Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage 1996, $20
This was very pleasant, with violets, earth and black olive on the nose, and red/purple fruit on the palate with earth and black olive accents. Restrained but balanced and enjoyable. Excellent match with penne in a lentil/feta/olive/tomato sauce. Two days later, it’s better and more distinctive with strong bacon notes now dominant on the nose and, a little less so, on the palate. Beyond this, it has nice, bright smooth fruit and good earthy elements. Very enjoyable and same excellent food match. Importer: Europvin.
Michel Ogier 1998 Van de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah La Rosine, $17
Significant barnyard on the nose, but superb on the palate with nice red and black fruits accented by some earth, smoke and perhaps a little pepper. Really smooth, balanced, harmonious. The tannins are barely discernable with the structure provided more by acidity. Outstanding match with a grilled eggplant/pepper/goat cheese casserole. The next day, it’s outstanding. The brett/barnyard is all gone, replaced by a wonderful smoky, peppery, bacony, perhaps even garriguey complexity on the nose and palate. Amid the complexity, it’s not the least bit heavy with nice bright acidity making it crisp and refreshing. It’s also beautifully balanced. Excellent match with baked ziti. Importer: Robert Kacher.
Michel Ogier 2000 Van de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah La Rosine, $19
This might be corked as it had a slight cardboardy smell upon opening. (As this and previous postings show, I’m pretty much TCA-clueless.) The cardboard faded with time, though, leaving some light barnyard, purple fruit and flowers. On the palate, smooth, cedary purple fruit is accented by some earth. Restrained but pleasant. Wonder if it’s closed? Two days later, there was more cardboard on the nose and not much going happening on the palate, so now I’m pretty sure this really is corked.
Domaine Grand Veneur 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape, $20
Robin posted a note on this recently saying it was past its prime so I thought I’d better drink up. Far be it from me to disagree with Robin, but I loved this and felt it was nowhere near over the hill. (Of course, storage, bottle, palate and context variation are all potential culprits.) At any rate, this has lots of earth, a little barnyard, some garrigue, and good dark red berry aromas and flavors. There is a slight touch of VA on the nose but not enough to mar it. It still has some tannins remaining but the texture is pleasant and there is enough acidity to enhance the structure. Really comes alive with the food — outstanding match with grilled eggplant/pepper/onion goat cheese casserole. The next day, the nose is nicer, with the barnyard gone and some floral notes in its stead, with more earth and garrigue as well. The palate tastes slightly low-acid at first but with food it brightens up and becomes delicious. Importer: Kysela.
Domaine Viret 1999 Cotes-du-Rhone Villages St.-Maurice Cosmic, $12
My last bottle of six, this is outstanding once again. The only flaw is a bit of VA on the nose. Otherwise it’s a beautifully balanced wine mixing red and blue fruits with lots of herbs, some earthiness and maybe a touch of smoke. Outstanding match with penne in a lentil/feta/tomato sauce. Importer: Louis/Dressner.