Charlie,
When do you think the style of Chave significantly changed? If you are looking for young Jamet in young Chave, that is a mistake. That was like that in the 90s as well.
I think 98 is the last old school style Chave. I’m much less convinced by 99 and after. YMMV.
Is that due to the stylistic change or the warmer/more favorable growing season? I am not sure if you had the 04 but it is very Burgundian. Do you like the 90?
Kevin,
What is the representativity of these samples ?
My last Chave blanc was last week : a great opulent 2007.
Chave Hermitage blanc 2007 : 18/20
On découvre ici un vin expressif, opulent, très long, sur le beurre, le gingembre … le tout porté par d’élégants amers typiques du cépage. Un style résolument aux antipodes de celui illustré par le vin jaune. On a pu penser à la Côte de Beaune (on sait la proximité du chardonnay et de la marsanne), à Rayas blanc ou à un Condrieu. Un vin corpulent et distingué à la hauteur de sa réputation.
My last Chave red was in june 2018, on a “fresh/slender” vintage :
Chave Hermitage rouge 2013 : 16,5/17
Cassis, poivre, graphite pour un millésime produisant un vin particulièrement leste, encore sensiblement boisé.
Laurent,
Can you translate “aux antipodes de celui illustré par le vin jaune”? I agree with you on Chave blanc in general. For me, often too big and too rich when young.
Although my first love and still the favorite is Burgundy, I don’t mind oak as it will more than likely gets integrated.
The Chave white 2007 was opulent, rich (but balanced). Some guests did not like it.
The Aviet vin jaune 2004 was unsurprisingly slender, with a brilliant sapid acidity.
Hence, two opposite (great) styles.
Lucien Aviet Vin Jaune 2004 : 18/20 (the same day)
Impeccable sotolon d’une redoutable précision oxydative, puissant, mûr et transperçant, très persistant.
Rappel (le plus récent) :
Domaine Aviet Arbois vin jaune 2004 : 17/20 – 22/6/2019
My last Chave red was the 1998 : 18/20+ in october 2015 - it semt not fully ready to drink and was served along with a wonderful Rayas red 2001 (18,5/20) and a stunning Palmer 1990 (19/20).
How do you package these zoom samples ?
We pour into 4oz or 5oz bottles right before we meet and have a session three or four hours later.
Not sure to understand your protocol …
Other people taste elsewhere ?
Nice notes on a great cross-section of vintages. I love the whites too FWIW, and not that much trouble with drinking windows. Agree the '07 is currently in a good one. Had the '89 late last year and it was in very fine shape. More recent vintages (probably since around early 2000s?) have tended to be more exotic (fruit and honey on nose) but I would love a larger statistical sample.
Rauno,
FYI, the first bottle of the 10 was premoxed according to RJ who brought the bottle.
stylistic change to glossier/ more new oak/ riper. They aren’t Guigal Lala level oak/ripeness but it’s a shift from the more classical style of the Gerald led chave. It’s not a vintage thing, it’s not like 04 was the only non ripe vintage since 1999. 07 is pretty comparable to 04 and it’s a really soft plush wine.
Btw - how’d you deal with sediment on the older wines? I’ve noticed initially if i distributed the wines via funnel without standing up for a weeks/double decanting, those mini bottles would have a fair amount of sediment and disrupt the clarity of the wine. But If i stood it up 3-4 weeks and let the sediment settle and cake at the bottom of the bottle, when I use a siphon everyone gets clear wine as if it was double decanted
everyone is tasting in their own homes
My view as well. An 04 and 06 I had recently were still showing a lot of oak, while the 98 I had recently wasn’t showing oak at all despite still being a massive wine.
Who prepares the samples ?
Are they representative of the wine in bottle ?
Any other comments on the other samples ?
Laurent, here is the thread where Charlie first explained how to do this: How to share the same bottle of wine with friends across the West Coast - Covid 19 style - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
Thank you,
I still wonder about the representativity of these small samples.
Did someone produce other comments ?
For our tasting, we limit to 6 participants, 4 ounce per person is plenty. The bottles are boiled first. i had my own doubts but the wines are pretty expressive.
In regards to the 06, someone posted on CT “Fermented in steel tanks and open oak vats. Aged in used oak barrels, focus on fruit and terroir.” I may contact the main to verify.
There used to be a lot of folks who complained about new oak in CDP that Bob loved. Unfortunately, there was no oak at all. I check CT, there are 138 TNs of the 04 Chave, only two found oak, one from the 07 and the other from the 12. There are 94 notes on the 96, only three found oak, the last in 2013.
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2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (2/23/2018)
A lost Friday afternoon gathering – Raveneau and Chave Vertical (Blacksalt, Washington DC): Beautiful classic Chave nose displaying fresh cherry, raspberry, blackberry, lavender, rose, perfume, tapenade, black pepper, a hint of charred rare steak and limestone. Medium concentration, finely layered subtle red and black fruit, silky and fluid, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, a medium to long cherry and black pepper driven finish with a hint of tapenade at the end. I drank this next to the 05 in 2013 and the impression remains the same. It feels almost light compare to the 05 in concentration yet it is no less expressive in nose. This is a classic Chave hermitage that has reached the youthful peak. My educated guess is that this will develop like the 83, becoming very Burgundian in another decade. If you are a lover of Jamet, you will also love this. (94 pts.) -
2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (7/7/2013)
Another lazy Sunday dinner with La Las, Chaves, Chapelles, Rayas, Plume and Celestins (The Grill Room at Capella Hotel Georgetown): A mini vertical is always educational and this was served along with the 05. Noticeable difference in concentration but the flavor profile is very similar. Fresh crushed blackberry, raspberry, wild flowers, white pepper, limestone and earth. Medium concentration, silky palate, integrated tannins and good length. It is ready to go in terms of the palate expression but the fruit is still very youthful, ie it hasn’t achieved the Chave typicity of burgundian red fruits, charred steak and garrigue. Need to decant for two hours minimum but possibly four. (94 pts.) -
2004 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage (5/22/2012)
Eating a nice piece of humble pie, 2008 Bionic Frog vs 2004 Chave Hermitage (Capital Grill at Tysons corner, VA): Drank along with the 08 Cayuse Bionic Frog. Pop and pour, the nose is sweet but tight. The palate displays dense sweet fruits, noticeable minerality and bright acidity but seems a bit clumsy. I am convinced that this is the 08 BF with the initial rating of 92. We decide to decant and with an hour of air, it gets more expressive; cherries, candied cherry, smoked meat, blood and tapenade. The palate displays impressive concentration, chewy and dense but with nice lifting acidity. There is also noticeable structure underneath the sweet fruits. If I were to use “context”, this is an awkward adolescent phase where some tertiary flavors are emerging but the fruit while still dense and sweet is no longer fresh. It will take another five to ten years bring back the balance and harmony. I love Chave and hope that this will outshine the BF but not so on this night. (94 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
So do you find oak bothersome in the 04? I assume if Chave used a lot of oak, the oak in the 04 should be very strong.
So far, no major issue with sediment, two sessions and all were consistently expressive and clear.