Jamet Côte-Rôtie 2001 was very pretty. Peachy, warmly fruity, but with the typical Northern dark fruit and olive notes. Lovely structure: despite the ripe, almost voluptuous fruit, it was bright and refreshing. Meaty. Very nice and surprisingly open at this infant stage.
Ch. de Beaucastel 2001 was nice, but I did find it rather too raisiny. I recently had an '04 wherein I found a better balance between the typical Southern Rhône sweetness and the structure. Here, the structure was perfectly decent but I dislike it when the fruit goes from ripe to raisiny. But having said that, there is much dark fruit, the high Mourvèdre levels are showing well - so I guess this is just a case of where my experience of the level of ripeness is not synchronized with that of other wine lovers.
Ch. de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin 2001 was massively concentrated, but showed even more of a raisin character than the "normal". A huge, huge wine - quite overwhelming.
Though the S. Rhône hasn't been a favorite area of mine, I have liked Beaucastel very much before, so I was sad at how these two showed. Reading my past notes on the normal 2001, it seems that I have had some issues on the ripeness before also, so I am not sure that my disappointment is due entirely to them being at an awkward stage of evolution.
Clape Cornas 2001 - the first bottle was thought too bretty by some tasters (so another bottle was opened, see below) but I didn't mind that since the brooding, young, olive-like Cornas character was plainly visible, too. Good structure, gravelly, obviously N. Rhône Syrah despite the brett, long and lively. A classic example of "good" Brett - one that doesn't hide the terroir but rather brings a nuance to the whole. I loved it - and gladly no one else did, so I got to take an almost full bottle of shite and heaven to drink the next day.
But as much as I love a touch of brett, I have to admit that the clean bottle was my favorite of the night: crunchy, gravelly, bright, meaty/bloody, rocky yet fully ripe and even with a touch of sweetness to the fruit. Juicy and full bodied but very light on its feet, dances on my tongue. Lovely minerality. Unending aftertaste. Great stuff.
Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque 2001 had some dark fruit but sadly much more blueberry/oak nuances than I find pleasurable. Not too long ago I had an '86 which was very nice, so I don't think I should bash this wine, but in all honesty, the transformation from this ugly duckling to a swan will be a miracle (and apparently a miracle that happens almost every vintage with the LaLas, said the other tasters). It's not that there is anything wrong with the wine, it is just that my aesthetic preferences are far from what this represents. The others at the table loved this wine.
J-L Chave Hermitage 2001 was, in all honesty, another slight disappointment. It was a touch oaky, but not so much that I would be afraid - I am sure this aspect will meld in admirably in a few more years. But I guess I like my N. Rhônes to be bloody and elemental and a touch rustic and hard (stick to Cornas from now on?). This seemed rather tame. But it did have all the classic aromas of dark fruit, meat and pepper but all of that was in a very gentlemanly form. On this evening, I apparently wasn't seeking for refinement and elegance. A very nice wine, for sure.
All were, of course, much too young now, but it was still a fun tasting with lots of knowledgeable talk from the other participants.
-Otto