4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): Very concentrated, hint of meat, pepper. Palate is strict, tannins not yet integrated, a little aggressive. I'm not sure they will polish. Aromatics are cornas-like, the more savage and animal syrah, olive, meat, pepper. Lengthy. A good and interesting wine without being a great one, lacks in terms of texture. A wine that calls for meat to provide a little fat and comfort, at this stage in any case.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): Complete wine. Ripe wine, concentrated, structure, aristocratic, like tempered steel. It's a baby with a big future.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): meh, very ripe, alcohol quite present. Tannins are a little drying, . Maybe a touch of volatile, or even a slight metallic aftertaste ? Probably not the best bottle for a showing but was very forgettable on the night.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): bricky colour, fading at the edges. Nose of dried flowers, potpourri, pepper, spicy. rRed fruits, a little cocoa, well-integrated tannins, good length. Delicate Cote Rôtie, in a very good place.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus wrote:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): Primary fruit, intense, lots of wood vanilla, decadent élevage. Palate : Intense cassis coulis, mocha, a touch too sweet for me, still have to wait a little to have everything integrate more A touch milky ? Well made, consensual, international style, very Guigal, not a terroir wine. Blind, it would be tough to guess Northern Rhone vs. new world Syrah.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): half-bodied wine, a little floral on the nose but also marks of élevage with wood and vanilla. On the palate, also half-bodied, the wine lacks aromatic complexity, length or concentration. The tannins stick and dry out at the end. Disappointing

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): Very concentrated wine, ripe black fruits, dense colour, nose and mouth. Texture is textbook Chave, powdery tannins, decadent velvet. Was very nice but will have a very long life. I enjoyed it, fully primary, but will wait for quite a bit for my next bottle, hoping for more aromatic complexity in the future.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): On the nose pepper, coffee, toasty note, cassis, meat. Drinking well, rather ripe fruits, cassis, and soft spices, a meaty and gamey note as well. In a good place now, going tertiary now so depends on your taste. Aromatics are on the ripe side without going over the edge like so many other 2003s.

4/23/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Exploring Northern Rhone Syrah (Paris): Just starting to brick on the edges. Nose is very pretty, floral.
Mouth is "Burgundian", finesse all the way. Red fruits rather than black, floral nuances, tea. The texture is silky and the wine is very very long, endless. Absolutely WOW wine and in my syrah panthéon.

3/24/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Violets and primary fruits still there, peppery and an olive note. Tannins are integrated and the wine is in a good spot now. Go for it.

3/24/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Lemon and white fruits with hints of ageing (lightly buttered and toasted), full-bodied, energetic on the palate, with nice zesty energy. Oak treatment is there but well integrated and just enough to highlight the other features. Nice intensity and lenght. Punches well above its weight/price. Impressive

3/10/2024 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Nez pas en place, sur la levure, le fermentaire, qui crée un peu d'inquietude initialement. Bouche beaucoup plus avenante, très jura avec une belle tension et grosse salinité finale. A revoir dans un ou deux ans.

3/5/2024 - Hamozus wrote:

Peppery strawberry on the palate and the nose. Light wine with nice acidity, very glouglou.

7/11/2021 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

La robe est encore assez soutenue, ça brique pas tant que ça. Je m'attarde pas sur le nez qui est ok mais rien de fou.
En bouche en revanche, on a encore pas mal de fruits rouges, vifs, avec des notes de sous bois, un peu de tabac. C'est vraiment le toucher de bouche qui nous emporte, c'est soyeux, élégant. Belle longueur. Y'a de l'intensité même si on atteint pas les sommets de Palmer, vraiment pas donné l'impression d'un vin en fin de vie. 12% aussi, c'est fini cette époque. Grande bouteille.

7/11/2021 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Chablis à point, encore la tension et le citron mais on a des notes un peu noisette, fumées plus évoluées. Juste ce qu'il faut. Première expérience avec le domaine, très plaisant.

7/10/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Strawberries, sweet spices, autumnal wine. Long finish, soft on the palate, not much tanins. In a really good space right now.

7/1/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Deep purplish colour. Berries, floral and spicy nose.
Soft and fruity attack. Silky texture, with a slight sweetness but a nice freshness. Not the most complex but really enjoyable and open for business.

4/3/2020 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

Very disappointing. Austere nose, still showing a lot of wood. Short mouth, extremely drying tannins. No off aromas, so not sure that the bottle was flawed.

2/29/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

My experiences with 2001 Bordeaux continue to be quite enjoyable.
Nothing too exuberant but a very balanced wine with cassis and blackberry fruits, acidity to bring freshness and a menthol note in the finish. It's drinking well but should remain in its plateau for a number of years.

2/29/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Better than the first bottle (see note in Nov-19) but really showed well on Day 3. Everything was much more precise and distinguishable, still very much full of strawberries and soft spices.

2/18/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Deep golden colour. Very balanced palate, sugar is there, ripe yellow fruits (apricot) but acidity lifts the wine. Reminded me of bitter oranges marmalade.

Robe dorée foncée. Bouche très équilibrée, le sucre est là, les fruits jaunes mûrs (abricot) mais l'acidité porte le vin. Cela m'a fait penser à de la confiture d'oranges amères.

2/17/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Translucent wine. Promising nose, red fruits, roses and some spices. Palate is in line, really over-delivering.
Very elegant texture, ripe fruits, spices, forest floor, mineral and fresh finale.

2/17/2020 - Hamozus wrote:

Wine has completely shut down since my first bottle. Even after decanting and 3-4h of air not much given. You can sense structure hidden but I'd wait for quite some time before popping a bottle.

1/28/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Ripe fruits, a rather velvety texture, non-invasive tannins, good balance. It may have been missing an X factor that makes your eyes spark, but it is a well-made wine that can still age for a while.

Fruits mûrs, une texture plutôt veloutée, tannins pas envahissants, bon équilibre. Il manquait peut être le petit plus qui met des paillettes dans les yeux, mais c'est un vin bien fait qui peut encore vieillir un bon moment.

1/26/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Blackberry, pepper, minerals and herbs. Tannins are integrated. Dense, racy wine.

Mûre, poivre, notes herbacées. Vin aux tannins intégrés et à la belle trame minérale. Jus dense et racé.

1/26/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

After one hour, opened to provide lots of red fruits, hint of roses. Very refreshing wine, you keep coming back to it.

1/1/2020 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Crunchy red fruits, nice herbal notes. Fresh, energetic. Surprised to see 14.5% alcohol.

Fruits rouges croquants, jolies notes herbacées. Frais, énergique. Surpris de voir 14,5% d'alcool.

12/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Aromatique florale, sur la violette et l'abricot. Un peu de miel mais suffisamment d'amers pour pas que ce soit lourd, pesant. Bon vin, mais je reste dubitatif sur le rapport qualité-prix de Condrieu en général.

Aromatic floral, violets and apricots. Ripe fruits, a little honey but enough bitter to not be too heavy. Good wine, but I remain dubious about the price-quality ratio of Condrieu in general.

12/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Une petite pointe alcooleuse genre cerise kirschée au nez me fait un peur initialement. Je sers dans un autre verre (Zalto Universel) et cela se ressent beaucoup moins, le nez reste sur les fruits principalement mais de façon beaucoup plus adoucie.
La bouche ne fait pas débat, c'est tout ce que je veux dans un Cornas. Du fruit noir mûr, concentré, des épices (un peu réglisses, final poivre), des notes fumées et animal très Cornas. Vin concentré, long, beaucoup de plaisir. Dommage, c'est ma seule bouteille.

A little kirsche-type alcoholic note on the nose makes me initially afraid. I try the wine in another glass (Zalto Universel) and it feels much softer with mostly fruits on the nose but without the alcohol heat.
Nothing controversial with the palate, it's all I want in a Cornas. Ripe black fruit, concentrated, spices (a little licorice, peppery final), smoky notes and a very Cornas-like animal energy. Concentrated wine, long finale, a lot of pleasure. Too bad it's my only bottle.

11/22/2019 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

Disappointing showing. Not much fruit left, already gone or hidden behind an unpleasant bitterness and badly integrated oak. Improved a bit after 3-4 hours but still nowhere near what I'd like to see in a good Syrah. Had a much much better experience with another PJ Villa bottle last year (Esprit d'Antan 2010)

Bouteille bien décevante. Il ne reste pas beaucoup de fruit, déjà disparu ou caché derrière une amertume désagréable et du bois mal intégré. Petite amélioration après 3-4 heures mais toujours loin de ce que j'aimerais voir dans une bonne Syrah. Expérience à l'opposé d'une autre bouteille de PJ Villa l'an dernier (Esprit d'Antan 2010) qui était superbe.

11/17/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Perfumed floral nose, violettes and black fruits. Silky palate, fine tannins. Powerful black fruit notes (cassis, blackberry), pepper, smokiness. Medium acidity, long finish. Both intense and elegant.

Nez parfumé et floral, violettes et fruits noirs. Bouche soyeuse, tanins fins. Puissantes notes de fruits noirs (cassis, mûre), poivre, fumée. Acidité moyenne, longue final. À la fois intense et élégant.

11/10/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Recent comments about premox issues scared me a bit so I decided to open my bottle.
No issues with this bottle. Strong pear and apple taste, some honey and bergamote notes. Wine is quite intense and dense. Not a bone dry sec wine with an initial sugary weight but a strong acidity brightens the wine. Good length and great wine.

Quelques commentaires récents indiquant une oxydation prématurée m'ont inquiété donc je décide d'ouvrir une bouteille.
Ouf, pas de problème. Fort goût de poire et de pomme, quelques notes de miel et de bergamote. Le vin est assez intense et dense. Ce n'est pas un vin ultra sec, il y a du sucre résiduel ou en tout cas une sensation sucrée en bouche, mais une forte acidité équilibre cela et rafraîchit le vin. Bonne longueur également. Super vin.

11/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Juicy wine, full of fruits, dark and red, spices (cinnamon, cloves). On the ripe side compared to the 2010 but also very enjoyable. Great value here.

Vin juteux, plein de fruits, noirs comme rouges, d'épices (cannelle, clou de girofle). Plus mûr qu'un 2010 mais très agréable. Super RQP.

11/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Delicate nose of strawberries and flowers. Likewise, the palate has strawberries and cherries and a delicate flowery undertone, with a nice bright acidity and fine tannins.

Nez délicat de fraises et de fleurs. De même, la bouche est faite de fraises, de cerises, toujours ce côté délicat et fleuri avec une belle acidité et des tanins fins.

11/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Red fruits, cinnamon. Soft wine, a bit more delicate than the regular cuvée of Montcalmes. Nice freshness at the end.

Fruits rouges, cannelle. Vin un peu plus fluite et délicat que la cuvée régulière de Montcalmes. Belle fraîcheur à la fin.

11/7/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Dark robe. Ripe dark fruits, licorice, some prunes. Smooth tannins. Generous wine, you sense the hot vintage. I was surprised by how primary this still is, I will wait 3-5 years before opening the next bottle.

Robe sombre. Fruits noirs mûrs, réglisse, petite note de pruneaux. Tanins fins et bouche soyeuse. Vin généreux, on sent la chaleur du millésime. J'ai été surpris de voir à quel point le vin est encore primaire, j'attendrai 3-5 ans avant d'ouvrir la prochaine bouteille.

6/4/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Ripe black fruits without being too jammy, black pepper and a little touch of liquorice, nice bacon / meat notes . I was afraid of finding the wine a little too heavy or unbalanced given the vintage and Guigal elevage but not at all. It is quite balanced, persistent in the mouth, a treat. Even if it's a negoce bottle, they know what they do at Guigal.

Fruits noirs bien mûrs sans aller vers la confiture, pointe poivrée et un peu réglissée, bacon/viande. Je craignais un truc un peu trop lourdeaux vu le millésime et l'élevage mais non pas du tout c'est bien équilibré, persistent en bouche, un vrai plaisir. Bouteille de négoce mais ils savent ce qu'ils font chez Guigal.

10/30/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

The nose is blah, alcohol notes and mushrooms mostly. Palate is much more fun, there are still black fruits, somes prunes (not too much), licorice, hints of leather. tanins are resolved. Not much length but smooth final. Good bottle given the price ($22).

Le nez est bof, genre pointe d'alcool, champignon. La bouche est bien plus sympa, y'a encore des fruits noirs, pointe de pruneau, réglisse , des notes de cuirs les tanins ont fondus, c'est agréable. Longueur moyenne mais final en douceur. Bon RQP (€20)

10/30/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

The bottle looked perfect, from the label to its level. The wine did not disappoint.
Nose was lovely, I was constantly coming back to it. Average intensity but particularly pleasant and refined mix of fruit, leather, tobacco.
The palate is both dense and thin with a fine-grained texture.It stretches and it extends impressively. Silky palate,, the fruit is alive and quite ripe but there is an impressive balance. No heat notes, the 12.5% ​​alcohol surely helps. This is a ballerina of a wine.

La bouteille avait l'air parfaite, niveau comme étiquette. Le vin n'a pas déçu.
On se plonge sans arrêt dans le nez, à l'intensité moyenne mais particulièrement agréable et raffiné, un mix de fruit, de cuir et de tabac. La bouche est à la fois fine et dense, ça s'étire et ça s'élonge de façon impressionnante. Bouche soyeuse, impressionnante d'équilibre, le fruit est vivant, bien mûr mais pas de sensation de chaleur, les 12.5% d'alcool seulement aident surement. C'est une ballerine ce vin.

10/27/2019 - Hamozus wrote:

weirdly flawed, extremely watery, I don't believe it's the wine, just this bottle.

10/27/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Give it at least a couple of hours of air before drinking.
Spice bomb, fruits and smoky notes on the nose. Palate is black fruits, pepper, meaty/bacon notes. Dense wine but good acid structure that keeps everything fresh. Great length. Really lovely bottle.

J'avais peur que ce soit encore trop jeune mais après 2h de carafage ça s'est bien déployé. Bombe d'épices, de fruit noir et de fumée au nez. Du fruit, des épices (poivre principalement), des notes viandées en bouche. Belle matière et super trame acide qui laisse le vin frais et digeste. Belle longueur aussi.

10/8/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Fruit mûr, juteux, bouche soyeuse, fraîcheur mentholée. Ca vous réconcilie avec Bordeaux.

Ripe and juicy fruit, silky mouth, menthol freshness. A wine to reconcile people with Bordeaux.

10/7/2019 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

No discernable flaws but somewhat bland. Mute nose and nothing exciting on the palate either.
Will try a second bottle in a couple months to see if it was just a poor showing.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Juteux, sur la cerise, un peu le réglisse, relativement voluptueux. C'est frais, digeste, facile à boire, miam.

Juicy, lots of cherry, liquorice. Luscious palate. still, it is fresh, balanced, easy to drink. Yum

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Does not like this wine:

Nez faisandé, ça sent l'écurie à fond, toute la table grimace. Certains pensent que c'est de la simple réduction et que ça va se dissiper. Ca s'est atténué le long de la dégustation sans disparaitre, vraiment désagréable. En bouche, la première note est un peu similaire avant que le fruit réaparaisse. Ca s'améliore 20 minutes après et la sensation renardée n'est quasi plus là en bouche, mais trop tard, je passe mon chemin. Les gens qui ont servi le vins insiste qu'il n'y avait pas de défaut de bouteille, soit.

Gamy nose (in a bad way), smells like stables, everyone around the table is bothered by it. Some think its only reduction and that it will dissipate. It did fade along the tasting without disappearing, remained as an initial unpleasant smell. On the palate, the first note is a little similar before the fruit reappears. It improves 20 minutes later but too late for me, I'll pass. The people who served the wine insist that the bottle was not flawed, so be it.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Nez de cerise et de végétal. Vin puissant, épicé bien poivré, un peu rustique. Les fruits sont encore masqués par de l'élevage, le final est assez tannique, presque asséchant. Belle matière, à oublier quelques années.

Nose of cherries and herbs. Powerful wine, spicy and especially peppery, some rusticity. The fruits are still masked by elevage, the final is quite tannic, almost drying. Nice material, to forget for some years.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Vin souple, soyeux, aux fruits éclatants. Super vin de soif.

Crisp and crunchy fruits, silky and pure glou-glou wine.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Nez de cerise kirchée et d'épices. Bouche en puissance, sur la cerise, tannins présents mais bien mûrs et fins, pas de verdeur, épices douces. Assez intense, gourmand, pas complexe pour le moment. Peut probablement vieillir mais se boit bien là.

Nose of kirsch cherry and spices. Powerful palate, full of cherries and sweet spices, tannins are there but ripe and fine, no greenness. Quite intense, gourmand, not complex at the moment. Can probably grow old but drinking nicely right now.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus wrote:

Sur le citron, la minéralité. Un peu austère. Belle longueur, et de quoi voir venir au vieillissement.

All lemon and minerality. A bit stern. Good length and has the stuffings to age well.

10/2/2019 - Hamozus Likes this wine:

Le nez est déjà très sexy, sur les fruits jaunes et même les fruits exotiques. Très parfumé. La bouche est dans la continuation avec un fruit gourmand,intense, équilibré par une belle fraicheur. Miam

Very sexy nose, yellow fruits and even exotic fruits. Very fragrant. The palate is a logical extension with intense and pure fruits, balanced by a nice freshness. Yum