A nice surprise

Stopped by the Produce Station yesterday to pick up a few things for dinner (broccoli, chicken), and saw that they had a nice cache of white northern Rhone wines available at deep discounts. Since the vintages are a little on the older side, running the gamut from 2001 to 2005, I picked up a couple to see if they were still in good shape.

They are!

We opened a 2004 Guigal Crozes-Hermitage (pictured at the left) which was just fabulous. There's something about the white northern Rhones that really stands out once the bottle has a little big of age on it. Spicy aromas, clean fruit, and a lasting finish all come together.

Many of the wines are from E. Guigal, and we have often found this producer to be a reliable source for interesting wines. In addition to the 2004 Crozes-Hermitage (I bought the last five, sorry) there are also a dozen or more 2005 Condrieu (which are still nearly $30) and several 2001 St. Joseph. We'll try this latter wine tonight, and if it has held up as well as the 2004, we'll pick up a few more of those too.