Pilgrimage to the southland

C

Cliff

Cliff Rosenberg
A too-short trip to the Southern Rhone. Here is a quick set of notes. More to follow, perhaps. My big takeaway is that all my favorites did much better in 2008 than I thought. Some 2009's will be very good, but a bunch were too rich for me.

2004 Domaine du Pesquier Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (7/1/2011)

Stern and black-fruited in youth, this is in a good place now. I'm surprised how much I like this, how much it has changed: really impressive showing with life left. I don't recall seeing this striking an evolution in Gigondas. It is recognizable from youth but only barely. The Grenache was totally overshadowed by the Syrah a few years ago, and now they're working together.

2004 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (7/1/2011)

This seems pretty mature to me, far evolved from the last bottle a couple of years ago. It's got life yet, but it seems like it's moving into aged red wine territory. Oldish, warm, leathery, and kind of fuzzy. A bit of a let down.

2009 Domaine Charvin Côtes du Rhône (Le Poutet) - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (6/29/2011)

Very dense, black fruits, it comes across as a mid-weight. Nicely austere. Should develop well.

2006 Domaine du Trapadis Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Les Adrès - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau (6/29/2011)

Very high toned and lythe, it still has that unmistakable profile: leather, griotte, a hint of menthol. Approachable now out of the gates, I expect the structure will catch up to it before too long.

2004 Domaine La Bouïssiere Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (6/29/2011)

Mildly corked. Still not won over to this estate, though 2003 was stellar.

2005 Domaine la Monardière Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vacqueyras (6/29/2011)

Showing very nicely, rounded without seeming worked over; maybe half way between Sang des Cailloux and something like Richaud.

2007 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (6/29/2011)

One corked, the others showing nicely.

2009 Domaine de l'Oratoire St Martin Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Cuvée Prestige - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne (6/26/2011)

Young and impressive

2009 Domaine de l'Oratoire St Martin Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Blanc Réserve des Seigneurs - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne (6/24/2011)

Nice

2005 Clos des Papes Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape (6/24/2011)

After a healthy decant, this is approachable. Seems much less focused than earlier versions. Plush and a little diffuse.

2009 Domaine Richaud Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne (6/24/2011)

Still quite dense.

2008 Domaine Richaud Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne (6/24/2011)

Didn't love this.

2008 Domaine Richaud Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne (6/24/2011)

Showing ok, not great

2007 Domaine des Tours Côtes du Rhône - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (6/24/2011)

Very powerful in a slim package. Need to give a serious decant to get a read on it now.

2009 Domaine des Tours Vin de Pays de Vaucluse Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (6/24/2011)

Another great example. Is there a better Vin de Pays?

2008 Domaine Charvin Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape (6/19/2011)

Tons of potential but not showing as well as at Christmas: leather, red fruits, and earth; but it takes real swirling to get them to show themselves.

2008 Domaine le Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras Cuvée Azalais - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vacqueyras (6/19/2011)

Singing now. Black fruits, plums, earth, a hint of leather.

2007 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas (6/19/2011)

Showed better than six months ago. Still big, it has found its footing since Christmas: red fruits, velvet, mulling spices.

1989 Ch“teau de Beaucastel Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Ch“teauneuf-du-Pape (6/16/2011)

I just puled the cork and decanted off quite a lot of sediment. The nose wasn't too happy about getting woken up, but the palate is already good to go. There was a weird but very faint lactic note early on that blew off. A great bottle, in the end.
 
2005 Foillard 3.14 not showing as well as I hoped, and the Dard et Ribo St. Joseph just was not good.
 
Based on your developing taste for some 07s (viz. Raspail-Ay), I'll guess you will like the 09s more in a couple of years. I've tasted a few 09 CdPs now and they all seem, while no doubt having big-icity, to be more vibrant and complex than the 07s at a similar age. A lot of 07 CdPs I tasted are going through a noticeable dumb period, which is hardly surprising.

The 07 Trapadis Harys you brought for dinner, by the way, was really very good with a decant, nothing like either a Southern Syrah or an 07. It had a nice tartness that I would never expect from Syrah from around here (though I liked Harys back in 89 and 90, so I shouldn't be surprised). It will certainly need some years.

The 08 Charvin CdPs I had this summer did nicely with an hour of decanting. This wine reminds me a lot of the 04: reserved press when it came out, a muted stage that made people think it was even more of an off year and drinking beautifully now. Although they aren't the same wines, the 08 has the same spice on the nose and tanginess about it. I agree with you about a lot of 08s. Many of them are turning out very nicely.
 
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
Based on your developing taste for some 07s (viz. Raspail-Ay), I'll guess you will like the 09s more in a couple of years. I've tasted a few 09 CdPs now and they all seem, while no doubt having big-icity, to be more vibrant and complex than the 07s at a similar age. A lot of 07 CdPs I tasted are going through a noticeable dumb period, which is hardly surprising.
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No doubt 3yrs out is a bad time to taste. I did like the 07 Raspail-Ay much better this year, but I'm not sure it will get any better than it is now (esp. given my lackluster 2004), which seems like a shame to me. We went through most of my stash of those because it is showing well now and b/c the car wasn't big enough to fit enough wine to keep up with ten people ;)

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
The 07 Trapadis Harys you brought for dinner, by the way, was really very good with a decant, nothing like either a Southern Syrah or an 07. It had a nice tartness that I would never expect from Syrah from around here (though I liked Harys back in 89 and 90, so I shouldn't be surprised). It will certainly need some years.
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So glad you liked it! I am never completely sure about my judgments in tasting through a lineup, until I can get a bottle home and have it with dinner. But that one just jumped out at me. Thanks, too, for a lovely dinner: great food and lovely wines. I was especially taken with the white. Can you remind me what that was? My hazy recollection isn't even close enough to get a Google hit.
 
We had a very good 2007 R-A in half bottle at La Table du Comtat a few months back. I liked the non-Syrah wines from Trapadis better, but the Harys is no slouch. The VdP is terrific value for money.
 
I think the white we served was a Chateau Simian white CdP. It's hard enough to find their reds in the US. I doubt their white gets here. But it would be worth a search. Let me know. If you do find it, make sure to get their regular and not their special cuvee, which, alas, sees new wood.
 
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