From a pristine bottle, the Pignan had plenty of spine left. This is a deft, elegant wine with lots of fruit, florals, and herbs. The nose and the palate both present pure fruit (cherries and some cooler, darker notes) with extract and a little sweetness. There's stem and underbrush all over this, and a bit of floral perfume. More subtly, there's and earthiness to it, and maybe some sandalwood. As this got air, it expressed some blood and iron. A very suave, pretty wine with plenty of life left. Overall, a delicate experience despite vibrant flavors. Beautiful. The natural sweetness of the fruit tied everything together and made the wine a balanced, unified but dynamic whole.
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Thanks to BurgNick, who very generously shared this bottle, I got to try the Pignan Reserve second time. The wine opened up drastically over our three hours dinner, I'm so glad I saved some to taste in the end of the dinner. Initially, the wine showed more mushroom, black olives, tar, and meaty, but over the next three hours, the wine changed a lot to more elegant red and dark purple fruits, herbs, smoked leaves, black tea, nice and round acidity, smooth tannin, very elegant Southern Rhone expression (probably the most elegant I have experienced).
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Took around an hour to open up with herbs, tea, black fruit, licorice and earth. An elegant expression of cdp which really showed more underlying substance with aeration. Good length. It takes time to open up in the glass. 93+
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Dinner w/Brad & Maggie (Eleven Madison Park): This could easily have been my WOTN so it was sad to get such a small pour (1 bottle split among 24 ppl). The wine just kept going on and on and it was different every time I came back for a little sip. Very herbal with tea leaves and a lightness of fruit and it was just delicious.
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A truly excellent example of CdP. Enjoyed at Marea along with a 2006 Rayas Blanc. The som stated that this was their last bottle of the vintage. Well-received by all.
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Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Tru Restaurant - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. This had been open several hours before I got to taste. Very good combination of earth, cooked mushroom, mature black fruit and brown spice. Very good depth and nuance. Holding beautifully.
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A great bottle with a savoury mushroom maturity just starting to creep in. Drinking very well this disappeared very quickly and was a fascinating wine. Loads of earthy chalky mineral scents and the trademark subtle grip that builds on the finish. Not drying out at all and still looks to have plenty of gas in the tank.
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Sweet red fruit full mouthful of beautiful CDP.Continued to evolve over an hour in the glass. Long big finish with just a hint of spice. Awonderful compliment to a sushi dinner with friends. (thank you RP Dec 2009)
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Very Special Evening at Picholine (Picholine Wine Room, NYC): Red fruit, a touch of forest floor, and rosemary on the nose. On the palate, wonderful fruit. Under-ripe plums, and a touch sweet compared to the Beaucastel. Lovely, big finish. Eventually a bit of licorice reveals itself. Lots of sour cherry. Wonderful. Evolves and improves over 45 mins or so in the glass. A bit of pine resin later in the evening.
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Older Rhone Dinner (Custom House): Full red color. Lovely nose of lithe floral red fruit. Mmmmn, great red fruit and pepper on the palate with wonderful balance and acidity. A real surprise!
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JF's Birthday (JF's place, Tucson): Elegant, beautiful wine with red fruits and berries. A little bit of acid, and the tannins are fully integrated. Drinking perfectly these days. Pure fruit, nice backbone. Beautiful, but somehow not exciting this time.
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I've been dying for a chance to try this wine. Prepared a bottle to take with me to Chicago to visit some wino friends and enjoy over dinner at Blackbird. Unfortunately, the air travel gods did not smile on me, and I never made it. So I figured I needed to try this anyway and brought it to C&S's place where the 3 of us enjoyed it along with some nive cheeses.
Notes from memory. Decanted and poured shortly thereafter. Nice deep red in the center, lighter for a half-inch around the edge, a very little bricking right at the edges. Beautiful nose - lovely strawberries, raspberries - tons of fruit wafting to my nostrils. On the palate, an elegant wine with lovely red fruits - again loads and loads of strawberries, with some sweet acid (strawberry-like acidity). Notes of kirsch, a bit of crushed stone. Really a beauty. After an hour, it grows in the glass - becomes much more full on the mid-palate, with darker notes and more sous-bois and earth characteristics. Would have loved to see this evolve longer; alas I needed to get home. Went fantastically well with the goat cheese (a Chevre d'Or IIRC); less well with the others. This has further room to evolve - I suspect probably 5 more years to improve and another 5 at peak. If I were to open another bottle soon, I'd give it 1-2 hours decant time.
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Singer & Foy survey of older Rhones. Decent ruby color; showing some age, but not faded. Nose is a little shy, but there's some fruit there. Mouth is full and rich, with dark chocolate. Some acid and tannin crops up in the finish, but that's a minor problem. 4-9-14-7: 84/100.
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With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy survey of 1985 Rhones. Light medium ruby. Nose has good fruit, and flowery aromas. Good core of fruit. Flavor is rich, dark chocolate. Big wine, with fruit, tannin and alcohol. Good stuff – but I don't like it quite as much as Michael Lehmann does. 5-12-15-7: 89/100. (Michael rated it in the mid-90s.)
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9/20/2020 - misterstarre Likes this wine: 95 Points
From a pristine bottle, the Pignan had plenty of spine left. This is a deft, elegant wine with lots of fruit, florals, and herbs. The nose and the palate both present pure fruit (cherries and some cooler, darker notes) with extract and a little sweetness. There's stem and underbrush all over this, and a bit of floral perfume. More subtly, there's and earthiness to it, and maybe some sandalwood. As this got air, it expressed some blood and iron. A very suave, pretty wine with plenty of life left. Overall, a delicate experience despite vibrant flavors. Beautiful. The natural sweetness of the fruit tied everything together and made the wine a balanced, unified but dynamic whole.
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11/22/2018 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:
Thanks to BurgNick, who very generously shared this bottle, I got to try the Pignan Reserve second time.
The wine opened up drastically over our three hours dinner, I'm so glad I saved some to taste in the end of the dinner. Initially, the wine showed more mushroom, black olives, tar, and meaty, but over the next three hours, the wine changed a lot to more elegant red and dark purple fruits, herbs, smoked leaves, black tea, nice and round acidity, smooth tannin, very elegant Southern Rhone expression (probably the most elegant I have experienced).
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11/21/2018 - Burgnick Likes this wine: 93 Points
Took around an hour to open up with herbs, tea, black fruit, licorice and earth. An elegant expression of cdp which really showed more underlying substance with aeration. Good length. It takes time to open up in the glass. 93+
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4/21/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Dinner w/Brad & Maggie (Eleven Madison Park): This could easily have been my WOTN so it was sad to get such a small pour (1 bottle split among 24 ppl). The wine just kept going on and on and it was different every time I came back for a little sip. Very herbal with tea leaves and a lightness of fruit and it was just delicious.
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2/7/2017 - jreynolds3 wrote: 94 Points
A truly excellent example of CdP. Enjoyed at Marea along with a 2006 Rayas Blanc. The som stated that this was their last bottle of the vintage. Well-received by all.
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5/16/2015 - Burgundy Al wrote: 93 Points
Wines Tasted at HDH Auction (Tru Restaurant - Chicago IL): Tasting, brief note. This had been open several hours before I got to taste. Very good combination of earth, cooked mushroom, mature black fruit and brown spice. Very good depth and nuance. Holding beautifully.
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12/15/2010 - AJ72 wrote: 94 Points
A great bottle with a savoury mushroom maturity just starting to creep in. Drinking very well this disappeared very quickly and was a fascinating wine. Loads of earthy chalky mineral scents and the trademark subtle grip that builds on the finish. Not drying out at all and still looks to have plenty of gas in the tank.
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11/9/2009 - Dickdoc49 wrote: 95 Points
Sweet red fruit full mouthful of beautiful CDP.Continued to evolve over an hour in the glass. Long big finish with just a hint of spice. Awonderful compliment to a sushi dinner with friends. (thank you RP Dec 2009)
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4/27/2007 - trankin wrote: 96 Points
Very Special Evening at Picholine (Picholine Wine Room, NYC): Red fruit, a touch of forest floor, and rosemary on the nose. On the palate, wonderful fruit. Under-ripe plums, and a touch sweet compared to the Beaucastel. Lovely, big finish. Eventually a bit of licorice reveals itself. Lots of sour cherry. Wonderful. Evolves and improves over 45 mins or so in the glass. A bit of pine resin later in the evening.
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4/18/2007 - winefool wrote: 95 Points
Older Rhone Dinner (Custom House): Full red color. Lovely nose of lithe floral red fruit. Mmmmn, great red fruit and pepper on the palate with wonderful balance and acidity. A real surprise!
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2/17/2007 - trankin wrote: 94 Points
JF's Birthday (JF's place, Tucson): Elegant, beautiful wine with red fruits and berries. A little bit of acid, and the tannins are fully integrated. Drinking perfectly these days. Pure fruit, nice backbone. Beautiful, but somehow not exciting this time.
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7/29/2006 - trankin wrote: 94 Points
I've been dying for a chance to try this wine. Prepared a bottle to take with me to Chicago to visit some wino friends and enjoy over dinner at Blackbird. Unfortunately, the air travel gods did not smile on me, and I never made it. So I figured I needed to try this anyway and brought it to C&S's place where the 3 of us enjoyed it along with some nive cheeses.
Notes from memory. Decanted and poured shortly thereafter. Nice deep red in the center, lighter for a half-inch around the edge, a very little bricking right at the edges. Beautiful nose - lovely strawberries, raspberries - tons of fruit wafting to my nostrils. On the palate, an elegant wine with lovely red fruits - again loads and loads of strawberries, with some sweet acid (strawberry-like acidity). Notes of kirsch, a bit of crushed stone. Really a beauty. After an hour, it grows in the glass - becomes much more full on the mid-palate, with darker notes and more sous-bois and earth characteristics. Would have loved to see this evolve longer; alas I needed to get home. Went fantastically well with the goat cheese (a Chevre d'Or IIRC); less well with the others. This has further room to evolve - I suspect probably 5 more years to improve and another 5 at peak. If I were to open another bottle soon, I'd give it 1-2 hours decant time.
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3/21/1992 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 84 Points
Singer & Foy survey of older Rhones. Decent ruby color; showing some age, but not faded. Nose is a little shy, but there's some fruit there. Mouth is full and rich, with dark chocolate. Some acid and tannin crops up in the finish, but that's a minor problem. 4-9-14-7: 84/100.
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4/5/1991 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 89 Points
With Michael Lehmann at Singer & Foy survey of 1985 Rhones. Light medium ruby. Nose has good fruit, and flowery aromas. Good core of fruit. Flavor is rich, dark chocolate. Big wine, with fruit, tannin and alcohol. Good stuff – but I don't like it quite as much as Michael Lehmann does. 5-12-15-7: 89/100. (Michael rated it in the mid-90s.)
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