Northern Rhone 2007 Tasting

[Bick]

I went to a tasting of Northern Rhone wines last night. It was good to get a feel for the regional differences and various approaches to oak treatment and also to compare with NZ syrah and cool climate Aussie shiraz. All the reds were 100% syrah.

Domaine Francois Villard Condrieu "Grand Vallon" 2007
We started things off with this pure viognier as an aperitif. I'm not typically a viognier fan, but this was much better than any kiwi version I've had, with a much cleaner, minerally finish to complement the tropical stonefruit. Honeysuckle and buttercup on the nose. Grown on very steep, granite, slopes in Condrieu. Very good, but not cheap. Paired with a little fois gras and bread.

Gilles Robin Crozes-Hermitage "Alberic Bouvet" 2007
The first of two Crozes-Hermitage, this had a striking, earthy nose, almost peaty and a touch pongy. Rich plummy fruit with a warm, rounded character. Pretty good, and full of character, though not the cleanest, most pure expression of syrah tasted on the day.

Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage "Cuvee Gaby" 2007
Less earthy and rustic than the Robin, more floral and with brighter fruit - quite expansive and pure. Better length too. Palate clean and with some fruit sweetness. Good, but needs a few years for acidity to settle and round out.

J.L. Chave St Joseph "Offerus" 2007
The first of two St Joseph, this by a top producer, Chave. The nose isn't giving up much yet, though there is some good fruit and white pepper apparent. The palate is rich and particularly fruity, with cherry and redcurrant. Well balanced, quite elegant, with good length. These St Joseph's were paired with a little black pudding and baked apple, which was interesting.

Domaine Courbis St Joseph "Les Royes" 2007
This was funkier than the clean Chave, and there seemed to be a bit of brett behind that. Nonetheless, it showed good raspberry and bramby fruit and decent structure. Not one of the better wines for me, I felt the acid stuck out a little. Funnily enough, I mentioned all this to the guy sitting to my left, who then informed me he helped make it! He agreed it was a bit bretty and didn't seem offended. Oops.

Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas "Rennaisance" 2007
Nice wine. Good, complex nose, with bacon-fat accompanying the fruit and white pepper. Rounded, concentrated, plum and berry fruit. Needs a couple of years at least, but likely to go 20 years, so no worry there. The Cornas and Hermitage were paired with food too: guinea-fowl and cabbage - which was excellent and a good match.

Yann Chave Hermitage 2007
A big wine, a real blockbuster, as you might expect from Hermitage. Nose is good, but a touch muted yet - I daresay it needs a few years, but the palate is super-concentrated and beautifully balanced. Smooth and surpemely 'clean', tannins are silky and there's heaps of red berry fruit, providing some sweetness. This drinks like a hot-vintage wine, and I could have mistaken it for a very good, cooler region Aussie. 2007 was hot early in the vintage, and then remaining quite warm but with very little rainfall in the months leading up to harvest.

Jamet Cote Rotie 2007
Cherry and white pepper on the nose; very pure, with little earthy or savoury character - this due to use of huge casks, rendering oak treatment very light. I wrote down "delicious" first off for this wine. Nothing especially stood out about it except that it was a lovely drop. Great length, floral and elegant. A very traditional style of Cote Rotie. The cote rotie's were served with some non-pasterised cheeses: a blue and a brie.

Ogier Cote Rotie 2007
Distinct style from the Jamet, this saw some new oak in smaller barrels - a more modern cote rotie. Consequently, its more earthy, with the fruit at this stage slightly more reserved on the nose. Again, palate very rounded, with great purity, and perhaps a touch more concentrated than the Jamet. I liked this style over the Jamet, marginally, and would probably give it WOTN.

[Jay60A]

Yeah ...! Nice tasting.The Ogier vs Jamet is probably more a matter of style. I used to prefer the modern style - like Ogier, Gaillard, Bonnefond but now like the purity of the trad. style more - Jamet, Clusel Roche and others. In a tasting the oak gives more weight but to savour a bottle, give me the a traditional producer.

Young Hermitage is a bit unforgiving and hard, it's made to age and will have shut up shop I reckon. Bernard Faurie probably offers the best QPR.

I hear the 2009 Cote Roties are looking a bit special (best since 1999 etc etc), but so were the 2005s for that matter.

[Joe Cz]

Nice lineup!

The Offerus is a negociant wine from Chave. There's also an estate St. Joseph that is a big step up.

The Clape is awesome and I suspect that you are right about it being a 20-year wine.

When it comes to Ogier v Jamet, I tend to favor Jamet. If you ever get to taste the '91, it will make you a believer.

Lastly, having spent a week in the Rhône this July, the '09s do indeed look special. Start saving your $.

[Bick]

Thanks for the comments guys.

In a tasting the oak gives more weight but to savour a bottle, give me the a traditional producer.

Interesting point - I can see how a tasting environment might (unfairly) favour the Ogier.

...the '09s do indeed look special. Start saving your $.

Oh crikey... 09 seems to have been good in too many places. If I ever scrape together enough moolah, I'll add Cornas and Cote Rotie to the shopping list. 09 Bordeaux is already on the list, so the moolah had better be significant!

[rooman]

Bick, interesting to see a tasting like this held in Auckland. I am interested to know who put it on and where it was held? Some real effort has gone into the food pairings.

Mark

[Bick]

It was held by Maison Vauron, in Newmarket. They did the 1999 Bordeaux horizintal too; indeed they hold regionally-based tastings every couple of months. If you contact them and get on their email list, you'll get invites. This one had a ticket price of $65, which I felt was pretty reasonable.

[Mark Carrington]

Here are my notes for some '07s which formed part of recent a NR tasting.

St Peray '07 Les Archeveques by Les Vins de Vienne - the collaboration between Cuilleron, Villard, Gaillard & Villa.100% Marsanne.
Mid straw; floral nose, stykish; honeysuckle, wallpaper glue, gentley oaked, finesse on finish. Very long.. Score 16+. An impressive surprise.

Condrieu '07 M&J Ogier.
Shade deeper; initially closed, as sat in glass/ this warmed up over hour+ delicate melange of apricot, peach & spices developed, expressive; marked acidity rather dominated, had depth & drive. Fair length, but an angular finish. More time may well improve this. Score, being generous, 16.

La Rosine Syrah VdP '07 M&J Ogier
Rubied; white pepper, violets, touch of peach? (supposedly this doesn't contain Viognier), fragrant; vibrant fruit, refreshing, has pizzazz; initialy fell short of other recent bottles then filled out & show its paces. Score 17. mixed reception from some.

Les Lézardes Syrah VdP '05 Rostaing.
Garnet, funky, medicinal, liniment, metallic topped off by brett; soft, earthy, ready now; shrill finish, showing signs of drying out. Score 15?

Crozes Hermitage Domaine des Lises '07.
Shade paler, similar nose; leaner, lighter, gamey, vibrant, hint of brett.'o6 was a notch betterScore 15.

St Josepk Clos de Cuminaille '07 P Gaillard
Bold red; meaty, substantial nose, raspberried; 'sweet' fruit, dense - tannic; refreshing acidity; full bodied, forceful, smoked /grilled meats; concentrated, modernistic & just lacks a sense of place. Impressive (but quite a bit costlier). Score 17+.

Interesting note on the Chave Offerus. Have found this wine underwhelming in the past (not tasted the '07, BTW): the estate bottling is worth the extra money - even with recent sharp increases.