Rhone Dinner

Very fun evening with Jim, Philipe, and Mark. The crew at The Bristol took great care of us and the food was very good. I definitely drank way too much.

• 2013 Jemrose Viognier Egret Pond 90 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  Tons of upfront tropical fruit...peaches, mangos, grapefruit, and lanolin. The palate was really nice, and we all remarked at the interesting salinity that hit on the finish. I really liked this, and went back for 2 or 3 (or maybe 4) more pours across the night. Jemore's Viognier is always a treat, and this vintage is yum city.

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• 1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 94 Points

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

  I closed my eyes, and thought to myself, "wow, this is what Chateauneuf-de-Pape smell like?" I opened my eyes and saw the 1998 Vieux Télégraphe. So much brambly red fruit with dried floral notes, and earth. Still had a really nice power to it, too. Was a big fan of this wine...and it has a lot of upside to it, too.

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• 1998 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Flawed

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

  corked.

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• 1989 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points

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

  A stunning wine. So much going on here with tons of secondary and tertiary notes of earth, florals, red fruits, and stone. Jim mentioned that it was more like a Burgundy with its elegant floral notes, and I'd have to agree. Still had a great backbone, and the depth of flavor was just off-the-charts.

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• 1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Interestingly, the only other time I had had this wine was at the same restaurant 2 years earlier. On this night, I wasn't as entranced by it as I was then. This was still a beautiful, magical wine that had incredible power and charm. The dark fruit were sappy and dense, the earthiness was pungent and it had an ever present acidity to it that kept the fullness and the power in check. This is a great bottle of wine. I think it's still on the trajectory to reach the level of the 1982 with more time.

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• 1998 Domaine de Vallouit Hermitage Cuvée Spéciale Les Greffières 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Any edgy and raw Hermitage that seemed downright acidic and rustic next to the 1998 Chave. This was more about the pepper and florals - less about the meat, olives, and dark fruit. I think there's a lot of upside to this.

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• 1998 Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Ruchets 85 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  I am not a fan of JLC's newer Cornas'. They're too slick and modern. This was a glimpse into the past in a way...and I liked this a lot more. There was a lot of smokey earth, dark fruit and some underbrush. Definitely more rustic than new JLCs, but still on the modern side. Decent.

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• 2012 Jemrose Late Harvest Viognier Egret Pond 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley

  This was my first time trying Jim's Late Harvest viognier. Liked it a lot. The density was tuned up, the sweetness was tuned up and so was the acidity. Lots of peach and mango...gorgeous texture too, and just so delicious.

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