Fraud Domaine du Pgau 1990 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhne) From an arctic cellar. Raw musculature, flexed and buffed. Theres a deep, dark, Rhne-ish throb of black earth and smoked heart, but its still very structured. Heavy without being overweighted, and from this particular source it has many years left to unclench before its a genial party guest. (7/10)
Boiron Bosquet des Papes 1999 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhne) I expected this to be considerably more advanced than it is, but frankly its showing in such a way that if this were from my stash (its from the wine list at Hearth in Manhattan), Id hold the rest for another five years at minimum before I even considered opening another bottle. Dark earth, rosemary, morel, a bit of blackberryish meatfruit, pepper, and then theres that black licorice/green olive element. Still highly structured. Very, very puzzling. (11/10)
Chteau du Trignon 1998 Gigondas (Rhne) Difficult, cranky, and ultimately awkward. Salted peanuts? Yeah, maybe. Nothing else makes a lick of sense, nor even attempts to. Dunno what happened here. (9/10)
Domaine du Pre Pape La Crau de ma Mre 2000 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhne) Beef, leather, iron, blood. In a good way, of course, because this is the Rhne. But it does drink a little like someone had a knife fight at the meat-packing plant. The organoleptics are fully-developed here, and even though the structure isnt theres still a fair bit of tannin Id drink up, especially as this frigid-cellared (8/10)
Gras Domaine Santa Duc 1995 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues (Rhne) Spiced bubblegum and herbs in sweet vanilla tea. Later, its herbed coffee. Somewhere in the middle, theres a bit of wild game. Its appeal is open and overt, and perhaps it tries too hard, but I really enjoy the result. (9/10)
Jasmin 1996 Cte-Rtie (Rhne) Just as bad as the rest of the bottles, though theres still that fleeting, two- or three-minute flirtation with a lovely, entirely typical aroma of meat and violets. Im not going to open these to drink anymore (I still have five, I think), but in the absence of actual flaws I think they might make decent enough cooking wines. As it, theyre merely an expensive lesson in unguarded enthusiasm for too-good-to-be-true pricing on older wines. (10/10)
Texier 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Brzme (Rhne) The terroir that carried so much of the early (American) hype for Texier probably did more than any of his wines to permanently offend certain segments of the unprepared curious. No one familiar with the wine need ask why, but for the rest: its the acid, of course. That fierce, brittle, insistent acid. This is the Cantillon of Ctes-du-Rhne, and the uncompromising nature of it means that, at times, even fans will struggle to wrap their palates around it. Theres so much to recommend heresoil and sharp fruit, delineation and characterbut either beat it back with acidic food or stick it in a dark corner of the cellar. Of course, only one of these things actually tames the acidity. The other just dresses it with different, and ultimately more interesting, outerwear. (9/10)
Texier 2004 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) Often, I taste these synthetically-sealed wines and wish for a different closure, that I might see what a little age would bring. Here, I dont. This tastes authentically Southern Rhnish (whether it is or not), lighter than has been Texiers past norm, and very appealing in the nowbut I dont think any closure would have lent it much of a future. This isnt a criticism; the wines so good, why wait? (7/10)
Texier 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) Corked. (9/10)
Ferraton 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Blanc Samorns (Rhne) Surprisingly vivacious, to the extent that white Rhnes not labeled clairette can ever be. Melon, almond, tan earth, and scallop coral, with good density but life and light within. A fun, easy-drinking wine. (7/10)
Terres dAvignon Kermit Lynch 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) As easy as always, but theres some angst and teenaged crankiness to it, and I dont think its just a stage. Rough-ridden fruit, lightly-chewed and vaguely herbal, with the sweetmeat pong of Rhneishness. But its justa little odd. (7/10)
Gaillard 2002 Saint-Joseph Blanc (Rhne) Bitter and woody. Absolutely horrid. Why did I hold something with a synthetic cork for this long? Argh. (9/10)
Gaillard 2002 Saint-Joseph Blanc (Rhne) Less trashed than the previous bottle (and thankfully, this is my last), but still heavily oxidized due to entirely predictable closure failure. That is, predictable if Id thought to yank the capsules off and look. But who puts plastic plugs in a wine that should have been able to age? Oh, right: screwcap-fearing French winemakers, thats who (10/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) I gave up on this wine about a year ago, as it had provided tasty post-release quaffing but seemed to be headed towards a rather abrupt expiration. I may have been too hasty, because this is back. I dont know if much has changed, exactly, but the descending veils have been re-lifted, and the dark, earthy fruit is once more on full display. Perhaps the tannin has faded just a bit? Aside from that, its the same wine it was in its highly approachable youth. Id recommend drinking, but its clear I dont have as firm a handle on this wine as I once thought, so for all I know itll be an ager. Im drinking mine anyway, because that way it wont continue to prove me wrong. (11/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) See the previous note, to which this would be pretty much identical. (11/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) This third bottle, and (I think) my last, is a little more faded and on a trajectory similar to all the previous bottles. So were the last two the anomalies, or is this? Well, its now moot unless my friends are stashing some. (11/10)
Collard Chateau La Tour de Beraud 2009 Costires de Nimes Blanc (Rhne) Bubblegum (yes, in a Rhne white) and sweet golden raspberries. Perhaps peaches. And yet, brisker than those two fairly sticky fruit numerators. Theres gluggable appeal here, but ignore the horizon. (9/10)
Fabre Domaine La Florane 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne-Villages Visan (Rhne) On the slightly licorice-laced side of Rhnishness, which has both good and bad aspects. The good is a richness and concentration of gravelly fruit. The bad is that theres rather more sophistication than I prefer, though others may differ in their appreciation. (11/10)
Domaine de Boissan 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Syrah Cuve des Princes dOrange (Rhne) Easy-drinking, fullish, fruity. The warm side of syrah, with a patina of softening wood, but not overdone. Perhaps a little international, but pleasant nonetheless. (11/10)
Casimir Gascon 2006 Vin de Pays des Coteaux de lArdche Merlot (Rhne) Wretched. I couldnt finish a second sip. Stewed peanut butter, rancid butterscotch, weeds, and nastiness. (7/10)
Boiron Bosquet des Papes 1999 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhne) I expected this to be considerably more advanced than it is, but frankly its showing in such a way that if this were from my stash (its from the wine list at Hearth in Manhattan), Id hold the rest for another five years at minimum before I even considered opening another bottle. Dark earth, rosemary, morel, a bit of blackberryish meatfruit, pepper, and then theres that black licorice/green olive element. Still highly structured. Very, very puzzling. (11/10)
Chteau du Trignon 1998 Gigondas (Rhne) Difficult, cranky, and ultimately awkward. Salted peanuts? Yeah, maybe. Nothing else makes a lick of sense, nor even attempts to. Dunno what happened here. (9/10)
Domaine du Pre Pape La Crau de ma Mre 2000 Chteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhne) Beef, leather, iron, blood. In a good way, of course, because this is the Rhne. But it does drink a little like someone had a knife fight at the meat-packing plant. The organoleptics are fully-developed here, and even though the structure isnt theres still a fair bit of tannin Id drink up, especially as this frigid-cellared (8/10)
Gras Domaine Santa Duc 1995 Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues (Rhne) Spiced bubblegum and herbs in sweet vanilla tea. Later, its herbed coffee. Somewhere in the middle, theres a bit of wild game. Its appeal is open and overt, and perhaps it tries too hard, but I really enjoy the result. (9/10)
Jasmin 1996 Cte-Rtie (Rhne) Just as bad as the rest of the bottles, though theres still that fleeting, two- or three-minute flirtation with a lovely, entirely typical aroma of meat and violets. Im not going to open these to drink anymore (I still have five, I think), but in the absence of actual flaws I think they might make decent enough cooking wines. As it, theyre merely an expensive lesson in unguarded enthusiasm for too-good-to-be-true pricing on older wines. (10/10)
Texier 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Brzme (Rhne) The terroir that carried so much of the early (American) hype for Texier probably did more than any of his wines to permanently offend certain segments of the unprepared curious. No one familiar with the wine need ask why, but for the rest: its the acid, of course. That fierce, brittle, insistent acid. This is the Cantillon of Ctes-du-Rhne, and the uncompromising nature of it means that, at times, even fans will struggle to wrap their palates around it. Theres so much to recommend heresoil and sharp fruit, delineation and characterbut either beat it back with acidic food or stick it in a dark corner of the cellar. Of course, only one of these things actually tames the acidity. The other just dresses it with different, and ultimately more interesting, outerwear. (9/10)
Texier 2004 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) Often, I taste these synthetically-sealed wines and wish for a different closure, that I might see what a little age would bring. Here, I dont. This tastes authentically Southern Rhnish (whether it is or not), lighter than has been Texiers past norm, and very appealing in the nowbut I dont think any closure would have lent it much of a future. This isnt a criticism; the wines so good, why wait? (7/10)
Texier 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) Corked. (9/10)
Ferraton 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Blanc Samorns (Rhne) Surprisingly vivacious, to the extent that white Rhnes not labeled clairette can ever be. Melon, almond, tan earth, and scallop coral, with good density but life and light within. A fun, easy-drinking wine. (7/10)
Terres dAvignon Kermit Lynch 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne (Rhne) As easy as always, but theres some angst and teenaged crankiness to it, and I dont think its just a stage. Rough-ridden fruit, lightly-chewed and vaguely herbal, with the sweetmeat pong of Rhneishness. But its justa little odd. (7/10)
Gaillard 2002 Saint-Joseph Blanc (Rhne) Bitter and woody. Absolutely horrid. Why did I hold something with a synthetic cork for this long? Argh. (9/10)
Gaillard 2002 Saint-Joseph Blanc (Rhne) Less trashed than the previous bottle (and thankfully, this is my last), but still heavily oxidized due to entirely predictable closure failure. That is, predictable if Id thought to yank the capsules off and look. But who puts plastic plugs in a wine that should have been able to age? Oh, right: screwcap-fearing French winemakers, thats who (10/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) I gave up on this wine about a year ago, as it had provided tasty post-release quaffing but seemed to be headed towards a rather abrupt expiration. I may have been too hasty, because this is back. I dont know if much has changed, exactly, but the descending veils have been re-lifted, and the dark, earthy fruit is once more on full display. Perhaps the tannin has faded just a bit? Aside from that, its the same wine it was in its highly approachable youth. Id recommend drinking, but its clear I dont have as firm a handle on this wine as I once thought, so for all I know itll be an ager. Im drinking mine anyway, because that way it wont continue to prove me wrong. (11/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) See the previous note, to which this would be pretty much identical. (11/10)
Costires & Soleil Slection Laurence Fraud 2005 Sguret (Rhne) This third bottle, and (I think) my last, is a little more faded and on a trajectory similar to all the previous bottles. So were the last two the anomalies, or is this? Well, its now moot unless my friends are stashing some. (11/10)
Collard Chateau La Tour de Beraud 2009 Costires de Nimes Blanc (Rhne) Bubblegum (yes, in a Rhne white) and sweet golden raspberries. Perhaps peaches. And yet, brisker than those two fairly sticky fruit numerators. Theres gluggable appeal here, but ignore the horizon. (9/10)
Fabre Domaine La Florane 2007 Ctes-du-Rhne-Villages Visan (Rhne) On the slightly licorice-laced side of Rhnishness, which has both good and bad aspects. The good is a richness and concentration of gravelly fruit. The bad is that theres rather more sophistication than I prefer, though others may differ in their appreciation. (11/10)
Domaine de Boissan 2008 Ctes-du-Rhne Syrah Cuve des Princes dOrange (Rhne) Easy-drinking, fullish, fruity. The warm side of syrah, with a patina of softening wood, but not overdone. Perhaps a little international, but pleasant nonetheless. (11/10)
Casimir Gascon 2006 Vin de Pays des Coteaux de lArdche Merlot (Rhne) Wretched. I couldnt finish a second sip. Stewed peanut butter, rancid butterscotch, weeds, and nastiness. (7/10)