Tony Fletcher
Tony Fletcher
Having finally completed my home cellar and retrieved many of my wines from storage, Ive recently been opening up some of my Southern Rhnes from 1998, a particular warm and acclaimed vintage, here in this colder-than-cold Catskills winter. Naturally, these are all Grenache-dominated wines, and given that theyre also from the same region, theres an inevitable repetition of tasting notes: ginger(bread) is the telltale aroma, and theres likely a degree of earthy leather to be found somewhere on the palate, too. And yet Ive been experiencing a marked difference in development, and ultimate joy.
DOMAINE DES AMOURIERS VACQUERYAS 1998
I wouldnt typically expect Vacqueryas to improve for a decade, except that I tasted this wine when it was young and had the feeling that it was probably the best of the vintage for this village. I was thrilled then to have those expectations confirmed. The color was an almost impenetrable dark red, with no softening of color whatsoever and only the lightest of bricks around the rim. The nose was very powerful, a gorgeous medley of spice, ginger, leather and earth and just a little raisin touch that gradually wafted away; while most of the fruit had disappeared, this was certainly not old or drying out. Rather, the wine had developed gracefully into muscular middle-age, exuding confidence and character. In the mouth, the wine kicked up a dusty set of smoothed-out tannins, with a creamy quality to the mid-palate, and a remarkably long, vibrant, rich and enduring finish, again all leathery spice. Im picturing James Bond preferably Sean Connery around the Dr. No period looking at his reflection in the shaving mirror and saying: A handsome man and no mistake. Probably the best Vacqueryas Ive ever tasted (and Ive had a few), a highly sophisticated and rewarding wine showing near to, but not necessarily yet at, its peak. And, Im glad to say, I have another bottle. (I also had a rewarding experience with the Les Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas 1998 a couple of months back, which was, likewise, singing loudly, though possibly on the way down.)
DOMAINE LES GOUBERT GIGONDAS 1998
The cork was nearly run through with wine on this one, but not sufficiently so that the wine had yet started to escape. Both the dusty red-brown color and the visible brick indicated some ageing. Surprisingly bright and acidic, this one quickly opened up with aromas of lavender, raspberry and blackcurrant. Much more vibrant and primary than the Brusset, and absent the kind of chewy, bulky heft Ive experienced before from this quite austere and old-fashioned winemaker. Relatively youthful, certainly still approachable, and still a ways to go. (Ive subsequently come across a tasting note of a 20-year old Goubert still apparently in absolutely perfect shape.) Great stuff. Wish I had more.
DOMAINE BRUSSET GIGONDAS LE GRAND MONTMIRAL 1998
This one I bought a case of, and after an early period dominated by sweet oak, its settled into a comfortably reassuring wine, warm and cozy, just the thing for a cold winters night and easy-going food. The color on this GSM blend is now a dusty red, and starting to show some a little brick. Theres a fuzzy ginger-bread aroma, a dusty spicy texture going on, still some bright acidity and an endearing and fulfilling finish. Medium-bodied, medium strength, comparatively understated for the vintage and the village, nothing spectacular but a lovely wine all the same. Ill drink up my remaining bottles soon.
PATRICK LESEC LES GALETS BLONDS CHTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 1998/
DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR CHTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 1998
Onto what should have been the big guns. The Les Galets Blonds, a negociant wine, was unfortunately fizzy. What do we call this fault and what we do about it? The Grand Veneur, produced by Alain Jaume, followed on from the Brusset over dinner last Saturday night and, I realized to my cost, would have benefited from decanting, or at least longer exposure to air and greater opportunity to open up, for the nose initially gave little away. The color was a thick purple, still clearly very ripe, and only over time and there wasnt really enough of it given our guests thirst did some smooth leathery, mushroom-like aromas escape out of the glass. Suitably full-bodied, but reticent, it eventually came around and revealed some of its secondary intentions as it wore down through the bottom of each glass. I wish my notes here were a little more intensive; never easy trying to make them in the middle of dinner, especially in a wine that develops while its in the glass; my conclusion from this initially brooding but ultimately happy camper was to allow my other Chteauneuf du Papes from 1998 plenty more resting time and lots more opportunity to breathe.
DOMAINE GOURT DE MAUTENS RASTEAU 1998
Arguably the most famous controversial non-Chteauneuf du Pape southern Rhne wine of the vintage. Years ago, Robin Garr at the Wine Lovers Page effusively reviewed the 1997 and suggested that It may inspire insiders jokes about Helen Turley meets the Rhne. This comment has stuck with me, for that might still be the best description of a wine that was so overwhelmingly concentrated and extracted, even after almost a decade in bottle, that I had to double decant it and leave it several hours before it stopped barking like a feral dog and started wagging its tail a little.
Everything about this wine was heavyweight, from the double-thick bottle to the double-thick grape juice inside. The color in the glass was so dark red that it was almost black. No brick whatsoever. Incredibly long, slow-moving legs advertised intense alcohol and glycerin. The label claims 14%; Im no expert, but Id be surprised if it was less than 15. Made, I gather, from 100% old vines grenache, it gave off some of that grapes characteristic ginger(bread) aroma, but most of what I got initially was saddle leather, mushroom and bark albeit with some roasted nuts trying to poke out through its open fire. My initial taste resulted in an extraordinarily rich attack, like a sucker punch to the tongue, with dusty tannins quickly coating the cheeks. A long, long, long, warm, rich, mildly spicy finish confirmed the wines ferocity at rear end as well as up front. This was all sampled late Sunday afternoon in a warm aprs-ski bath after one of the coldest days on the slopes Ive ever experienced, but the effect, rather than warming me back up (and rewarding me) as intended, was like skiing off piste and smack into a tree. It was all I could to stay conscious.
One cup of coffee and a couple of hours later, I poured from the decanter into two different Riedels the large high-end Syrah glass and the more everyday Chianti-Zinfandel glass. The Syrah started to show some Burgundian dark cherries in amongst the earth and tar; the Zin glass, to be honest, did much the same. This wasnt a wine about to change its form for shape, if you get my drift.
Back on the palate, the wine had settled down enormously, pun fully intended. Still peppery, spicy, with those dusty tannins and an almost inpossible power, but with more pronounced fruit up front and a much softer finish. By the end of the evening, accompanying a Portobello mushroom pasta and some hard cheese, it had come into its own, revealing a complex character underneath all the brute strength, with that milky smoothness that I look for in an older Chteauneuf du Pape. Never a wine to gulp, it gradually became one to savor.
All in all, an intriguing wine though not entirely unique: I had a similarly brutal experience with Domaine La Soumades Rasteau Cuvee Prestige 2000, which I opened last summer in the UK. That one was almost undrinkable, it was so port-like, even with dinner. The Gourt de Martens, especially given the aeration, was ultimately more forgiving.
I find it endlessly fascinating that the wines from Rasteau can be so full-throttled that they could easily pass for heavyweight Chteauneuf du Papes, and yet those from Cairanne, around the corner, rarely go more than five years. Such is the thrill of terroir. I have another bottle of the Bressy 98, but Im in no rush to drink it. Five years, I figure, will do nicely. And when that occasion comes around, Ill make sure Ive built up my fighting capacity.
Tony
DOMAINE DES AMOURIERS VACQUERYAS 1998
I wouldnt typically expect Vacqueryas to improve for a decade, except that I tasted this wine when it was young and had the feeling that it was probably the best of the vintage for this village. I was thrilled then to have those expectations confirmed. The color was an almost impenetrable dark red, with no softening of color whatsoever and only the lightest of bricks around the rim. The nose was very powerful, a gorgeous medley of spice, ginger, leather and earth and just a little raisin touch that gradually wafted away; while most of the fruit had disappeared, this was certainly not old or drying out. Rather, the wine had developed gracefully into muscular middle-age, exuding confidence and character. In the mouth, the wine kicked up a dusty set of smoothed-out tannins, with a creamy quality to the mid-palate, and a remarkably long, vibrant, rich and enduring finish, again all leathery spice. Im picturing James Bond preferably Sean Connery around the Dr. No period looking at his reflection in the shaving mirror and saying: A handsome man and no mistake. Probably the best Vacqueryas Ive ever tasted (and Ive had a few), a highly sophisticated and rewarding wine showing near to, but not necessarily yet at, its peak. And, Im glad to say, I have another bottle. (I also had a rewarding experience with the Les Sang des Cailloux Vacqueryas 1998 a couple of months back, which was, likewise, singing loudly, though possibly on the way down.)
DOMAINE LES GOUBERT GIGONDAS 1998
The cork was nearly run through with wine on this one, but not sufficiently so that the wine had yet started to escape. Both the dusty red-brown color and the visible brick indicated some ageing. Surprisingly bright and acidic, this one quickly opened up with aromas of lavender, raspberry and blackcurrant. Much more vibrant and primary than the Brusset, and absent the kind of chewy, bulky heft Ive experienced before from this quite austere and old-fashioned winemaker. Relatively youthful, certainly still approachable, and still a ways to go. (Ive subsequently come across a tasting note of a 20-year old Goubert still apparently in absolutely perfect shape.) Great stuff. Wish I had more.
DOMAINE BRUSSET GIGONDAS LE GRAND MONTMIRAL 1998
This one I bought a case of, and after an early period dominated by sweet oak, its settled into a comfortably reassuring wine, warm and cozy, just the thing for a cold winters night and easy-going food. The color on this GSM blend is now a dusty red, and starting to show some a little brick. Theres a fuzzy ginger-bread aroma, a dusty spicy texture going on, still some bright acidity and an endearing and fulfilling finish. Medium-bodied, medium strength, comparatively understated for the vintage and the village, nothing spectacular but a lovely wine all the same. Ill drink up my remaining bottles soon.
PATRICK LESEC LES GALETS BLONDS CHTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 1998/
DOMAINE GRAND VENEUR CHTEAUNEUF DU PAPE 1998
Onto what should have been the big guns. The Les Galets Blonds, a negociant wine, was unfortunately fizzy. What do we call this fault and what we do about it? The Grand Veneur, produced by Alain Jaume, followed on from the Brusset over dinner last Saturday night and, I realized to my cost, would have benefited from decanting, or at least longer exposure to air and greater opportunity to open up, for the nose initially gave little away. The color was a thick purple, still clearly very ripe, and only over time and there wasnt really enough of it given our guests thirst did some smooth leathery, mushroom-like aromas escape out of the glass. Suitably full-bodied, but reticent, it eventually came around and revealed some of its secondary intentions as it wore down through the bottom of each glass. I wish my notes here were a little more intensive; never easy trying to make them in the middle of dinner, especially in a wine that develops while its in the glass; my conclusion from this initially brooding but ultimately happy camper was to allow my other Chteauneuf du Papes from 1998 plenty more resting time and lots more opportunity to breathe.
DOMAINE GOURT DE MAUTENS RASTEAU 1998
Arguably the most famous controversial non-Chteauneuf du Pape southern Rhne wine of the vintage. Years ago, Robin Garr at the Wine Lovers Page effusively reviewed the 1997 and suggested that It may inspire insiders jokes about Helen Turley meets the Rhne. This comment has stuck with me, for that might still be the best description of a wine that was so overwhelmingly concentrated and extracted, even after almost a decade in bottle, that I had to double decant it and leave it several hours before it stopped barking like a feral dog and started wagging its tail a little.
Everything about this wine was heavyweight, from the double-thick bottle to the double-thick grape juice inside. The color in the glass was so dark red that it was almost black. No brick whatsoever. Incredibly long, slow-moving legs advertised intense alcohol and glycerin. The label claims 14%; Im no expert, but Id be surprised if it was less than 15. Made, I gather, from 100% old vines grenache, it gave off some of that grapes characteristic ginger(bread) aroma, but most of what I got initially was saddle leather, mushroom and bark albeit with some roasted nuts trying to poke out through its open fire. My initial taste resulted in an extraordinarily rich attack, like a sucker punch to the tongue, with dusty tannins quickly coating the cheeks. A long, long, long, warm, rich, mildly spicy finish confirmed the wines ferocity at rear end as well as up front. This was all sampled late Sunday afternoon in a warm aprs-ski bath after one of the coldest days on the slopes Ive ever experienced, but the effect, rather than warming me back up (and rewarding me) as intended, was like skiing off piste and smack into a tree. It was all I could to stay conscious.
One cup of coffee and a couple of hours later, I poured from the decanter into two different Riedels the large high-end Syrah glass and the more everyday Chianti-Zinfandel glass. The Syrah started to show some Burgundian dark cherries in amongst the earth and tar; the Zin glass, to be honest, did much the same. This wasnt a wine about to change its form for shape, if you get my drift.
Back on the palate, the wine had settled down enormously, pun fully intended. Still peppery, spicy, with those dusty tannins and an almost inpossible power, but with more pronounced fruit up front and a much softer finish. By the end of the evening, accompanying a Portobello mushroom pasta and some hard cheese, it had come into its own, revealing a complex character underneath all the brute strength, with that milky smoothness that I look for in an older Chteauneuf du Pape. Never a wine to gulp, it gradually became one to savor.
All in all, an intriguing wine though not entirely unique: I had a similarly brutal experience with Domaine La Soumades Rasteau Cuvee Prestige 2000, which I opened last summer in the UK. That one was almost undrinkable, it was so port-like, even with dinner. The Gourt de Martens, especially given the aeration, was ultimately more forgiving.
I find it endlessly fascinating that the wines from Rasteau can be so full-throttled that they could easily pass for heavyweight Chteauneuf du Papes, and yet those from Cairanne, around the corner, rarely go more than five years. Such is the thrill of terroir. I have another bottle of the Bressy 98, but Im in no rush to drink it. Five years, I figure, will do nicely. And when that occasion comes around, Ill make sure Ive built up my fighting capacity.
Tony