We hadn't had the pleasure of the travelling Jaboulet and Hugel circus for several years, so it was great fun to get the chance to see them and taste the wines again.
2002 Gentil - a blend of Sylvaner, Gewurz, Pinot Gris and Muscat. There was almost no contribution from either of the aromatic varietals, Gewurz and Muscat
- the Sylvaner and PG were running the show. Lots of acidity - a pleasant palate cleanser.
2001 Reisling Jubilee - a single vineyard family estate wine. Oily grapefruit and peach nose, immediate acidity on palate. A good, if expensive wine that will work well with food. It needs a couple of years to mellow.
2000 Pinot Gris Tradition - pleasant waxy fruit nose. In contrast to the others this was a soft wine, fairly full flavoured, but also fairly full-priced....
2002 Gewurztraminer - quite a rich lychee nose, good balance and length.
2000 Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardives - at $72 Can. for a full bottle, I'd have to say this one was worth it! Excellent lychee and rose petal nose, slightly candied and with a faint hint of cardamom. Soft and smooth in the mouth, perfectly balanced, not giving a sweet impression (though it has 68 g/l RS). Rich and very long. This should drink well for a decade.
2001 Parallele 45 Cotes du Rhone - peppery sweet nose, quite smooth over the tongue, then it toughens as tannins hit. A better than average '45' that will hold a few years.
2001 Vacqueyras - a full sweet raspberry/blackberry nose, and in the mouth, tannins wrapped with fruit. Better than the 2002. Drink young.
2001 La Petite Chapelle - there is apparently demand for a junior version of their signature Hermitage (no kidding, given the stratospheric pricing on it) At $90 Can. this is no bargain. Fair bit of pepper in the nose, and lots of stuffing on palate. It has quite a bit of tannin, but lacks the forward sweetness or many recent vintages of La Chapelle, and in fact comes across more like a super CdR than a baby Hermitage. It lacks the breeding to pull that off.
1988 Hermitage La Chapelle - bricky edges, mature colour, excellent nose with a strong wood backbone under the fruit overlay. In the mouth it had excellent concentration and a bit of heat, quite a bit of tannin and good length. Give this one more time! I find that the good vintages need about 20 years to hit prime time. The difference in quality between this and La Petite is more than is warranted even by the $40 price difference.