For me, a fantastic archetypal nose with black olives, white pepper, roasted rare meat, violets and lavender. Mid plus weighted with power coupled with a sense of balance. This has depth and is in a more focused savory and meaty more than fruit driven mode. A little bacon fat made me think Cote Rotie more so than Hermitage. This is unnapologeticlaly old school delicious Northern Rhone syrah drinking at absolute peak. Not a blockbuster, but beautiful, honest, and harmonious. I love this style. While I doubt it will fade soon, I also think this is as good as this will ever be. Drink up. Carpe diem. 94
I guess late 90s really well made traditional Cote Rotie.
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From one of the princes of Hermitage, itself the king of Syrah (too much?). A little bit of fruit left, cassis mainly , and plenty of savory aromas of saucisson and foie gras. Developed more pepper, olive, and acidity during dinner. Always fascinating to drink a premium wine with a good deal of bottle age! Very good Bessards specificity, but somehow doesn't come fully together; a bit disjointed but overall pretty good.
For more please watch below at YT channel Pandewine
https://youtu.be/N-6J5CZsmU4
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1997 DELAS les BESSARDS HERMITAGE- the nose had some wild, herbal, briery notes, then some nice ripe blue as in plum and black as in blackberry fruit take over and was delivered in a medium body with a soft feel.
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Lovely raspberry nose, but very tart cranberry taste immediately after pouring. Was confused about how to make the most of this case - in perfect condition but quality of wine has been disappointing. So experimented... With 1hr of air the olive tapenade aromas starts and the wine is much richer in the mouth, with early meat tastes but still slightly acidic. With 3hrs of air the wine is developing fruit salad tastes, but also a really nice rich and long finish - definately showing more fruit and becoming a more interesting wine. After 5hrs in the glass it becomes sour. Double-decant bottles for 2.5hrs, AND cool-down, to ensure fruit and richness (and less acidity).
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Nose: Gorgeous perfumed nose of Blackberry, Bacon, Olive Tapenade, Raspberry preserves and some garrigue. Detailed and very enticing nose that draws you into this wine. Palate: Pickled red onion, blackberry, tar and some other notes of fruit/leather. The acidity has pushed most of the great flavor out of this. Finish: somewhat short, but the smoked fig, bacon and sage notes are discernible.
Overall the palate did not match the nose at all. This seemed to be suffering from accelerated age. Something quite out of balance here.
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Saturday Skeels BBQ: Described as a mango/ fruit salad and this delivered. Initial olive oil nose, the wine held up very well considering the 7hr slow-ox. Lovely rich mouth feel, with a dash of acidity, but this is all about the fruit-salad... all guests were shocked how accurate the description was!
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Boy did this deliver for such a lowly price tag (less than half the current release!). As usual, perfect bottle/fill from a perfect case in my cellar. On opening there was a HUGE olive tapenade smell. Based on my experience of 97 hermitage I decided a 7-8hr slow ox, double decant (lots of sediment, glad I also stood this up the day before) and cool down. Without the cool-down the wine is light with a very decadent and rich/buttery mouthfeel, with the cool-down it keeps the mouthfeel but becomes medium bodied and more concentrated....
....and the nose! Wow - unlike any other Hermitage i've known and they were made for my riedel sommelier Hermitage glasses. Subtle floral elements are hidden behind sweet fruit, smoke and subtle bacon. The smell dances and evolves... was that really mango? now raspberry (not cassis, fresh raspberry), it's a veritable smokey-bacon fruit salad!
The taste is similar to the nose, but the finish isn't particularly long - perhaps that will come with even more time in the glass (I'll need to edit this note later). But i don't care either way - this already hits all my pleasure buttons with the nose and mouthfeel alone... and all for so few fun-tokens. Ignore the drinking window recommendations too... this took 8hr slow ox to even get going - peak maturity until 2025 easily. No hurry whatsoever.
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Popped and discovered that it was a sour olive and meat mess. Quickly put into caraffe and let sit for an hour. "Syrah loves oxygen", as a wine-maker recently told me, could not be more true for this wine. Takes the full hour wake up. After that it is an intense and open nose with mineral, beef jus, berries turning darker but never dark and herbes. So fresh, complex and uplifting to smell. The palate brings a good attack with good acidity, sour cherries, sauvory almost soy souce salty and a medium plus mineral finish. I call it elegant. Others might use light. This wine exhibits its origin in a very pure fashion. Excellent. Decant one hour and drink over the next years.
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Initially tight when popped and poured, with coaxing, smoke, blackberry and peppery scents could be found. This full bodied wine ends with a red fruit finish coupled with hints of tart cherry, that detracted from the wine.
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Drank at Bearfoot Bistro – Decanted and drank over 3 hours. On the nose, vegetal and funky with red fruits, floral notes and underlying hints of custard and gamey meats. Similar on the palate with red cherries, meat and some spice. Medium to full body, medium to high acidity, medium tannins. Some pleasant and well integrated oaky notes coming through on the medium to long finish. Enjoyable now but this will improve with more time. Try again in 5+ years. Excellent. 91+
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Wonderful young Hermitage. Big floral nose with notes of bacon/meat, black fruits, pepper, and a huge finish. Lots of life left. Went very well with Montana lamb saddle - lamb belly, spätzle, tokyo turnips, grilled ramps, pinot noir sauce.
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This is a powerful, backward wine that demands respect. A wonderful floral nose with raspberries and meat. Full in the mouth with moderate glycerin giving way to a long finish. We consumed this bottle over about 2 hours and it seemed to improve with every sip. I expect it not to hit its prime for several years and wold have been best decanted.
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3/31/2024 - cct wrote: 94 Points
Served blind
Warning, hedonists run away.
For me, a fantastic archetypal nose with black olives, white pepper, roasted rare meat, violets and lavender. Mid plus weighted with power coupled with a sense of balance. This has depth and is in a more focused savory and meaty more than fruit driven mode. A little bacon fat made me think Cote Rotie more so than Hermitage. This is unnapologeticlaly old school delicious Northern Rhone syrah drinking at absolute peak. Not a blockbuster, but beautiful, honest, and harmonious. I love this style. While I doubt it will fade soon, I also think this is as good as this will ever be. Drink up. Carpe diem. 94
I guess late 90s really well made traditional Cote Rotie.
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1/2/2022 - gbejjani Likes this wine: 89 Points
From one of the princes of Hermitage, itself the king of Syrah (too much?). A little bit of fruit left, cassis mainly , and plenty of savory aromas of saucisson and foie gras. Developed more pepper, olive, and acidity during dinner. Always fascinating to drink a premium wine with a good deal of bottle age! Very good Bessards specificity, but somehow doesn't come fully together; a bit disjointed but overall pretty good.
For more please watch below at YT channel Pandewine
https://youtu.be/N-6J5CZsmU4
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4/8/2020 - Belon wrote:
At home with choucroute garnie.
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4/8/2020 - Belon wrote:
Corked.
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6/2/2017 - Blake Brown Likes this wine: 91 Points
1997 DELAS les BESSARDS HERMITAGE- the nose had some wild, herbal, briery notes, then some nice ripe blue as in plum and black as in blackberry fruit take over and was delivered in a medium body with a soft feel.
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2/13/2016 - JulianSkeels wrote: 92 Points
Lovely raspberry nose, but very tart cranberry taste immediately after pouring. Was confused about how to make the most of this case - in perfect condition but quality of wine has been disappointing. So experimented... With 1hr of air the olive tapenade aromas starts and the wine is much richer in the mouth, with early meat tastes but still slightly acidic. With 3hrs of air the wine is developing fruit salad tastes, but also a really nice rich and long finish - definately showing more fruit and becoming a more interesting wine. After 5hrs in the glass it becomes sour. Double-decant bottles for 2.5hrs, AND cool-down, to ensure fruit and richness (and less acidity).
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12/25/2015 - faloon12 wrote: flawed
Vinegar
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1/13/2015 - Ludi Likes this wine: 94 Points
Granato piuttosto cupo. Deliziosa frutta (ciliegia, mora), sentori minerali di goudron, pepe, arancia candita, salamoia, incenso e cenere. Bocca sapida, intensa, vigorosa ed austera
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8/2/2014 - Carsten Madsen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Nice nose, very good balance, over the top.
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1/3/2014 - RockinCabs wrote: 88 Points
Nose: Gorgeous perfumed nose of Blackberry, Bacon, Olive Tapenade, Raspberry preserves and some garrigue. Detailed and very enticing nose that draws you into this wine. Palate: Pickled red onion, blackberry, tar and some other notes of fruit/leather. The acidity has pushed most of the great flavor out of this. Finish: somewhat short, but the smoked fig, bacon and sage notes are discernible.
Overall the palate did not match the nose at all. This seemed to be suffering from accelerated age. Something quite out of balance here.
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11/16/2013 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 94 Points
Saturday Skeels BBQ: Described as a mango/ fruit salad and this delivered. Initial olive oil nose, the wine held up very well considering the 7hr slow-ox. Lovely rich mouth feel, with a dash of acidity, but this is all about the fruit-salad... all guests were shocked how accurate the description was!
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11/9/2013 - JulianSkeels Likes this wine: 95 Points
Boy did this deliver for such a lowly price tag (less than half the current release!). As usual, perfect bottle/fill from a perfect case in my cellar. On opening there was a HUGE olive tapenade smell. Based on my experience of 97 hermitage I decided a 7-8hr slow ox, double decant (lots of sediment, glad I also stood this up the day before) and cool down. Without the cool-down the wine is light with a very decadent and rich/buttery mouthfeel, with the cool-down it keeps the mouthfeel but becomes medium bodied and more concentrated....
....and the nose! Wow - unlike any other Hermitage i've known and they were made for my riedel sommelier Hermitage glasses. Subtle floral elements are hidden behind sweet fruit, smoke and subtle bacon. The smell dances and evolves... was that really mango? now raspberry (not cassis, fresh raspberry), it's a veritable smokey-bacon fruit salad!
The taste is similar to the nose, but the finish isn't particularly long - perhaps that will come with even more time in the glass (I'll need to edit this note later). But i don't care either way - this already hits all my pleasure buttons with the nose and mouthfeel alone... and all for so few fun-tokens. Ignore the drinking window recommendations too... this took 8hr slow ox to even get going - peak maturity until 2025 easily. No hurry whatsoever.
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9/15/2011 - Rani wrote: 87 Points
Tasted blind. Red fruit with Oxo-cube like beef broth. Huge, huge acidity - out of balance. Showing signs of age, not a great bottle.
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2/12/2011 - cinnamon Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and discovered that it was a sour olive and meat mess. Quickly put into caraffe and let sit for an hour. "Syrah loves oxygen", as a wine-maker recently told me, could not be more true for this wine. Takes the full hour wake up. After that it is an intense and open nose with mineral, beef jus, berries turning darker but never dark and herbes. So fresh, complex and uplifting to smell. The palate brings a good attack with good acidity, sour cherries, sauvory almost soy souce salty and a medium plus mineral finish. I call it elegant. Others might use light. This wine exhibits its origin in a very pure fashion. Excellent. Decant one hour and drink over the next years.
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1/15/2011 - SMills wrote: 92 Points
Drinking very well! excellent balance, elegance and refined fruit!
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10/30/2010 - AMRS wrote: 94 Points
What a wine! perfect nose,earthy mineral,great fun.
The Palate very good, balanced, approachable but improving,now-2014, 94+.
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9/15/2010 - AMRS wrote:
Not a good bottle this time, just reasonable.
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5/26/2010 - Jeff Leve wrote: 89 Points
Initially tight when popped and poured, with coaxing, smoke, blackberry and peppery scents could be found. This full bodied wine ends with a red fruit finish coupled with hints of tart cherry, that detracted from the wine.
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11/14/2009 - godx wrote: 91 Points
Drank at Bearfoot Bistro – Decanted and drank over 3 hours. On the nose, vegetal and funky with red fruits, floral notes and underlying hints of custard and gamey meats. Similar on the palate with red cherries, meat and some spice. Medium to full body, medium to high acidity, medium tannins. Some pleasant and well integrated oaky notes coming through on the medium to long finish. Enjoyable now but this will improve with more time. Try again in 5+ years. Excellent. 91+
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7/30/2009 - theorchardfarmer wrote: 91 Points
Very enjoyable Hermitage demonstrating a bit of age; lovely bacon and dark fruits on the nose and a well-balanced palate.
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6/13/2009 - DUSTOFF wrote: 92 Points
Wonderful young Hermitage. Big floral nose with notes of bacon/meat, black fruits, pepper, and a huge finish. Lots of life left. Went very well with Montana lamb saddle - lamb belly, spätzle, tokyo turnips, grilled ramps, pinot noir sauce.
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6/14/2007 - ecnemergut wrote: 93 Points
This is a powerful, backward wine that demands respect. A wonderful floral nose with raspberries and meat. Full in the mouth with moderate glycerin giving way to a long finish. We consumed this bottle over about 2 hours and it seemed to improve with every sip. I expect it not to hit its prime for several years and wold have been best decanted.
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