Last week, the Winter tasting season was inaugurated with a tasting of assorted wines from the Rhône Valley put on by an Indianapolis retailer. Alas, there was no real opportunity to spit, so my notes are probably less detailed than they'd otherwise be:
2002 Canto Perdrix Tavel color: pale, copper-red nose: slightly corked IMO, with strawberry lurking underneath palate: dull and muted with subtle notions of strawberry fruit and a clean finish [note: the other nearby glasses of this wine all came from the same bottle, so I didn't get a chance to see if it was really corked or not]2001 Guigal Condrieu color: pale yellow nose: toasty oak with hints of alcohol palate: oily and viscous, with initial toastiness giving way to loads to pineapple and apricot. Huge wine, but not my favorite style of viognier.
1998 Dom. Girasols Côtes du Rhône 'Vielles Vignes' color: dark garnet nose: berries, sweet cherries and raisins palate: acidic entry with noticeable tannins, full bodied with cherry fruit and some heat before a mildly tannic finish A year ago, I had the regular cuvée '99 CdR from this domaine and was unimpressed. This, however, is a different beast altogether and a very impressive CdR (retailing for ~$15).1999 Dom. L'Espigouette Vacqueyras color: dark red-purple nose: almost Port-like with cherry fruit underneath palate: light and smooth, with some cherry fruit and a decent finish. Although the notes don't necessarily reflect it, this wine had a noticeable Syrah character to it, which was reinforced by the wines that followed.
1998 Mas de Collines Gigondas color: brick-red with orange at the edges nose: seaweed and funkiness palate: meaty with cherry fruit, slightly tannic in the finish This is a wine that I know well, having consumed a half case of it or so over the past 2+ years. It has entered a somewhat awkward period, with the fruit having faded from view, but the elements are there for further development, so let's see what awaits at the other end...1999 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape color: dark garnet nose: kirsch, sweet with cedary elements palate: quintessential CdP flavor profile; rich with a slightly tannic finish
Very good CdP, but fairly mainstream for the vintage.
1998 Belle Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles' color: dark red-purple nose: blueberries, flowers, cedar palate: blueberry, pepper, slightly tannic finish One of my two favorite producers in Crozes, though I typically get the "Cuvée Louis Belle". Very nice Syrah fruit wrapped up in an attractive package.2000 Chave St. Joseph 'Offerus' color: dark red-purple nose: blueberry and roasted meat palate: tart entry, blueberry and grapefruit Too acidic for my enjoyment. I was surprised as I have liked other vintages of this negociant bottling from Chave.
2000 Clape Cornas color: dark, inky purple nose: blueberries, coffee palate: berries, acids and a tannic finish I asked the guy running the tasting how long this wine had been opened prior to the tasting, and he told me that he opened them 15 minutes before pouring. What has happened to true Cornas? This wine should have removed several layers of epidermis from the roof of my mouth, but instead was a very fruit-forward Syrah. Beautiful fruit, to be sure, but not your grandmother's Cornas.1999 Guigal Hermitage color: dark red-purple nose: tar, black licorice, black fruits palate: sl tannic entry, citrusy acids, dark fruit and a tannic finish Not one of my favorite producers of Hermitage. Still, it was a decent wine, but IMO less interesting than the Clape Cornas.
1998 Guy Bernard Côte-Rotie color: brick red with orange edges nose: flowers, red fruit palate: soft entry, modest fruit and an acidic finish Not a producer that I know well. This Côte-Rotie had little of the perfumed character that I look for in the region and also seemed more evolved than I would have expected. Not terribly impressive.Next week, another tasting from the Rhône Valley...
Until then, Mark Lipton