I grilled a whole smoked suckling pig for our family BBQ this weekend
and chose a couple of Rhone wines to drink with the pig. I did a
simple rub of salt, pepper and brown sugar, stuffed him with apples
and rosemary and mopped him with apple juice, Meyers Rum and evoo and
roasted him over apple wood for 3 hours. Crispy skin, succulent meat.
Yum.
I found a bottle of 2000 Guigal Chateau D'Ampuis in the cellar and
picked out a bottle of 1997 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage to go with
the pork.
The Chateau D'Ampuis was still quite tight even after a two hour
decant. There was very little aroma perhaps a bit of sage or briar
and a bit of black pepper. The wine was firm on the palate,
blackberry, black coffee, pepper and a herbal note. Still plenty of
tannins. "B"
The 1997 La Chapelle was a polar opposite. Brimming with ripe fruit,
black cherry and blackberry. Lush on the palate, smooth and sweet.
"A"

Bi!! wrote:
> I grilled a whole smoked suckling pig for our family BBQ this weekend
> and chose a couple of Rhone wines to drink with the pig. I did a
> simple rub of salt, pepper and brown sugar, stuffed him with apples
> and rosemary and mopped him with apple juice, Meyers Rum and evoo and
> roasted him over apple wood for 3 hours. Crispy skin, succulent meat.
> Yum.
> I found a bottle of 2000 Guigal Chateau D'Ampuis in the cellar and
> picked out a bottle of 1997 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage to go with
> the pork.
> The Chateau D'Ampuis was still quite tight even after a two hour
> decant. There was very little aroma perhaps a bit of sage or briar
> and a bit of black pepper. The wine was firm on the palate,
> blackberry, black coffee, pepper and a herbal note. Still plenty of
> tannins. "B"
> The 1997 La Chapelle was a polar opposite. Brimming with ripe fruit,
> black cherry and blackberry. Lush on the palate, smooth and sweet.
> "A"

My few tastes of the Ch. d'Ampuis have been quite marked by new oak,
Bill. Any sign of that in yours? Good to hear about the La Chapelle,
as they were struggling by many accounts in those years, and '97 was a
fairly soft year.

Mark Lipton

On May 31, 11:56*pm, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
> > I grilled a whole smoked suckling pig for our family BBQ this weekend
> > and chose a couple of Rhone wines to drink with the pig. *I did a
> > simple rub of salt, pepper and brown sugar, stuffed him with apples
> > and rosemary and mopped him with apple juice, Meyers Rum and evoo and
> > roasted him over apple wood for 3 hours. *Crispy skin, succulent meat..
> > Yum.
> > I found a bottle of 2000 Guigal Chateau D'Ampuis in the cellar and
> > picked out a bottle of 1997 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage to go with
> > the pork.
> > The Chateau D'Ampuis was still quite tight even after a two hour
> > decant. *There was very little aroma perhaps a bit of sage or briar
> > and a bit of black pepper. *The wine was firm on the palate,
> > blackberry, black coffee, pepper and a herbal note. *Still plenty of
> > tannins. "B"
> > The 1997 La Chapelle was a polar opposite. *Brimming with ripe fruit,
> > black cherry and blackberry. *Lush on the palate, smooth and sweet.
> > "A"
>
> My few tastes of the Ch. d'Ampuis have been quite marked by new oak,
> Bill. *Any sign of that in yours? *Good to hear about the La Chapelle,
> as they were struggling by many accounts in those years, and '97 was a
> fairly soft year.
>
> Mark Lipton

Mark-While there was certainly oak in the mix, it wasn't dominant
perhaps it blew off during the decant. I was surprised at how good
the La Chapelle was but it wasn't prototypical Hermitage as it was
quite fruity and soft.