Cellier Du Rhône
Domaine du Pegau
Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2023
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of several hours. The 2023 pours a deep ruby/garnet with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. On the nose the wine is developing with heady notes of tart cherry, mixed brambles, spearmint, red and purple flowers, old school permanent marker, licorice, tomato, green herbs, clove and 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 the body is, ooof…very nice. Another delicious vintage of Cuvée Réservée. Drink now through 2043. — 20 days ago
Château Rayas
Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache Blend 2003
light and precise with cherry and spice. Delicious — 23 days ago
Domaine Auguste Clape
Cornas Syrah 1997
First pour of this and I was like, “uh-oh”. It was clearly full of flaws (Brettanomyces, VA and maaaaybe some slight TCA) but would they be too much to appreciate the wine? Only time would tell so into the decanter it went. After a lot of air, it became clear this was Brett and VA. The wine pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing (still) with notes of blackberries, umeboshi, animale, purple flowers, black pepper, red Flintstone vitamin, horse blanket, wood varnish, and sous bois. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. An elegant, complicated bottle. This is my second time with the 1997 vintage and due to the flaws, a different adventure than previous. That being said, this decidedly grumpy, Burgundian expression of Clape’s Cornas paired really well with the dry-aged steaks. Drink now, with a lot of patience, through 2037? — 6 days ago
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe
Télégramme Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2021
2021 vintage. Medium/medium-heavy body. Promising nose with fruit, spice and tobacco. Has dropped much of the baby fat of youth and transitioning into the surly teen years. Richness-front palate. Fruit in the mid-palate. Structure, spices and a gorgeous, savory note akin to comparably aged Côte-Rôtie. Hard to push away from now and on the come. The new Coravin CDP rouge at $40 a glass. 5.7.26. — 9 days ago
Thierry Allemand
Chaillot Cornas Syrah 2017
Dark fruits with notes of meat, graphite, spice, licorice, mineral & violets — 14 days ago
Domaine Faury
Saint Joseph Syrah 2019
Medium Ruby with aromas of black and red fruits with floral spice notes. On the palate flavors of cherry and blackberry with smoke and tobacco notes. Generous acidity on fine soft tannins with a long finish ending with fruit and floral spice. Drinking well now! — a month ago
Jay Kline
Splash decanted immediately before service; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2018 pours a deep ruby/purple color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears and some sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of blackberry, fig, black pepper, bacon fat, lavender, aromatic wood resin, warm spices 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. This is already an absolute banger and hides its 15% alcohol as well as any wine I have ever encountered. I almost gasped when I saw the ABV on the label because I couldn’t believe it. This is beautifully balanced, and I feel privileged to try this wine in its relative youth. Drink now with a splash decant and through 2052+. Bottle No. 15902. — 2 days ago