- Location
- London and Boston
Well, this was a lovely evening, not least because I got to meet Melvin and Corry for the first time. It was a great opportunity to share some great bottles from the N. Rhône. All the wines except the champagne were served blind, but as the organiser I knew what they were, so nothing was blind to me. I have to say that there were some very good calls on the wines, particularly for the first flight of reds. The Jamets were identified as a pair and people got the vintages more or less right too. There were a couple of disappointments too (both somewhat surprising though), as you will see in the notes. As ever, I'll be interested to read the notes of other participants. Noizé did us proud both with the food and the wine service. The veal dish was the stand out for me, but everything was enjoyable.
Champagne Brut Dom Pérignon 2008 ***½(½)
This was a bright, structured wine that still felt a bit tight. There is plenty of 2008 tension and acidity with a sherberty, sour lemon note on the mid-palate. It also seemed to have a strong fraternal relationship with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008, but this was just showing a little more depth and slightly less evolution. Despite the acidity and freshness of the wine the dosage is apparent – it felt higher than the 5g/l used. There was quite a bit of debate about whether this is in prime time or not. Anyway, for me, this was perfectly enjoyable now while allowing that it may improve.
Hermitage blanc Domaine Albert Belle 1998 ***½
This was a good wine and it accompanied the mushroom risotto really well. The nose was a little weaker than the palate with a slightly unusual raisiny/sultana note and even a faint hint of whisky barrel – the lemon oil note was a more positive contribution. On the palate It is nicely balanced with a slightly oily texture as is usual with older white Rhône wines. The length is good and it finishes with an oatmeal note. Fully mature, but drinking well. Also, the alcohol was moderate at 13.7%. Perhaps not as good as a previous bottle that Jon B had shared, but enjoyable.
Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine Domaine Yves Gangloff 2013 ***½(½)
I was interested to try this Gangloff wine which was the youngest wine of the evening. The nose is good and typical for C-R with some bacon fat and violets but also with some mystery to the deep red berried fruit. Young and quite serious on the palate but with well judged extraction and weight. Perhaps not quite at its apogee, but it must be close. Very slightly more modern in style than the two Jamet wines served alongside it.
Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune Domaine Jamet 2007 ****½
This is the kind of wine that is a clear reminder that Jamet is producing the best wine in the appellation. The other remarkable thing is how the Jamet style has stayed consistent and identifiable across more than thirty years. This is an immediately sexy wine with a lovely stemmy nose with notes of bacon fat and black olive brine. The Côte Brune just has that extra dimension that doesn’t come from heavier extraction, but there is just a bit more of everything here. The mid-palate and finish are also deeply savoury and strongly mineral/soil inflected. This wine opened up over the evening and showed really well. There is still some tannin on the finish, but the wine is ready to go.
Côte-Rôtie Domaine Jamet 1998 ****½
It was a tough call between this and the Côte Brune for my wine of the night, but the 1998 took the palm - just. Again, the nose is sexy and exciting with violets, a bit of green olive, and a complex truffley note running under the red berried fruit that only comes with significant age. This is not an ethereal wine, but it treads lightly across the palate. The length is outstanding and there is a floral (honeysuckle?) note that enlivens the finish. 1998 was a great N. Rhône vintage and Domaine Jamet made the most of it. One for drinking now though.
Cornas Chaillot Domaine Franck Balthazar 2004 ****
The Balthazar had the difficult position of following on from two absolutely outstanding wines, but I thought that it held its head up well. The nose is deep and mysterious and frankly far fresher and floral than I was expecting. There is a little soil tone on the nose as well as a hint of linseed oil, but the fruit is dominant. The wine feels artisanal and handcrafted on the palate with the elevage taking a back seat. Remarkably for a 2004, this feels as though it has ten years ahead of it. Good length here too.
Cornas Reynard Domaine Thierry Allemand 2006 ***
This was a big disappointment – the previous time that I had this wine it was a four and half star wine of outstanding complexity, but not this time. There is a slightly funky, slightly unclean nose that is also a bit two-dimensional. Not a great start. The fruit feels a little attenuated and the typical Allemand acidity too much to the fore. There can be variability with Allemand wines, but this is the first disappointing 2006 I’ve had.
Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude Domaine Alain Graillot 1996 ****
This was the wine I most most nervous about in the line-up, but it acquitted itself very well indeed. The nose was fantastic – just a hint of rusticity but there is an attractive blend of green olive, ferrous notes, a bit of iodine too that might suggest an old-school Cornas – but we’re in Crozes here. The palate is not quite as good as the nose but there is lovely leafy syrah fruit here with a very slightly medicinal undertow and a beef stock note towards the finish. The wine is like the Côte Brune in that it was a lot of substance without obvious weight. Very serious for a Crozes and a triumph for 1996. Chapeau Alain!
Cornas Domaine Guy de Barjac 1988 ***½
Here is a wine from another era and it has held on well. The nose is full of red berry fruit together with a lower lying stratum of soil notes. However, the nose never quite blossomed and remained restrained. Savoury and attractive on the palate, but just a little rigid. Some soil tones repeat on the finish. One to drink up.
Hermitage Domaine Chave ***
The Chave 1997 was the other let-down of the evening. The nose is clipped and limited with a bit of VA in the mix. The palate is much the same. I’d have backed this wine to be among the best of the night as Chave did really well with the lesser vintages of the nineties.
Hermitage Domaine Bernard Faurie 1995 ****
I liked the Faurie a lot – this opened with the usual deep, blue-fruited nose that I associate with Faurie, but there is also a lot of complexity on the nose. Really good depth here and the wine runs on well. There is a little bit of tannin towards the finish but this is fully in balance with the fruit. No 1995 hardness here at all. This seems to have plenty of time in hand, but it is certainly in the drinking zone.
Hermitage Maison E. Guigal 1991 ***½
Unlike the Faurie, the Guigal 1991 feels a little more ‘made’ with some muddiness to the fruit profile on the nose coming from the high proportion of new oak used. The wine is enjoyable enough, but everything is in a more limited register than the Faurie. Some notes of cinders and cold campfire suggest oak towards the finish. To be fair, this was a better wine than the Allemand and Chave, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
Cornas Domaine Jacques Lemenicier 2010 ****(½)
Opened as a bonus bottle at the end of proceedings, this wine showed really well. Lemenicier wines are very hard to source in the UK. I bought a half case of the 2010 from the Netherlands when such things were possible pre-Brexit. This wine has a lot of energy on the nose and the palate, and there is also a lot of detail. It feels old-school in style, which I like. While the fruit is bright and lifted, there are also some flecks of iron and Cornas soil tones alongside the fruit. The acidity is good as is the length. Drinking well already, but with time in hand. Overall it feels artisanal and joyous and is a good advertisement for 2010.
Edited to add that my top three wines in order were the Jamet 1998, Jamet Côte Brune 2007, and the Lemenicier Cornas 2010. We didn't do a group vote.
Champagne Brut Dom Pérignon 2008 ***½(½)
This was a bright, structured wine that still felt a bit tight. There is plenty of 2008 tension and acidity with a sherberty, sour lemon note on the mid-palate. It also seemed to have a strong fraternal relationship with Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2008, but this was just showing a little more depth and slightly less evolution. Despite the acidity and freshness of the wine the dosage is apparent – it felt higher than the 5g/l used. There was quite a bit of debate about whether this is in prime time or not. Anyway, for me, this was perfectly enjoyable now while allowing that it may improve.
Hermitage blanc Domaine Albert Belle 1998 ***½
This was a good wine and it accompanied the mushroom risotto really well. The nose was a little weaker than the palate with a slightly unusual raisiny/sultana note and even a faint hint of whisky barrel – the lemon oil note was a more positive contribution. On the palate It is nicely balanced with a slightly oily texture as is usual with older white Rhône wines. The length is good and it finishes with an oatmeal note. Fully mature, but drinking well. Also, the alcohol was moderate at 13.7%. Perhaps not as good as a previous bottle that Jon B had shared, but enjoyable.
Côte-Rôtie La Barbarine Domaine Yves Gangloff 2013 ***½(½)
I was interested to try this Gangloff wine which was the youngest wine of the evening. The nose is good and typical for C-R with some bacon fat and violets but also with some mystery to the deep red berried fruit. Young and quite serious on the palate but with well judged extraction and weight. Perhaps not quite at its apogee, but it must be close. Very slightly more modern in style than the two Jamet wines served alongside it.
Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune Domaine Jamet 2007 ****½
This is the kind of wine that is a clear reminder that Jamet is producing the best wine in the appellation. The other remarkable thing is how the Jamet style has stayed consistent and identifiable across more than thirty years. This is an immediately sexy wine with a lovely stemmy nose with notes of bacon fat and black olive brine. The Côte Brune just has that extra dimension that doesn’t come from heavier extraction, but there is just a bit more of everything here. The mid-palate and finish are also deeply savoury and strongly mineral/soil inflected. This wine opened up over the evening and showed really well. There is still some tannin on the finish, but the wine is ready to go.
Côte-Rôtie Domaine Jamet 1998 ****½
It was a tough call between this and the Côte Brune for my wine of the night, but the 1998 took the palm - just. Again, the nose is sexy and exciting with violets, a bit of green olive, and a complex truffley note running under the red berried fruit that only comes with significant age. This is not an ethereal wine, but it treads lightly across the palate. The length is outstanding and there is a floral (honeysuckle?) note that enlivens the finish. 1998 was a great N. Rhône vintage and Domaine Jamet made the most of it. One for drinking now though.
Cornas Chaillot Domaine Franck Balthazar 2004 ****
The Balthazar had the difficult position of following on from two absolutely outstanding wines, but I thought that it held its head up well. The nose is deep and mysterious and frankly far fresher and floral than I was expecting. There is a little soil tone on the nose as well as a hint of linseed oil, but the fruit is dominant. The wine feels artisanal and handcrafted on the palate with the elevage taking a back seat. Remarkably for a 2004, this feels as though it has ten years ahead of it. Good length here too.
Cornas Reynard Domaine Thierry Allemand 2006 ***
This was a big disappointment – the previous time that I had this wine it was a four and half star wine of outstanding complexity, but not this time. There is a slightly funky, slightly unclean nose that is also a bit two-dimensional. Not a great start. The fruit feels a little attenuated and the typical Allemand acidity too much to the fore. There can be variability with Allemand wines, but this is the first disappointing 2006 I’ve had.
Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude Domaine Alain Graillot 1996 ****
This was the wine I most most nervous about in the line-up, but it acquitted itself very well indeed. The nose was fantastic – just a hint of rusticity but there is an attractive blend of green olive, ferrous notes, a bit of iodine too that might suggest an old-school Cornas – but we’re in Crozes here. The palate is not quite as good as the nose but there is lovely leafy syrah fruit here with a very slightly medicinal undertow and a beef stock note towards the finish. The wine is like the Côte Brune in that it was a lot of substance without obvious weight. Very serious for a Crozes and a triumph for 1996. Chapeau Alain!
Cornas Domaine Guy de Barjac 1988 ***½
Here is a wine from another era and it has held on well. The nose is full of red berry fruit together with a lower lying stratum of soil notes. However, the nose never quite blossomed and remained restrained. Savoury and attractive on the palate, but just a little rigid. Some soil tones repeat on the finish. One to drink up.
Hermitage Domaine Chave ***
The Chave 1997 was the other let-down of the evening. The nose is clipped and limited with a bit of VA in the mix. The palate is much the same. I’d have backed this wine to be among the best of the night as Chave did really well with the lesser vintages of the nineties.
Hermitage Domaine Bernard Faurie 1995 ****
I liked the Faurie a lot – this opened with the usual deep, blue-fruited nose that I associate with Faurie, but there is also a lot of complexity on the nose. Really good depth here and the wine runs on well. There is a little bit of tannin towards the finish but this is fully in balance with the fruit. No 1995 hardness here at all. This seems to have plenty of time in hand, but it is certainly in the drinking zone.
Hermitage Maison E. Guigal 1991 ***½
Unlike the Faurie, the Guigal 1991 feels a little more ‘made’ with some muddiness to the fruit profile on the nose coming from the high proportion of new oak used. The wine is enjoyable enough, but everything is in a more limited register than the Faurie. Some notes of cinders and cold campfire suggest oak towards the finish. To be fair, this was a better wine than the Allemand and Chave, but it’s not really my cup of tea.
Cornas Domaine Jacques Lemenicier 2010 ****(½)
Opened as a bonus bottle at the end of proceedings, this wine showed really well. Lemenicier wines are very hard to source in the UK. I bought a half case of the 2010 from the Netherlands when such things were possible pre-Brexit. This wine has a lot of energy on the nose and the palate, and there is also a lot of detail. It feels old-school in style, which I like. While the fruit is bright and lifted, there are also some flecks of iron and Cornas soil tones alongside the fruit. The acidity is good as is the length. Drinking well already, but with time in hand. Overall it feels artisanal and joyous and is a good advertisement for 2010.
Edited to add that my top three wines in order were the Jamet 1998, Jamet Côte Brune 2007, and the Lemenicier Cornas 2010. We didn't do a group vote.
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