E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône

 The Guigal Côtes du Rhône may well be the world's greatest quality value wine. It is also the greatest equalizer: not too big, not too skinny; not too sweet, not too savoury; structured, but not too tannic.

I once observed aspects of the production of this huge volume wine at the Guigal facility. The secret may be that the family manages to pay as much attention to each production step, and in particular the blending, as they do to their premium wines. 

So what is special about the 2019 Guigal Côtes du Rhône? The wine is full-bodied. The Grenache element stands out with its red berry flavours, bu down the palate the wine gets darker and delivers almost a mushroom character. There is considerable complexity in this wine. The finish is dry, savoury  

and with a tannic backbone.

Everybody should have this wine in his/her cellar for enjoyable drinking and as a benchmark for Grenache/Shiraz blends 

Score: 93/+++

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. 

Chapoutier Tasting

One of my most memorable tastings of my 2015 tour de France was the tasting at Chapoutier at Tain- l'Hermitage. A few days ago, I had the opportunity to participate in another exciting Chapoutier tasting.

There are a number of key principles of Marcel Chapoutier. The winery is biodynamic since 1997, and is the largest biodynamic winery in France, and I think the world. Chapoutier does not blend varieties. It is always one (owned) vineyard, one grape variety. This is unusual for the Rhone. There are some wines blended from vineyard blocks near to each other.

The photo shows the line-up.

The three whites are all 100% Marsanne. The 2016 Saint-Peray Les Tanneurs is an entry level wine from a terroir not well known. The wine has a pale golden colour and is light-bodied. This is a vibrant wine with apple flavours and minerality, quite well focussed (89 points). The 2015 Saint-Joseph Les Granilites is a big step up. It has a darker colour, more intensity and body. This wine sees 25% oak. This is quite a ripe, yet elegant wine, with  exotic rhubarb flavours dominating. I loved this wine (94 points). The 2015 Hermitage Chante-Alouette certainly has the pedigree (and the yellow wax). It is a concentrated wine with pineapple, pear and marzipan flavours. There are honey and toasty flavours on the long finish. While impressive, I found the wine a bit chewy and heavy (93 points). 

On to the reds. The 2015 Crozes Hermitage Les Meysonniers is a blend from different plots. The wine is matured for 12 months in concrete tanks and sees no oak. It is of course 100% Shiraz and black fruited. There are some meaty and game flavours as well. The finish is a bit chewy and sharp (88 points). The 2014 Saint-Joseph Les Granilites suffered from the wet vintage and is a bit lean. It has a perfumed aroma, quite feminine. This is an elegant wine. The black and blue berries open up on the back palate (93 points). The 2014 Cornas Les Arenes is  different. This is quite a big and rich wine. Dark berry, meaty and smoky flavours deliver complexity on the palate, but in contrast to other years, the mouthfeel is soft (93 points).

We finish with wines from the famous Hermitage hill. The 2011 Monier de la Sizeranne is a blend of different blocks from the hill. They are from the lower parts of the hill. The flavours of this wine are a mixture of red and black fruits. The wine is feminine, very elegant and finishes with soft tannins and good length (95 points). The star of the evening, as expected, was the 2007 Hermitage Le Pavillion. The wine is matured in oak for 18 months, 25% new. The vines are 65 to 85 years old. It was quite a privilege to drink this wine after 10 years, as only 500-900 bottles are made each year. The wine is still quite energetic, with complex flavours of blackberry, boysenberry, olive, meat, and smoky spices. This is an intense wine you can almost cut with a knife (images of Grange come up). The finish is very long (96 points). 

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.  

Cave de Tain

                    Can you spot the odd one out?

The following day, we tasted at Hermitage, arguably the birthplace of Australian Shiraz. I will talk more about this exceptional terroir in my next post. This tasting at Cave de Tain was an introduction to attractively priced Shiraz from this region. Cave de Tain is a co-operative which is responsible for a significant volume from the area.

The first wine was the 2011 Hermitage Classique, a blend from the area. It showed intense fruit, yet the mouthfeel was fresh and elegant, with silky tannins and a medium finish (92 points). The next wine was from Cornas, the 2010 Old Vines. This is a big and powerful wine, which shows meat flavours and slate minerality next to the black plum fruit. While the flavours are complex, the wine is not that well rounded (90 points). The 2006 Gambert de Loche, Hermitage is the old vines single vineyard wine from Hermitage. I was looking forward to this. It has a similar profile to the Classique, obviously older and more powerful. The elegance in the wine stands out again, but as before, the wine has not come together completely (92 points).

Then a surprise bottle was pulled out: it was the 2008 Kilikanoon Alliance Hermitage. The wine maker from Kilikanoon, who actually did two vintages there, was given some fruit to make his own wine. This wine was riper and a bit sweeter, but nicely balanced (93 points). It clearly showed the Australian difference. I was told the French wanted to pick the grapes, but he said, no, let's hang on a bit. So we have the Australian version: riper, more fruit orientated, versus the French version of more finesse and elegance.

Guigal

                   The tasting table at Guigal. Note the number of bottles

Driving down to the Rhone now. First stop at Ampuis is Guigal. The business was only started in 1946, but Guigal sells more than 6 million bottles per year now. Much of this is the negociant business from the Southern Rhone, but the real treasures are the owned vineyards in the Northern part. Given the large portfolio of wines, you do not know what is on the tasting table, but I was not going to be disappointed.

After a couple of quaffers, I try the 2012 Crozes-Hermitage. This 100% Shiraz is made from owned and bought-in grapes. It is a fruity, but nicely balanced wine (90 points). This is followed by the 2012 special block Vignes de l'Hospice from St. Joseph. This wine has spent three years in new oak, but the fleshy red plum fruit is taking it well. The wine has good depth, with some complex, smoky flavours and fine tannins (93 points). I then tried the 2007 Cote-Rotie, a blend of 96% Shiraz and 4% Viognier. The blackberry and plum flavours are good, the minty notes are a bit irritating and overall, the wine is somewhat astringent (91 points).

Then come two absolute highlights. The 2011 Chateau d'Ampuis comes from seven blocks of the famous blonde and brune vineyards. 7% of Viognier is co-fermented in this wine. The red berry fruit is elegant, the sizeable Viognier component not too noticeable. This is a wine of great finesse, with a soft, alluring finish (96 points). I was lucky to be able to taste one of the famous LaLa wines, the 2011 La Landonne. This wine has spent 42(!) months in new oak, but you would not know it. The wine shows a strong plum aroma on the nose, but on the palate, blackberry and minerality notes dominate. This wine has deep intensity, but is very elegant at the same time, with a very silky mouthfeel: sheer class (97 points).

It is impressive to see that a high volume producer can still pay a lot of detailed attention to his premium wines.

Grenache Tasting, New vs. Old World

Grenache is a variety which still battles for the status of a serious wine in most countries. This is despite the fact that well made Grenache is an excellent food wine. When one feels to to drink a red wine with Asian food, for example, Grenache is my first choice because of the generally lower tannin levels.

The poor reputation stems from a couple of decades ago, when the Rhone region produced very high yield, cheap Grenache, which tasted predominantly like lollipop. We know these times are over, and this tasting provided further proof. A surprising outcome was that the cheaper wines tasted were just as interesting or even better than the expensive wines. I am listing the wines in ascending order of price.

2009 Cien y Pico Tintorera. This cheap Grenacha from south of Madrid was surprisingly complex with savoury and earthy flavours dominant. The mouthfeel was not that great, but this cannot be expected for the price (89 points).

2013 Head Old Vine Grenache. This wine was matured in large 2000 litre used oak barrels and therefore has seen very little oak. The wine is red fruit dominant and quite balanced, but not very intense (89 points).

2012 Head Old Vine Grenache. This is a much stronger wine from the great 2012 vintage. This wine was stored in 500 litre oak barrels and the oak is more noticeable here. However, the fruit is very intense and more than matches the oak. There are smoky characters in this wine, but it is very elegant and well integrated (90% Grenache, 10% Shiraz). For me, the wine of the night (93 points).

2008 Montirius Cotes du Rhone. This wine had some rough edges. A blended wine, clearly entry level (86 points).

2011 Tablas Creek Cotes de Tablas Rouge. This GSM blend comes from Paso Robles, California. It is an elegant and balanced wine with licorice flavours strong, and firm tannins. Again, the mouthfeel is a little lacking (91 points).

2011 Tablas Creek Espirit Rouge. This is the premium wine. Raspberry flavours dominate, and there is more fruit concentration, but the finish is surprisingly short (90 points).

2013 Head Ancestor Grenache. The first 100% Grenache made by Alex Head. The fruit comes from Eden Valley (as opposed to the Old Vine Grenache, where it comes from the Barossa Valley). The aroma is strong. There is raspberry on the pallet, but also a strong confectionery flavour, which I found off-putting. On the plus side, the wine is intense, smooth and finishes with silky tannins (91 points).

2011 Domaine de Marcoux CNDP. This Chateauneuf-du-Pape is based on 80% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre. It shows red fruit characteristics and is quite complex with good length. It is slightly earthy on the finish and will develop secondary characteristics over time (92 points).

An interesting aspect of the tasting was that it would not have been easy to pick the country of origin of these wines, although the Australians were a bit more fruit focussed.      

An awful Shiraz tasting

This post requires a couple of introductory remarks. Most professional wine writers do not post negative reviews. Why? Because they depend on sample submissions. If they do not like a wine, they simply won't review it. So you never know if the wine was negatively seen or not reviewed. I do not need to worry about this, because I do not rely on samples. You might say, "but you do not have many poor reviews". This is because most of the wines I review come from my cellar which essentially holds wines I enjoy, and even with new releases I pick those which I think I will like (although I sometimes leave out entry level wines - maybe I should not).

The tasting I am reporting on now was a Grange tasting - which is why I went - and included a number of other Shirazes, mostly below $30 per bottle. And it was ugly.

Let's start with McLaren Vale. The wines I tasted were 2008 Chapel Hill, 2008 Kay Brothers Basket Pressed,  2009 Oliver's Taranga HJ Reserve, 2010 Wirra Wirra RSW, 2009 Kay Brothers Amery Hillside, 2011 Chapel Hill The Vicar, 2009 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm and 2010 III Associates Giant Squid Ink Reserve. Some well known wines in this line-up. Some of these wines surprisingly lacked body weight, some were too oaky, added acidity was unpleasant, and generally the wines were not very harmonious. I would not score any of the wines at 90 points or above (other than The Dead arm at 90 points and the III Associates at 94 points). III Associates is three senior wine people from the Vale coming together and producing small quantities of hand crafted wine from old vines. This wine is fashioned in the intense and powerful style, but the fruit is first class, and the structure holds it together.

The Barossa wines were 2010 St. Hallett Blackwell, 2011 Gibson The Dirtman, 2012 Kalleske Pirathon, 2010 Glaetzer Bishop, 2009 Saltram No.1, 2006 Saltram Journal, 2010 Chris Ringland Reservation. Similarly, only the Saltram No.1 is a 90 point wine for me, even though it is a little sweet and unfocussed. The Blackwell is just in your face, and the Chris Ringland wine sweet and alcoholic. These are wines you only want to drink if they serve as a vehicle to consume alcohol.

Two cooler climate wines were much more pleasant. The 2010 Vasse Felix Shiraz showed vibrant red and black berry fruit. The wine is fresh and peppery. It has some sweetness as well, leading to an overall soft elegance (93 points). This winery is going from strength to strength. The 2010 Dalwhinnie Shiraz impresses with its beautiful blackberry fruit and its typical very silky and fine tannins (94 points).

Then there were a couple of Rhone wines. The 2010 Les Vins de Vienne l'Arzelle from Saint Joseph is quite a big wine, with intense fruit. The wine is not very complex, but pleasant to drink (90 points). The 2007 M. Chapoutier Monier de la Sizeranne Hermitage from the Northern Rhone is a food-friendly wine. It is not about the fruit, but the texture and drinkability of the wine. It is an elegant package, although you might say slightly bland (93 points).  

I did not enjoy this tasting. Most of these wines were not enjoyable to drink. They serve as a vehicle to consume alcohol, in my view, and lack elegance. The French and cold climate examples were much more pleasant than the South Australian wines.

I suggest if you were planning to drink two bottles of Shiraz in a week at $30/bottle, you may get more enjoyment out of only drinking one bottle at $60 per bottle (and it would be healthier, too). - This is a generalization, of course, I am not saying that a good bottle for $30 cannot be found, for example the Vasse Felix.

Domaine de la Janesse GSM

A well known and smart strategy is to buy 'cheaper' wines from great vintages. This is particularly popular with respect to Bordeaux and Burgundy wines where the top wines are beyond reach for most people. It also works well with Rhone wines.

Some time back, I sung the praises of the mass market Guigal Cote du Rhone from the outstanding 2007 vintage. There are other, smaller volume 'table'  wines worth seeking out from this year. One such wine is the 2007 Domaine de la Janesse Terre de Bussiere Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre.

This medium bodied wine displays very pretty fruit, tasting of plum, blackberry and raspberry. The wine is quite smooth and the different grape varieties are well integrated, showing some depth. The wine is more savoury than sweet and has fine tannins. The finish is a bit unbalanced, but overall a very satisfying wine.

Score: 90/++

Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Saint Cosme is a producer of Southern Rhone wines from a number of different areas. I have in particular enjoyed its Gigondas over the years. The reasonably well priced Saint Cosme wines are generally available from fine wine shops in Australia.

This 2003 Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape is from the best known area of Southern Rhone and, as most of them are, is based predominantly on Grenache. It tastes of black cherry, and has quite a savoury and earthy flavour to it. The wine is full bodied and ripe, from one of the many great vintages in the last 10 years.

How is it different from Australian Grenache? Its mouthfeel is not as full-on, and while full bodied, it is more restrained. The more linear profile and firm tannins lead to a long and silky finish.

I enjoyed the drinkability of this wine and at 8 years, it is a good time to drink it.

Score: 93/+++

2nd Label Rhone Varieties

In a recent post, I commented on the benefit or otherwise of buying second labels of well respected winemakers. Following are three wines which offer really good value, in my view.

The 2009 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz is, strictly speaking, not a second label, but it stands in the shadow of the Cabernet Sauvignon. Wynns has worked hard on improving its viticulture over the last few years, and this wine, from an excellent vintage, shows the continued Coonawarra revival. This wine has good depth of fruit, mainly in the plum and black cherry spectrum. The structure is good and the mouthfeel has an attractive velvety touch. You would not say this wine is overly elegant or complex, but for the price you get quite a lot. I am impressed with the quality of such a high volume wine.

Score: 90/++

The 2008 d'Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz is a true second label. This wine has good fruit as well, with earthy and minty characters. There are firm dry tannins, but the finish is a little harsh.

Score: 88/+

The 2007 Guigal Cotes du Rhone is quite an amazing achievement. This high volume wine is made from grapes bought from dozens of growers and quality control must be hard. Yet it displays great depth of fruit, with the Grenache and Shiraz components blending well together. The mouthfeel is very smooth, and while this wine is not very complex, it has quite silky tannins, unusual for a wine in the $20-25 per bottle bracket. The winemaking skills shine through in this wine. It will keep well for 3-5 years at least. If you have never drunk this wine or scoffed at the commercial nature of it, this is the vintage to try.

Score: 91/++

Domaine Charvin Le Poutet Cotes-du-Rhone

This 2007 Domaine Charvin Le Poutet is definitely worth checking out. 2007 was another great vintage in the Southern Rhone. This means you don't have to shell out $100/bottle for a good Chateauneuf. Good Cote-du-Rhone producers, like Domaine Charvin, can deliver good wine for excellent value, in this case about $33 per bottle.

The wine consists predominantly of Grenache and Shiraz. The sweet character of the Grenache is quite prominent, but well balanced by the spice and grip of the Shiraz. What is most appealing is the velvety feel of the wine and its relative lightness, despite 14.5% alcohol. The finish is quite elegant.

This wine ticks many boxes and is a bit different from the Australian offers. I recommend you track this down.

2006 Chateauneuf-du-Pape

I also tried a number of 2006 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. I was generally impressed with the quality of the line-up. The wines showed good fruit, although not as lush as 2005, but with good structure as well. Most wines were in the $50-$100 bracket. All these wines are dominated by Grenache, and usually some Shiraz and Mouvedre.

My favorite were the wines by Pierre Usseglio. The standard wine showed complex cherry flavours with a very fine texture, and silky tannins leading to a long finish. The 'Cuvee de Mon Aieul' showed more ripeness and elegance. Domaine et Selection was equally good, Domaine Senechaux, as a 100% Grenache, had less structure and was a bit fruity. On the other end of the spectrum was Domaine de la Cote de l'Ange with earthy characters and dry tannins.