Rhone (Rhône)

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Cornas
• Crozes-Hermitage
• Gigondas
• Hermitage
• Lirac
• Saint Joseph

When I saw this being opened, I had no hope.  But, it showed well.  Past prime and this was never a great wine (not a good vintage), but a very enjoyable wine.  Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has dried raspberries but a touch of fresh with dried floral notes and spice.  Medium bodied.  Tannins resolved.  Good acidity.  On the palate, raspberry fruit with some depth and complexity.  No off notes.  Good finish.  Way to go!  Drink now if you have this, but at least give it a chance.  It went well with some pasta.  

Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright with some purple swirls.  The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, roasted meats and slight black pepper.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good balance.  On the palate, this seems open and ready to go.  Black cherries, some black raspberries with minerality and some char.  Nice finish.  A nice middleweight Cornas that is nice on its own but better with food.  A good match would be Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next five to eight years.  

This is 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvedre from very old vines.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The boisterous nose has black raspberries, plums and black cherries with spices and roasted herbs.  Full bodied.  Great texture.  On the palate, this is young and raucous with big fruits; black raspberries, raspberries and black cherries along with char and spice.  Energetic acidity.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own, this needs bigger foods right now but will settle down soon.  For now, it would work well with some spicy Indian cuisine.  Drink over the next twelve to fifteen years.  

This is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, ad 10% Syrah.  Purple in color with ruby hues, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, black cherries and garrique.  Full bodied.  Great plush texture.  Excellent balance.  Very concentrated.  On the palate, this is delicious.  It has shed some youth for maturity but should continue to develop.  Black raspberries, plums and black cherries with some char.  Long finish.  Delicious on its own, this worked very well with Sheppard's Pie.  Drink over the next ten to fifteen years.  

This is a GSM blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre.  Purple core with ruby swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  Nice nose of fresh black raspberries, cherries and spice/garrique.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Good acidity.  On the palate, black raspberries, black pepper and some spice.  Nice texture.  On the palate, black raspberries and black cherries with some underlying char.  Long finish.  This is an easy drinking red that is a step above and should get a bit better with age.  Drink over the next ten years.  Very nice on its own, this would work well with a bowl of chilli.

These wines can be hard to judge as to when they are open for business.  This bottle was drinking beautifully.  Golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with peach, wax, buttered popcorn and lemon.  Also a nice touch of minerality.  Full bodied.  Oily texture.  Good balance.  On the palate, dried peach, apples with underlying minerals and slight char.  Long finish.  This is complex and deep.  Probably not at peak but showing a nice maturity.  Drink over the next twenty years.  This would work well with Veal Chops.  

The best wines from Guigal are generally considered his Cote Rotie's but the Hermitage doesn't lag far behind.  On the other hand, their Hermitage is much more affordable and is certainly worth looking at.  Purple in color, opaque and shimmering bright.  The nose has black raspberries, clay, spice, some oak, violets and smoke.  Full bodied.  Firm tannins.  Well balanced.  On the palate, there is plenty of black raspberry fruit but overall this wine needs time.  Plenty of impenetrable depth.  Great texture.  Long finish.  Ideally hold this for another seven to ten years and drink over the ne

It was nice to revisit this wine (See https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2014-jl-chave-s%C3%A9lection-hermitage-...) as it gets closer to full maturity.  This wine has really exceeded all of my expectations.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, slight dried floral note and a fresh earthiness.  Full bodied.  great texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with some underlying funk and hints of va

This was the first vintage of this wine as it replaced the La Petit Chapelle bottling.  It seems to be a bottling made for more immediate drinking than the La Chapelle bottling.  It is a very classic Hermitage nevertheless and at age 8, this seems to be just settling in.  Purple in color with ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, black olives, and smoked herbs.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, black raspberries with a slight floral (violet?) note and smoke.  Great acidity.  Long finish.  This is drinking well and should easily go another ten years.  Ni

Inky purple in color, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, clay, black pepper and char.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this is deep and youthful.  Delicious.  Black raspberries, roasted herbs and black pepper  Long finish.  This is a big wine that will benefit from another five to ten years in the cellar.  It will drink well for twenty years, but if drinking soon, then give it a few hours in a decanter.  It will work with bigger foods.  Roasted duck should work nicely.