Red Wings and 
Red Rhônes ’02
Playoff Diary
Round 1- Part 2
    

Game 4: Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings, Sunday, April 23, 2002, GM Place, Vancouver, BC: The Red Wings survived some of the worst playoff refereeing in recent memory to even the series at 2 games apiece with tightly contested 4-2 victory. Steve Yzerman continued his inspired play with a goal and an assist, moving past Gordie Howe into 1^st place on the Wings' career playoff scoring list with 159 points. It remains to be seen just how long he can continue to perform at such a high level while playing on one leg.

1997 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas, $14.99, 13% alc.: I had almost forgotten this deep dark garnet was buried deep down in the cellar, coming across it as I did while doing some rearranging. Not having tasted it in over 2 years, and in light of the wonderful ’00 Cuvée Azalaïs 2 nights before, it was a natural choice for consumption. A vegetal quality dominates the nose at first, but then, one has to swirl vigorously to coax any aroma out of the glass at all; as it continues to open with air, the fruit comes to the fore, showing dusty plum, prune and black currant. The flavors generally reflect these impressions, with a few years worth of tannins, good acidity and an unremarkable finish. But as it opens, oh my! The finish lengthens and the wine becomes much richer, gaining notes of coffee, leather, cigar tobacco, smoke and some underbrush-garrigue. It doesn’t quite have the brawny structure of the ‘98-00 models, but it’s still tasty and substantial in it’s own right. Give it at least 2 hours in a decanter and you’ll be rewarded with a solid, satisfying glass of wine.

Game 5: Detroit Red Wings vs. Vancouver Canucks, Thursday, April 25, 2002, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: If the Red Wings got their ‘A Game’ dusted off in Game 3, they had it in high gear tonight, posting a 4-0 shutout over the Canucks. 3 goals in the 1^st period from Fedorov, Dandeneau and Boyd Devereaux all but put Vancouver away, and stellar goaltending from Hasek robbed the visitors on a number of dangerous situations. All the favorable bounces went Detroit’s way, furthering enemy frustration. Fedorov finished the scoring with his 2^nd goal of the game in the 2^nd period.

Our friend Kosala joined us for the action on the ice and gourmet sausages on the grill, accompanied of course by some fine red Rhônes. I was a little nervous with him uncorking two Left Coast Syrahs after what happened with the first two games, but figured I had my voodoo covered with the Châteauneuf du Papes. As it turned out, I did indeed.

1996 Les Cailloux Châteauneuf du Pape, $26.99, 14% alc.: We loved this wine when we had it a little over a year ago with Mr. E, so it was time to check in on it again. A tinge of rust shades the dark garnet color, and the lovely smoky plum and black cherry bouquet is almost reminiscent of a Pinot Noir at first. These impressions follow through brilliantly on the palate with a pound of bacon and a handful of earth, and a little cola comes out more and more with air. It’s not too tannic and nowhere near as acidic as the ‘97, with a smooth mouthfeel that’s all about pleasure. Give this 4 hours in a decanter before drinking, it can take it. Absolutely gorgeous wine!

1997 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf du Pape, $21.99, 13.5% alc.: Upon whiffing and tasting this ever so slightly rusty dark garnet, Kim remarked, "Pretty," and Kosala added, "elegant" and "floral." It features enticing smoky plum, blackberry and violet flavors and aromas, and a nice finish; there’s a bit of a tannic, acidic byte to this, but some time in the cellar (maybe 5 years or so) should rectify that. A little cedar and saddle leather emerge over a few hours. The smoky nuance isn’t as overt as it is in the Les Cailloux; rather it adds an intriguing subtle shade to the wine. Give this 4 hours in a decanter before drinking, it can take it.

I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite between these two if I had to; they each do different things so well. The Les Cailloux is denser, with more smoke and meat, while the Bois de Boursan is more subtle and refined. Both are delicious in their own ways. After a glass of each, we moved on to Kosala’s contributions, and they were horses of a different color indeed!

1997 Jaffurs Santa Barbara Syrah Bien Nacido, 14% alc.: The big sweet toasty oak over plum and blackberry bouquet explodes from the glass of this deep dark garnet, following through on the palate with big ripe fruit, so much that it overpowers a few years worth of tannins. It has good acidity and isn’t too complex right now, just a big luscious Santa Barbara Syrah. Little hints of underbrush and leather do peek out on the long finish. Wow!

1998 Jaffurs Santa Barbara Syrah Thompson, 14% alc.: After her first taste of this dark garnet, Kim said, "Not bad for a ’98, eh?" It shows even more oak and even riper fruit than the previous selection, with creamy sweet oak, plum and black raspberry flavors and aromas that are complimented by notes of nutmeg, toffee, coffee and cola. It has a nice long finish with a little garrigue, good acidity and it’s not too tannic to drink right now, being much more complex than the ’97 Bien Nacido.

The Left Coast wines are in-your-face fruit bombs that are fun to drink, and no doubt; many thanks to Kosala for bringing them along. But the Châteauneuf du Papes have more nuance and complexity, making them more interesting to my tastes. The switch back to the real Rhônes has obviously made the difference in this playoff series.

Game 6: Vancouver Canucks vs. Detroit Red Wings, Saturday, April 27, 2002, GM Place, Vancouver, BC: The Red Wings finished off the Vancouver with a 6-4 victory, of which I saw very little, due to our participation in a Pinot Noir tasting with the Gang’s Canadian contingent. I was able to check in periodically, however; halfway through the 1^st period, I was surprised to find that there had already been 4 goals scored, 2 by each team. When next I checked, the Wings were up 4-2, midway through the 2^nd. Having tasted through the Pinots, I opened a fine Crozes Hermitage to keep up with our Red Rhône tradition. Shortly thereafter, Brett Hull scored his 2^nd of 3 tallies in the contest, which proved to be the game winner. It also gives further credence that there really IS something to this Red Wings- Red Rhônes thing...

1997 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, $27 Can., 12.9% alc.: This wine has been drinking surprisingly well almost since it was released, and it continues to evolve and improve. Typically dark garnet, it’s full of rich stewed dark fruit that’s rounded out with hints of coffee, chocolate and a subtle, pretty perfume; it’s not too tannic, and has decent acidity and a solid finish. This is one to drink now while waiting for younger (and older) models to mature, or you can give it a few more years in cellar as well. Very nice wine indeed!

So, the boys had finally awakened, getting back on track after going in the hole early. I can only surmise that at least some of their success is due to our return to the Red Rhône tradition, which will not be strayed from again, you can bet on that. With at least 4 days off until Round 2, that gave the Red Wings time to rest and me time to round up a few more dandies to enjoy while watching them continue their quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

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By Bastardo

1997 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas

1996 Les Cailloux Châteauneuf du Pape

1997 Domaine Bois de Boursan Châteauneuf du Pape

1997 Jaffurs Santa Barbara Syrah Bien Nacido

1998 Jaffurs Santa Barbara Syrah Thompson

1997 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert

Part 1

1997 Jade Mountain Napa Syrah

1999 Bonny Doon Le Cigare Volant

2000 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas Cuvée Azalaïs