1990 Dom. de Longue Tocque [Gigondas] This is an estate that I don’t see in the US that much, although occasionally Rimmerman promotes an off vintage. Maybe its because the Meffre portfolio isn’t imported much here? So I was happy to get an older one (some years ago) to try, since JLL suggested Book Review: Wines of the Rhone (Johnathan Livingstone Lermouth, 1978) - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers they were one of the few older producers bottling their own output back when most of the grapes went to the coop or negociants. I’d also observe the old labels are beautiful, sort of like a mashup between Clos des Papes and Pegau’s. The 1990 is a heady 13.5% in an era before global warming; the cork is soaked for 3/4 of its length, and required an Ah So for extraction. The color is a medium ruby with some lightening, and after about 30 minutes it offers a nose of iodine, copper and cinnamon. It is medium bodied and maybe 20-30 seconds of finish. I like it, but I particularly like older Rhone flavors, and I’m sure most enthusiasts would have preferred this at age 10-12 or so, before the tertiary evolution. It’s still fruity though, despite the years. It was nice to sip this while skimming my newer JLL (1992) book. No acid nor tannin left here and I suggest anyone still holding these these drink up. I’d give this a B for its current objective quality, but I did like it more than the grade suggests, as mentally inconsistent as that sounds.