TN: Two '89 Red Rhones....(short/boring)

WINE TALK
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We tried these two ystrday at Pig+Fig from Blair’s collection:

  1. NoelVerset AC: Cornas (11%-14%; KermitLynch) Cornas 1989: Very dark some bricking color; rather earthy/dusty/OV bit rustic some smokey/Rhonish/mature fairly cedary/pencilly some complex/oldRhone/mature nose; fairly tart/tangy oldRhonish/smokey/bit pungent rather drying out fairly bretty/unclean no fruit pretty tired flavor w/ tired astringent tannins; long rather tired/dried out/astringent slight mature/oldRhone pretty bretty/unclean finish w/ light drying out tanins; a bit too bretty for my tastes; pretty much dead & gone, never to be seen again. $??
  1. Ch.de Fonsalette Syrah Reserve AC: CotesDuRhone (14%; MartinesWines/SanRafael) 1989: Very dark color w/ some bricking; rather musty fairly TCA/corked some bretty/unclean slight blackberry/Syrah/smokey slightly interesting nose; quite rustic/coarse/unclean/bretty fairly musty/TCA slight blackberry flavor w/ slight drying tannins; pretty much killed by the TCA. $22.00 (KK)

More ackerbittle from TheBloodyPulpit:

  1. I was expecting a lot more from the Cornas. But it just didn’t have much left to offer up any pleasure. The TCA pretty much killed the Fonsalette.
    Tom
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The current price of the Verset would take your breath . . .

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Thanks for the note. Verset’s price in general is already mindboggling but the fact that a lot of bottles floating around in the market likely weren’t kept in optimal conditions give me pause even contemplating splashing $$ on a bottle.

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Sorry those were not radiant…

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Sorry, Tom. Should’ve been a Saranty night …

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Sorry for the Fonsalette, which usually is really outstanding … and I’m sure there are better Verset-bottles … although also these usually show a bit of brett and dryness …

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The pics on FB looked like a lot of bottles had leakage/storage issues. Was this a proper temp-controlled cellar? That Verset should be glorious.

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Marshall,
Both btls had some leakage. But the corks appeared sound & solid in the btl. And the fills were
reasonably good. The storage was in a basement & other btls from Blair’s cellar (witness the whites)
have not shown signs of poor-strorage.
Tom