2015  

"Deep, bright-rimmed ruby. Displays intensely perfumed dark berry, cherry preserve and olive aromas, along with hints of succulent flowers and incense. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering sappy black raspberry, licorice and spicecake flavors that become livelier on the back half. Plays richness off finesse smoothly and finishes impressively long and sweet, with velvety tannins coming in late." - 93pts Vinous

2001  La Landonne

2016  St. Joesph Chemin Faisant

St. Joesph Chemin Faisant -- "Chemin Faisant" or "On the Way" is a complex St Joseph with peppery aromas on the nose followed by gorgeous depth and freshness. Structure and finesse reign supreme in this beautiful bottle.

1998  Dionneres, WA90

2009  "Arena Mica"

Very simply, Stéphane Vedeau makes expressive, beautifully balanced wines in an approachable (and affordable!) style. Hermitage is the most famous Northern Rhone appellation and typically the Syrah-based reds from the region are powerful, deep, muscular wines that can take years to soften and develop. The 2009 J. Boutin Hermitage stands apart from the crowd for its elegant purity, its concentrated (not extracted) plush flavors of raspberry, cherry & a kiss of chocolatey iron. Its texture evokes the descriptor "seductive" & we don't toss that around carelessly or without merit. With tannins far softer than is typical for a young Hermitage, it absolutely may be drunk now and indeed, is a stunning glass of wine. Delicious now, it will also reward cellaring over the next several years.

2015  

From his small vineyard in the Northern Rhône Valley, Jacques Leménicier produces two wines: a profound Cornas from 100% Syrah and a highly aromatic Saint Péray from Marsanne and Rousanne. An athletic, affable fellow, Leménicier happened into the wine business when he took a job with Robert Michel in 1974, before going to work for one of the most famous winemakers in the region, Alain Voge. He learned at the hand of Voge for more than a decade, eventually starting his own domaine on a small piece of land in the early 1980s. Employing the skills and knowledge he had accumulated, Leménicier began producing classic and expressive wines from Cornas and Saint Péray at incredible price points. During the past 20 years, these beautiful wines have sold out of Leménicier's cellar mostly to private clients and restaurants throughout France. -- The old vines are 100% de-stemmed and then put in tank with morning and evening punchdowns. For the younger vines, located on the foothills of Cornas and harvested later, the grapes remain 100% whole cluster and go through the same punchdown regimen. Vinification lasts 22 to 28 days. These two wines are both aged 12 months in oak barrels and are blended before bottling. "The 2015 Cornas is full-bodied, ripe and creamy, but it still retains the essence of Cornas in its notes of crushed stone and bloody meat. It's all framed by cedary oak, which gives a polished gloss to the cassis fruit on the mid-palate before easing into a richly textured, tannic finish." - 93pts WA