Yikes!!!

[Innkeeper]

WS has assigned a "90" rating to BOTH the 2000 Georges Duboeuf, Morgon, Jean Descombes; and the 1999 Paul Jaboulet Aine, Crozes-Hermitage, Les Jalets. If you don't have an ample supply of these, hurry, hurry, hurry to your nearest outlet; and stock up.

In the same edition (9/30/01) our good friend, Matt Kramer, also let the cat out of the bag on riesling values. Fortunately, he forgot to mention the Finger Lakes.

[Thomas]

Don't worry IK. There isn't enough money in the Finger Lakes wine industry to advertise in WS; therefore, no coverage.

[RAD]

IK, I bought a bottle of the 1999 Les Jalets just to try, before I saw the WS90 rating. Nothing to write home about, IMHO.

I just opened it tonight. Here are my notes: Deep magenta; a touch cloudy. Typical Rhone syrah nose, with white pepper and gamy notes. Quite tart on the palate--nearly puckering acids. Bland finish. 79/74.

I topped it off with Private Reserve and stuck her in the fridge. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

These are Per-Henrik Mansson's notes, FWIW:
"From one of the region’s long-standing, quality oriented houses comes this solid value. Very ripe style. Smells and tastes like licorice, and borders on being raisiny but, oh boy, is this a thick, rich and creamy Rhône red. Full-bodied, inky-black and very tannic, delivering lots of fruit and lots of oak, this is a big Syrah. Give it time to settle down. Best from 2003 through 2010. 7,415 cases made".

RAD

[Innkeeper]

Ric, methinks you might have popped it somewhat early. Mansson's timing is probably accurate. We have a '96 ready to go now, and a 1998 Domaine des Entrefaux, Crozes-Hermitage with an '02 tag on it. The way they are making the Crozes' these days, which is somewhat tighter than formerly, requires a four to five year wait from harvest. Still beats the twelve to fifteen year wait on a Hermitage. Just picked up the '96 locally recently, so someone up here is either accidentally or on purpose getting it into the stores at the right time.