This is a region that has long intrigued me, but one I know nothing about. Not to bash Parker, because he’s done well for me on California, but I’ve had no luck with any of his recommendations on Northern or Southern Rhone.
Who are your favorite Cote Rotie producers?
Although I can’t recall names, I’ve found the estates Parker has recommended to be monolithic and fungible - Syrahs that could be from anywhere. I’m interested in singular, expressive wines with notable perfumes and/or textures. Wines that offer energy and interest.
I’ve had several vintages of Jamet that fit the bill nicely. I understand Texier doesn’t suck either… anyone else?
Levet and Clusel Roche are two I’ve tried recently and enjoyed. Jasmin scratches the itch for a reasonable price. Jamet is obviously very good but the price is getting up there, and it’s getting harder to find.
A few producers who have good reputation (haven’t tried them all), in brackets their high end cuvées which are usually around 75€ (much more in some cases) - in no particular order:
Jamet (Côte Brune)
Gaillard (Rose Pourpre)
Cuilleron (Terres Sombres)
Gilles Barge
Patrick Jasmin
Gangloff (Sereine Noire)
Villard
Niero
Georges Vernay
Saint Cosme (drank a 1998 a week ago that was great)
Stéphane Othéguy
Stéphane Montez, domaine du Monteillet (Fortis around 40€ is pretty good, haven’t tried his Grandes Places yet but I’ve heard good things)
Bonnefond
Rostaing
JM Stéphan (had some great 2011 last week-end)
Bernard Burgaud
I love the list from Alain.
It is quite comprehensive. The only that I would add are Guigal just to get a flavor for that style.
With age that are quite something. Also I would add Gallet. Henri and Phillipe. http://www.cote-rotie-domaine-gallet.com
I like Levet but I have had some very bad La Chevroche from the past.
Finding the style you like is an important aspect. And for me personally, I’ll add that age/vintage/drink-ability is even more important. Drinking classic style N Rhone syrah young (too early) from any AOC is not enjoyable. I’d rather drink international style too early. Good vintage classic CR needs minimum 7-10 years for me to find any pleasure.
You have to work hard these days to find Cote Rotie wines that haven’t been somewhat Parkerized - particularly over-oaked. I haven’t kept up with the area as much as I should have, but I stay away from Gaillard, Gangloff, Otheguy, and some others because the the heavy oak. Jasmin can be good, but something about his winemaking results in more faded and weathered wines, even at release. Ogier used to be my go-to, though I haven’t tasted any recent vintages. I’ve heard he has dialed the oak back. Jamet is probably at the top of the list, though expensive.
Another thing you might play around with would be to see whether you can train your palate to detect the Viognier mixed into the Syrah.
Dave Powell used to put some Viognier into some of his Torbreck Shirazes - such as the Run Rig and the Descendant - and if you can find some of those with some bottle age on them, then they might make good ringers in a Syrah/Viognier tasting.
Thank you all for the responses. This is a great jumping off point and I know I won’t be disappointed. A fellow board member recommended Jamet many years ago. It was a sensational wine and one that really piqued my interest in the region. I’m really looking forward to hunting down and trying these producers you’ve suggested.
Great list of producers. As already mentioned, the problem is that many times, if tried early, the wines are just ordinary syrah. Takes ten years or so to turn into Cote Rotie, so if you are just launching you need to find older wines, or wait for a while. I have a fair amount of cote Rotie just sitting. I’m finding that St Joseph is a good spot for filling in with younger enjoyable real northern rhone wines in the interim, particularly Faury, and Chave.
+1 on waiting at least 7-8 years to have the “real” CR aromas. I also like them young (before 3 years), but then you have to be careful which domaines/cuvées.
I’m not a big fan of oak (understatement), so I prefer to wait. Then again, I’ve tasted a Guigal Landonne 2007 back in December and it was fantastic. Oak was there, but I found it very noble.
But like Gaillard Rose Pourpre, Monteillet Grandes Places and some others, you should really wait for the oaky side to take a step back and the wine to develop the whole scope of aromas.
If you want some northern Rhône syrah to drink early, St Joseph is indeed a good choice - careful which ones though, some need at least 3-5 years of cellar to be enjoyable or at their peak (again Monteillet, esp Cuvée du Papy, or the Chave which can wait for 10 years with no problem). Last week-end I had a Cuvée du Papy 2010 which was really enjoyable, oak was perfectly integrated.
Another choice would be a good Côtes du Rhône, the one from Jamet I liked a lot (2011 drunk 6 months ago). This one goes for around 15€ here.
Also, I would suggest checking out some great syrah (or GSM with a high % of syrah) from Languedoc, they don’t have the great CR terroir and that shows a bit, but still there are some great wines and often much cheaper.