Jean-Michel Gerin, Cote Rotie, Les Grandes Places

Corked. Un-lucky of the draw. Hope to revisit again.

Mid red and immediately rather chewy and fully mature but after 30 minutes had toned down a bit and though rather rustic was certainly enjoyable. Will only start going down now though.

What a nose: red and black plums, black olives, herbs and a hint of smoke. Incredible aromas. In the palate: a mix of crushed red berries, bacon and herbs. The intense minerality, granite and charcoal makes this wine incredable. The acid keeps the grippy tannins in check. After 2 hours this wine began opening up and expressing serious complexity.

Spice and a little heat on the nose. Burst of red fruit on the palate followed by peppery finish. Very concentrated and smooth with a long finish. Very enjoyable.

Sans notes

Cool climate Syrah. Expressive nose of black berries, meat and black peppers. Same on the palate, with some spices, forest floor and leather. Perfect fresh balance. Long finish.

Rhone Tasting with a focus on Cote Rotie (Angela Lloyd, Cape Town) : (Tasted Blind) Medium to deep ruby. On the nose, there is a mix of red and black brambly fruits, wood spices, liquorice, and some ferruginous qualities. The entry is very oak-dominated, giving it a youthful sheen. Excellent concentration, this full-bodied wine boasts breadth and generosity; the tannins are ripe and firm, with a core of blackberry, black cherry, liquorice, and tapenade inside. Ambitious and powerful, they pull …

A Rhone-Inspired Evening (Dino's - Washington, DC) : I tasted this wine with importer Peter Weygandt in 2010, and I rated it 93 points. �Spectacular stuff,� I wrote. �but surely one to put down for a while.� Well, time has done wonders for this wine, although it has a long life ahead of it. The aromas have opened up a lot more, showing red and black plums, black olives, herbs and a hint of smoke. Incredible aromas. It's got a …

N flowers, meat, black raspberry, plum P black raspberry, tar, meats, leather F good acid, long finish, great balance, needs time 92-93 4

Tavola di Perpetua e Felicit� (Palena - Washington, DC) : I thought the nose was a bit closed down - but tones of rock, blackberries, and tobacco wafted through. Palate was tense and nervy with silky fruit and olive compote. I think this needs time to develop more complexity on the palate - I thought it to be a bit monolithic at this point.

Winetasting with Jean-Michel Gerin at BartsBIN: This wine comes late in the tasting but it is just lovely. out of a magnum. Already very present with excellent layering and weight. love the acid. Let it mature further!

The Northern Rhone Wines of Jean-Michel Gerin (Washington, D.C.) : wow what a sexy wine we have here. 100% syrah. th nose on this is dark and seductive, lots of plums, grape skins, iron and olive tapenade. its so damn expressive already, i really wonder what it could do in a few years. the palate is gorgeous. full but absolutely silky. gushing flavors of olives, cassis, dark roasted coffee and slate. the fruit is so plush, but i love how …