These were the two cellar treasures that I chose to open to contribute to this year's Christmas cheer.
1988 J. L. Chave Hermitage Rouge
It's not the inky-purple that it was when first released. It's a fine, rich garnet color. I was worried at first, because it tasted very acidic and closed in, but with a bit of air it opened up magnificently. Perfect balance is the best description for this wine. Nothing sticks out. Everything plays its appropriate part in a magnificent, integral whole. There is a generous bouquet that includes blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, some hints of strawberries, and a lot more--probably only limited by how much time you take to dissect it all. There are some roasted-meat-type Brettanomyces notes there, too (there--I said the B-word!). But all perfectly typical and welcome in a fine northern Rhone syrah. The rich, complex flavors follow what was suggested by the aroma. This wine wants to accompany food. That bit of acidic edginess completely disappears with any food accompaniment. The fierce tannins that were there when this wine was young have all been resolved, and now merely contribute to the full mouth feel. The finish lingers, and you don't want it to go away. But eventually it does, and that prompts you to take another sip . . . . Double Curly Larry.
1970 Taylor Fladgate Yeatman Vintage Port
1970 has always been considered a great year for vintage Porto, and this is one of the prime reasons why. Now 37 years old, it has a clear, garnet/crimson color. I could get lost in the aroma. The primary contributors are wild cherry, blackberry, raspberry, and black currant, but there's orange and lemon in there, too. And then there are the spice aromas--perhaps cloves, coriander, and ginger. It all has a roasted quality to it. On the palate, the wild cherry and black cherry flavors predominate, and are perfectly balanced with the sweetness, acidity, and soft, fully resolved tannins. The finish explodes into what has been so aptly described as a "peacock's tail" of all sorts of aroma sensations, and it lingers on and on.
I had the 1970 Taylor with a very fine Stilton from The Wine Society in Nashua, NH. The combination was sublime.
Port does get better than this (there is the 1970 Quinta do Noval Nacional, for example), but not much better. Triple Curly.
Salut,
-Paul W.