Pick My Next Bottle – A Wine for Thanksgiving

The November installment of Pick My Next Bottle focuses on some special bottles that might grace the table at Zinfandel Chronicles Headquarters this Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in the first installment, the purpose of this series is to provide insight into specific wines or producers you may currently have in your cellar. I plan on opening the winning bottle on Thanksgiving and will publish a Bottle Note shortly thereafter.

As it pertains to vintages, 1998 for Châteauneuf-du-Pape, 1997 for Napa Valley and 1990 for Bordeaux, are without question some of the all time greats.

The contenders:

• 1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe “La Crau” Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Between 1978 and 2007, this 1998 is the greatest Vieux Telegraphe that was produced. It has taken a good decade for this wine to shed its tannins and come out of a dormant, closed period. It has finally emerged, and notes of iodine, seaweed, black currants, incense, and sweet cherries as well as hot rocks jump from the glass of this full-bodied, powerful wine. It possesses considerable elegance and purity, along with loads of raspberries and incense, in a round, juicy, rich style that is just emerging from the closet. The wine is still youthful and a pre-adolescent in terms of its ultimate evolution. Approachable now, it will continue to evolve for another 15-20 years. Bravo! 95 points from the Wine Advocate.
• 1997 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red – The finest Proprietary Red produced by Pahlmeyer to date is their 1997… A super-rich, blockbuster effort, it exhibits an opaque purple color in addition to a fabulous bouquet of black fruits, espresso, cocoa, mocha, and flowers. A prodigious red, with low acidity, spectacular concentration, and fabulous purity as well as overall symmetry, it can be drunk now, but promises to last for 20-25 years. 98 points from the Wine Advocate.
• 1990 Leoville Barton – Believe it or not, the 1990 Leoville Barton can actually be drunk – something that cannot be said about the broodingly backward, still excruciatingly tannic 1982. The exceptionally concentrated 1990 reveals more polished, sweeter tannins along with a big, sweet kiss of black currant, forest floor, cedar, and spice box notes. While it still has some tannins to shed, this full-bodied, powerful, long wine is approachable. It should continue to evolve for another two decades. 93 points from the Wine Advocate.

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Thanks for voting! I’d love to see a comment below on why you picked one bottle over another. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions for the December installment of Pick My Next Bottle.

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