Wine Focus Feb '24: Open That Bottle! (notes in main forum)

[David M. Bueker]

Inspired by the annual Open That Bottle Night that happens on February 24 this year, we will be reviving something we did during the depths of the pandemic - Open That Bottle Month. That treasured old bottle of Bordeaux that always seems to be too good for dinner - that's a wine for this month. Same with that bottle of carefully aged vintage Champagne or the last bottle from a much too expensive case you bought on a lark. It's all fair game in Open That Bottle Month.

I can't say that I will open "that" bottle every night myself, but I do feel an urge to drink well/special this month. Rooting through my late father's wine cellar I came across far too many "great" wines that had just sat there as worthy occasions passed them by. It altered my thinking. I realized that I too was hoarding the special stuff rather than letting it shine on any given Tuesday when a little extra joy is always welcome.

So about that bottle where you always say "not yet"...NOW!

From a visibility standpoint we will now post Focus notes in the main forum. Too many good wines/thoughts get missed by hiding them here.

[Robin Garr]

Great topic! Now to look for a good bottle that's been around for a while ...

Should be fun, will take part for sure. Dig out some old Muscadet.

Imagine Tim will have some oldies?

[David M. Bueker]

Wasn’t at all my expectation, but at our group’s blind tasting last night, the host served a 2012 Ridge Monte Bello. No shock it was still very young (I guessed 2014, so not too far off). It was in fact balanced and delicious. Wonderful but too soon, even for open that bottle month!

My problem with “that bottle” nowadays is that, in addition to finding a suitable occasion pairing and company for serving it, I get increasingly bothered by the ridiculous auction values which afflict some of them. Faced with a bottle now valued at, say, €400, I can’t help asking myself whether I might not get more satisfaction from selling it and replacing it with about 15 varied bottles in the €20-30 range.

A wild boar stew called for a Northern Rhône, so I got out my last bottle of Hermitage La Chapelle 1996 remembering an excellent previous bottle and noting a “reasonable” value of only c.€80. 1996 was close to the end of the era when the Jaboulet family was still in charge and the wines were by then notoriously uneven. Early in the 00s, the Frey family took over bringing in Bordelais consultants and making the wines more reliable, if somewhat international on style.

1996 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (18/02/2024)
My bottles of this have been maddeningly variable. A bottle just over a year ago was excellent but is predecessor showed signs of premature age. This one was in between the two. At first, the sour cherry infused fruit was sharpened by varnish notes and the finish showed a touch of cabbage-like oxidation but both these elements receded as the wine opened up making for a very good drink but without the complexity and velvety texture of the best bottle.


Here is my TN on the previous bottle from the same purchase in the late 90s, showing what the best bottles of this wine can achieve.


1996 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (30/12/2022)
This bottle was much better than my previous. Not a powerful Hermitage but harmonious and seamless showing complex and gracious but still fresh fruit in which some ripe griotte cherry was evident together with an infusion of grilled meat and fine minerals lying on a bed of some depth and roundness accompanied by velvety texture, fresh moreish acidity and a decently long finish reinforced with kirsch notes. Excellent.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Yeah, the values can get scary. I actually sold some wines (mostly Arnoux-Lachaux) that had appreciated beyond enjoyment. They became some nice camera equipment.