Jean-Luc Jamet, Cote Rotie, Pirate

Sadly the pirates got to the cork. Will have to try another soon

Electric blue and blackberries, with a healthy dose of barnyard funk overlaid. Too young yet, as this has a decade or two, but pretty tasty now. Medium plus weight.

Flickinger dinner at avec River North (Chicago, IL) : Deep and intense, but almost with less oak showing than the Terrasses. This is quite meaty and feral, and you don't get the olive notes until maybe 4-5 hours later. Silky tannins and surprisingly black fruit for the vintage, this is some seriously meaty syrah. Coming off of a 2016 Guigal Turque recently, I would say that this is more rustic and slightly less precise and clean, but an impressive wine …