2003 Domaine des Rémizières Crozes-Hermitage l'Essential (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

I preface this review by saying that I have tasted this wine over the course of multiple days with plenty of aeration between tastings, but I simply am not coming to a materially different conclusion that I did when I first tasted it right out of the bottle. This wine may be a decent wine in the context of all wines in the world, but it has nothing to do with Crozes-Hermitage. Absolutely nada. Zero typicity, zero earth, zero terroir, zero pepperiness, zero meatiness that I like so much in my Crozes-Hermitage. This wine is simply the greatest Frankenstein wine I have ever tasted. Overripe, blowsy, sweet with seemingly noticeable residual sugar, dominated by pretentious fruit juice flavors and chalky, chunky, Tums-like texture. In the context on Crozes-Hermitage, this wine is a disaster of epic proportions. I actually think it tastes more like a CdP from an ultra-ripe vintage. This could pass for a non-descript new world Syrah experiment gone wrong. There is so much so wrong with this wine, that I don't even have the space to fully detail my disappointment.

If you like Crozes-Hermitage and own this wine...I recommend selling it if you can. If you can't, then cooking seems to be a great way to get rid of this stuff. And before someone says that the hot vintage must be to blame, allow me to say that I have tasted other Crozes-Hermitage from 2003 that have been very good to legendary such as Jaboulet's Thalabert. And other wines from the Northern Rhone have been inspiring, as well, as evidenced by my encounter with a Guigal 2003 Brune et Blonde. Vintage doesn't explain anything here...this is all winemaking-related. Truly offensive wine to bear the denomination Crozes-Hermitage.

1998 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage)

This one isn't going to win you over with its fruit forward-ness. That said, this wine has amazing finesse, elegance, freshness, and yet, it is able to pack impressive intensity of flavor. Silky texture that's more reminiscent of Pinot Noir than Syrah. The nose is soaring out of the glass and olive tapenade, black pepper, dried herbs and blackberry are the primary flavors. There's a sappiness in this wine that I don't traditionally associate with Syrah, especially US Syrah. Finishes tremendously well and just a stunning bottle of wine. Although it is certainly a terrific food wine, this is actually a bottle that one can drink and ponder...an "intellectual wine". The only regret I have is that I don't own a case full of this.

2003 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

One of the best wines I've had all year. Yes, it doesn't aspire to the same heights and glory as the recent Bonneau or Lafite, but I bet I could serve this blind to any wine geek and they'd think I am serving them $100/bottle wine. The depth of the fruit in this wine, the freshness, the spiciness, and the perfect mix of velvety and silky textures are simply amazing. And it's even more astounding that I paid $24 for this years ago. I should have bought cases of this and even then, it still wouldn't be enough. If you can buy this well-stored, it's worth picking some up. This Crozes has many years of improvement ahead of it.

2003 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

This one is beginning to show a little weird. I thought it nearly undrinkable right out of the bottle. Thin and weedy, acidic and angular, I left this in the cellar for a few days, and interestingly enough, the wine has filled out and plushed up. It's showing mostly black berries and black olive tapenade flavors. A tad simple, but drinkable. Yet, I don't see this ageing for too much longer. A wine that I am not sure how to assess its lifespan.

2003 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

Popped this on a recent week night, and I continue to like this wine. Purchased for less than $20 a few years ago, this delivers multiple times its purchase price in flavor. Fairly classic olive tapenade, blackberry and bacon fat with some earth, bramble and iodine notes on the nose. Paired well with some strongly flavored grilled sausages, and should do well with a variety of foods. The hot 2003 vintage is evident in the easygoing nature of this wine and an abundance of fleshy fruit, but it retains great acidity and stays in perfect balance. Massive QPR although I suspect it would be difficult to find for purchase at this point.

2006 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonniers (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

This is an expensive wine, and an even more expensive Crozes-Ermitage (at $40 retail). But this Varonniers more than delivers both as a Crozes-Ermitage, as well as a Northern Rhone wine. It's a packed wine that delivers perfect balance from when the bottle is first opened until it's finished 3 days later. There's good extraction (but not overblown at all), juicy acidity, explosive dark fruit and briny black olive paste, good earthiness, meatiness, and even some fine minerality. Laser focused fruit and precise on the palate. At $40, this is a steal as it is not just a top Crozes-Ermitage, but also a very fine Northern Rhone Syrah that can go head to head with many an Hermitage. Highly recommended.

2005 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos des Grives (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

Killer wine. Pure bacon fat, olive tapenade, dark fruit, figs and tea leaf. Incredibly focused fruit and acidity. Long on the palate and finish with velvet/silk texture. Stylistically and qualitatively on par with Alain Graillot's La Guiraude, and one of the very best Crozes I've ever had. Laughably well priced at around $35. More like Hermitage than a "lowly" Crozes. A wine to buy by the boatload.

2003 Tardieu-Laurent Crozes-Hermitage Vieilles Vignes (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

I bought this at a great price largely based on critics' scores, and I'm sorry I did. Everything about this wine is just a shame. It's a shame I paid any money for it, and it's a shame that a wine that has good fruit and nice acidity needed to be sabotaged with so much oak that one may think there's a whole oak tree in the bottle. All I could taste was roast coffee flavors and burnt, scorched earth. The oak is so prevalent that it's just plain ridiculous. I don't think this can even be used for cooking. It's not often that I flat out hate a wine, but this one I do...it is truly vile. Stay away from it as far as you can. DNPIM.

2003 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

The best Crozes-Hermitage I have ever had. Incredibly plush and almost kinky in nature, this still manages to show some real refinement and elegance despite its amazing fruit. Everything in perfect balance, and I really mean perfect balance. Finishes as good as any red wine I've had this year. Even at this young age, the inside of the bottle is already coated with sediment. Amazing wine, great value, insane QPR. The best part is that I think it'll hold and improve for many years.

2003 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

Another bottle that showed lean and weak the first night. With 2 days of air on it, what a transformation. Much more weight now with impressively sweet fruit and some flavors of dry cured black olives and a hint of bacon fat. Great finish and medium weight texture. I really love this wine. Consumed with grilled NY strip steak tonight and went fabulously with it.

2004 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

It's hard to describe just how good this is. Popped and poured. Purplish garnet/ruby color. The rendered bacon fat and oil cured olive aromas literally jump out of the glass to attack you. Tarry, espresso, licorice, black currant and blackberry in an extremely elegant package. Finishes great and I can see this improving for so many years. The only thing I regret is not owning another case. I read on Squires' Message Board that JL Chave claimed Crozes Hermitage lacks terroir. I think he couldn't be more wrong based on this bottle. Buy all you can.

Braised Venison Dinner - 2/17/2008 (Chez Rick)

A few folks convened at Rick's house to have some braised venison and man was it good. The wines we drank with it were as follows:

With french cheeses

• N.V. H. Billiot Champagne Cuvée Julie - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  My stomach is still getting over being a little upset a few days ago, so the idea of Champagne itself was testing for me. With that said, I really couldn't get into this. Very apple dominated and seemingly large-scaled, this was too much for my stomach's sensibilities last night. I tried and abandoned the glass when it became clear that I wouldn't be able to really enjoy it. Sorry Greg.

With local slow-braised Venison

• 2005 Château Duhart-Milon - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  My first 2005 and what a nice wine this was. Open for 2 days already and still primary and with a tannic bite on the finish. Great black currant fruit and balance though, and probably a wine that is still reasonable in terms of price for 2005 Bordeaux. I will try to secure some for myself. Very impressive.


• 2002 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
  Really nice wine and surprisingly big and rich for it being from the 2002 vintage (generally considered a "wash-out" as far as I know). Really super olive tapenade nose and palate with some nice dried herbs and meaty, smoky iodine flavors. Finishes great, and if someone told me that this was from a weak vintage, I would be hard pressed to believe it. Still very, very primary fruit though and no notes that indicate any significant development. With that said, I think RP has the drinking window wrong. I would guess this needs 2-5 more years of rest and it'll hold for at least a decade past that. Only caution...I like my wines old and tertiary.


• 1996 Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
  Most backward bottle of wine I have ever had, especially from Piedmont. When first popped and poured, it showed none of the tertiary notes I expected on the nose. The color of the wine was deep, dark, and rich. On the palate, this wine seemed brawny and serious. It took hours before this lost some of the primary fruit notes and showed some secondary notes. I don't know if it was the storage of this bottle that made it this backward, or if the wine in general is, but I would say that this needed at least 5 and as many as 10 more years before being opened at a reasonable stage of development. Everyone liked it a lot.


• 2002 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Bottled - USA, California, Napa Valley
  I was skeptical of the Todd's wine, but it was actually pretty good. I'm not a big fan of California Cabernet, but this was very drinkable. I probably wouldn't run out and buy it because of my personal preferences, but I can see how many folks would love this.


• 1989 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
  Great bottle from my favorite producer of Crozes-Hermitage. Somehow, Graillot manages to make a wonderfully floral, minerally Crozes in virtually every vintage. This one was no exception. Sensational bacon fat, black olive, lilac, violet, and smoky meat flavors wrapped into a superb texture. I can't speak highly enough of this wine, a true achievement in terroir wine making in my opinion. My personal WOTN.

Thanks to Rick and his lovely fiancee for the fantastic evening, food, and hospitality.

2003 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage)

Can't beat this one in the QPR department if you're a Rhone wine lover...Extremely dark garnet to ruby color. Soaring nose of black and green olive tapenade, leather, and blackberry. Really meaty on the palate with a good dose of olives, dried herbs, blackberry, and cassis. Finishes juicy and plump. By no means overblown...I think this will age well for a number of years and develop into something even better. A laughable QPR at the $16-$17 per bottle I picked up the half-case.