WTN: Short notes on lots of French wines

Extremely short notes from October 1 tasting at PWX for Jojo’s Wine Bar selections

Rhones:

Ferraton Samorens Cotes du Rhone Blanc 2008 – Very nice nose. A little bitter in the finish. Spicy. Easy on the palate. Not bad.

Ferraton La Source St. Joseph Blanc 2007 – Muted nose. Not a lot of flavor. Not too interesting.

Ferraton La Matiniere Crozes Hermitage Blanc 2007 – Not bad on the nose but not a lot of flavor.

Ferraton Cotes du Rhone Villages Rouge 2007 – Oaky, modern, a little hot on the nose. Sweet, modern and spicy. Quite friendly. Good.

Ferraton Samorens Cotes du Rhone Rouge 2006 – Sulfur. Good flavor but the stink is a turn-off.

Ferraton La Source St. Joseph Rouge 2006 – Leathery. Soft and friendly. Very nice.

Ferraton La Matiniere Crozes Hermitage Rouge 2006 – Neutral nose and flavor and very acidic on the finish. Unpleasant.

Clos du Mont Olivet Font de Blanche Cotes du Rhone 2007 – Dried herbs and heat on the nose but good character. Very tight and closed on the palate. Difficult to figure this one out.

Bordeaux:

Chateau Marjosse 2005 – Sweet nose, fragrant wood. Closed on the palate. Difficult to assess.

Chateau de Cugat Bordeaux Superieur 2001 – Very sweet, oaky, berry nose. Very modern. Not bad on the palate but the nose is very un-Bordeaux..

Chateau Canon St. Michel 2005 – Very nice, classic Bordeaux nose. Quite tannic with lot of acidity but just might be OK with some food.

Chateau Ducluzeau 2004 – Nice nose. A little caramelly. Not bad.

Chateau Karolus 2001 – Strange, very hot nose. Very dry, tight and bitter.

Chateau Dauzac 2006 – Very nice flavor. Sweet fruit. Wonderful balance. By far, the best wine in the tasting. Surprisingly open for such a young wine.

Chateau Ripeau St. Emilion 2005 – Good nose and flavor. Tobacco. Needs time, though.

Chateau Peyreau St. Emilion Grand Cru 2004 – Nice nose but extremely tannic. Needs serious bottle age or time in a decanter.

After slogging through all that, we were rewarded with:

Chateau Grand Mayne St Emilion Grand Cru Classe 1990 – Dusty and leathery on the nose. Plump and fleshy. Still very vibrant. Seems quite young. If this were blind I wouldn’t guess this was nearly 20 years old. This should have no trouble aging a few more years as the balance is very good and there’s still some tannin on the finish.

[David M. Bueker]

Cotes du Rhone Blanc is a category of wine I have never figured out. I'm not really sure what it is supposed to do/be.

Jay in action:

I see that Johnny's also been designated to task, as well.

I see that Johnny's also been designated to task, as well.

Yup, pretty much all the Usual Suspects were there. Vince, however, is in Canada now.

I'm not really sure what it is supposed to do/be.

???

You mean you're not sure of the weight/flavor/structural profile?

I think one problem is the relative lack of interesting CdR Blanc wines available in the US. (In comparison to Mosel wines for example ).

They have always struck me as potentially interesting for a different take on fuller-bodied wines with minerality and freshness. But I never get around to drinking them!

[David M. Bueker]

I'm not really sure what it is supposed to do/be.

They have always struck me as potentially interesting for a different take on fuller-bodied wines with minerality and freshness. But I never get around to drinking them!

Then perhaps it is a case of what is available - I have never found minerality or freshness in the (admittedly few) ones I have tried. Somewhat fuller body yes, but especially in the case of say Guigal's CdR Blanc it seemed rather forced (and I am a Guigal fan).

Sounds like we can further address Cotes du Rhone blancs in this month's wine focus. FWIW, I agree that they run a very very very distant second to their rouge brethren, but that doesn't mean there aren't some good ones to be found out there.

CHeers

Tony

David, try Ch. de Campuget's Costieres de Nimes Blanc.

David, try Ch. de Campuget's Costieres de Nimes Blanc.

Interesting transition into the Languedoc whose whites suffer from many of the same image problems.

Clape's white wines are available in the States and have always seemed to have nice freshness to me.

Otherwise, I've found nice 'little' whites from the Rhone and the Languedoc when in France, with broad but fresh fruit. But yes it is not a category I seek out often.

Otherwise, I've found nice 'little' whites from the Rhone and the Languedoc when in France, with broad but fresh fruit. But yes it is not a category I seek out often.

Interesting thread.

Since mentions of whites have branched out outside of CdR, I’ve had some success, not much, with Chateauneuf du Pape whites, especially form Vieux Telegraphe and Clos des Papes. They’re OK, but not nearly enough for me to seek them out, especially at the prices that they’re being sold for.