December 26, 2023 - This bottle may have been a bad bottle - definitely seemed past it’s prime. Didn’t blow off the typical funk that this wine has. Have a few other bottles that will try soon to find out
October 29, 2023 - A monster wine. I guessed CdP tasting blind. Dense and still-tannic texture. Powerful animal and umami flavors. It’s not a very elegant or refined wine, but concentration counts for a lot.
May 25, 2023 - Looking forward to this Hermitage, opened for few hours before drinking, dark red, ripe black fruits, bit of oak still, on the palate balanced, liked this
94
May 23, 2023 - 6 in owc
January 22, 2023 - This is a true stunner. Tasted vis-a-vis La Landonne 2003, this is more elegant, seems lighter even, yet with a core of iron that is tell tale Bessards. Cool nose with minerals galore, very elegant and vertical structure, olives and concentrated fruit. Years to go, also from this format.
#lunch#H&N
September 16, 2022 - My first time trying this wine - a little “animale” on the nose, this is probably not in my wheelhouse, but I can appreciate it as a well-made wine.
September 14, 2022 - Similar to prior notes after a 30 min double decant; outstanding & ready to drink
August 23, 2022 - Northern Rhone night at Chaoshan: Was pleased with my guess of 2003 Chapoutier Hermitage - everyone unanimously agreed that this was a Hermitage. Quite an international style with lots of wood that obscured the fruit. This was more advanced than the previous bottle I had last year which was much more youthful but this bottle had travelled for a bit based on the back label. Not my kind of Rhone.
February 20, 2022 - Rhone night (that turned out to the mostly southern Rhones): No sense of northern Rhone at all, thought this was a caricature of a CDP from 2007 from a producer like Chapoutier. Purple inky fruit, huge extraction and lots of vanilla oak on the nose. Raisins and stewed fruits emerged with air. No tell-tale signs of northern Rhone present and pretty much a one-dimensional, sledgehammer of a wine.
January 23, 2022 - Awful nose initially but excellent
Palate and everybody loved
The wine
Ripeness of the vintage is well balanced here and tannins are resolved
Reallympretty wine