A friend of mine hosted a Northern Rhone-themed dinner at his house last week, which grew into something a lot more expansive. Here are my impressions (starting below the list):
Red:
‘11 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux
‘09 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque
‘11 Voge Cornas Vielles Vignes
‘15 Delas Hermitage Lignes de Crete
‘20 Kobayashi San Soufre
‘05 Peay La Bruma Estate Syrah
‘16 Sabon Chateauneuf du Papes Prestige
‘16 Trevallon Alpilles Rouge
Sparkling:
NV Vouette & Sorbee Blanc d’Argiles Brut Nature
NV Nowack La Tuilerie Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
‘16 Bereche Campania Remensis
White:
‘06 Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de L'Empire
‘15 Peay Estate Roussanne/Marsanne
‘06 Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos
‘02 Fevre Les Clos
‘16 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Champlots
‘21 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Auslese #5 “Forster”
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett Alte Reben #8 “Gisela”
Digestif:
Chartreuse Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Sommeliers
REDS
‘11 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux: The '11 Cordeloux was more lifted and frankly better than the '09 on the nose with the palate being more red fruit, brighter with a slight hit of savory smokiness. Very approachable right now and delicious (double-decanted before the dinner).
‘09 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux: The '09, on the other hand, was extremely polarizing. When we first opened it, it was definitely aromatically more reticent on the nose with the palate being more austere, darker, much more savory, and brooding. I actually liked it, but when it was in the decanter for a couple of hours and people re-visited, the palate seemed to be blown out by the alcohol.
I had wine fall apart before with too much air, but this declined in a way I never experienced before. I’m not sure whether it was a case of re-visiting the '09 after having a ton of other wines; too much time in the decanter causing the fruit and other elements on the palate to zero out; or just a flawed bottle (I bought it on Winebid). I really have no clue. Interesting experience and still glad I tried it, especially in comparison with the '11, which was a totally different wine.
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne: The La Landonne had a pretty, floral nose; on the palate, the tannins felt resolved and there was no strong glossy oak signature. The texture and weight of the wine leaned elegant, and the fruit, while big, did not feel over-extracted and was balanced by savory elements. However, the smokiness (I’m assuming from reduction) was absolutely “embiggened” to massive proportions and was so overpowering, it felt like I was sipping a glass of an Islay single-malt. This wine didn’t come across as over-oaked (unless counting the smokiness being amplified by the new oak treatment), and in some ways it was enjoyable in a steroidal kind of way, but I’m not sure I would like drinking a full glass of this with dinner. It was just too much (this was decanted before the dinner).
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque: Now, behold the La Turque, and imagine the La Landonne except younger, stronger, bigger, and tannic-ier. Joking aside, it does come across as a much younger wine: more closed on the nose, and the palate smothered with drying, unresolved tannins. And, similarly to the La Landonne, it was just infused with an overwhelming bigness swaddled in smoke (decanted before dinner).
‘11 Voge Cornas Vielles Vignes: This showed really well and it struck a nice median between the bright, red-fruited ‘11 Cordeloux and the massive ‘94 LaLas. A touch darker than the Cordeloux, with a bit more meaty smokiness, but open for business and a pleasure to drink.
‘15 Delas Hermitage Lignes de Crete: This was too young with very firm tannins that basically blocked most of the palate. I didn’t linger long enough to see whether this opened up any in the decanter.
’20 Kobayashi San Soufre: A Syrah varietal wine sourced from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Darker in character than the ‘11 Benetiere, it shared a fresh-tasting vibrancy and textural delicacy on the palate. While it had the smoke, meat, and herbs of the Northern Rhone, that Old World savoriness was married with a restrained, yet luminescent fruit that clearly placed it in the New. Although this cuvee is meant to be held for no longer than 10 years, the intensity of flavor feels a little too serious to be simply glou-glou, despite its easy-going drinkability. I never heard of this producer before, but I’m looking forward to following them in the future. (Apparently, Yves Gangloff consults on the Syrah and Viognier wines produced by Kobayashi).
’05 Peay La Bruma Estate Syrah: Another fine New World effort that was restrained, elegant, and savory with a restrained fruit profile. It didn’t enchant me as much as the Kobayashi, but a serious effort that shared a similar smoked meat and herbs savoriness as the Northern Rhone wines without having the gobs of velvety fruit I expect from a wine from the Sonoma Coast.
‘16 Sabon Chateauneuf du Papes Prestige: Definitely the red wines “gobbiest” of the night (GOTN): laden with a heavy-handed dark fruit, a velvety, almost viscous texture, and slightly ponderous; I wouldn’t call it a bad wine, but not one I plan to revisit.
‘16 Trevallon Alpilles Rouge: Like the Sabon, very different from the other reds, but in the opposite direction. Downright austere, with very assertive, unresolved tannins blocking most of the other flavors on the palate; I’m assuming due to the Cabernet in the wine. However, there seemed to be some promising stuffing underneath that wall of astringency. All too young to enjoy right now, but I’m kind of intrigued as to what this will taste like once the tannins resolve.
SPARKLING
NV Vouette & Sorbée Blanc d’Argiles Brut Nature: I believe this was 2018 base. Crisp, edgy, energetic, and fresh tasting. Hint of citrus on the palate, but very much a saline, mineral-forward wine. Not quite as angular as I was expecting; maybe a case where the champagne benefited from the riper, lower-acid profile of the vintage. Delicious.
NV Nowack La Tuilerie Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut: This was an interesting contrast to the Blanc d’Argiles. Had a noticeable nutty, almost almond-like oxidative profile with a slightly rounder texture than the Blanc d’Argiles. This was a bit surprising, because it was so different from the racier, fresher flavors of the Fontinettes that I had last month, or even the entry-level S.A. Still tasty, and a very interesting contrast to the first champagne.
’16 Bereche Campania Remensis: A great bottle of rosé champagne. Bright, fresh, easy drinking, yet serious wine with subtle, pretty red fruit, elegance, and tension. Excellent.
WHITE
‘06 Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de L'Empire: I was surprised how much I liked this wine. Very lively and surprisingly energetic, with a round, subtly oily texture, with yellow fruit suffused with the flavors of herbs and ginger. If anything, it got more complex with air.
‘15 Peay Estate Roussanne/Marsanne: Another wine I was surprised I liked so much. Energetic, light footed, and airy, perhaps with a touch of honey and richness, but this is really all about its lively palate presence. Great stuff.
‘06 Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos: This was a bit of a confusing wine. It seemed a little shut down upon opening, with nothing but a ponderous yellow-fruit profile on the palate. It opened up a little with time and got better, but lacked any hint of salinity and did not feel particularly Chablis-like.
‘02 Fevre Les Clos: The great debate about this bottle was whether this was a one-off flawed, oxidized bottle or whether this was “premox.” Either way, it was borderline sherry.
’16 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Champlots: First time having PYCM: it felt kind of glossy and oily on the palate. Some citrus and minerals at well, but the texture was a little confusing. I’m not sure whether this was oak that needed more time to integrate or whether this is just the PYCM style.
‘21 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône: A nice bottle of thirst-quenching white. Not exactly profound, but well-made with some mineral complexity. Not bad for a $19.99 bottle of wine.
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Auslese #5 “Forster”: We paired this with dessert, but this tasted more like a Spatlese and was not the greatest pairing with the pear tart. However, this is still a bracing bottle of German riesling that was well-balanced, white-fruited, and delicious (though I feel a step-down from the racy bottles of lightning we got from the ‘21 Krettnacher Euchariusberg cuvees from Falkenstein last year)
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett Alte Reben #8 “Gisela”: Another delicious bottle of Gisela, although richer, fatter, perhaps a bit flatter, and less acidic and lively than the extraordinary ‘21. I remember Lars posting that he thought the ‘22s were more accessible, and while the ‘22s are good and very approachable now, I never really felt that the electric tension of the ‘21s was that jagged or unbalanced on release.
DIGESTIF
Chartreuse Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Sommeliers: Piney and woodsy on the nose with a biting, refreshing herbal blast of heat on the palate. A really nice way to end the meal (and apparently they only sell this cuvee in Europe -- fun stuff!)
Red:
‘11 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux
‘09 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque
‘11 Voge Cornas Vielles Vignes
‘15 Delas Hermitage Lignes de Crete
‘20 Kobayashi San Soufre
‘05 Peay La Bruma Estate Syrah
‘16 Sabon Chateauneuf du Papes Prestige
‘16 Trevallon Alpilles Rouge
Sparkling:
NV Vouette & Sorbee Blanc d’Argiles Brut Nature
NV Nowack La Tuilerie Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
‘16 Bereche Campania Remensis
White:
‘06 Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de L'Empire
‘15 Peay Estate Roussanne/Marsanne
‘06 Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos
‘02 Fevre Les Clos
‘16 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Champlots
‘21 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Auslese #5 “Forster”
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett Alte Reben #8 “Gisela”
Digestif:
Chartreuse Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Sommeliers
REDS
‘11 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux: The '11 Cordeloux was more lifted and frankly better than the '09 on the nose with the palate being more red fruit, brighter with a slight hit of savory smokiness. Very approachable right now and delicious (double-decanted before the dinner).
‘09 Benetiere Côte Rôtie Le Cordeloux: The '09, on the other hand, was extremely polarizing. When we first opened it, it was definitely aromatically more reticent on the nose with the palate being more austere, darker, much more savory, and brooding. I actually liked it, but when it was in the decanter for a couple of hours and people re-visited, the palate seemed to be blown out by the alcohol.
I had wine fall apart before with too much air, but this declined in a way I never experienced before. I’m not sure whether it was a case of re-visiting the '09 after having a ton of other wines; too much time in the decanter causing the fruit and other elements on the palate to zero out; or just a flawed bottle (I bought it on Winebid). I really have no clue. Interesting experience and still glad I tried it, especially in comparison with the '11, which was a totally different wine.
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Landonne: The La Landonne had a pretty, floral nose; on the palate, the tannins felt resolved and there was no strong glossy oak signature. The texture and weight of the wine leaned elegant, and the fruit, while big, did not feel over-extracted and was balanced by savory elements. However, the smokiness (I’m assuming from reduction) was absolutely “embiggened” to massive proportions and was so overpowering, it felt like I was sipping a glass of an Islay single-malt. This wine didn’t come across as over-oaked (unless counting the smokiness being amplified by the new oak treatment), and in some ways it was enjoyable in a steroidal kind of way, but I’m not sure I would like drinking a full glass of this with dinner. It was just too much (this was decanted before the dinner).
‘94 Guigal Côte Rôtie La Turque: Now, behold the La Turque, and imagine the La Landonne except younger, stronger, bigger, and tannic-ier. Joking aside, it does come across as a much younger wine: more closed on the nose, and the palate smothered with drying, unresolved tannins. And, similarly to the La Landonne, it was just infused with an overwhelming bigness swaddled in smoke (decanted before dinner).
‘11 Voge Cornas Vielles Vignes: This showed really well and it struck a nice median between the bright, red-fruited ‘11 Cordeloux and the massive ‘94 LaLas. A touch darker than the Cordeloux, with a bit more meaty smokiness, but open for business and a pleasure to drink.
‘15 Delas Hermitage Lignes de Crete: This was too young with very firm tannins that basically blocked most of the palate. I didn’t linger long enough to see whether this opened up any in the decanter.
’20 Kobayashi San Soufre: A Syrah varietal wine sourced from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Darker in character than the ‘11 Benetiere, it shared a fresh-tasting vibrancy and textural delicacy on the palate. While it had the smoke, meat, and herbs of the Northern Rhone, that Old World savoriness was married with a restrained, yet luminescent fruit that clearly placed it in the New. Although this cuvee is meant to be held for no longer than 10 years, the intensity of flavor feels a little too serious to be simply glou-glou, despite its easy-going drinkability. I never heard of this producer before, but I’m looking forward to following them in the future. (Apparently, Yves Gangloff consults on the Syrah and Viognier wines produced by Kobayashi).
’05 Peay La Bruma Estate Syrah: Another fine New World effort that was restrained, elegant, and savory with a restrained fruit profile. It didn’t enchant me as much as the Kobayashi, but a serious effort that shared a similar smoked meat and herbs savoriness as the Northern Rhone wines without having the gobs of velvety fruit I expect from a wine from the Sonoma Coast.
‘16 Sabon Chateauneuf du Papes Prestige: Definitely the red wines “gobbiest” of the night (GOTN): laden with a heavy-handed dark fruit, a velvety, almost viscous texture, and slightly ponderous; I wouldn’t call it a bad wine, but not one I plan to revisit.
‘16 Trevallon Alpilles Rouge: Like the Sabon, very different from the other reds, but in the opposite direction. Downright austere, with very assertive, unresolved tannins blocking most of the other flavors on the palate; I’m assuming due to the Cabernet in the wine. However, there seemed to be some promising stuffing underneath that wall of astringency. All too young to enjoy right now, but I’m kind of intrigued as to what this will taste like once the tannins resolve.
SPARKLING
NV Vouette & Sorbée Blanc d’Argiles Brut Nature: I believe this was 2018 base. Crisp, edgy, energetic, and fresh tasting. Hint of citrus on the palate, but very much a saline, mineral-forward wine. Not quite as angular as I was expecting; maybe a case where the champagne benefited from the riper, lower-acid profile of the vintage. Delicious.
NV Nowack La Tuilerie Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut: This was an interesting contrast to the Blanc d’Argiles. Had a noticeable nutty, almost almond-like oxidative profile with a slightly rounder texture than the Blanc d’Argiles. This was a bit surprising, because it was so different from the racier, fresher flavors of the Fontinettes that I had last month, or even the entry-level S.A. Still tasty, and a very interesting contrast to the first champagne.
’16 Bereche Campania Remensis: A great bottle of rosé champagne. Bright, fresh, easy drinking, yet serious wine with subtle, pretty red fruit, elegance, and tension. Excellent.
WHITE
‘06 Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de L'Empire: I was surprised how much I liked this wine. Very lively and surprisingly energetic, with a round, subtly oily texture, with yellow fruit suffused with the flavors of herbs and ginger. If anything, it got more complex with air.
‘15 Peay Estate Roussanne/Marsanne: Another wine I was surprised I liked so much. Energetic, light footed, and airy, perhaps with a touch of honey and richness, but this is really all about its lively palate presence. Great stuff.
‘06 Vincent Dauvissat Les Clos: This was a bit of a confusing wine. It seemed a little shut down upon opening, with nothing but a ponderous yellow-fruit profile on the palate. It opened up a little with time and got better, but lacked any hint of salinity and did not feel particularly Chablis-like.
‘02 Fevre Les Clos: The great debate about this bottle was whether this was a one-off flawed, oxidized bottle or whether this was “premox.” Either way, it was borderline sherry.
’16 Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Champlots: First time having PYCM: it felt kind of glossy and oily on the palate. Some citrus and minerals at well, but the texture was a little confusing. I’m not sure whether this was oak that needed more time to integrate or whether this is just the PYCM style.
‘21 Baron de Montfaucon Côtes du Rhône: A nice bottle of thirst-quenching white. Not exactly profound, but well-made with some mineral complexity. Not bad for a $19.99 bottle of wine.
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Auslese #5 “Forster”: We paired this with dessert, but this tasted more like a Spatlese and was not the greatest pairing with the pear tart. However, this is still a bracing bottle of German riesling that was well-balanced, white-fruited, and delicious (though I feel a step-down from the racy bottles of lightning we got from the ‘21 Krettnacher Euchariusberg cuvees from Falkenstein last year)
‘22 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Kabinett Alte Reben #8 “Gisela”: Another delicious bottle of Gisela, although richer, fatter, perhaps a bit flatter, and less acidic and lively than the extraordinary ‘21. I remember Lars posting that he thought the ‘22s were more accessible, and while the ‘22s are good and very approachable now, I never really felt that the electric tension of the ‘21s was that jagged or unbalanced on release.
DIGESTIF
Chartreuse Cuvée des Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Sommeliers: Piney and woodsy on the nose with a biting, refreshing herbal blast of heat on the palate. A really nice way to end the meal (and apparently they only sell this cuvee in Europe -- fun stuff!)
