Really nice richness on the nose and palate. Slightly creamy with a little bit of sweetened lemon curd elements. Gentle and sweet on the palate, again with the creamy qualities here. Very pleasant, and I can see the deliciousness here, but to me, it doesn't have as much of the cerebral qualities that I like in champagne. Wouldn't mind a splash more acid here as well.
Meaty and powerful on the nose, with a distinct nose of iron. Really feral and wild, but a lot of red fruit as well. Despite all these wild feral qualities, there's a really nice perfume here too. This comes across as a bit of a lighter wine on the palate, and there's a slight bit of rust as well. To me, this is probably a little past its plateau and a bit on the downslope, but there's still a lot of material here to like. I'll also add that there are some really fun meaty and bloody notes to go with the lighter red fruit and higher acids on the palate.
I think at the end of the day, I liked this more than others at the table. The nose was initially quite unyielding, showing quite closed, but swirling it brings out more of the red fruit, some herbal elements, and a splotch of blood. In fact, the nose seems to get more and more intense with air. The palate is definitely on the lighter side, with the red fruit at the forefront. There's a delicacy here that I love, but right behind it is this massive acid-driven structure that is quite imposing.
Ripping and roaring from the get-go. Explosive red and black fruit on the nose, with some incredible spice to go with some smoked meat and a fair hit of olive brine. There is so much richness and concentration from the fruit with a sprinkling of black pepper as well. Briny, meaty, and just a wee bit feral. With air, the perfume got far more intense, and the palate seemed to loosen up a little bit as well. For my palate, absolutely ready to go, but I could easily understand a desire to age this another few years.
This wine will be brilliant, and the potential is so obvious. It's more than a little clamped down, but the overall intensity and power here is just so obvious. I'll also note that this seemed to me to have a little more polish, with respect to the aromas and flavours here. It's not as feral and briny, and shows more of a sweet, ripe character. The overall intensity and power here is going to be amazing, but it feels like it's underneath or behind something and is yet waiting to emerge.
The fruit expression is more open than both the 1999 and 2001. I'd say this is probably the most ready of the trio for drinking right now. It's not ever going to be the powerhouse that the 1999 is, and this is overall less structural and more fleshy than the 2001. There are wisps of red fruit here, but mostly, this is a black-fruit-inflected wine. For my palate, this is ready now; it doesn't hit the heights of the 1997, but without a doubt there is a lot to like here. Of course, this is in no danger of decline (rule of 15 be damned). One other thing I want to mention is the vein of acidity here. It's fresh and light, and does provide a lot of lift to this.
Like the 1999, this will be a better wine with time. It's a little prickly and not really the happiest of campers today. Mildly polished with a bit of sweet black fruit, and a lot of black peppercorn and a touch of smoke. It seems to lack the syrah brine I love, but there is a bit of meatiness here. The feral qualities here are definitely attenuated. On the palate, this feels a little blocky and chunky, without much of the elegance of the earlier wines. I do pick up a lot of potential here, but this wine needs time to soften up.
This isn't as good as the last bottle that I had (not from my cellar). Immediately on the nose, there's a whiff of brett, but some vigorous swirling does make it go away. There's a light red fruit profile here, and a really awesome perfume. Nonetheless, I do still really love this wine, with its lighter profile and fairly resolved structure. 2004 isn't the most highly-regarded vintage, but I think it is the best-drinking young vintage right now, and this bottle is certainly a case in point. A smidgen of green to help with the acid keeps this very fresh.
In a lineup of brilliant wines, the 2007 comes off a little bit nondescript. It's incredibly pure and clean with intense black fruit and pepper, but the feral game notes, the brine, the smoke, are all missing. The fruit is sappy and sweet and quite intense, but a lot of the more structural elements aren't as prominent. I wish that this had a little bit more cut from acidity as well. Obviously young, I'd hold this and see where it goes.
These are wines that have always been challenging for me, and I've had lots of issues trying to understand them. This one had so much buttered caramel corn on the nose and palate, but somehow also managed to not be cloying, despite its lack of acidity. I really don't know how it happened. A bit of brown spice as well here. There's a really broad and waxy palate profile, but a slight bitterness also gives this some length.
Another head-scratcher for me. I think I liked this a little more than the really caramelly but not sweet 2006, but this wasn't anywhere as good as the truly compelling 1988 that I had two weeks ago. There's some beeswax or honey on the nose here, as well as a slight bit of floral expression. Seems just a little clumsy, even though the acid is relatively high. I will add that this worked really well with cassoulet; I think the fatness in the dish works with this wine quite nicely here.
Yep, still as delicious as I remember it. Like fruit syrup, but with a lot of added complexity. Obviously a prominent note of apricot, but also a lovely perfume of almonds and a finish of orange pekoe. It's definitely sweet, and I could understand a desire to cut this or put it in a cocktail, but served sufficiently cold (or perhaps with an ice cube or two to reduce the overall thickness on the palate), this is a really, really delicious drink.
2006 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 90 Points
France, Champagne
Really nice richness on the nose and palate. Slightly creamy with a little bit of sweetened lemon curd elements. Gentle and sweet on the palate, again with the creamy qualities here. Very pleasant, and I can see the deliciousness here, but to me, it doesn't have as much of the cerebral qualities that I like in champagne. Wouldn't mind a splash more acid here as well.
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1985 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Corked.
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1985 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Meaty and powerful on the nose, with a distinct nose of iron. Really feral and wild, but a lot of red fruit as well. Despite all these wild feral qualities, there's a really nice perfume here too. This comes across as a bit of a lighter wine on the palate, and there's a slight bit of rust as well. To me, this is probably a little past its plateau and a bit on the downslope, but there's still a lot of material here to like. I'll also add that there are some really fun meaty and bloody notes to go with the lighter red fruit and higher acids on the palate.
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1988 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
I think at the end of the day, I liked this more than others at the table. The nose was initially quite unyielding, showing quite closed, but swirling it brings out more of the red fruit, some herbal elements, and a splotch of blood. In fact, the nose seems to get more and more intense with air. The palate is definitely on the lighter side, with the red fruit at the forefront. There's a delicacy here that I love, but right behind it is this massive acid-driven structure that is quite imposing.
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1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Corked.
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1997 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Ripping and roaring from the get-go. Explosive red and black fruit on the nose, with some incredible spice to go with some smoked meat and a fair hit of olive brine. There is so much richness and concentration from the fruit with a sprinkling of black pepper as well. Briny, meaty, and just a wee bit feral. With air, the perfume got far more intense, and the palate seemed to loosen up a little bit as well. For my palate, absolutely ready to go, but I could easily understand a desire to age this another few years.
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1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
This wine will be brilliant, and the potential is so obvious. It's more than a little clamped down, but the overall intensity and power here is just so obvious. I'll also note that this seemed to me to have a little more polish, with respect to the aromas and flavours here. It's not as feral and briny, and shows more of a sweet, ripe character. The overall intensity and power here is going to be amazing, but it feels like it's underneath or behind something and is yet waiting to emerge.
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2000 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
The fruit expression is more open than both the 1999 and 2001. I'd say this is probably the most ready of the trio for drinking right now. It's not ever going to be the powerhouse that the 1999 is, and this is overall less structural and more fleshy than the 2001. There are wisps of red fruit here, but mostly, this is a black-fruit-inflected wine. For my palate, this is ready now; it doesn't hit the heights of the 1997, but without a doubt there is a lot to like here. Of course, this is in no danger of decline (rule of 15 be damned). One other thing I want to mention is the vein of acidity here. It's fresh and light, and does provide a lot of lift to this.
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2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Like the 1999, this will be a better wine with time. It's a little prickly and not really the happiest of campers today. Mildly polished with a bit of sweet black fruit, and a lot of black peppercorn and a touch of smoke. It seems to lack the syrah brine I love, but there is a bit of meatiness here. The feral qualities here are definitely attenuated. On the palate, this feels a little blocky and chunky, without much of the elegance of the earlier wines. I do pick up a lot of potential here, but this wine needs time to soften up.
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2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
This isn't as good as the last bottle that I had (not from my cellar). Immediately on the nose, there's a whiff of brett, but some vigorous swirling does make it go away. There's a light red fruit profile here, and a really awesome perfume. Nonetheless, I do still really love this wine, with its lighter profile and fairly resolved structure. 2004 isn't the most highly-regarded vintage, but I think it is the best-drinking young vintage right now, and this bottle is certainly a case in point. A smidgen of green to help with the acid keeps this very fresh.
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2007 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
In a lineup of brilliant wines, the 2007 comes off a little bit nondescript. It's incredibly pure and clean with intense black fruit and pepper, but the feral game notes, the brine, the smoke, are all missing. The fruit is sappy and sweet and quite intense, but a lot of the more structural elements aren't as prominent. I wish that this had a little bit more cut from acidity as well. Obviously young, I'd hold this and see where it goes.
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2006 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
These are wines that have always been challenging for me, and I've had lots of issues trying to understand them. This one had so much buttered caramel corn on the nose and palate, but somehow also managed to not be cloying, despite its lack of acidity. I really don't know how it happened. A bit of brown spice as well here. There's a really broad and waxy palate profile, but a slight bitterness also gives this some length.
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1991 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Another head-scratcher for me. I think I liked this a little more than the really caramelly but not sweet 2006, but this wasn't anywhere as good as the truly compelling 1988 that I had two weeks ago. There's some beeswax or honey on the nose here, as well as a slight bit of floral expression. Seems just a little clumsy, even though the acid is relatively high. I will add that this worked really well with cassoulet; I think the fatness in the dish works with this wine quite nicely here.
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NV Jean-Marc Roulot Liqueur d'Abricot du Roulot
France
Yep, still as delicious as I remember it. Like fruit syrup, but with a lot of added complexity. Obviously a prominent note of apricot, but also a lovely perfume of almonds and a finish of orange pekoe. It's definitely sweet, and I could understand a desire to cut this or put it in a cocktail, but served sufficiently cold (or perhaps with an ice cube or two to reduce the overall thickness on the palate), this is a really, really delicious drink.
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