Today inaugurates a week of what will be, well, absolutely ridiculous Northern Rhône offers. And since we're all aware there are no great wines, only great bottles, a bit about the exceptional provenance of this and upcoming offers.
These bottles come courtesy of the OG-est cellar we know. The collector is Bay Area-based and the drive from Kermit Lynch (Allemand's importer) in Berkeley to his storage unit is more-or-less walkable. Nothing has moved. Ever. There are original receipts attached to the cases but we're afraid to look at them.
2001 ‘Chaillot,’ what a freaking wine. It’s been a while for me (Daniel unsurprisingly ‘had it twice last year’) though I’d know that fragrance anywhere: wet soil, black pepper, grilling lamb, lavender, a beyond-umami savoriness. Most of all the wild-yet-weirdly-pure flavors and classic silhouette, just mid-weight though superbly intense.
And that bottle had switched hands at least twice that I know of…
Cheers,
Jason
