Northern Rhone Dinner (2012/2005/1998 focus) (Chez Lagragne): Late night PnP and this was an exception to the rule, where young wines did not showing expressively (be that the producer style or our relative palate fatigue after 20 N. Rhones). Having said that, you can't deny the silky approachability of this wine combined with clear/intense meat, olive and black pepper nuances that the earlier 2012s did not yet have.
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(Mostly) 1998, 2005, 2012 Northern Rhône (Chicago, IL): Intensely red-fruited, with an aromatic profile that reminds me a bit of Jean-Michel Stephan. Very slightly mulchy right at the beginning, but that note doesn't hang around for very long. Good acidity with relatively light palate weight; this seems like it's just getting into its drinking window.
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Double decanted and followed over several hours. Berry fruit, pepper and a hint of an herbal note. Maybe just a touch of vanilla too. I can’t quite place it, but something was keeping this from being great, though it was certainly very nice.
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This is a very nice old school, middleweight Cote Rotie. It's a bit on the austere side, but it's well put together, complex and interesting. It shows subtle brambly fruit with plenty of herbs and pepper and earth and some fine structure. Well-proportioned and couldn't be from anywhere but the old world. Needs a bunch of air. It may continue to improve; I hope the fruit is substantial enough to propel this to the next level. I give it a 50/50 probability of that happening. Absolutely superb pairing with a saddle of lamb.
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2/23/2024 - hprphf wrote: 93 Points
Dark berries and pyrazine, lightly toasted, lots of volume and quite juicy. 93
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10/27/2023 - Nanda wrote:
Northern Rhone Dinner (2012/2005/1998 focus) (Chez Lagragne): Late night PnP and this was an exception to the rule, where young wines did not showing expressively (be that the producer style or our relative palate fatigue after 20 N. Rhones). Having said that, you can't deny the silky approachability of this wine combined with clear/intense meat, olive and black pepper nuances that the earlier 2012s did not yet have.
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10/27/2023 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
(Mostly) 1998, 2005, 2012 Northern Rhône (Chicago, IL): Intensely red-fruited, with an aromatic profile that reminds me a bit of Jean-Michel Stephan. Very slightly mulchy right at the beginning, but that note doesn't hang around for very long. Good acidity with relatively light palate weight; this seems like it's just getting into its drinking window.
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9/16/2023 - B Paul wrote:
Double decanted and followed over several hours. Berry fruit, pepper and a hint of an herbal note. Maybe just a touch of vanilla too. I can’t quite place it, but something was keeping this from being great, though it was certainly very nice.
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8/28/2023 - rc@ughey wrote: 92 Points
This is a very nice old school, middleweight Cote Rotie. It's a bit on the austere side, but it's well put together, complex and interesting. It shows subtle brambly fruit with plenty of herbs and pepper and earth and some fine structure. Well-proportioned and couldn't be from anywhere but the old world. Needs a bunch of air. It may continue to improve; I hope the fruit is substantial enough to propel this to the next level. I give it a 50/50 probability of that happening. Absolutely superb pairing with a saddle of lamb.
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