I don’t drink much Rhone wine so this was a fun mini ’90 horizontal to compare and contrast. Paired with lamb chops. Decanted for two hours.
Off the bat, after drinking mostly Pinot Noir for the better part of the year, this was a refreshing twist. I’d say I’d prefer these over Napa Cabs if I were looking for something “fuller” for lack of a better term.
**1990 JL Chave Hermitage**
This was a little past peak but still had so much to offer. The nose smelled of dark rose petals, mushrooms and spicy smoked meats. The palate had raspberries, cherries, pepper, cocoa, a hint of jerky and a steel-like tang to it. The finish was shorter than I’d expect it to be, but I’d argue this was the better pairing with the chops.
**1990 JL Chave Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin**
The Ermitage started off very similar to the Hermitage but with its density noticeably dialed up. The wine also tasted relatively younger and still had quite a fair bit of grip on the palate. After the hour mark is when the E starts to surpass the H. Added depth both on the nose and palate. Big notes of dark berries up front, and notes of truffles, graphite and mocha were more noticeable in this bottle. The finish was extraordinarily long… and had me thinking I was still chewing on a leathery, tobacco-laced cherry compote (if that makes any sense).
electro_report
Oh kathy you sly fox
sid_loves_wine
Oh yeah, NBD. Just arguably the two most important, sought-after bottles in the entire Rhone. Thx for the detailed notes!
Lump-of-baryons
Holy cow that’d be a tasting of a lifetime for most folks, very cool.
carcarbuhlarbar
Post history is a wet dream. Thanks for the notes!
bradbobaggins
First off, sounds absolutely epic. Had a ‘90 Chave a month ago that was absolutely singing, would love to try the Cathelin at some point.
Second, I’m going to be very disappointed if no one makes an “I’m so rone-ry” joke off the post title, this being Reddit and all haha.
vaalyr
2 early ‘90s Cathelin posts in one week, what the fuck am I missing here.
7 Comments
I don’t drink much Rhone wine so this was a fun mini ’90 horizontal to compare and contrast. Paired with lamb chops. Decanted for two hours.
Off the bat, after drinking mostly Pinot Noir for the better part of the year, this was a refreshing twist. I’d say I’d prefer these over Napa Cabs if I were looking for something “fuller” for lack of a better term.
**1990 JL Chave Hermitage**
This was a little past peak but still had so much to offer. The nose smelled of dark rose petals, mushrooms and spicy smoked meats. The palate had raspberries, cherries, pepper, cocoa, a hint of jerky and a steel-like tang to it. The finish was shorter than I’d expect it to be, but I’d argue this was the better pairing with the chops.
**1990 JL Chave Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin**
The Ermitage started off very similar to the Hermitage but with its density noticeably dialed up. The wine also tasted relatively younger and still had quite a fair bit of grip on the palate. After the hour mark is when the E starts to surpass the H. Added depth both on the nose and palate. Big notes of dark berries up front, and notes of truffles, graphite and mocha were more noticeable in this bottle. The finish was extraordinarily long… and had me thinking I was still chewing on a leathery, tobacco-laced cherry compote (if that makes any sense).
Oh kathy you sly fox
Oh yeah, NBD. Just arguably the two most important, sought-after bottles in the entire Rhone. Thx for the detailed notes!
Holy cow that’d be a tasting of a lifetime for most folks, very cool.
Post history is a wet dream. Thanks for the notes!
First off, sounds absolutely epic. Had a ‘90 Chave a month ago that was absolutely singing, would love to try the Cathelin at some point.
Second, I’m going to be very disappointed if no one makes an “I’m so rone-ry” joke off the post title, this being Reddit and all haha.
2 early ‘90s Cathelin posts in one week, what the fuck am I missing here.