Delicious

It was a hectic week at work but it is ending on a definite high note.

There was a chicken breast with goat cheese for dinner and the last glass of a Spanish white blend, 75% viura and 25% chardonnay. It went great with the chicken but something more was needed.

I opened a De Boisseyt-Chol 1998 Saint Joseph that I had in both a 750ml and a 375 ml bottles. I opened the 375. Very closed at first in the fruit area, but definite leather and dirt on the nose with some rustic spice. There was a sharp, almost vegetative smell that I finally decided was ripe rhubarb. The first sip had some gripping tannins on the sides of the tongue and some more restrained fruit (dark cherries and ultra ripe strawberries). Good acidity with a long finish that tended to the fruity side. The ripe rhubarb was there too.

After an hour of sipping the wine has opened up tremendously. It actually went through a 15 minute period where it tasted old and I thought perhaps it was gone. It came back to life, the fruit came forward and the tannins eased. Definitely has the dark cherries and the very ripe strawberries, and has wonderfully balanced acidity. The finish is now almost silky and Burgundian. This is a really nice, medium weight, cold climate Syrah wine. It reminds me again of why I love the wines from the northern Rhone.

The half bottle was no doubt at it's peak. I'm going to hold the full bottle for another year or so, and if it as good as the 375 it will be worth the wait .