This bottle was provided from my cellar and intended for the hour-ish road trip from Omaha to Lincoln. A 50/50 blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Grand Cru vineyards. This was a showcase for the 2008 vintage showing incredibly bright, white peach, brioche, yellow raspberry and apple fruits. Slightly richer in style but the acid from the vintage pierced through the fruit and autolytic characteristics. It seems to gain power with air but it’s still very primary at this stage. A wine that could easily be laid down for another decade or more.

The three of us from Omaha were presented this wine upon arrival, double-blind fashion in large burgundy-style glasses. The appearance was a burnished gold color with slight visual signs of gas only when agitated. On the nose, there are signs of oxidization with a slightly cheesy and nutty thing on the nose along with some bruised apple and pear. The palate was like fireworks. Layers of fruits, nuts, spices and the creamiest of textures. At first, based on the smell and the appearance, I thought this might be a vintage Champagne, 1996 or even possibly 1990. However, after tasting it, I was compelled to shift direction as it reminded me of some of the more remarkable NV wines made in a solera-style like Bereche “Reflan d’Antan” or Selosse “Initial”. Welp…basically nailed it. How I wish this wine could be in my life more often.

Unbelievable floral...like an entire bouquet of flowers. The palate is remarkably rich as well. Long finish. Opulent.

Tasted alongside the 1996 and while this was very good, it was also very primary. However, thanks to the 1996, it was very easy to tell where the 2013 is headed. If you have these, I highly recommend you hold for at least another 10 years so it can begin showing more secondary characteristics.

Tasted alongside the 2013 and this was absolutely extraordinary. Tremendous depth. This is what I’ve always wanted out of white Rhône wines and of course, it took a well aged Chave to deliver.

History in a bottle. This was Laurence’s first vintage that completely bottled and sold out and oh, what an effort it is! The fruit is so well preserved whilst the abundance of secondary characteristics well on display. Structurally sound still and very much alice. One of the oldest CdP’s I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing and just proves how special these wines really are.

Over shadowed by its peers on this night though a very respectable and lovely wine. Comes across as very 2016 vintage which, in my book, is complimentary.

Somewhat analogous with my 2013 Chave Blanc impression, this was more about peering into the bright future in store for this wine. The potential is simply buried deep beneath the surface. All the stuffing is there for a special wine down the road. While enjoyable now, patience will be handsomely rewarded. Personally, I wouldn’t touch well-cellared examples until much closer to 2030.

a complete smoke show and unanimously the star of the flight. It’s no wonder the demand for these wines have skyrocketed. They are singular expressions with unmatched purity and character. The visual, nose and palate effortlessly command attention. Aromas and flavors unique from anything else in the Southern Rhône. The experience is a bit like going to a Billie Eilish concert with only basic knowledge of her music or persona, only to leave in awe because you just witnessed a once in a generation talent doing something undeniably special. Like Billie, a wine of character, authenticity and showmanship.

A lovely, luxurious and archetypal version of Syrah that showed very well alongside the other late-90’s examples from Hermitage on the table. I felt this showed a little bit better than the “La Chapelle” but it was really close. It’s showing some charming secondary characteristics but has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Until Caroline Frey took over wine making responsibilities, “La Chapelle” was sort of known to me as a perennial underachiever with very few vintages in the last 40 years really meeting their potential. The late 90’s was perhaps the deepest point of the malaise. That being said, this bottle proves that the underpinnings were always there and I found it to be very enjoyable, if not quite on the level of the other examples of late-90’s Hermitage we enjoyed on the night. There is still quite a bit of life left.

Easily the classiest of the three late-90’s Hermitage selections in this flight and there really isn’t much more to say. The Chave just hits different. Plenty of life and enjoyment left in these.

This one was unplanned and got slipped into the flight towards the end. I had no previous experience with the wines of Bernard Faurie so there was no real fanfare. This was a stunning showing. Lovely fruit still but it was the added complexity of secondary and tertiary characteristics that really impressed. Everything seemed to be in balance and really showed what properly aged Hermitage can do…and it really is quite special.

Of the Cornas flight, this was the standout and again, the lineup was significant. It was a wonderfully wild expression of Syrah in the way that Cornas provides and yet, there was some real sophistication to it as well. Mostly primary with deep, delicious dark berries leading the way with fabulous structure. Long way to go for this one. Simply in a different class tonight.

I’ve got a soft spot for the wines of August Clape and this was a great showing but, and I’m really splitting hairs here, it just didn’t have the character that the ’09 Allemand had on this night. I found this bottle to be more about the 2009 vintage than anything else; enormous waves of sweet, ripe fruit with a soft, plush, luxurious texture. It was just a bit one dimensional tonight.

I was really excited to drink some Clape with some age and this showed really well against younger talent. It was was a bit more nuanced than the younger Clape but was still well endowed with fruit. Lots of life left.

Casually poured double-blind from a brown bag at the very end of the night while our heads were still spinning from the incredible quality on display. The senses were overloaded. It was blood lust. And then…I smelled my glass. An overwhelming feeling of serenity washed over me. It was almost as if a pair of noise-cancelling headphones were placed in my ears. This was different. It commanded attention. This wasn’t a wine from the Rhône. It smelled like Burgundy…and it was special. There was brilliant structure accompanying the most sublime fruits and exotic spices. I looked up at my buddy Matt who was also nosing his glass and our eyes met. He was also spellbound. He then quietly declared to me, “this is DRC”. I thought to myself, surely no. This late? After everything we just had?? Until now, I had never tried DRC so I had no frame of reference but Matt seemed pretty confident. Then some of the others started to fall into the trance. Everyone was falling over themselves. The bottle was pulled from the bag by our host. And there it was. A 2011 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux. It was just beautiful. I was different now…almost like losing my virginity. What a sensational nightcap.