La Chavaroche Côte-Rôtie Syrah

This was presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appeared deep ruby with a nearly opaque core. There’s slight staining of the tears and the viscosity appears medium+. On the nose the wine is intense. It’s slightly funky with an almost cheese rind sort of thing going on. There’s a combination of red and dark fruits with some purple flowers, dried tobacco leaf, something that sort of resembled pyrazines and a little bit of baking spices which suggests there’s some French barrique being used. On the palate, the wine is bone dry and fiercely tannic. Acid is medium ++. It’s definitely on the darker fruit side with some black berries and blue berries, black pepper and baking spices which all but confirms French barrique at this point. Long finish. I’m scratching my head with this one. It’s wild. Clean and fresh…but wild.

I could see this in a few places: Moulin-à-Vent is one possibility considering all the darker fruit and firm structure. However, I find some real Italian sensibilities to this wine. Despite the monumental structure, I cannot place this in northern Italy. Given the presence of French barrique, I could see this being a Cabernet Sauvignon-based Super Tuscan with a little Syrah and Sangiovese for good measure. So that was my call: 2015 Super Tuscan.

Wow…what a lovely surprise. I mistook the Rotundone for pyrazines (a recurring issue for me) which had me thinking Bordeaux varieties instead of Syrah. And to be fair, we don’t see a lot of Côte Rôtie at Tasting Group. This was my first time tasting the 2016 “La Chavaroche” and while it was a real treat (big thanks to the generous member of the group), it was also a reminder as to why I cellar my bottles of “La Chavaroche” for so long. This is a wee babe and frankly, pretty tough for me to love right now. That being said, the quality and character is unquestionable. I say give it until 2030+ and these will light up your right prefrontal cortex like a supernova.

More appropriate for dead of winter than May. Burly and jabs you in the face on open but showed so much better with aeration. Cured meats, dark blackberry, dried dark fruit came out eventually.

Delicious despite being young, berries on the nose specially blue and a lot of leather, cigar box, should evolve amazingly

Very traditional in style. Super earthy wine. Liquid soil and stems

Good but doesn't live up to the hype

Earthy and complex, but slightly shorter than its Syrah competitors tonight.

Tasted from Magnum. Fatty meats, stones, black currants and plums, and some sarsaparilla. Noble and rustic wine just entering a prime drinking window.

2011-this is some masculine stuff. Peppercorns, smoked bacon, black olive, wild herbs. It's all here. Way more earth than fruit. It honestly smells like Texas BBQ. All the beef with the pepper.

Lighter style coming from #2008 there were some pretty aromatics but after 1 hr open, it began to fade. Fine structure and moderate length. #coterotie #bernardlevet #rhonevalley #cafealtroparadiso #ctbucklinwine

Beef jerky, black olive, leather, tobacco, blueberry. Is very young, but should be amazing with some additional time in the bottle. So beefy now.