As the Crozes The Detroit Red Wings kicked off the new NHL campaign with some personnel changes and a thrilling 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Joe Louis Arena. Gone is Sergei Fedorov, back is Dominik Hasek, and new to the fold was Ray Whitney. Once the puck was dropped, Jiri Fisher put the Wings on the board in the 1st period with a power play goal, but the Kings came back to tie the game in the 2nd, and then take the lead in the 3rd on goals by Eric Belanger and Ziggy Palffy. Pavel Datsyuk tied it up on the power play with 3:45 remaining, and then the Captain, Steve Yzerman got the game winner with 1.7 seconds left in regulation. |
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It was like old times revisiting an old friend from the northern Rhône, as well. 1995 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert $19 13% alc.: We tried this on Labor Day for the first time in a few years, and it drank quite well, but no notes were taken, so it was only fitting that we open the season with another bottle. There’s still little, if any rust to the deep dark garnet color, and flavors and aromas feature a little earth, smoke, game and barnyard over pruney blackberry and plum. The fruit really sweetens up as it opens with air, and some underbrush, leather and even a hint of bitter chocolate emerge, though it never does lose a slight green streak. There’re still some tannins here, along with good acidity and a fairly long finish, and though this one may not be quite as tasty as the one we enjoyed on Labor Day, it’s still pretty damned good. We still have four of these left, so further reports will be forthcoming about once a year until they’re long gone. 1994 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, $19, 13% alc.: This somewhat rusty ruby garnet is showing a soft, warm and friendly personality these days, as it continues to mature gracefully. This particular bottle didn’t give much on the nose at first, even after 2 ½ hours in a decanter, but it slowly opened and caught up with the more expressive earthy prune, plum and soft leather flavors that are accented with a little tobacco and smoke. (Last time we tried this, it was the bouquet that was initially much more expressive.) There’re still no secondary characteristics to speak of here; the tannins are soft, there’s good acidity and more and more leather, smoke and even a note of Brasso ® emerge as it opens. As has been our experience since we first tried this wine shortly after it was released, this finally starts to show everything that it has with about four hours of air, when it really begins to sing. My only complaint is that it doesn’t finish quite as strong as it starts; nevertheless, it’s a solid Domaine de Thalabert, and it goes well not only with grilled lamb burgers, baked eggplant and fried cauliflower, but also a big 3-2 Detroit Red Wings’ overtime victory over the Ottawa Senators, thanks to Nicklas Lidstrom’s first goal of the season. 1999 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes Hermitage Domaine Raymond Roure, $23.99, 13% alc.: This dark garnet also exudes a good whiff of the old dog fur, along with some aquarium, vanilla, plum, cherry, chocolate and tar, with a bit of garrigue underneath it all. On the palate, it’s all big plum, black cherry and chocolate, with significant tannins, plenty of acidity and a good deal of earth and tar on the finish, and the garrigue comes out some with air. I’m a little surprised at the obvious oak, but it’ll be interesting to see how it integrates over the next five to six years. A very nice wine that Kim really likes as well, but it might be a bit too "international" in style for the purists. 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aine
Crozes Hermitage Les Jalets, $14.99, 12.5% alc.: Dark garnet, with a good
dose of chocolate right away on the nose, along with a little wet dog fur in
the background; these follow through on the palate with prune, plum,
mushroom and a little tobacco. Somewhat lean, moderately tannic, with
relatively low acidity; Scott "the Geek" Tobias commented,
"It’s got a good long finish, it reminds me of glass somehow." I
guess "somehow" is the operative term in that statement, as I didn’t
find it at all reminiscent of glass, but then, different strokes, eh?
Ultimately, this is about what I’d expect from "Les Jalets", a pleasant, enjoyable wine, and that’s all. 2000 Cave de Tain l’Hermitage Crozes Hermitage, $11.99, 13% alc.: We tried this pretty dark garnet twice, and got a somewhat different read on it each time. The first showed a subtle nose of earth, garrigue, deep dark plum and a hint of coffee that followed through on the palate with exuberance and a little rhubarb, not to mention good acidity and a few years worth of dusty tannins. The coffee came out more and more with air, and it more than held its own against the pricier, more prestigious Jaboulet "Raymond Roure" noted above. The second bottle tasted was basically the same, with a surprising dose of oak that we didn’t get from the first taste, and a note of wet dog fur as well. I suppose it’s possible that the oak wasn’t as noticeable the first time because it was tasted side by side with the Jaboulet, which showed even more of the same, but where the dog fur came from, I couldn’t say. Still, this is a good QPR Crozes Hermitage, and I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up more for the next few seasons. Imported by Kent Beverage, Wyoming, MI
And Four from
Châteauneuf du Pape After a fast 5-1 start, things went downhill quickly for the boys, as they struggled to maintain a .500 record into the second week of November. But, here at Gang Central, we never stopped makin’ with that red Rhone mojo. 2001 Paul Jaboulet Aine Châteauneuf du Pape "Les Cedres," 80% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, $24.99, 14% alc.: Ruby garnet, with a pretty plum and dark berry nose, accented with a little chocolate cherry and a hint of underbrush beneath it all. Quite approachable, the flavors echo the aromatics with moderate tannins and a decent finish, but even at the Costco price, I’d like more depth than is found here. As it opens, a little soft leather and the vaguest hint of smoke emerge to add just enough CdP character to make this acceptable. Better than the Bernard noted below, but still overpriced for what’s in the glass. Tasted twice, with consistent results. Imported by Frederick Wildman and Sons, Ltd., New York, NY
Imported by J et R Selections, Mount Pleasant, MI 1995 Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf du Pape, $18.99, 13.5% alc.: More bigger mojo that just didn’t do the trick, so this had to suffice to drown sorrows after a loss to St. Louis at home. Someone told me that this is drinking well now, and despite my better judgment, I decided to try one and find out. Not much rust to the dark garnet color, with some initial barnyard on the nose that blows off quickly, revealing earthy plum, prune and black currant that isn’t that effusive, but the big flavors echo loudly with still significant tannins, lots of acidity and an earthy finish shortened some by the tannic bite. Added notes of smoke, cola and garrigue emerge more and more as it opens, but do yourself a favor if you have any of this stashed in your cellar; don’t open any of it for at least five years. Ten might be even better! Imported by J et R Selections, Mount Pleasant, MI 2000 Louis Bernard Châteauneuf du Pape, $22.99, 13.5% alc.: A smoky dark garnet, this sports an unmistakable note of Grenache on the nose that’s almost reminiscent of a Cru Beaujolais at first; it fleshes out and follows through on the palate with added black fruit, dark chocolate and a little cola. Not as dense, dark or tannic as I might have expected, and frankly, not very Châteauneuf-like, in my opinion (especially considering the very nice ’99 version). It’s a decent glass of wine, and no doubt, but it’s overpriced, even at the Costco tag listed here, much less the $30 most rape with in this market. Imported by Jean-Claude Boisset Wines USA, Inc., San Francisco, CA On to More from the Southern Rhône
Back to Red Wings & Red
Rhônes 2003-04 Index
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It
was like old times watching Stevie Y
grinning in exultation on the ice after his big goal, and it was like
relatively old times seeing Hasek, back after a one year hiatus, looking
solid in net, and getting the better of King’s goalie Roman Cechmanek
for the first time in five head-to-head matchups.
