Ron Siegel

9.5

This was open with a silky texture showing a perfumed nose of red & dark fruits, iodine, graphite, black olive, pepper, lavender, savory spices & violets — 20 days ago

Jay Kline

9.6

Presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a deep garnet/purple with an opaque core and some moderate rim variation; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with beautiful notes of ripe and slightly dried black and blue fruits: dark brambles, plum, fig, purple flowers, leather ball glove, something spicy and green that has me debating between rotundone or pyrazines (but which?), rocky earth and fine baking warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Alcohol is medium. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. What a beautifully made wine.

Initial conclusions: this could be Cabernet Sauvignon (or a blend with associated Bordeaux varieties), Cabernet Franc, Merlot (blended with associated Bordeaux varieties) or Syrah from France, the US or Australia. This is older; probably 20+ years of age based on the secondary characteristics or dried fruit and old leather. While the fruit plays a starring role here, the alcohol seems almost modest so I can’t place this in Australia or the US. The problem I’m having, are there pyrazines or rotundone? I don’t get a lot of black pepper or animale, or olive for that matter…so I’m leaning towards this being Bordeaux. Final conclusion: this is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine with a blend of Bordeaux varieties, from France, Bordeaux, Pulliac, from a classified growth, 2004. Whoa!!! 2005 Clape?! What a treat! I feel like I should have nailed this wine. Alas…I still have to get better at differentiating between pyrazines and rotundone with age. Drink now with a decant, through 2045+ — 4 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.4

Black & red fruits, balanced with polished tannins showing, savory spice, graphite, smoke, olive, pepper & underbrush. Still a baby with many years ahead — 4 years ago

Pooneet K

9.0

Very nice Syrah, but slightly underwhelming for the price point. Decanted 4 hours and it needs it at this point. Dark dark fruit, olive, some cured meat. — 5 years ago

Rebecca Orischak

9.2

Olive Garden — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Nice drinking Cote Rotie with notes of dark cherry, kirsch, iron, blood, olive, pepper & licorice spice. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

At this point, with this group, a Legends dinner simply wouldn’t be appropriate without at least one bottle of Chave Hermitage.

Opened about 90min prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1994 Hermitage pours a slightly hazy garnet with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with perfumed notes of dried brambles, dried blueberry, dried purple flowers, black olive, mushroom, espresso, leather, stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly sanguine. Delicious with the 5 Spice Cured Duck prepared with marinated Bing cherries, crispy shallot and Olathe corn polenta. It was such a pleasure to taste the ‘94 Chave next to the ‘85 Gentaz. Two Northern Rhône Legends working with their respective terroirs. Where the Gentaz was all about the aromatics of Côte Rôtie, the Chave was brought more of the power from the Hill of Hermitage. Drink now through 2056. — 2 months ago

DelectableWino

9.1

Great wine. Elegant dark fruits. Rich. — 7 months ago

Pooneet K

9.3

Wonderful chinon. Have cab franc too infrequently, I think. Had an 89 of this bottle at Manhatta several years ago and enjoyed that too. Beautiful color in the glass. Quite restrained in a wonderful way. Definitely smells like cab franc. A hint of fruit. Some olive. Great refinement. Actually not a ton of acid but the finish is long and very nice. — 4 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Great SJ that was elegant & floral that reminded me a lot of Gonon less the $$$ This had lots dark fruits, meat, iron, savory spice, black olive, pepper, licorice & violet. — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

A floral & more feminine style of Cote Rotie with nice aromatics showing notes of soft cherry, berry fruits, olive, spices, pepper, meat, rose petal & violet — 6 years ago

Matt

9.8

Raspberry jam, huckleberry compote, crushed black cherry, peach pit, violet liquor, bbq meat, fur, licorice whip, olive tapenade, sanguine, beef jerky, iodine, coffee grounds, smoke, pink peppercorns, a touch of leather. The salinity this has is unreal. It has real class and carries its weight well. Balance of the acid is keen, a cool-climate personality. Tannins are beautiful, resolving but bringing texture and posture. This could go another decade easily, but the balance is there now. Brownie points for the length and complexity. — 7 years ago

Benoit Duhamel

9.5

Un petit intrus dans cette semaine bourguignonne... carafé deux heures avant. Nez de cote-rotie, poivre, vanille et olive. En bouche c’est complexe et puissant.... vanille, fumée, smoked-meat, olive, chocolat noir, violette. Le tout est bien marié et la longueur est persistante. Un vin qui a tout pour plaire. — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Beautiful, whip-smart Northern Rhône Syrah with blackberry, violets, granite and, after air, a gorgeous olive note running through both the nose and palate. The texture is sleek and refined, with excellent freshness, fine tannins and a long, elegant finish. Not quite as complete or tightly composed as the monumental 2019, but still an exceptional Gonon and a brilliant expression of the vintage. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.6

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 1999 pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with slightly desiccated, wild, mixed, mostly red brambles, some horse blanket, dried purple flowers, cracked black pepper, Kalamata olive tapenade, old leather bound books, 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. Tonight, the 1999 seemed like a younger, bassier version of the 1992. It was a profoundly deep and guttural wine with the most substantial structure of the three. Drink now through 2039. — 7 months ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

I love this producer for their SJ with its beautiful aromatics showing black cherry, berry fruit nose of sweet & savory spices, mineral, pepper, olive & violet. — 3 years ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Just an incredible 14 year old #syrah from Wind Gap that’s just screaming Crozes-Hermitage or Cornas in the glass. Cured meat, bacon fat, black olive followed by a deep well of brooding black fruit aromas. Palate is fresh with salivating acidity, aged fruit, coffee, dark chocolate and ethereal tannins on a long finish. Beautiful wine, especially for $53 for 6 bottles at WineBid (before shipping.)
— 5 years ago

Ben Christen

9.0

Black olive and light va. Nice! — 6 years ago

with Ellen

Andrew Lohse

8.9

Olive, earth, red fruit, brine — 7 years ago

Devin Bray

9.4

Beautiful biodynamic Syrah from Ardeché. After 90 minutes, showing with notes of blackberry jam, blueberry, green olive, cured meat, and a tiny hint of ink towards the very end. Silky smooth mouthfeel. — 7 years ago