Every now and again I’ll attend a tasting where all the wines are good: no clunkers, no disappointments, and no corked bottles. Our Syrah tasting last Friday night was just such an occasion. Five of the seven wines were pretty terrific and the other two would have been fine in lesser company. The wines were served blind although the group did know that two of the wines were from places other than the Northern Rhone. (The wines are listed in order of my preference.)

1. 1998 Jamet Cote Rotie. Smoky, earthy, boysenberry, meaty (Canadian bacon?). Structured in a French way – lots of weight but lean at the edges. Complex with plenty of true Rhone flavors but not at all rustic, in fact, this is an incredibly classy and elegant wine. First rate stuff.

2. 1998 Penfold’s Grange. Heaps of new oak on top of heaps of ripe fruit, mainly plums. Very, very sexy with syrupy/jammy fruit, lots of high-toned notes and just a hint of that wet dog syrah character. Extremely oaky in the mouth and tons of boysenberries. This was all about ripe fruit and oak and was obviously a new world wine. I gave it high marks initially for its sex appeal but have to admit that I liked it less towards the end. If I were rank the wines again it would probably finish fourth or fifth.

3. 1995 Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline. This took a while to open up. There were hints of fruity/meaty aromas but it was much less effusive then many of the other wines. After about 30 minutes, though, the aromas became quite intense with bacon, game, smoke plus a nutty component. Tremendous mouthfeel and texture – big, authentic, very ripe and delicious. Lovely wine but you can’t help but think that this purposely made in a very new world/Robert Parker style.

4. 1999 Albert Belle Hermitage. Classic Rhone “stink” and very complex: pomegranates, berries, scorched earth, sour cherries, graphite and a floral note. Given the fascinating nose, the flavors were ever-so-slightly disappointing. While the wine was obviously well made and has impeccable balance, it’s a bit too “clean” for my tastes – I’d like a bit more funk.

5. 1998 Sean Thackrey Orion. Intense boysenberry and bacon bits and lots of oak. Young and fruity and very clearly Californian in the nose. Young, fresh and fruity in the mouth with obvious oak and lots of alcohol. There’s an almost painful intensity to this wine but you can’t deny its charms and I’d love to try it again in a few more years.

6. 1996 Chave Hermitage. Subdued and very slow to open. Aromas of overripe plums, smoke and spices. Somewhat coarse and rustic. Obviously Rhone but without great complexity or charm at the moment. Judgment reserved.

7. 1995 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage. The only wine in the tasting to exhibit orange edges. Rhone-ish aromas and decent fruit but probably from a less ripe vintage. Structured, hard edged, earthy, briary. Not a bad wine but it doesn’t belong in this group.