From Oslo to London to Lyon back to London…it was a tough couple days of travel. However, it was made easier by my first ever trip to the Rhone Valley. I had only one destination, the Domaine of Jean-Louis Chave, and it would end up being a memory of a lifetime.

It’s funny, as I always thought Cote-Rotie and Hermitage were neighbors. It couldn’t be further from the truth; well, it is about one hour further. After being taken on a tour by Jean-Louis of the hill of Hermitage, I can safely say that for the first time in my life, I understand Hermitage. Knowledge does come from the vineyards, and come from being there, I will be the first to admit, and none more so than Hermitage.

We first sat the the foot of the hill, looking from the ground up. The giant signs of Jaboulet and Chapoutier are the first things that stand out. Each producer now makes millions of bottles a year (not of Hermitage, of course), but their significance and contribution to the appellation and the entire region cannot be ignored. Jean-Louis was the first one to say it very respectfully. I asked Jean-Louis why he didn’t have a Chave sign up on the hill, but that is not his style. He just lives on it LOL. After that, I just listened.

When we started driving in the vineyards, let’s just say there weren’t always paved roads. We came awfully close to some steep declines with an awful amount of big bumps in the road next to them. Don’t worry, I told myself, Jean-Louis drives these paths every day, you aren’t going to fall and roll over and wipe out 5% of the production of Hermitage in the process, don’t worry. Well, I didn’t die, but I did come away with a true understanding of the magical place called Hermitage.

For the whites, we first tasted from ‘Les Rocules,’ which is where the oldest vines for the whites reside. Chave told us that the vines were so old, he couldn’t even tell which ones were Marsanne and which were Roussanne, but he estimated that his Blanc is about 80% Marsanne. The Rocules was delicious, deserving of a bottling on its own, so decadent, so rich, so plump and succulent with its sweet fruit, with lots of old vine character. When we tasted L’Ermite, the vineyard in back of his home way up high on the hill, the contrast was amazing. This was a dry and spiny white, with lots of backside and a meaner personality compared to the seductive, life of the party that Rocules was. The yin and the yang were immediately obvious. The last vineyard from where he gets white grapes I forget the name exactly, but that showed a bit of each of the other vineyards’ character, but in a more reserved, fill in the blanks kind of way.

After the barrel tasting, Chave popped a few bottles of white, beginning with the 2015 Chave Hermitage Blanc, which had been bottled about four months ago. What a delicious wine. 2015 was a hotter vintage, and the sweetness of the fruit came through immediately. Loads of yellow fruits and sunshine, with exotic pineapple and mango aromas, and a delectable spice behind it. It was rich, balanced and still elegant. I questioned its immediate approachability, and Chave told us that there is this window after bottling where the wines are just delightful, before they start to close up and go into hibernation. Everyone knows the age worthiness of his Blancs; sometimes they can be downright screechy in their intensity. However, this 2015 was ready, willing and able. I think I might be popping a few more corks of his Blancs earlier and immediately upon release based on this 2015 (95+).

Next up was a 2009 Chave Hermitage Blanc. This was an immediate left turn from the 2015, showing off a gamy and waxy personality, full of anise and wild flavors. It was almost a bit peculiar compared to the seductive 2015; of course, the French Paradox as loving it. Its texture was intense, and with a little air, it started to settle down in the stable, so to speak. It still had this pungent character, but less with time. There were a lot more minerals and stones on the finish of this gamy 2009 (93).

We moved on to the reds, with a quick journey to Saint Joseph. If you have a chance to buy any of Chave’s Saint Josephs, do yourself a favor and do it. The wines of Saint Joseph are not expensive, but they are very good, excellent drinking wines that are affordable. The work Chave is doing in St. Joseph is no small task, either. He calls it ‘a generation of work,’ meaning it is one of his life’s significant projects to find great terroirs, replant the vineyards and make a true ‘Domaine’ wine, as opposed to the Negociant bottlings he releases now. We tasted one of these more special terroirs, and I could see the difference in intensity and quality. He feels he is getting close to releasing a Domaine wine from St. Joseph, but that he is not there yet. Keep your eye on Chave in St. Joseph!

I started talking about the 2003 that we had in November in New York at the Reboule du Rhone, and how despite the huge rating it had, that I just didn’t get it. It was too sweet, not as complicated as usual etc. He immediately went to get a 2003 Chave Hermitage Rouge. Fuck! I just had it damnit LOL. Of all the vintages I could have tried, that was probably the last one I would have asked for, but when in Rhone…while I did like the bottle fresh from the cellar a touch more than the one I had in November (when would a bottle from his cellar not be better?), I still found it a touch Zinfandel-like with its sweet, jammy fruit, and it lacked the acidity that his wines normally possess. It was very good but not a truly great wine, and certainly not 100 points, even though I only give 99+ myself : ) There are just so many other vintages of his wine that I would prefer to drink, personally (91).

However, mentioning the 2003 would be quite fortuitous, as out came a 2003 Chave Ermitage Cuvee Cathelin. I forgot to ask him why he drops the ‘H’ on the Cathelin, oops! I wanted to find out, now I have to go back again soon! The ’03 Cathelin was amazing and literally one of the most concentrated wines that I have ever tasted. Somehow it didn’t feel heavy or cloying despite me wanting to test if I could stand a spoon in it. Chunky, chocolaty and oily, the 2003 was rich like a billionaire and while it had excellent sweetness to its fruit, it was in no way too sweet for me like the ‘regular’ blend. Sebastien and I were both stunned; this was a 100 year wine, for sure. Its palate was as black as night, and the party was definitely in my mouth with each sip. Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re coming, too, lol. I vacillated between 98+ and 99 points, only worried that it would never mature enough for me to see secondary development over the next forty years. I hope to find out. This was a freak of nature that was 100% natural (98+).

It was now that I learned for the first time what Cuvee Cathelin was all about. I assumed that it was always some barrel selection, some super juice bottled on its own in exceptional vintages. I think he has made Cathelin in 1990, 1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2010. Did he make a 2005 or 2009? Tell me if I am missing any! Back to my point, however, the Cathelin is not just some barrel selection; it is a wine made when Chave feels that the vintage has something more to say. It is a different wine, a different expression, a sibling rather than a best selection, and a wine only made when he feels making it will not take away from the normal blend. He said the 2003 Cathelin would get lost in the 2003 regular Hermitage and not add more to it, but it had so much to say on its own. I understood his point right away. Chave’s Cuvee Cathelins are the true work of a genius/artist, one who has given his heart and soul to the hill of Hermitage.

It was unfortunately time to go, as we had dinner in five hours in London. I couldn’t feel my feet for half the day thanks to the freezing weather, but the wines of Jean-Louis Chave warmed my soul as much as any other. The day I spent with him is one I will never forget; it was a master class in Hermitage given by the Master himself. I can’t believe it took me this long to visit, but I know it won’t take me that long to come back.

Ok so my attempt to write three notes a day has been an epic fail so far in 2018, but there is still hope. If I can combo my first week in Hong Kong with my next in March and somehow get current with the massively insane Grande Fete de Bourgogne, I might actually be able to catch up and start flying, so to speak.

There was an unimpressive 2009 Pape Clement Blanc next. I have had excellent bottles of other vintages of this wine in the past, but I was very under-impressed with the 2009. It was pungent and sweaty in the nose, with some grapefruit and other yellow fruits, but I found its palate very one dimensional and unexciting. (87)

The 1996 Haut Brion Blanc was ‘the best white’ per the Ringmaster, and he was right. It had a fantastic nose of glue city, with intense, rich and twisted flavors that were dry with apricot and lanolin hints. Its structure and density were ‘wow’ and ‘wow.’ HBB is always a bit of an S&M wine, and sometimes it’s good to be a masochist when on the drinking end. (96).

The 1989 DRC La Tache that followed had more vim and vigor, perhaps more discoverable as my palate recovered. There were more rubber, leather and citrus aromas and flavors. Its palate was zippy with great citrus smack to its finish. (95+).

The 1988 DRC La Tache was also vimful, on the spicier side but definitely not with the fruit of the 2001. This was more on the whips and chains side of the fence, characteristic of the vintage. Baby definitely had back, similarly zippy and zoomy to the 1989, although more so. It had excellent leather and citrus flavors. (96+).

We finished with a 1962 Quinto do Noval Nacional. I always find it tough to gather enough energy for tasting notes of dessert wines, and this was no exception. It was smoother than I expected but, of course, great. (96).

Europe, on the other hand, is fucking cold in February. I am now in the middle of six days and five cities in Europe (hello from Oslo), and my first stop was one of my favorite tasting companions in the world, the Keymaster.

It was a quiet night by usual standards, but a welcome one, nonetheless. In fact, the theme would be ‘one’, which I found quite appropriate, since I like being number one, in case you haven’t heard ; )

Everything was served blind, and we were joined by the French Paradox, always a welcome guest at the dinner table. The first wine was Champagne, and a mature one with a light, dusty petillance. There were dry flavors of orange and rust with a dollop of honey at its core. It was smooth and tasty with cream soda flavors and inching towards outstanding with each sip. The Paradox noted, ‘pamplemousse’ on its finish, aka grapefruit. I noted hay flavors, and the Keymaster ‘caramel apple.’ It was an ultimately outstanding and original bottle of 1971 Lanson Red Label Champagne. (95).

The second wine had me guessing white Burgundy or Rhone at first, but ultimately it was white Bordeaux! The three hours of decanting definitely threw me off the scent at first, but once I knew, it was, of course, more obvious! Glue permeated its nose, and this was a mature and tasty white with amber flavors and that classic taste of Graves. Its finish was long like a red. ‘Well balanced and mature’ and ‘good minerals’ came from the crowd. I was stunned to find out this was a 1981 Haut Brion Blanc, and even more stunned when I learned it was open for three hours. Impressive for the off vintage and the air time. (93)!

The third wine had a superb and seductive nose, pure fruit and pure cherry, or ‘griottes’ as the Paradox noted. Olives and spice played their way into the game, and this was a fresh and lovely red. Its sweet fruit and game were delicious at first, but the wine waned a bit in the glass. It got a little sweet, and some bath soap emerged, but that was a heck of a first glass of 1991 Claude Dugat Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru. (92).

I bought something off the list to round out our evening and put my friends to the test. The Keymaster noted a ‘bloody taste,’ and there was much more power and breed here in this delightfully (relatively) open 2011 Rousseau Chambertin. Even after tasting 87 vintages of Rousseau wines a couple weeks ago (yes, trying to get to that one), I am always ready for more! There was a lot of Asian spice here, and the Keymaster ntoed, ‘dim sum.’ Black fruits and meat off the bone sizzled in my mouth in this open, rich and approachable Chambertin that still had a lot of life left in it, of course (95).

Ok, twelve more notes on the books, I think I can, I think I can…

Upon 2018’s arrival, I had a few resolutions I set for myself, but only one that relates to what you are reading right now: to keep current with my wine tasting notes. I thought about it, and came up with a simple solution: to write up three notes a day. Seems easy enough, right? Ten to fifteen minutes a day, and I could have myself 1000 published wine notes a year. The consumed bottles are there, trust me. Well, January has almost come and gone, and I still need to resolve my resolution. Work and family have not left much time on the table. So here is my attempt to get current with January, and start my resolution in February. I know I will be in a big hole very quickly, as our Grande Fete de Bourgogne from February 3-9 will see an enormous amount of great Red Burgundies get consumed.

My first great wine weekend of 2018 was in Los Angeles, where the most magical weekend occurred thanks to The Rev. This was no ordinary weekend, as The Rev finally got married after 57 years of that single life. Congrats again brother! And The Rev doesn’t have ordinary friends either, including a band of merry wine collectors that flocked together all weekend amongst his starry friends.

The next night was the first official great wine dinner of the year, and it was a Bad Boy production. He brought the Attorney General with him, as he tends to do in order to protect himself lol. Other than that, it was all young ladies, my wife included : )

We started with the 1996 Dom Perignon, which was what I would call good not great. It opened up in the glass, but it was a bit whitewall finish without much fruit development, and it had that typical young DP flavor profile of ice ice baby. Honestly, I can live without DPs younger than 1990 (92).

The 1996 Roumier Bonnes Mares was rich, dense and ‘extracted’ per the AG. This was a fantastic show for both Roumier and 1996, another vintage really coming into its own. There were loads of dark, black fruits along with a long, zippy finish. I was impressed how decadent this Roumier was, as they often take much more time to come around, and its heavy personality didn’t feel heavy handed. This was a great wine, flirting with another category (96+).

Next up was a 2001 Giacosa Barbaresco Rabaja Riserva, which was definitely in Beast Mode. This is the forgotten, great Barbaresco made by Giacosa. It is very rarely seen. This was an incredibly thick and long wine, tight for sure, but ready to play. It was dry like the Sahara in a good way, and intense like an Arabian prince. I was inspired by this wine, and so was the Bad Boy, who cleaned out the rest of my stock (97).

The last wine of the night was an excellent 1994 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino. It might have been a Riserva, I didn’t notice. In my mind, there is only one Soldera, and it is one of the truly great wines of the world. This was served a bit cold, but it was still a fastball of a Brunello that outpunched the weight class of its vintage. It was rich without being spectacular, but a delicious wine that also improved in the glass (93).

We all went on our merry way, only to reconvene for the big day. It was a magical wedding, love was everywhere, especially on our table with over a dozen incredible wines. It was a real party, so I didn’t take thorough notes, but I got to have a lot of interesting discussions with people with lots of Grammys. Here were the wines:

Ok so I made it through my first wine weekend of 2018. Let’s see if I can keep it up. That means another article next week before our Grande Fete de Bourgogne, as I was a busy boy in Hong Kong this week. Here’s to a resolution I will finally keep!

Happy New Year y’all. May 2018 be your best vintage yet! 2017 was a great year for Acker, and a lot of hard work. There was also a lot of great wine. Here are my Top Ten wines of 2017 – at least the ones I can remember, or found the notes for. There’s probably a ten percent margin of error lol. The envelopes please…

I could end this article here, but it just doesn’t feel right. There were so many other exceptional wines had this year, but where to draw the line? Well, 97 points and up, of course. That is equivalent to the ‘best wines of my life’ category. This is probably a good time to give a ‘this is how I rate’ review. 95-96 is outstanding, 93-94 is excellent and 90-92 is very good. For me, all fine wines should fall into one of these four categories; first, is it excellent? Is it outstanding? Etc. If a wine is very good bordering on excellent, then it is 92 points as opposed to 91 or 90. That’s about as quick a summary as I can make. And now for the rest of the ‘Wines of the Year 2017.’

Crap, in my final scrum amongst all my notes to get all those 97 point and up wines, I found one more 99 point wine I totally forgot, the 1992 Ramonet Montrachet. Let’s call it #4a to break up that run of La Taches lol. ‘The Ramonet was toasty, milky and caramel-y, this was a bang zoom kind of wine and one of the greatest white wines ever made. Flavors of mint, corn, syrup, butter and kinky white chocolate had me talking GOAT. Maaaaaaaaa.’ (99)

Ok, just to be completely frank, there were two more wines I found at 98+ so technically they should have been in my Top Thirteen, aka the Baker’s Dozen, fuck fuck fuck…they were the 1959 Lafite and Mouton, but I am just in too deep trying to finish this damn thing and I need to get the January HK catalog on the press, so deal with it : )

Here are the rest, oldest to youngest, because older is always better, at least for wine : )

So 84 wines tasted in 2017 that I would consider amongst the greatest wines in my life, that’s about three bottles every two weeks to have a ‘wine of your life.’ I think that is a good goal for all in 2018. Of course, if I didn’t miss that 1947 weekend in South America due to last second drama, I would have made it to 100, I know it!!! Now I am mad about that weekend, let’s just say that when push comes to shove, family comes first…grrrrrrrr…and thanks to The Ambassador for the invite…

Anyway, here’s to a delicious 2018 to all, drink up and be merry!