I think we’re all aligned on that! We’ve achieved the rarest of things on this thread - a reasonable and well mannered online discussion. 
The 99 last I had it was extremely tight. I do recall any oak problem. The oak has yet to be absorbed. I think John is wrong on this interpretation.
To both of you, both the 95 and 98 are fruit-driven ini my book. The 99 has been so tight I will not comment on style.
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Yes, that indicates a change in style to me that continues after 99. Having had the 94 and 95 next to each other, I didn’t sense a stylistic change.
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Cannot understand how you can sense a stylistic change based on that?
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The wines from the 1999 vintage have, to me, a different style. It’s consistent in the following vintages, it’s not an outlier.
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Does knowing all vintages from 2020 back to 1987, 1985, 1983-80, 78, 76, 71, 70, 66, 64 and 1934 count? Mostly red and white.
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Seems like Clape would provide a better stylistic foil for Allemand than Chave.
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I should think so!
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I agree.
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Allemand was under-rated until like 2015…then the hype bug got it (Sans Soufre train choo choo!)…now its fairly rated (although sometimes I see retail price offers and think, underrated…old man yells at cloud, I know).
Chave is potentially underrated given the uncertainty regarding how the modern vintages will age. Only time will tell.
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Clape has also gone through its own different stages of winemaking. In the 90s when Allemand was more rustic I can see that, but I do not think post 98 Allemand and Clape are especially similar.
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Allemand more rustic in the 1990s? Not my experience, but my experience hardly reaches beyond the middle of the decade. What stages of winemaking are you talking about concerning Clape? I think the style has been pretty consistent.
Both Reynard and Chaillot from late 90’s (96, 98, 99) are pure elegance. SOTA Syrah imo
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95 reynard still has an overabundance of drying tannins, 96 an 99 are good. In contrast 95 clape is good - but his 94 is still awkward - not so for allemand. It is difficult to ‘judge’ these wines young as they take 20-30 years to reach maturity. I still have faith in Clape 94 - just have to be pacient.
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My experiences with 90s Allemand had been a mixed bag.
'93 Chaillot was elegant and showed his mettle for coming up with the good stuff in a supposedly tough vintage, the '98 Reynard was still backward in 2018, the '95 and '99 Reynard were glorious and on the cusp of elegance that I tend to equate with Reynards of the 2000s, and the '96 Reynard is drinking well but along the wild Cornas side of the spectrum.
My TNs with details are scattered in this board somewhere.
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I’d drive down from Sveden.
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From a couple of nights ago. You guys all seem to have far more experience with Chave than I do, so I would be interested in any comments. The 1995 was classic Chave as far as I’m concerned. Beautifully defined, nicely mature enough to show the complexity I would expect with Chave, and an inner energy that made it sing. The 1998 and 2001 were very nice wines, but a little smoother, not as complex, and lacked the energy found in the 95. Could certainly be vintage differences, could be that they are just not quite old enough, but also could reflect a gradual shift in style.
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I had the 98 a couple of years ago and found it tight and closed and not inconsistent with previous vintages. The 95 used to be poster boy for stylistic changes for those who looked for those. Apparently not anymore.
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For those upthread flexing on how they’d TOTALLY be interested in an offline for comparison, there are two that actually formed, so get on it, both could use more signups!
San Francisco area, at Kitchen Istanbul - Chave vs Allemand (vs Reynard vs Jamet?) - SAN FRANCISCO, 2023, gauging interest
Los Angeles area, at Republique - Chave vs Allemand (vs Reynard vs Jamet?) - Republique, L.A. 9/30/23