Seattle Round 2: Rhone vs. Rhone Ranger
Seattle, WA
Tasted January 22, 2008 by kris.h with 800 views
Introduction
Eight of us gathered at Union Restaurant in downtown Seattle for a spectacular evening of food, wine, and good company. Thank you Dave for organizing this and I look forward to seeing you at future events.
Flight 1 - White (1 note)
This paired rather nicely with the Totten Virginica Oysters. Served with meyer lemon ice and Trampetti olive oil.
White
2002 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Deep yellow in color. The nose has honey, dried apricot, and some sherried components to it. Good full oily mouth feel. Lemon custard-like. Must be in that oxidative phase typical of white Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This didn't detract from the wine for me and I rather enjoyed it.
Flight 2 - Chateauneuf-Du-pape (2 notes)
The next course was green lentil soup. Included a poached hen egg and bacon. A really nice soup that paired really well with the southern rhones.
Red
1995 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Cadettes
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This has a gorgeous nose with lots of cherry, plum, leather, fur, sweat, and yes, even a little bit if poo. Complex nose that is the best part of this wine. The palate is medium weight and rustic. Typical of the '95 vintage. The tannins have softened a little bit but they are still firm and angular. Good acidity with some dark fruits on the finish.
Red
2001 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Cadettes
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Initially started off very tight, not giving much on the nose. A little raspberry and not much else. The palate showed really nice fruit with some black cherries. Clean with a bright red profile. After the tasting, I went back to this and it seemed like a different wine. Much more expressive on the nose. Good palate weight with voluptuous tannins. A really niced wine that needs a few more years in the cellar. 92++
Flight 3 - More Southern Rhone (3 notes)
Red
1999 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
I remember drinking this wine around 2003 and really likeing it so it was a treat to get to taste it 5 years later. The nose has some mint, pink flowers, and raspberry. Soft tannins that are well integrated. It was fun to taste this again.
Red
2001 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Dark fruit profile. Meat, blood. Really well balanced. Blackberry on the palate. Full body with a long finish. For me, epitomizes what Chateauneuf-du-Pape should be.
Flight 4 - Hermitage!!! (2 notes)
Somewhere around this point we were served a seared sea scallop with parsnip and apple puree, and braised red cabbage. This was a tasty course but it should have been served after the oyster and it did not pair well with any of the reds.
Red
1994 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
The nose shows lots of complexity with plum, blackberry, and other dark fruits. Also some dates, and olives. The nose is great. Rich and full bodied with some smoky bacon notes on the finish.
Red
1993 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Very acidic. A unique medicinal leathery component on the nose. Light to medium weight on the palate. Tart finish. My first Chave Hermitage so it was fun to taste. It also shows that a good wine maker can make decent wine even in a difficult vintage.
Flight 5 - Domestic Syrah (3 notes)
Beef strip sirloin with roasted root vegetables, potato puree, and red wine sauce. I can't complain about beef and syrah. A really nice dish though after being spoiled by Flannery's steaks, this one was on the lean side.
Red
1999 Dehlinger Syrah
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Lots of acidity in this one. Good fruit though and some firm tannins so perhaps it just needs some time.
Red
1995 Dehlinger Syrah
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Black cherry and other fruits on the nose. Blackberry and clove on the finish. Good balance and weight.
Flight 6 - More domestic Syrah (2 notes)
Red
2003 Mark Ryan Syrah Bad Lands
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
Nothing really stood out for me in this wine. No flaws but not a lot of character either. Maybe it just needs more time in the cellar.
Flight 7 - Another flight of domestic Syrah (2 notes)
Blue del Moncenisio with plum mostarda. The blue cheese worked reasonably well with the reds and was a nice transition to dessert.
Red
2004 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
My palate was getting fatigued at this point but WOW! This wine woke me up. Crazy intense aromas. Off the charts. Olives, meat, bacon, fruits, you name it, it's in there. Huge and massive. DO NOT DRINK before 2045. I'm not sure where this is going but it will be interesting.
Flight 8 - Yet another flight of domestic Syrah (2 notes)
Chocolate terrine with cherry gelato, and pecan praline. This dish was really really good. I could have eaten two of these.
Closing
For my taste the Rhones edged out the Rhone Rangers. California shows lots of promise though and it will be interesting to see what domestic producers of Rhone styled wines do over the years.
Though some of the scores I've assigned may indicate otherwise, my 3 favorite wines were:
1. 2001 Charvin
2. 1994 Jaboulet La Chapelle
3. 1995 La Nerthe Cuvee des Cadettes
The group favorites were:
1. 1999 Pegau Cuvee Reservee
2. 2001 Charvin
3. 2004 Cayuse Bionic Frog
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