Adriana Fabbro

9.7

1985. 40 years young. Gave it an hour to open up before dinner (paired orange ginger glazed duck with pistachio apricot farro). Thankfully my partner is a master of the Durand. There’s very little for me to compare this too - most aged whites are preserved by acid; Chave relies on glycerol here. It gives the wine gravitas but also life and freshness. Pleasant wood veneer/wood shop notes, dried apricots at first (become fresher with time), yellow plum, truffled earth. Salty poached apricots and timelessness. In a perfect world, we’d be sharing this with my dad. Strange & sensational. — 10 days ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and desiccated black and red fruits: mixed brambles, Flintstone vitamins, spiced meat, olives, purple flowers, black pepper, dried herbs, rocky earth, a mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Similar to the 1997 we tasted alongside, with all of the same notes except this brought back the familiar Flintstone vitamins that I have encountered in La Mouline from the past. The structure was also more substantial. I preferred this to the 1997 tonight…but I’m splitting hairs! — 12 days ago

Harvey Raben

9.6

Still strong with bramble fruit herbal characteristics that flow into a long finish. For a 43 year old this is spectacular example of Syrah in the northern Rhône. Complexity without off flavors from aging. — 5 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

Birth year! One of the best vintages for this wine, and 91 is showing amazing—rich, savory, satiny and ultra complex. A tour de force. If I was blinded I’d guess 20 years younger! — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.6

And then this happened. Oh my days! Opened prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1990 pours a deep garnet color with a translucent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of powerful ripe and desiccated brambles, dried purple flowers, beef blood, leather and mushrooms and earth. On the palate, the wine is dry and structure is still going strong with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, to quote “Squints”, the finish goes on, FOR-EV-ER. A monument. Drink now through 2040. — 12 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened prior to dinner; enjoyed over several hours. The 1998 pours a deep garnet/purple with an opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with mixed brambles, black pepper, just a hint of animale, Kalamata olive, purple flowers, dried green herbs, and rocky minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin (integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Delicious and doesn’t seem to be dropping from a cliff soon. Drink now through 2033 — 21 days ago

Ron Siegel

9.5

This had amazing aromatics showing black cherry, meat, graphite, licorice, savory spice, violets & tobacco — 25 days ago

Ming L

9.3

Aromas of ripe apricot, honeyed peach, and white flowers are layered with subtle hints of hazelnut, spice, and subtle tropical fruits. The palate is lush and rich yet never feels weighty, and offering stone fruit, candied citrus, and a touch of minerality. The long, harmonious finish leaves notes of almond and soft honeysuckles lingering delicately. A mature, refined Condrieu at its expressive peak. — 13 days ago

Jay Kline

9.9

What a special treat to have an entire flight dedicated to the one and only Noël Verset. All three wines were opened prior to dinner and serially enjoyed over the course of a few hours. Stylistically, all three wines were similar and most importantly, sound! The 1998 pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with ripe and slightly desiccated, wild red bramble berries, dried purple flowers, cracked black pepper, black olive, garrigue, spiced meat, coffee, old leather bound books, exotic eastern spices and inorganic earth and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Bro…this bottle left me speechless. It has all of the things I could possibly want in Cornas plus, it has the staying power of Barry White. For me, this was the wine of the flight (and WOTN), overshadowing the more heralded 1999 and giving more than the relatively demure 1992. Drink now through (???). This has the characteristics of an immortal. — 18 days ago

D W

9.2

100% Syrah from the bottom of slopes of the Combe, Les Saveaux, Cayret, Les Mazards, Chaillot and Chapuzes. — 5 days ago