Ardèche, Rhône

Alain Graillot

Crozes-Hermitage Syrah 2020

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days and frankly, this was spectacular throughout. The 2020 pours a deep, ruby-purple with an opaque core and a magenta rim; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine smells like walking into a European delicatessen; developing with notes of mostly ripe and some tart, black, red and blue fruits. There’s mixed brambles, fig, blueberry, lavender, black pepper, olive brine, a melange of cool and warm baking spices and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. It’s been a couple of years since I last enjoyed this vintage of Graillot and it remains absolutely brilliant. Drink now through 2040. — a month ago

Tom, Zach and 11 others liked this

Domaine Vincent Paris

Granit 30 Cornas Syrah 2021

Somm David T
9.1

Easy to drink on pop & pour for such a young Syrah.

Reminded me a bit of the Domaine Rostaing’s I’ve enjoyed. Ripe black cherry, crème de cassis, violets, lavender, pepper, stem inclusion, notes of roasted chestnuts, grilled meats, iron pan, spices, dark flowers, nice acidity with good balance and elegant finish.
— 2 months ago

Scott@Mister, Paul and 16 others liked this

E. Guigal

La Turque Côte-Rôtie Syrah 1991

Intense. BlackBerry and a touch of tar. Iron and minerality. Dried herbs. Savory and powerful and young. Great — 2 months ago

David SchachterWalker Strangis
with David and Walker
Jay, Jan and 9 others liked this

Domaine Charvin

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2022

Nose: candied pink rose petal. Sorta closed. Lovely.

Palate: well made. Mid season cherry.

Very good length

Grapevine.
— 3 months ago

Dave liked this

Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils

Cuvée De Mon Aïeul Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2020

This Chateauneuf-du-pape is incredible! Cannot wait to pair it with my spaghetti bolognese. — 3 months ago

Jeremy Wilson
with Jeremy
Michael and Dave liked this

Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe

La Crau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2015

Absolutely singing at 10 yrs. Beautiful weight. Age coming thru with beeswax and acacia with plenty of acidity to back it up. — 5 months ago

Pooneet, Tom and 7 others liked this

Domaine Faury

Saint Joseph Syrah

Max
9.2

Amazing! Fruity yet not too sweet. Medium body. Easy to drink — 5 years ago

Jazz
with Jazz

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Offerus Saint-Joseph Syrah 2012

Hmmm-has the charcuterie & smoky minerality, good grip, dark blood color kind a thing. Good. 2012 — 9 years ago

Paul LafortezzaOwen Mazon
with Paul and Owen
Erik, Peter and 1 other liked this

E. Guigal

La Mouline Côte-Rôtie Syrah 1983

Wow. Intense and pure in the nose. A hint of tang with an amazing fresh core given the age. Dark tang fruit with underbrush and mineral/ iron/ iodine notes. Pure and delicious. A great bottle. — a month ago

Jan, Ceccherini and 8 others liked this

Domaine du Pegau

Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2021

Ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Nose of red and black fruits with light wood, tobacco and chocolate notes.

Dry on the palate with sweet raspberries, cherries, light oak, licorice, chocolates, spices and earth.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Grenache blend is starting to drink very nicely now, with nice complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 15 years.

Elegant and rich. Interesting and engaging. A very traditional Châteauneuf-du-Pape in style.

Well balanced and good by itself as a sipping wine. Will also pair nicely with food.

A blend of all 13 allowed grapes in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but mostly Grenache. Hand picked and whole cluster. Aged for 2 years in large French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110.
— 2 months ago

Dave, Jay and 14 others liked this

Château Rayas

Réservé Pignan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache 2002

A bit beyond its peak. Still soft and sexy — 2 months ago

Dave liked this

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

L'Hermitage Syrah 1990

Ooh. Super fresh. Dark tangy fruit with a slightly medicinal edge. Plum and iodine. Dried herbs and a bloody, feral intensity. Amazing — 2 months ago

Walker StrangisDavid Schachter
with Walker and David
Jay, Jan and 10 others liked this

E. Guigal

La Landonne Côte-Rotie Syrah 2001

2001: so silky! A wine that has so much complexity and the smoky meatiness and mint was so intriguing! Just wow! — 2 months ago

Scott@Mister and Ira liked this

E. Guigal

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend

Strong and bold - v nice — 3 months ago

Dave liked this

Clos des Papes

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2005

Very lush and punchy. Dark plum and cherry with a hefty dose of alcohol. Rounded and bright. Black cherry and violets. Good — 3 months ago

Jay, Shay and 7 others liked this

Famille Perrin

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 1989

1989 vintage. Decent fill and cork. Not decanted. Powdery, not chunky, sed. Tasted after 3.5 hours open. Light-medium body. Nose and flavors kept up the intensity in complete harmony. Special. Well-stored examples should yield similar pleasure for another 5-6 years. 03.29.25. — 5 months ago

Alexandre, Jan and 17 others liked this

Le Vieux Donjon

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2022

I just got reminded of the joy young CdP brings. Raspberries, liqueur, garrigue, crushed stones. Seamless. Great integration. — 5 months ago

David, Joe and 7 others liked this

Château de Saint-Cosme

Gigondas Red Rhone Blend 2015

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of dinner which lasted a couple do hours. The 2015 pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of powerful ripe red and dark fruit: black brambles, dark cherries, black pepper, boozy Christmas fruitcake, licorice, garrigue, leather and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with sneaky medium+ tanning that build with air. The acid is there too although I wouldn’t call it the main character. It does, however, play a strong supporting roll. Definitely a wine of texture. It has been a handful of years since my last bottle of the 2015 and it’s evolving very nicely! Secondary flavors are starting to show and everything remains balanced. Extended air did get it to freshen up a bit so I’d say this still has a long life ahead. Drink now with a healthy decant and through 2035. — 7 months ago

Pooneet, Daniel and 19 others liked this

Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut)

Vin de Pays de l'Ardèche Syrah

Delicious. Smooth and full bodied but not overly powerful. Great finish. — 2 months ago

Thierry Allemand

Cornas Reynard (R) Syrah 2014

Medium ruby , quite wide medium ruby garnet rim . This is quite aromatic , with earthy sous bois , violets , black pepper , garrigue . On the palate quite elegant and dark fruited , bright acidity and quite strict tannins . Good cassis, blackberry , menthol touches , sous bois , grafite finish . This is ready and drinking well but will probably continue at this level for another 5-10 years or so. At Drouant Restaurant, Paris . — 2 months ago

Dave, Daron and 11 others liked this
Dave

Dave

Do you live in Paris?
Andrew Cullimore

Andrew Cullimore Premium Badge

No @Dave , just here for a couple of days …. So any suggestions of places to go are very welcome ! Was impressed by the wine lists at Drouant to be honest , lots of depth and prices that were really quite reasonable, and the food was pretty good too …
Dave

Dave

I'm not sure where you're staying, but i always hang out at Robert et Louise. It's got a nice vibe, great food, and a sensible wine list. Prices are pretty good, too. Just across the river from Notre Dame. https://www.robertetlouise.com/

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave

Hermitage Blanc Marsanne Roussanne 2015

Where do I begin… this wine is stunning.

It is positively golden in color with concentrated notes of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, creme brûlée, dried apricot, yellow apple,peach, nectarine, yellow cherry, kumquat, baked quince, lemon curd, honeysuckle, butter cream, lavender,, dried herbs, fennel, beeswax, honey, chamomile, hazelnut, praline, honey, & wet stones…

It’s textured!!! Waxy & mouth coating, full bodied, round, & opulent.

Alcohol is high at 14.5% ABV — it’s warming but balanced and integrated with the deeply rooted flavors and elevated, vibrant acidity. Yum!!!!!
— 2 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Lyle and 23 others liked this
Dave

Dave

Sounds like an experience 😊
Vanessa

Vanessa

@Dave Clinton It was! The opposite of a patio pounder 😂 as much as we love those, too. But damn, it was a wine to sip and savor slowly.
Dave

Dave

😀

Château de Trinquevedel

Tavel Grenache Rosé 2022

Deep pink color. Aromas cherry jolly rancher, red candied apple and flint. So good, crisp and cold on a nice day at Carmel-by-the-Sea. — 3 months ago

Tom, Ted and 9 others liked this

Paul Jaboulet Aîné

La Chapelle Hermitage Syrah

I was going through my La Chapelle section today and my eyes got stuck on this 1999 - bottle looked absolutely pristine and I decided it was a perfect age to drink. Cork was in great condition and the wine was powerful and youthful with no signs of oxidation. Could have kept the bottle for a few more years, but it was probably perfect today. All the complex leathery earthy goodness you expect from this wine was there. — 5 months ago

Tyler liked this

Domaine de Trévallon

Rouge Vin de Pays des Bouches-du-Rhône Cabernet-Syrah Blend 1990

Lovely bottle sweetness, dark fruits, leather, some currants, the Cabernet dominates right now over the Syrah, lovely depth and complexity, long, lingering finish, excellent older southern French blend!! — 5 months ago

Jim Powers
with Jim
Tom, Ira and 6 others liked this
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@Tom Casagrande, I have some bottles left (1988, 1989, mag of 1990, and I think 1995), these were always amazing!!
Bob McDonald

Bob McDonald Influencer Badge

Nice to see the old world doing a Cabernet Syrah blend. A great blend and very common in Australia as you know.
Peter van den Besselaar

Peter van den Besselaar Influencer Badge

35 y old and delivering, respect for the vintner

Saxum Vineyards

James Berry Vineyard Red Rhône Blend

16.6 alcohol and didn't detect a thing. Who says Saxum can't age? — 10 years ago

David and Bill liked this