Syrah from Somewhere in Between

Look for wine bargains next door to the big names.

Always the Bridesmaid

Marsanne, the ignored little sister of the Rhône whites, has good bones.

Beaucastel’s Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne vieilles vignes is the ultimate. One of the best dry white wines I’ve ever tasted. JL Chave's Hermitage blanc is a marsanne-roussanne blend but also great. Should have some...

True the J-L Chave 2006 “Mon Couer” Côtes du Rhône is $58, but you can widely find it at retail for under $20. Given the choice between the two, I’d say Chave's 2005 Crozes-Hermitage rouge for $65 is the better...

wines: Sassicaia, JL Chave Hermitage, d’Yquem, etc. Every once in awhile, a New World wine will pop up, but these again are more collectors' items on the order of Clarendon Astralis, the Napa cult cabernets. Granted, this...

2007 $54 / $25 - Gilles Robin Papillon Crozes-Hermitage 2006 $66 / $29 - JL Chave Silene Crozes-Hermitage 05/06 $65/60 / $27 - Perrin Gigondas 2005 $62 / $27 - Delille D2 2006 $86 / $35 - Palacios Petalos Bierzo 2005 $54 / $22 - Emilio...

. Third pairing: 2003 JL Chave, “Mon Coeur”, Côte-du-Rhône. I have actually had this wine before, though a 1999, and this bottle was far superior to my previous experience. This red was complex and vibrant, without...

Gaillard, Rose Pourpe" 2001 Rustic, Cinnamon, 7 Cote Rotie, Gangloff 2002 ___________ 7 Hermitage, Chapoutier, La Sizeranne 1997 8 Hermitage, JL Chave 2001 8 Hermitage, Jaboulet, “La Chapelle” 1990 (100 pt Parker) Cassis,...

too much to drink by this point. Certainly by the time I’d finished the Port (see below) that was the case. It was time for the red stuff. A glass of JL Chave 1999 St. Joseph came with a Lamb chop served with heirloom...

more textured, structured and ageable, and really hits its peak in the white wines of Hermitage, which are blends of Marsanne and Roussanne, especially from J.L. Chave, whose white Hermitage really needs 10-15 years of aging to...

tucked into beautiful, rare venison loin with a dice of fingerling taters and roasted cipollini onions in a venison demi-glace (a bottle of still tight, 2000 JL Chave Saint Joseph lubricated each bite). With some wine remaining we...

You pretty much had the same thing I did (with one additional savory item for me). The sommelier paired a Vouvray (I forget the name of the producer) with the Loup de Mer, and a J.L. Chave St. Joseph with the...

with pancetta and glazed onions; black flat cabbage [i.e. tatsoi] and Yellow Finn potatoes; 1999 J.L. Chave St.-Joseph (estate) - Baba au rhum with Valencia oranges; 2003 Durban Muscat-de-Beaumes-de-Venise If there’s a...

Savigny les Beaune Serpentieres - Line-caught striped bass, sea scallops, and steelhead trout in red wine sauce with pancetta and glazed onions; black flat cabbage [i.e. tatsoi] and Yellow Finn potatoes; 1999 J.L. Chave St.-Joseph...

, sea scallops, and steelhead trout in red wine sauce with pancetta and glazed onions; black flat cabbage [i.e. tatsoi] and Yellow Finn potatoes; 1999 J.L. Chave St.-Joseph (estate, not Offerus) - Baba au rhum with Valencia...