1994 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Decidedly leaner and thinner than the other '94s I've had. Still has that nice funkiness and ripe red fruit you expect but has pronounced iodine and blood notes on the finish. Intensely rustic. (89 pts.)
1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Drank really well. Great red fruit, funky notes, and a nice earthy blend. The palate was rich and energetic - great red fruit, savory herbs, iodine, and floral notes blended so nicely together. (92 pts.)
1998 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Côte Blonde - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie A very sexy Syrah with the flavor and texture that rocks you to sleep (in a good way). This was somewhat like liquid meat, it was so intensely gamey and bloody you could close your eyes and think your having some steak tartare. Added to the meat was a lovely floral note and iodine that all coalesced into a beautiful package. (93 pts.)
1998 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie Pepper, earth, dark fruit and savory herbs. Beautifully composed palate, with layers of dark fruit, meat and violets. Great stuff. (94 pts.)
1996 Noël Verset Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas Stinky nose at first but with some air it toned down a bit. Rustic, rustic, rustic. This had great dark fruit, charcoal, smoked meats and roasted herbs. Loved this bottle - by hour seven, it was breaking down, but it delivered a lot of pleasure. (93 pts.)
1999 Alain Voge Cornas Cuvée Vieilles Fontaines - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas A real show stopper. Had great rich red fruit on the nose, with pepperoni, roasted herbs, earth, and minerals. The palate was firing on all cylinders with great depth and complexity. Layers of old world funk and earth, meshed well with more forward and juicy red and dark fruited flavors. This had a real sense of place, and was just lights out. (95 pts.)
1999 Domaine de Fauterie St. Joseph Les Combaud - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph I was really fond of this. Had great dark fruits, layers of cured meats, and some floral notes. Very rustic and drinking in a great spot - this was a real treat. (92 pts.)
2005 Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas A baby, but already shows signs of turning that corner froma mostly red and black fruit driven wine, to one with more depth and complexity. Had some nice anise notes, underbrush, and savory herb notes too. (89 pts.)
1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Only got to try a small bit of this. Was a bit shy on the nose, but the palate had nicely composed earth, red fruits and herbs. Would have liked to try this after it had additional exposure to some air.
