Penfolds, Bin 389..... Guigal, Cote Rotie.....

Cabernet-Shiraz, Bin 389	1994	Penfolds

7/98. This winner from the great Australian winery cost $60 at the restaurant. Not too bad for a wine that costs (in a shop!) about $20 in civilized countries.
COLOR: Dark vibrant garnet color. No clearing around the rim and no sediment.
NOSE: Assertive fruity and spicy nose. Much more complex than a simple fruit bomb. Young, but very pleasant.
TASTE: Vibrant and mouthfilling. Feels warm on the palate as most Syrah-based wines do. Good fruit and winyness though not immensely deep. Very tasty with a lot of personality.
LENGTH: Medium long discernible and pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied, young and flavorful. Good acidity, fruit and winyness. Soft tannins and little or no wood. Superbly balanced.
OVERALL: Excellent! Wonderful food wine that will yet improve in a couple of years.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Cote Rotie				1993	Guigal

7/98. We paid $70 for this one and I think it also costs about $20 abroad.
Cote Rotie can be a wonderful wine, even at the basic Appellation level. I have tasted a few gems in the past, both by Guigal and by Chapoutier.
COLOR: Deep dark red too, though a bit lighter than the Bin 389.
NOSE: Relatively weak bouquet. No mistake about the wine, with black forest fruit, spices and all that. But the nose lacked the punch it ought to have.
TASTE: Smooth and elegant on the palate, but here again - a softie. This wine should have much more substance. Is Guigal puts all that he knows only into his coveted single-vineyard Cote Rotie?...
LENGTH: Medium length but pleasant aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium body and medium stuffing. Fruit and elegance are there, but the wine simply did not sing.
OVERALL: Very-good but frankly a bit disappointing for a Cote Rotie. No match for the Bin 389...
MARK: 16/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.