavors and the unexpected roasted coffee notes with hazelnut, cedar, leather, wild strawberry, dried lavender, and a large quantity of Provencal spices. Such a fun wine to drink, and from one of the best vintages of the last century. Drink it now or within the next two years.
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8/22/2020 - wsammons Likes this wine: 93 Points
Getting better with age - was outshined by ‘78 of the same stuff on the night; will be great in probably 10 years if stored well
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7/12/2020 - Papies wrote:
The 4th time we had this wine over 6 months ( Papies 93 all 3 previous times) and this time had a taint of TCA, just enough to spoil the fun. Gladly we have had this before from much better bottles as this is super solid wine. Better luck next time.
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6/5/2020 - SparkyMI Likes this wine: 92 Points
Shockingly good.
Nose is spectacar and persistent. This is clearly a wine that has aged beautifully. All aspects are in place . Fantastic big nose in the glass,light alcohol and fruit still present. After one hour, fruit is beginning to fade.
I wish I could drink this every day......
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5/21/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
3rd time and 3rd time in a row this wine delivers.
For lovers of well aged Rhône this forgotten , undervalued and ignored wine delivers time and time again. It’s a baby La La not with depth of the top cuvées but full of charm and elegance and a nose to make everyone smile . Just a blind buy. 93 once again
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2/8/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
Dinner at the Papies (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Another pretty show of this underdog and undervalued wine. Soft, elegant, smoky, soft leather, soft spice. Earthy of course and albeit lacking a bit of weight on the fruit still another great 93 performance.
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1/26/2020 - Papies wrote: 93 Points
There is an element of luck of the quality of the bottle in this wine but we were lucky to hit a good one.
The nose is classic and at par to the single vineyard La Las for the year in a way but the palate is lacking vs those bigger wines. But the wine is solid, healthy and full of character and charm for those like us who like the aged , smoky and soft spicy evolution of Syrah. Smoky, roast meat on the nose a beautiful nose and easily the highlight of the wine. The palate is solid too but shows its age and could use some more energy. Better than the 1990 Hermitage and frankly adjusted for price vs the La Las this is a superb bottle. 93-94
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12/9/2018 - Kemo Sabe Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lots of funk when first opened. Some metallic notes as well. After an hour this was better and got much better a couple hours in. Opened but no decant. Good red berry fruits, classic N Rhone spices, pepper, some game. This was moderately complex. On the delicate and more feminine side. Overall a very pleasurable bottle. No further upside but no rush either- should hold here for a while.
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11/10/2018 - wsammons Likes this wine: 92 Points
Agree that this has some time to go - still very fresh and feels like it will integrate a bit more over coming ~2 years
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11/2/2018 - AllRed wrote: 97 Points
Small Rhone Tasting w/Aussie Ringer (R&D's): Single blind, another of our hosts' bottles. Pretty deep color. Opens with a terrific meaty note, with dark fruit, tar and herb notes adding complexity. Flavors of dark fruit, red berry, tar, plum and spice. Balanced. Has a slight bit of tannin too. Opens further in the glass. Tar, asphalt, meat, spice, red fruit- gorgeous bouquet- could smell this all night. Long, balanced across the palate, lingering on the finish. For me the clear wine of the flight. My guess: given the similarities I found between this and wine F, I assumed they were the two from the same producer, and I assumed this was the Hommage. The meaty note makes sense from the C-R, and no surprise that Domino ranked the C-R first- she absolutely loves 'em. An absolutely stunning example of this wine.
My #1, Domino's #1
Group #1, 11 pts
Three firsts and two seconds, with a lone fourth- the clear WOTN.
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3/4/2018 - leoland Likes this wine: 92 Points
Surprising liveliness, does not taste old at all. Note, this was a Brune et Blonde-- somewhat mislabeled by me as Château d'Ampuis. Masterpiece of shiraz by Guigal in a top year for the Côte Rôtie. Beautiful, rich balance of matured fruit and silky soft tannins. Blackberries and cinnamon strong on the nose. Pleasant and alcoholic sweet hint on the palate, very very long finish. Quite a bit of deposit, in fact wine itself did not clear completely, but no discernible effect on taste or texture.
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9/21/2017 - Wineteacher Likes this wine: 90 Points
Has gotten lighter due to age. Still firm and attractive with great depth of complexity. Very much mature but only left a tiny sediment. Cedar and leather.
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6/1/2017 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dense and complex, a touch musty. White pepper, red currants, some herbs and a bit of floral lift. Very impressive.
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4/1/2017 - Alex G. Likes this wine:
Flawless performance from this wine, it shows virtually no sign of its age except that the tannins have softened. Big fruit, and the wine changed dramatically after a couple of hours - sugar plums and Asian spice. Impressive.
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9/2/2016 - AllRed wrote: 93 Points
Paired with Chef's lamb rib appetizer at Farmhouse ($20 corkage). Faded crimson color with a bit of bricking. An initial aroma of tapenade is followed by pepper, bacon fat and red berry fruit. Tannins are fully resolved. Flavors of pepper and red fruit with a long finish. We caught this bottle at the perfect moment.
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3/29/2016 - straight outta iowa Likes this wine: 90 Points
Sourced from Chambers St NYC, the magnum was double decanted and served with a lamb shank at HOQ Des Moines. I liked the wine, but I wanted to like it more. The tell-tale green olive and iron jumped right out at the nose even during the decant, but in the mouth the wine was, for lack of a better word, flat. Although the wine remained in balance, the tannins were essentially gone, giving it no grip. Perhaps some more life is too much to expect at 26, but I had a beautiful rendition of this bottle a couple of years ago. My guests, including my wife -- who loves her wine bloody -- were far less critical. Cork, fill and color were fine, so hard to know if bottle variation, storage or just age?
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12/25/2015 - BVal wrote: 92 Points
Balling out a bit on Xmas duck dinner with two lovely Syrahs: '90 Guigal Cote Rotie BB and '00 Alban Lorraine.
Color: deep ruby core -> ruby/garnet rim. Beguiling bouquet of black pepper (fading but still present, though not overwhelming), herbs, funk, bacon and freshly conditioned leather. I let this develop over the course of 3-4 hours and enjoyed how the wine changed. Initially seemed a little short and sour but after 40+ minutes it blossomed and expanded wonderfully on the palate. Black tea, forest floor, lightly charred beef and roasted cherries all combined to make this quite the compelling drink. Lovely Syrah certainly at the plateau of maturity. Medium-bodied (vs the very well-endowed Alban Lorraine it was pitted against), this had a medium-length finish and excellent acidity. I'd opt for drinking this within the next 5 years or so . . . . Call it a 92+. In the cage match, I'd have to give it to Lorraine.
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8/26/2015 - tinybubbles Likes this wine: 93 Points
From magnum. The only magnum I had, so didn't know what to expect from this one but it exceeded any reasonable expectation. Residual dark fruit, funk, attractive mustiness and faint both sweet and savory spice on the nose. I would love to have this bottle back for a blind tasting. Palate was slightly short of the nose but still very rich and deep with a long finish. Smooth tannins, overall a silky umami experience. Purists would fault this for a shortage of sense of place but a good wine by any standard. Paired with duck breast. My wine of the night.
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5/24/2015 - nbrue wrote: 91 Points
Still kicking after all these years. The fruit was quite diminished but there remained interesting notes of herbs and white pepper. thin upon opening...I hadn't planned to serve it and it was pop and pour from the cellar. As it warmed and opened it took on weight and was very pleasurable.
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5/12/2015 - Let Them Drink Wine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank with my beautiful bride to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. Brought up from the 58 degree cellar, opened and tasted and then decanted for over an hour and a half. It was OK, but not spectacular. Medium weight and color, better suited for pork than the rib eye from the grill. Actually was wondering if I had decanted too long. Then took outside with dinner to enjoy into cooler night air and as temp dropped slightly, the wine came alive. Roasted meat and mid-palate depth unfolded, the nose opened and the wine began showing its full potential. Lesson learned with vintage wine, open, try, be patient, change temp settings and find optimal time to enjoy. This wine waited 25 years to be opened. We can't always be in a rush to drink in an hour or two. Patience will be rewarded. In both relationships and wine:)
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2/14/2015 - Dancing with bottles Likes this wine: 92 Points
Great wine. Still alive but bottle variation increases of course. This one is a bit lighter than the bottles I had during 2005 and 2014.
Very spicy, artful and complex with ripe fruit, smoke, leather and cedar in abundance. Meanwhile rather medium bodied, but very long.
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1/13/2015 - Vino Me wrote: 91 Points
Opened by Allred. No formal notes as this was one of the last wines of the night. 91 points.
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1/3/2015 - thelostverse wrote: 91 Points
Opened by Allred at gourmet group. Showing some age with bricking. Red fruits and pepper (white) on a dusty finish. Paired nicely with the venison.
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1/3/2015 - AllRed wrote: 90 Points
A pristine bottle carefully cellared since release, this was decanted off its sediment and served. Garnet core with some bricking. Aroma of white pepper dominates, with herbs and red currants underneath. Medium-bodied and fully-integrated, with flavors of white and red currants, pepper and bacon fat. Finishes well, with herb and red fruit qualities. At peak, drink over the next year, maybe two.
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11/28/2014 - Bandreas wrote:
FLAW; bottle was corked.
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2/14/2014 - dnjones Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nose: ash, bacon fat, peat, the fruity herbal notes from previous tasting are starting to fade. Maybe some violets if you don't inhale it in too deep
Taste: leather, blackberry, dried tart cherry, bacon, smoke, tobacco, , good mid-palate, medium long finish. Smooth integrated tannins. Drinking really well
Overall: it's in the right place. I bought a case after tasting this in 1996. Every time since then it has seemed still not ready, really don't wait much longer. I wish I had bought 2or 3 cases.
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4/20/2013 - KeithAkers wrote: 92 Points
Celebrating Cobb's birthday (Phil's place, Chicago IL): Nose: Very well balanced with layered and perfumed tones of black fruits, bacon fat, violets, black pepper, and some funky tones. There is very good depth to this as well with a good amount of elegance and class.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and silky tannins. The feel is well layered and elegant with elegant tones of black fruits, bacon fat, violets, and black pepper.
Overall: This was a pretty and mature Cote Rotie. There is a refined quality to this with nice depth and layering.
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2/26/2012 - don_quichotte wrote: 92 Points
Smoked bacon. Very gamey. Some pepper. A bit busty/earthy. Really enjoyable bottle of wine, though not necessarily the most typical of cote roties. At its peak (or very slightly past it). Drink up!
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1/28/2012 - stephanm wrote: 90 Points
Gamey nose but a lingering aroma of dust - opened up with more time, we finished it too early. Probably deserves a better score with suitable decanting (4hr +)
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12/31/2011 - Tuvan wrote: 94 Points
Brilliant mature Guigal with great sausage and black pepper nose
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12/17/2011 - 560 B&W wrote: 92 Points
Dec 17, 2011
Still some structure
Good fruit
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2/23/2010 - thomaskeil wrote: 93 Points
UCD wine group (My House, Denver, CO): Double decanted 4 hours. Orange-brown tinged red. Served blind (and first). Attention-grabbing, smile-inducing hugely complex nose showing cherries, bacon, pepper, asian spice, leather, smoke, dark berries and even more stuff that I can't quite describe. Soft and round on the palate with a little acid zip near the midpalate to the end. Flavors are quite complex and do persist well. Medium low finesse. Larry and Rod put this as WOTN do to the mesmerizing complexity on the nose and palate and the velvety texture.
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12/5/2009 - thedood wrote: 92 Points
delightful, elegant cote rotie. sulphur/rubber, spice, camphor and smokiness on the nose. fruitiness tending to stewed but hint of raspberry in there somehwere - contrast black fruit in earlier tasters. length in the mouth declined during the evening but tannins kept the the balance (decanted an hour beforehand which was probably too much). In good nick but should be drunk soon.
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11/16/2009 - Lilja Likes this wine:
Rhone - Västra Gastronomiska Akademin Vänförening (Göteborg): Fortfarande inte helt moget och definitivt kvällens mest komplexa vin. Med rostat kaffe, choklad, stall, jord, blommighet, fläder i näsan och mycket tanniner och en lång god syra i munnen var det svårt att inte bli imponerad. Lite spretig med ett ”piptobaksslut”.
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8/5/2009 - LeatherPalate wrote: 93 Points
Aged Rhones with the bad boys (Bistro Champagne Lincoln Square Chitown): This took some time to open up. Showed black pepper,lavendar,smokey meats, beef juice-you likea the juice? yes I do.
Very balanced and complex mouth of really lovely dark berries,bacon,smoked meats,and tanned leather.
This was a pretty energetic bottle- another one that would be fun to spend more time with as it really started
to hit it's stride as we were finishing it up and moving on to the next flight.
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8/1/2009 - KeithAkers wrote: 93 Points
Northern Rhones 90 and Older (Bistro Campagne, chicago IL): nose: took a bit to get going, but when it did, lovely tones of dark florals, bacon fat, violets, dark cherries, dark berries, and a touch of black pepper all round out together in a relatively feminine style. Very classy and elegant that becomes more layered and deep as it gets air
taste: A very pretty medium/full feel with still very good tannins gives this a elegant backdrop with plush and round tones of black pepper, dark florals, bacon fat, and dark cherries. Rather feminine on the palate too, this served as a real nice contrast to the verset and Jamet
overall: Has a good life ahead of it. It took about 90 minutes of air to really get going, but when it did, it was a thing of beauty. Very well balanced that helped make this a very classy and elegant wine
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7/23/2009 - NY Wino wrote: 94 Points
Big gamey nose with mint and hints of pepper, charcoal and fruit. The wine has delicious blackberry and cherry fruit followed by lovely flavors of leather, clove and smoke. The finish is terrific with lots of spice, earth and cloves that lasts almost a minute. Still has excellent acidity with smooth, silky tannins. For a 19 year old wine this one still has some life left in it. That being said, I cannot imagine that it can get more complex and evolved from here, so glad that we drank it up tonight!
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2/4/2009 - Pknut wrote:
With Randy. Begins rather earthy, takes a couple of hours for the fruit to emerge. Smooth black fruit, more black than red (surprising to me, at 19 years old), and overall this is a young wine in both appearance (no brown) and dark palate profile. As it opens, flavors of full-on bacon, lavender, black fruit compote, black currant, light pepper and a whiff of smoke. Interesting that the most recent TNs on this wine both mention bar-b-que sauce, as I also detected a bit of mesquite bbq in this wine. Impressive freshness overall and sweetness to the fruit. The tannins are soft. The acidity is still very vibrant, culminating in some grapefruit citrus acidity in the last glass. I think this wine is still showing young and has at least 5-10 years to go. The last of my bottles of this vintage, and I believe the best.
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12/15/2008 - ProfessorHTF wrote: 92 Points
Wow wow wow. Thanks Andy for coughing up this gem. This wine should be a role model for how people should age with grace, elegance, and dignity. Incredible terroir with rich refined fruit on the back. As this wine opened it went through various incarnations, all with the central theme: smoke. There was bacon, there was worcestershire sauce, and there was barbecue with barbecue sauce. I bet the combination of this wine with one of the top Texas briskets would be mind blowing. Strangely the wine most reminiscent to me was of a fine aged Chateau Musar from Lebanon, but this was a creature unto itself. A fantastic wine to open the Christmas season with.
Oh yes, forgot about the olives. Never had a wine that smelled of kalamata olives before, but there they were.
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12/14/2008 - thirtyoneknots wrote:
Decanted for about 20 minutes then poured. In the decanter and immidiately after pouring, a huge black olive nose that moved quickly to the bacon direction and went through several different meaty smoky phases including braised meats with olives, smoked bacon, and finally settling into a very precise barbecue sauce flavor. A beautiful, mature, elegant wine that is probably on the back end of it's prime. If you have one, open it soon; a great pairing with goose and good friends.
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9/20/2008 - ArizonaWineGuy wrote: 89 Points
Classic earthy French nose (I could almost feel the dust of the soil in my nose) with some herbal characteristics hanging out in the background along with worn saddle leather. Quite easy in the mouth, with the tannins thoroughly integrated and a soft, supple, almost velvety feel flowing across the tongue. While there's still a bit of fruit left (black cherries, plums), this wine is really dominated by earth, herbs, a hint of chocolate and some coffee. While not over the edge by any means, I definitely think this wine is on the downward side of life and any remaining bottles should be drunk within the next 12 - 18 months.
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12/17/2007 - DianeR wrote: 95 Points
Fantastic showing for this wine. Deep, earthy nose, with hints of bacon, smoke, and blackcurrant. Good, smooth mouthfeel, with a smoky flavor and more cassis and cherry coming through. Really enjoyed this one and it was at its peak - I wouldn't hold it any longer.
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12/15/2007 - Dave Dalluge wrote: 93 Points
Champagne and Rhones at Craig's (Henriot, Chapoutier, Guigal, Chave, Telegraph, others): What a great showing for this wine. The nose was the best of the night offering a touch of barnyard funk nicely complemented by red cherry, smoke, dried herbs and bacon fat. Spectacular. The taste was impressive, too, although not quite up to the standard set by the nose. The texture comes across as a bit rough and rustic. The flavors are dominated by red fruit and smoke but are compressed/compact -- giving the impression of more structure than fruit. Still showing some tannin. Decent length on the finish. It was a real treat to taste this. Thanks Diane and Derek.
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10/2/2007 - 60ouvrees wrote:
Overpowering animal nose that softened a bit with air. This is a good wine definitely not for the faint of heart. I had one glass and was done.
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8/10/2007 - ArieS wrote:
Unfortunately, my experience was the same as winelovr2001.
Thin, acidic, short finish.
Bleh.
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4/20/2007 - gorm wrote: 93 Points
Wine battle 2 (Niels' place): Light brown/red. Amazing mature nose of tobacco, leather, buttermilk and dark fruits. Taste is dominated by the dark fruits and the tobacco and kept in check by a great and vibrant acid.
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2/18/2007 - winelovr2001 wrote: 81 Points
Bretty nose, with almost no fruit left on this wine...way past it's peak.
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12/7/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote: 92 Points
Wines of the Rhone (Casa de la Mata): Tasted blind. Still youthful with good fruit on nose with some spice hints. Good fruit flavors with some simple spice elements and hints of emerging mature development. Well balanced. I preferred this vs. the group tonight.
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3/1/2006 - winefool wrote: 96 Points
Older Rhones - Group #1, My #1 - Full red. Wow - incredibly rich clean pepper spice nose. Awesome black pepper black fruit. Finishes forever. Almost like an Alban Seymours! 3/06
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7/4/2005 - graemeg wrote:
NobleRottersSydney - Blind Shiraz Options 88, 90, 92 (Lucio's, Paddington): {cork, 13%}Mid red. Somewhat sulphurous certainly, and shows white pepper & spice. Shows some brett, and bacon fat aromas too. The palate is mid weight. Tannins are fine, texture is quite light and savoury beside the local wines. Good balance, fresh, still seems to have plenty of life left. 1990 Guigal Cote Rotie. Becomes increasingly smoky and peppery as it sits and the apparent sulphur dissipates nicely. Quite a contrast to the other bottles.
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5/10/2005 - 1800kidney wrote: 96 Points
IWFS at Cafe DuPont (Birmingham AL): Outstanding bottle. Great fruity presence, cassis and plums and cheeries...something exotic in the midpalate (passionfruit and sandlewood), must be that viognier peeking through. Wine at its peak, sadly my last bottle! WOTN for me
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11/18/2004 - cassetta wrote: 91 Points
Bright garnet with some fading and some browning on the edge. Very intoxicating nose of beef, garrigue and a little barnyard. Fully integrated round tannins, smooth with flavors of herbs. Nice finish but a little short in the midpalate. While the nose is incredible, the wine is loosing its fruit. My last bottle. If you got some, drink up.
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10/15/2000 - Henman wrote:
N: earthy,barnyardy,cellar aromas.
P: aromatic,spicy,tannic.
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8/19/1999 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 86 Points
10 Rhone Wines Tasted: Nose of pepper, allspice, and rich fruit, tastes young but faded to ole and tired toward the end of 90 minutes. My #8 tied of 10.
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