I wasn’t a huge fan of the 97 Chave hermitage I opened last year.
Some 1997’s that we bought for a birth-year were:
Dunn HM, Montelena, Spottswoode and Monte Bello from California.
Fonseca, Dow’s and Taylor Fladgate Vintage Port
Climens and Rieussec Sauternes
Tignanello from Tuscany. Had the last one a coupe of years ago.
Ed
What does that mean?
I recall the 97 northern Rhones being a little on the lean side, especially when you compared them to the generally great to outstanding trio of 98-99-00.
I don’t see David chiming in here yet so I’ll be the contrarian and say go look for top Mosel producers at Spatlese and Auselese level. I think 1997 is underrated for Germany.
Thanks! ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
1997 Chave Hermitage
Ready to drink. Olive tapenade and garrique on the nose. Well integrated, elegant, soft tannins. Certainly Syrah, but not necessarily northern Rhône feeling. Slightly glossy and polished. Gained in power over an hour in glass. I liked this a lot but didn’t love it. Intellectually a beautiful, well made wine, but no visceral reaction to it.
Great note! I’ll see if I can find one or more
For what it’s worth, I really like this wine. Whether or not it’s worth the price is a fair debate, but my bottles will be drunk and not sold.
K&L has a few 97 Potel Bonne Mares left at $139…had a bottle that was superb…so bought another four…
Here are some notes on 1997 Rhônes from the past several years, some of which should be inexpensive if you can find well-stored examples:
1997 Saint Cosme Côte-Rôtie Montsalier - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (5/3/2020)
A little simple but drinking well, it needs some air for the fruit to come out and join the savory meatiness and iron. (90 pts.)
1997 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos des Grives - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage (12/10/2018)
Pretty raspberry and blackberry and evergreen, showing an impressive level of complexity, a very good example of well-aged Syrah from the east bank of the Rhône. I had an incredible 1996 Chave Hermitage on Saturday and this is in the same league though not quite as electric. I’m very impressed. (92 pts.)
1997 Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (9/15/2018)
Tart raspberry with meat, a bit of pepper, and a bit of leather, a very well done old style Côte Rotie with plenty of acid, which doesn’t bother me. (92 pts.)
1997 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (4/27/2018)
Very elegant, more on the red fruit side with a dash of pepper, with nice acidity holding it together, it is an excellent wine that was overwhelmed by the exceptional 1998 served along side it. (92 pts.)
1997 Domaine Louis Cheze St. Joseph Cuvée Prestige de Caroline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (12/23/2016)
Crisp tart raspberry with a little leather and spice and buttressed by soft tannin, it’s delicious, but really crying out for food. It is showing some evolution, but at a much slower rate than I would have expected. (92 pts.)
1997 Domaine de la Rectorie Collioure Coume Pascole - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Collioure (11/7/2015)
A little mint, brambly fruit, pretty close to peak, but holding very well. (91 pts.)
Thank you!
'97 Masseto!
Probably no one will remember this wine, but it was delicious a couple of years ago when I tried it. 1997 St. Francis Reserve “Kings Ridge Vineyard” Cabernet Sauvignon. Grown at 2,000 feet on the Sonoma Coast in Cazadero (think Flowers or Hirsch). If you can find it and like aged Cabernet, this might be a fun one to try.
Robert Parker wrote: Very rich, the 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve King’s Ridge Vineyard (900 cases; 14.4% alcohol) boasts a saturated color as well as a gorgeous bouquet of black fruits intermixed with smoke, minerals, licorice, and tobacco. An unctuous texture, huge body, and moderately high tannin suggest this formidably endowed wine has at least 20-25 years of potential cellaring. 92 Points
If they would ship to me, I’d get a few of those!
A couple of folks recommended Chave, I definitely agree with that. Very aromatic and lithe, but if you really dig '90 '95 '00 '05 etc. you may not go wild over it like I do. d’Yquem was cheap in 1997, reviewed well, but not showing as well as I’d like now. Everyone seems to love Jadot '97s but the majority I’ve had are decent but a little dull, the CSJ quite good. I’ve backfilled several odds and ends recommended here at winebid like Monte Bello but the deals are harder to come by than they were even 2 or 3 years ago.
I’ve had 3 1997 Tognis in the past year. I have one left. I’ve probably had 6-7 1997 Tognis over the years and am a fan of Togni. I do not think the 1997 is a top tier Togni, and it isn’t near my top 5 California wines, let alone top 5 1997s I’ve had in the past 5-10 years. It’s a plenty good wine, but I do not think it is particularly special, and do not think it is indicative of Togni’s long lasting well structured and well balanced style. Good wine, but not a great wine in my opinion.
Re the other part of Mark’s post, I totally agree. The 97 Jadots I’ve had have been very good, and a Chapelle Chambertin particularly memorable.
Staglin Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 1997 higly recommend, I had this wine in previous year and it was one of the best wines I have ever had( rated 97/100), if you can get it should be reasonably priced as Parker rated it “only” 90-92/100 from barrel sample. It is dramatic underrated. I had also two bottles of Newton Merlot Unfilterd 1997 which were sublime (96/100).
The Fishers’ son, Rob Fisher, swam locally for the Duke University swim team, and he used to return to town frequently for various charity events.
Back in the day, I loved the Wedding Vineyard Cabernet, and judging from the Cellar Tracker notes, the 1997 has moved out of its Parkerized phase, and into [what ought to be] a much more elegant AFWE phase.
Which is how I would prefer to sip on it - I no longer seem to have the constitution necessary to swallow much in the way of Parkerized wine.
In fact, at this point, I suspect that 99% of the fun might come from simply swirling and sniffing the wine [and swallowing it by the teaspoonful as an accompaniment to a really nice meal].
This has always been a wonderful wine. Probably the best Insignia I have ever tasted.
I can only respectfully disagree. The three times I have had this wine (twice from magnum) they were enthralling. Perfect balance, the structure calmed and seamless, and an amazing complexity and finish. The bottle was in a four bottle vertical, and all were good, but this was the standout. I have always valued complexity, and this is why I really loved this wine.