March Wine Focus - Farther on up the Rhone!

[David M. Bueker]

2008 Éric Texier Côtes du Rhône-Brézème
Bright, tart, slightly herbal and persistent in its purity. I really like the freshness of this wine, and while it should hold for more than a few years I am struggling to not drink all of it now.

Bill Spohn's thread below encouraged me to open a Northern Rhône tonight. These are quite different from those of the southern heartland, though those from the northerly end of the South represent something of a bridge (see my TN on Gramenon and I will look out some older ones on Sinard and Chapoton). In the the North, Syrah dominates for reds and give wines of a much more elegant, steely and savoury character than the South's predominantly Grenache based wines. Here is a good example from an outstanding producer in one of the less aristocratic appellations.

Crozes-Hermtage 1999 - Alain Graillot - Alc.13%. Upon pouring there was a curious element of impurity on the nose like an oxidative cabbage touch but it blew off with air only to reappear immediately after each pour. When these impurities receded there were attractive round aromas dominated by cherry and a hint of wet leather. The palate was medium/full with more depth and roundness than in many years; cherry fruit, minerals and aromas as on the nose (minus the impurities) were present together with lively acidity and noticeable tannic structure towards the finish which seemed somewhat dry and gritty away from a mouthful of beef stew in Gueuse (Belgian beer) sauce. The overall effect was elegant and generous at the same time and a good pairing for the food; no need to hurry to drink up with a ?, though, about that odd transitory aroma; 16/20++.

You lot still drinking up all those delicious reds! As usual I am here to post on a Rhone white (heck where are you all going!!).

WTN: `09 Les Vins de Vienne Cotes du Rhone Les Laurelles.

Cuilleron, Gaillard, Villard. $24 Cdn, 13% alc, good natural cork, 60% Viognier, 20% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne.

Not really in a big mood to analyse as busy planning Snow Goose festival right now. Light to medium yellow, nose took 2 hrs to open. Pear, minerally, subtle. On the palate dry-ish, light bodied, brief hints of tropical fruits and some fat. Acidity better on day 2 but did not match that Montfaucon I posted on. Very fresh, clean but overpriced imo.

WTN: `09 Les Vins de Vienne Cotes du Rhone Les Laurelles.

Cuilleron, Gaillard, Villard. $24 Cdn, 13% alc, good natural cork, 60% Viognier, 20% Grenache Blanc, 20% Marsanne.

A collaboration among 3 of the respected folks in Cote-Rotie. I'll be visiting Gaillard in 2 weeks, so I hope to taste some of these.

Popped in on some friends Friday evening and was served a glass of red wine blind. Light in color, great purity (complexity on a single theme), which had me thinking a Loire pinot noir. But there was something very familiar about the nose. My second guess was "some sort of naturaliste Northern Rhone?" Yes--the 1989 Gonon St. Josesph "Les Oliviers". The three of us drank the bottle slowly, appreciating what can be done with syrah from the right place. (When that wine ran out, I opened a 2009 Gulfi Cerasuolo di Vittoria that I just happened to have with me, a wine that all of SE Michigan has gone apeshit for in recent months, but which is not on theme here.)

Get friends like mine.

Crozes-Hermtage 1999 - Alain Graillot - Alc.13%. Upon pouring there was a curious element of impurity on the nose like an oxidative cabbage touch but it blew off with air only to reappear immediately after each pour.

snipped....

Tim, do you think this stink would have blown off completely had you decanted after opening? I ask because it blew off, then reappeared with each pour. Sounds like it might have been embedded only to come out with agitation. (But what do I know?)

2007 Domaine Milliere Chateauneuf-du-Pape purchased from Burgundy Wine Company, NYC. I have multiple bottles of three different CdP from this vintage so decided to look in on one of them. Dark amethyst-ruby brilliance in the glass. Nearly opaque. Legs on the side of the glass. Aromatic with a suggestion of both black and red fruits and some garrigue. Fruit prominent on the approach but drying tannins announce their presence on the far end. I know it is young but it can be drinkable now. I would rate it in the low 90's. I had it with broiled lamb chop and buttered parsley new potatoes with garlic salt and paprika added. I have two more bottles to space out over several years.

2003 Domaine La Roquete Chateauneuf de Pape - Old leather, spices and dried flowers with mixed red and black fruit. Silky, fine-grained tannins, a nice touch of acidity and a lingering clean finish. Please sir, may I have some more?

Alas, it was the last bottle. Well, I do have some 2005 and more of that can be had from Cost Plus, even if the 2005 isn't quite as good. At least, not yet.

Crozes-Hermtage 1999 - Alain Graillot - Alc.13%. Upon pouring there was a curious element of impurity on the nose like an oxidative cabbage touch but it blew off with air only to reappear immediately after each pour.

snipped....

Tim, do you think this stink would have blown off completely had you decanted after opening? I ask because it blew off, then reappeared with each pour. Sounds like it might have been embedded only to come out with agitation. (But what do I know?)

You may be right, Bob. I'll decant the next bottle I open.

Our firewall is so hinky. It's letting me post today, so...

1998 Domaine Coursedon Saint Joseph. La Sensonne

Yum! Still plenty of puckery red raspberry fruit, meat, plenty of acid, SMOOTH.

Aged tea notes, some meatyness. Very elegant and enjoyable Syrah!

This is an estate which produces reliably fine examples of Southern Rhône, which are both powerful and harmonious and which are sold at very reasonable prices for the quality.

Cairanne Côtes du Rhône Villages Haut Coustias 2000 - Domaine de l’Oratoire Saint-Martin (F&F.Alary) - Alc. 13.5% - (EUR 17 for 2008 vintage) - a blend of 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache and 20% Syrah 65 year old vines. This was better than a bottle in January but still slightly less to my taste than my fond memory (supported by TN) of the 1998. It was fuller, more structured, darker and fruitier in a primary way and a touch jammy but showed less of the complexity of fine fruit nuances as well less of the tar and herbal notes; it was as if Grenache were more prominent in the 2000 blend. I did not get the slight metallic streak towards the finish which I noted in January; 16/20.

A reliable estate indeed Tim, only wish I could find the wines here, groan.
What was the food as I know you have an excellent in-house chef!

A reliable estate indeed Tim, only wish I could find the wines here, groan.
What was the food as I know you have an excellent in-house chef!

It was pork with chopped fennel in curry and chicory (very much a Belgian vegetable). She is indeed an excellent chef. I am reminded of that particularly because, to celebrate her birthday on Saturday, we went out to dinner at a local restaurant and paid €125 for a meal which she could have done better herself except for the visual presentation. And to boot they served a Côtes du Roussillon Villages (€25 ) so warm that it brought out the alcoholic heat and an unpleasant sugary molasses touch on the finish .

WTN: 2009 Viognier, Vin de Pays Collines Rhodaniennes, Domaine Barou:

Finally, I get to post a note just before the month expires (at present, I only have a few Rhones and they are bottles I'd like to age). This is a small organic estate, making red St. Joseph and VdP from Syrah and white Condrieu and VdP from Viognier and Marsanne. I had tried their VdP Syrah "Cuvee des Vernes" a few months ago and was impressed, and thought I might try the Marsanne. Alas, Chambers was sold out of the latter and I picked up the Viognier.

This wine is showing a fair bit of gold tint, with some butterscotch and pineapple notes on the spicy nose. Slightly oily on the palate, there is some ginger, orange blossom and vanilla on the palate. Somewhat like a barrel fermented Chardonnay with an exotic tropical edge. Nice wine, but a bit more marked by oak than I was expecting. The domaine website says this sees 9 months in 2nd year barrels with batonnage. $17, 14% abv.

Joe, that might be a white that fills out in time eh. I always enjoy my Viognier, from wherever!

I attended a good tasting of French artisan producers last Sunday and the following N. Rhône estate was on show.

Domaine Pierre Gaillard

This is one of the leading producers of Côte Rôtie with good St.Joseph and Cornas as well. He has a tendency to use more new oak (around 50%) than I find ideal but there is usually enough substance to make it unobtrusive after a few years ageing, if one can put up with (or even like) that tell-tale polished patina. Pierre Gaillard showed mainly 2009s here and their fine potential was evident in spite of their very recent bottling and rather harsh finishes (probably due in part to still undigested wood tannins) which I will not mention again in the individual TNs.

Saint-Joseph 2007 (€16) was by far the pleasantest drinking at this stage with intense, brightly focussed fruit (a lot of steely cherry), minerals and less apparent wood influence than the others; 16/20.
Saint-Joseph Clos de Cuminaille 2009 (€22) was aromatically more subdued but showed more weight, generosity and tannic structure; potentially 16/20++.
Côte Rôtie 2009 (€39) showed so much power and backbone as well as fine fruit that I took it for the Cornas; no doubt as the aromas develop the Côte Rôtie typicity will assert itself albeit on a strong frame; I guess potentially 17/20.
Cornas 2009 (€32) was quite closed aromatically but, yes, the fruit was darker and the power and tannic structure greater than the previous; potentially a fine robust Cornas 16.5/20. (The present generation of Cornas producers seems to have left behind the rusticity which was often present up to the mid-90s.)

Tim,

Wasn't this "rusticity" a part of the terroir expression of Cornas?

For my taste, none of the modern Cornas show the deep terroir expression that I use to find in Noel Verset , Robert Michel or Marcel Juge wines. I have always found Clape wines on the modern side, but today's Cornas make look his wine very "old school".
Yes 1991 Verset needed 15 years to come together, but what is the point of drinking 2007 Cornas that taste like any modern Saint Joseph or Rousillon syrah?

IMHO of course


Best

Eric

Tim,

Wasn't this "rusticity" a part of the terroir expression of Cornas?

For my taste, none of the modern Cornas show the deep terroir expression that I use to find in Noel Verset , Robert Michel or Marcel Juge wines. I have always found Clape wines on the modern side, but today's Cornas make look his wine very "old school".
Yes 1991 Verset needed 15 years to come together, but what is the point of drinking 2007 Cornas that taste like any modern Saint Joseph or Rousillon syrah?

IMHO of course


Best

Eric

Eric, that is a very good point.

Although the Gaillard here is potentially a good wine, perhaps it will not taste sufficiently like Cornas (i.e. different from St.Jo or a Poussillon Syrah).

I attended a Clape vertical a couple of years ago and there very definitely seemed to be a smoothing of the wines' style from the mid-90s but they did seem to my Cornas inexperienced palate to retain real character. I have bottles of all vintages from 96 to 04 and have started on the 97s and 02s which seem quite slim and elegant - not normal descriptors for Cornas, but that, I think, is a function of the vintages.

I have some Juge from 97 and 98, so now may be the time to take a look.

BTW I seem to recall Pierre Gaiilard's recommending a c.10 year ageing for his 09s here to show at their best.

WTN: `05 Domaone Lafond Lirac Roc-Epine.

I am a big fan of this domaine and recently wrote a glowing report on one of their whites. This red was quite tannic when first tasted a couple of years ago so thought would benefit from some cellaring.
13.5% alc, good natural cork, $24 Cdn, opened and decanted one hour. No sediment, grenache- based wine with some syrah and mourvedre.

Color. Medium dark ruby-red, starts to show some light bricking on rim .

Nose. Still has some oak tones, raspberry, cherry and cassis. Not much change on day 2.

Palate. Initial entry thought was perhaps needs more time? Dry, tannins still there, spice, pepper and cherry quite obvious. Serious effort here but tad astringent on day 1. Much improved next day, more black fruits, good structure here, hint of some ripeness?. Needs food to help along, might not be for everyone browsing the CdR shelves.

WTN: `05 Domaone Lafond Lirac Roc-Epine.

Bob, it sounds as if I would like this one. IMO tannic structure (from Mourvèdre?) helps Grenache to avoid the twin pitfalls of excessive sweetness, even jamminess, and heaviness.

Thanks Tim. Trying to edit title but unable! Did you notice my spelling mistake, LOL.
I am quite keen on Lafond but told avoid their CDP!

I've just received a bit of publicity for a wine citing Jeb Dunnuck’s The Rhone Report. I followed the link and found out it's subscription only. The only info I could really get was a bio on the author who seems to be a wine enthusiast with only a few years part-time experience in the wine trade.

So my questions are:

1) Does anyone here subscribe to Jeb's report and is it reliable?

2) Is it common for people to set up subscription sites with relatively little experience?

I've just received a bit of publicity for a wine citing Jeb Dunnuck’s The Rhone Report. I followed the link and found out it's subscription only. The only info I could really get was a bio on the author who seems to be a wine enthusiast with only a few years part-time experience in the wine trade.

So my questions are:

1) Does anyone here subscribe to Jeb's report and is it reliable?

2) Is it common for people to set up subscription sites with relatively little experience?

Found this Jon, at bottom mentions his sitting/moderating on a panel!

http://lapeira.wordpress.com/2011/05/07 ... t-issue-7/

Hi Jon,
I obviously need to update that bio…

I started The Rhone Report three years ago and it just recently moved to subscription based. The site offers just fewer than 4,000 reviews on Rhône variety wines and I put out quarterly newsletters covering Australia, California, France, Spain, and Washington, with each containing between 300 and 500+ new reviews. Regarding experience, I have been drinking wine and visiting wine regions around the world for close to 12 years, and I currently travel to France, California, and Washington State each year while working on their respective reports. On the reliability of the reviews, I will gladly provide a sample PDF if you are interested. Also, if you’re a donating CellarTracker user, all of the scores are visible for each wine reviewed as well.

I hope this helps and if I can provide any info in the future, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jeb@TheRhoneReport.com.
Thanks,
Jeb