What started out as a low key, Rhone based dinner grew into the Mac Daddy of Chateauneuf tastings with some amazing wines. We had a fairly large group of 11 or 12 people and the chef at Pulcinella put together an awesome 9 course meal.

White Flight

We started out with a number of Rhone whites and they were all enjoyable. Even with it being fairly closed, the L’Oree put all of the previous wines in perspective by ratcheting it up to another level of richness and depth.

• 2003 E. Guigal Condrieu - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (11/13/2006)
  Very nice with sweet apricot and mineral notes on the nose. Medium to full bodied with a viscous, full feel and a medium finish. (88 pts.)
• 2001 Jean-Michel Gerin Condrieu La Loye - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu (11/13/2006)
  Very earthy with a solid mineral and flint streak backed up by subtle spice and smoke. Medium bodied with a clean, balanced feel and a long finish. (91 pts.)
• 2001 Louis Bernard Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Rich and sweet with stone fruit and smoke notes. Medium to full bodied with low acidity, a full, smooth feel and a medium/long finish. (89 pts.)
• 2000 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc L’Orée - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (11/13/2006)
  Closed and tight at first but opened slightly with air. Very rich with stone fruit notes, earth, minerals, smoke and buttery notes. Just an amazing, full bodied palate. Soft, full and seamless with a killer long finish. (95 pts.)

Pegau Flight

I now know that I love Pegau. All three of these wines were outstanding and showed a similar flavor profile but they were also unique in their own way. I’m not sure of the decant regime on the 2000 and 2003 but I think each spent multiple hours in a decanter. I brought the 01 Cuvee Laurence as a backup (so of course we opened it) so it was a pop and pour. There was some lively discussion on the 03 and not everyone thought quite so highly of it.

• 2000 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Stunning nose with leather, earth, raspberry, thyme and other spice notes. Very rich with a medium to full bodied palate, great balance and a long finish. (95 pts.)
• 2001 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Oh baby… Open, flamboyant and sexy with licorice, dark fruit and spice notes. Shows a fabulous palate that is full, soft, balanced and incredibly long. Just coats your mouth and stays there. Absolutely loved this wine. (98 pts.)
• 2003 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Count me in the group that thinks this wine is almost perfect. Very dark fruit, earth, charcoal and burnt wood notes make up the bulk of the nose. Shows a full bodied palate with a stunning core of sweet fruit and a balanced, monster finish. Showed less tannins than previous bottles. (98 pts.)

The Flight to end all Flights

This is simply one of the best flights of wines I’ve ever had in front of me. The Mordoree was simply stunning in that for all its power and structure, it was still light, balanced and just a joy to drink. The Deux Freres was a completely different beast but just as good in my opinion. Dark, dense and almost compact with a meaty, chewy texture. God I loved it but I’m not sure what the rest of the group thought about it. The poor Mon Aieul got almost lost in the fray but I grabbed a pour later in the evening and it was singing.

• 2000 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Beautiful nose of ripe raspberry fruit, spice, leather and earth. Very open, lush and sexy with a full bodied, seamless palate that carries into a long finish. (97 pts.)
• 2000 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Deux Freres - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Simply blew me away and my notes are full of expletives that I’ll not post here. This bottle was double decanted at 8AM and drank over dinner at 6PM. Started out closed and tight but just continued to improve in the glass. An amazingly powerful and structured wine with gorgous dark fruit, earth, grilled meat, blood and subtle spice notes. A stunning, full bodied palate with amazing concentration, a beautiful full texture and a killer finish. (100 pts.)
• 2001 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine des Bois - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Did a quick double decant at 8AM and drank at 6PM. Wow, simply stunning stuff and as good as it gets for me. Packed with rich, dark fruit, grilled meat, coffee and floral notes. Amazingly pure and clean on the nose. Full bodied with a perfect, powerful palate that is balanced, light and seamless. Shows a gorgeous texture and masses of fine grained tannins on the long finish. (100 pts.)

Beaucastel Flight

Any flight that followed the above 3 wines was in trouble and it was hard to get too excited about these. I kept a glass of the 98 for the rest of the evening and it really opened up and was stunning stuff with additional air. The 95 was fairly tight and slightly difficult to enjoy.

• 1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Pure and clean with bright raspberry, spice, integrated wood and subtle vanilla notes. Medium to full bodied with a beautiful, seamless palate. Really opened up in the glass and showed silky tannins on the long finish. (95 pts.)
• 1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Dark and earthy with some raspberry, earth and meat notes. Very tight with a medium bodied palate and sweet fruit. (92 pts.)
• 1998 Clos du Mont Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Badly corked. NR (flawed)

Battle of the 90s

We hit our second corked bottle of the night and were cursing our luck. Unlike the Mont Olivet, the 90 beau was only slightly corked (depending on who’s glass you smelled anyway) and almost drinkable. The 90 Pegau was killer.

• 1990 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  frick… frack… corked. NR (flawed)
• 1990 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (11/13/2006)
  Man, stunning stuff. Licorice, beautiful dark fruit, spice and subtle earth notes. Full bodied with great concentration, a beautiful texture and a long finish. (97 pts.)

Dessert flight

We finished up with two dessert wines. The Jaboulet had a big, sweet nose and a full bodied palate but had more than a little noticable alcohol. This is the second time I’ve had the Jebsal and I’ve loved it each time. Sweet, balanced and long.

• 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (11/13/2006)
  Big, sweet nose of apricots and minerals. Full bodied palate and a little disjointed. Had a big, viscous feel and a nice finish. (86 pts.)
• 1999 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains Nobles - France, Alsace, Turckheim, Alsace AOC (11/13/2006)
  Gorgeous golden color and a stunning nose of peach, apricote and creme brulee. Full bodied, very sweet, balanced and smooth with a long finish. (95 pts.)

Thanks again to everyone for an amazing time and the spectacular wines! Special thanks to Rico for putting everything together and to Rob for working with Pulcinella on the food.