Rhone Ruminations plus a PN

[Dav_d_Parta_n]

1998 Brunel Les Cailloux – Perhaps the worst wine I have ever tasted. I knew something was wrong when I poured the 1st glass. It was brown. Hideously maderized and off to the drain it went.

1998 Brusset Haut Montmirail Gigondas – This rocked. If I were daydreaming about an enjoyable Gigondas, this would be it. No browning here, nicely matured with funky leather, olives and herbs on the nose. More of the same and plenty of fruit to balance the lightly tannic finish. Wish I had a case, but alas just one more bottle. Made up for the disappointing Brunel.

1998 Pegau Reservee – Another day brings a delicious textbook Rhone from Dan Kravitz. Pegau is my fav CNdP. This bottle was not bretty, though I don’t mind that in moderation. I’ve had pretty good luck with this producer over the years. It was an every year buy until the price began to climb. I have five of these left, good for me.

1995 Guigal Cote Rotie Brune et Blond – My last bottle and the best one to date. I love the nose on this bottling year in and year out, but the palate usually doesn’t quite live up to it. This was wonderful w/ leather, smoke, violets and black olive. On the palate it was smooth and seamless, tannin totally resolved and drinking perfectly. Really outstanding! If you have any of these definitely open one. This was the most enjoyable of these five Rhones.

1989 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage – I bought three of these upon release for $49 each at Winex. Given its rep for longevity I decided it would be interesting to drink them on my 10th/20th/30th wedding anniversaries. We drank the 1st in 1999 w/ cassoulet at a French restaurant in Albuquerque. I forget the name? It was closed up tight. We enjoyed the second bottle on our 20th last month at a French restaurant right up the street here in Onna-son: Au Bon Chere’ Raout. They served us a five course dinner including bream carpaccio and smoked pig tongue appetizers, a fish course and a beef course plus dessert. We drank the house white Borgogne w/ everything up to the beef. This Hermitage is still a baby, not completely closed up but showing just a peek of what is to come. Like the Pegau just what you would expect from the source in a well kept bottle. Ten years until the next one. It will likely be wonderful.

Tonight we drank a 2007 Siduri Willamette PN w/ a grilled rack of lamb and cumin carrots. Luckily I can get Siduris delivered from mainland Japan for about US retail so we buy lots. This does not show the alleged leanness of the 2007 vintage in OR. Plenty of cherry fruit w/ a bit of sous bois. Nice stuff for the price, I bought a case. Love the screwcap!

David