A Range of Rhône

Rhône wines should really attract more interest in Australia, given the strong showing of Shiraz and Grenache in this country. Comparisons are interesting for many reasons; Grenache on its own is virtually not bottled in France, and the Shiraz styles vary in different Northern Rhône subregions. In a recent tasting, I could look at four quite different wines from the Rhône.

The 2014 Pierre Gaillard Clos de Cuminaille from St. Joseph has a fascinating flavour profile. This is a light and fresh wine, with red fruits, earth, leather, spice and herbs creating a lifted blend, almost like a Pinot Noir. It has length, too. The only disappointment after such a nice taste is the lack of tannins (94 points).

Quite different was the second wine, a 2016 Domaine Santa Duc Habemus Papam Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This is a much bigger wine with dark fruits on the palate and a lush texture. The tannins are firm, and the slightly confected finish gives the Grenache component, otherwise not so obvious, away (93 points).

The third wine was from Cornas, a 2009 Matthieu Barret Domaine du Coulet Billes Rotres. This was a dark fruited wine, 100% Shiraz. There was a lot of pepper on the nose and palate, lavender and sweet honey notes made for an intriguing taste. Overall, this wine was very intense and I thought it was slightly hot, although the quoted alcohol was not especially high (92 points). 

The final wine was the 2015 Bernard Faurie Hermitage (white cap). This is a rare wine, made in small volumes from arguably the best subregion, Hermitage, and a blend of two vineyards. This is quite a delicate wine at this stage whose complexity will only unfold over time.  Violets and delicate raspberry flavours show upfront, but one can detect licorice and meaty notes underneath. Finesse is the dominant theme (95 points).

Four Rhône wines, four completely different expressions. There is a lot of complexity in this long region. This tasting suggests it is worth unpacking. 

Guigal Tasting (part 2)

This blog will include a contrarian view on the La La La wines, but first, I want to look at two more wines from the tasting.

The 2015 Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde includes 5% Viognier and includes the grapes from the two famous steep vineyards facing each other in the Northern Rhône, one with darker, iron infused soil, the other more sandy. The Viognier component makes this a lighter, more open wine, which can be drunk young. The Shiraz component, however, shows rich and silky blackberry and cassis, with ripe tannins (93 points).

The 2015 Côte-Rôtie Chateau d'Ampuis is a blend of seven vineyards. The wine is matured for 36 months in new oak. This is a serious wine, more red fruited than the 'Hospice', and very complex. The black raspberry fruit is very concentrated and ripe. Mocca and meaty flavours appear on the back palate, and the oak is noticeable. This can be a bit much for some, but it is a very well made wine (95 points).

To the La La Las, the pinnacle of Guigal winemaking, the Grange of France if you will.

La Mouline is always the more feminine wine of the three, and this is true for the 2015 La Mouline. The grapes come from 100 year old vines with very low yields. This Shiraz includes 10% Viognier, and the wine is matured for two years in new oak. There is no whole bunch included. This wine without doubt was the wine of the night. Fragrant, opulent, fresh, elegant, velvety, pure, silky, spicy; this comes to mind rather than any fruit descriptors. This full-bodied wine has incredible length and stays with you for some time (98 points). 

The 2015 La Turque is quite a different proposition. This wine includes 7% Viognier and 20% whole bunches. This is an intense and brooding wine. Others have lauded this dense and powerful Shiraz, but for me, it lacks the layers of fruit and the differentiation one sees in the cooler vintages of this wine. The long finish compensates to a degree (95 points).

La Landonne is the counter piece to La Mouline, and this is largely because of the inclusion of 100% whole bunches and no Viognier included. The 2015 La Landonne is incredibly rich and concentrated, but the same comments I made for the La Turque apply here. The ripeness eliminates detail, and the mouthfeel is not as exciting as with La Mouline. Despite this, there is undoubtedly elegance in this wine, which is quite an achievement, and the finish is very long (95 points). 

  

Guigal Tasting (part 1)

I am very sorry about the lack of new posts lately. I have not had time for this, unfortunately. As the next Rioja post will be quite comprehensive, I will report on a Guigal tasting in the interim. In this first part, I will review a couple of whites from 2017, and a couple of reds from 2015.

The 2017 Guigal Condrieu La Doriane is a 100% Viognier wine (as required from Condrieu), matured in 100% new oak. It is a fresh wine with vibrant acidity, engulfing the flavours of pear, vanilla and light spices. The wine has an oily character with a long elegant finish. This is a good wine, but as always with Viognier, I never quite know what it stands for (92 points).

The 2017 St. Joseph Lieu-Dit Blanc is a single vineyard wine, 95% Marsanne, 5% Roussanne. This is a terrific wine with a bigger mouthfeel and richer character, such as ripe melon, toast and almond. Still, this is balanced with lively acidity before a very smooth finish (95 points).

The 2015 St. Joseph Lieu-Dit Rouge is a lighter wine from this warm vintage. It is dark fruited, with vanilla and spice adding complexity. I find it a bit upfront, yet it has an elegant texture (92 points).

The 2015 St. Joseph 'Vignes de l'Hospice' is a big step up. This Shiraz is aged for 30 months in new oak. The dark fruit is intense and ripe, but the palate has great shape, and is driven by underlying acidity. You can hardly notice the oak in this full-bodied wine. The smooth tannins deliver an attractive finish (96 points). 

More, including the La La La wines, in the next post.

Australia vs. France Shiraz

Australia narrowly lost the soccer match, but it narrowly won this Shiraz comparison. Here are the wines by country and order of score:

2016 Giaconda Warner Shiraz: ripe plum fruit, not caked, depth and elegance, balanced, dry finish (95 pts)

2016 Bests Bin O Shiraz: lush, pretty and elegant, mixed berry fruit, some spice, medium weight (93 pts)

2015 Yeringberg Shiraz: blueberry and cherry, elegant and balanced, great structure, the lifted Viognier character detracts from the beautiful Shiraz fruit (93 pts)

2016 SC Pannell Adelaide Hills Syrah: superbly pretty blue fruits, soft, vibrant (92 pts)

2014 Craiglee Shiraz: blue fruit, some eucalypt, licorice, quite fruity, smooth finish (91 pts)

The French wines were from the Northern Rhone at more or less the same price points.

2015 Ogier Cote Rotie Village: dark fruit, licorice, energetic, good balance, firm finish (94 pts)

2015 Yann Chave Crozes Hermitage La Rouvre: well rounded, pretty, a bit fruity, straightforward finish (92 pts)

2015 Ogier La Rosine Syrah: balanced blackberry fruit and olive and smoky savoury notes, firm tannins (92 pts)

2015 Pierre Gaillard St Joseph: quite big, blue fruited, very spicy, very Victorian (91 pts)

2016 Maxime Graillot Domaine Des Lises Crozes Hermitage: good fruit and energy, but quite slim with a flat mouthfeel, smooth finish (90 pts)

There was as much difference between the Australian Shirazes as between the Australian and French wines.

    

Paul Jaboulet Aine

La Chapelle - On the right: The legendary Chapoutier l'Ermite vineyard

La Chapelle is owned by Paul Jaboulet Aine, although the surrounding vineyards belong to M Chapoutier. The main Hermitage vinyard owned by Paul Jaboulet is on the right hand side in the photo published in the Chapoutier post.

However, we start with a 100% Marsanne from Saint-Joseph. The 2014 Le Grand Pompée Blanc, made from purchased fruit, is fresh, with pleasant pear fruit flavours. The emphesis is on the texture. The wine has an attractive mouthfeel. This full-bodied white is matched with sufficient acidity to keep it lively. I liked this wine (91 points). The 2014 Domaine de Roure Blanc from an owned vineyard in Crozes Hermitage is a step up in complexity. The bunches are pressed whole and the wine sees 30% new oak. This Marsanne has a golden colour, with intense fruit flavours, yet an elegant mouthfeel and a lingering finish (94 points).

We finish with three reds. The 2007 Domaine de Roure is a 100% Shiraz from Crozes Hermitage. It shows blackberry and plum flavours, and the secondary flavours are of minerality, such as wet stones. This wine is a bit rough on the edges and the tannins are firm (90 points). The 2011 Domaine de Pierelles from the Cote Rotié comes from the famous Cote de Blonde vineyard, but I found the wine a bit bland. The blackberry flavours are soft and flinty, the tannins are firm on the finish (90 points).

Then it is a step back in time with the 1994 La Chapelle Hermitage. The wine has a blueberry nose and very complex flavours. There are violets, but also mushroom and tobacco. The wine is very elegant and balanced. It still has firm tannins as the backbone. This wine is not as intense as the Papillon by Chapoutier, but still has a great mouthfeel (94 points).

La Chapelle, after 20 years, was a memorable wine, but overall, I actually preferred the whites from Jaboulet, a surprising result.

M Chapoutier

The legendary terroir of Hermitage

The next tasting was an extraordinary tasting at M Chapoutier. Similar to Guigal, the business was started after the second world war. It has been growing strongly in recent years and stands now at about 8 million bottles per year. The range of wines is wide, with mainly estate wines from the Northern Rhone and a negotiant business from the Southern Rhone (like Guigal). 

We start with a 100% Viognier from Condrieu, the 2014 Invitare. The fruit flavours are dominated by peach and exotic fruit, very true to the variety. The wine is obviously quite young, fresh and well balanced (90 points).  In contrast, the 2014 Petite Ruche is a 100% Marsanne wine, grown on the flats of Crozes-Hermitage. This wine is also fresh and fruity, with a mouth-coating texture (89 points). The 2012 Payrolles is quite different. This 100% Marsanne, from the less well known area of Saint-Peray, is golden in color. Its notes are quite floral, and the flavours mainly of pear and minerality. Although this wine only sees large old oak vats, I found the oak influence quite noticeable (89 points). 

An altogether different proposition is the 2011 Les Granilites from Saint-Joseph, also a 100% Marsanne. This wine has a deeper, golden color. There are floral notes on the nose. The flavours are pear, but also marzipan, quite complex. This is a more powerful wine with a long finish. The potential of Marsanne is coming to the fore here (94 points). We finished the whites with a 2006 Le Méal. This Marsanne comes from a single vineyard site, with the vines at least 50 years old. This is a very big white, quite unfamiliar to me, with roasted almond and toasted flavours. This wine is powerful and needs food (92 points). It was quite fascinating to experience these different expressions of Marsanne, but now I was ready for the reds. I would not be disappointed.   

We started with the 2013 Deschants from Saint-Joseph. This is a fruit forward Shiraz, fresh, but a little rough around the edges (86 points).  This was followed by the 2012 Les Arènes from Cornas. This wine has a spicy nose, giving away the Northern Rhone origin. The tannins are very powerful, and the fruit struggles against them (89 points). A real step up is the 2011 Les Varonniers from old vines in Crozes-Hermitage. This wine has blackberry and plum flavors, creating an elegant mouthfeel. Soft tannins lead to a fine finish (94 points). The 2008 La Mordorée from the Cote-Rotie borders the famous  Cote-Blonde vineyard. The colour of the wine has garnet elements, showing some age. Black fruits are accompanied by secondary flavours, such as forest floor. This is a very seductive, elegant wine, with soft tannins and a long finish (95 points).

We now come to the legendary wines of Hermitage. This site, as shown in the photos above, is a unique terroir. It is on a steep hill, with granite and large rocks soil, and a southern orientation, on the banks of the Rhone. The first wine from here is the  2011 Sizeranne, a blended wine. Red and black fruits combine to an elegant mouthfeel. The tannins are soft, and the wine is a delicious drink (94 points). I then have a chance to drink two of the famous Le Pavillon. This wine comes from a 4ha vineyard on steep slopes, as shown on the top photo on the left hand side. The 2008 Le Pavillon shows an exotic mix of  intense raspberry, tobacco and cocoa flavors. This wine is not too powerful, despite the old vines and low yields, but delivers superb balance and elegance with silky tannins and a long finish (96 points). The 1999 Le Pavillon develops this flavour spectrum further. Minerality, such as wet stone, takes over. The wine is still quite intense, with a good structure, and feels very content at its age.

M Chapoutier has received more 100 point scores from Robert Parker than any other winery. This might be due to the special terroir and the respect given to it. This means these wines are quite unique, expressing a rare combination of elegance, intensity and finesse. The winemaking style shows across the range. I left the tasting deeply impressed.