8 good geeks gathered gleefully Sunday night at Fabio Piccolo Fiore in
midtown east for an assortment of Rhones, South and North. Restaurant
did a nice job overall, I enjoyed my burrata, a little tasting of
pastas (lobster ravioli, pappadelle with porcini, and gnocchi in
pasta), and rack of lamb (or lack of ram for Ian). Everyone was quite
generous with wines:

1997 Chave Hermitage Blanc
Honied and a little oily, crisp, fresh,* good tropical and pit fruits,
very good length. A-

First red flight
1988 Brunel "Les Cailloux" Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Sweet red fruit, a bit of mushroom, lighter bodied, maybe just a bit
tired, I liked a tad better a couple years ago, but overall holding on
well, in a slightly less burly style. B+/B

1995 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Showing fairly young, big dark fruits, light tannins. ok acidity. Good
length, depth, develops in glass a lot. I enjoy this and think it has
a long future. A-

1995 Pegau* "Cuvee Reserve" Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Big (BIG) sweet red fruits, iodine, a little pepper. Approaches jammy
at times. Some others liked more than I. B
*
2001* Charvin Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Raspberries, kirsch, a bit of garrigue. Some animal and earth notes
with time. Good, in a style that straddles both modern and
traditional. B/B+

2001* Sabon "Cuvee Prestige" Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Sweet fruit, jammy, a bit hot. There's a sweaty note I don't like,
though others don't notice. My least favorite of the night. C+

2001 Charbonniere "Les Hautes Brusquieres Cuvee Speciale" Chateauneuf-
du-Pape
Sweet canned red fruits, a little pepper, inoffensive. B-

Third red flight
1996 Chapoutier Cornas
I'm not a huge Chapoutier fan, but like the nose on this- nice herbs
and spices over red fruit. On the palate it's a bit flat, however. B/
B-

1996 Allemand "Reynard" Cornas
Quite funky nose. Dried cow patties on a wood fire, maybe some cured
meat (Jeff says mortadella, I'm thinking more smoked ham), but
conventionally tasty on palate. Strange but good. A-/B+

1998 Verset* Cornas
Lively nose with flowers, olives, bacon fat and red fruits. On the
palate the fruit profile is darker, but great (balanced) acidity
enlivens the whole package. Tannins are mostly integrated,but this
could age a long time more on these acids. Just a lovely bottle, my
WOTN. A

1999* Voge Cornas Vielles Vignes
A little oak at first, young, ripe red cherry and raspberry fruit with
herbs and earth. Quite good. A-

Red flight four

1998 Ch. Saint Cosme Cote Rotie
Blackberries and blueberries, nice herbs and meat a bit round for my
taste, could use a little more acidity, comes across with a slightly
soupy feel. Not bad overall, but outclassed by a couple of flightmates
and predeccessors. B

1986 Chave Hermitage Rouge
At first I got a funny note of roasted peanuts (?!), but that blew
off. Completely clear at the edges. A nice old dowager, but I think
maybe just a few years past its prime. Still, even if not top Chave,
it still shows its pedigree, with game meats, earth, and pepper
intertwining with the fruit. A tad tired, but still in contention. B+/
A-

1998 Gerin "Les Grandes Places" Cote Rotie
Dark berry fruit with a little mocha and vanilla, rather full bodied,
tasty but less identifiably Rhone than the other wines tonight. B

1998 Jamet Cote Rotie*
This rivalled the Verset for my WOTN. Lovely, muscular and young. A
little hint of animal fur - maybe a touch of brett, but at my "adds
spice" level, not intrusive at all. There's leather, coffee, and
roasted gamebird notes, a nice balance of acidity and tannins, miles
to go but quite charming now. A/A-

Sundays there are only hourly trains, so I leapt up to make the 9:20.
Patrick offered up the 2003 Coutet, I took a small sip, then carefully
stowed the glass with the remainder of the pour in my case. I'm pretty
sure I was only person sipping Sauternes on the Metro-North.Pears,
honey, and creme brulee. Quite round, the hot vintage shows. Tasty,
but I think I'll leave my few bottles for a few years to see if it
develops more complexity (though with the lower acidity I don't think
this is a real long-term cellar candidate). B+

Really quite a fun night. Several wines I loved, and only the Sabon
wouldn't pass the "I wouldn't mind on my dinner table" test. Thanks to
Patrick for organizing, Ramon for initial discovery of restaurant, and
everyone for their vinuous contributions and their easy conversation.
Quite a variety of palates at the table, which to me makes it more fun
than universal agreement.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.