I finished off my 2001 ESJ California Syrah and man is that stuff good. According to my infinite wisdom there is still enough luscious fruit that this will develop further but this is so comfortable and delicious now that I never complained. I was particularly pleased to pour the last bottle for a Quebecois who likes Rhone wines and have her discover what California can do.
I was less pleased to finish off my 2006 and 2007 Texier Brézème Pergaud VV . Not because the wines are not delicious, but I much preferred them a year or so ago when they seemed to have more depth. Within the parameters of each vintage, these last bottles were a bit one-dimensional and thin. Perhaps for my palate I should have guzzled more quickly in the past few years or waited longer until they emerged into something else. Who knows. More experimentation with other vintages must be done.
I was very surprised that 2006 Jasmin Côte-Rôtie showed a nice deep juicy and friendly side. I’ve been tracking it over the years and it was always awkward but this is coming into comfortable drinkability for me. At least that bottle. Perhaps I’ll finish my last bottle and be done with it.
An even greater surprise was that the 2005 Balthazar Cornas Chaillot didn’t completely clobber me with tannin from the beginning as it has in the past. I’m sure this will age into something delightful with more grace. But we had a good time drinking at a decent clip and there was a good 2 hours with plenty of attractive fruit, in that firm growly Cornas way. Nice times.