Up until recently, I was the exact opposite of you. I drank mostly Northern Rhone Syrah - Collines Rhodanienne (IGP) and Crozes Hermitage making up the lion’s share. I try a few Cali Syrah’s from time to time and am having trouble finding things I enjoy.
Faury gets big mentions here, I like it too but I think the Gonon has a bit more flesh and is less structured/serious. Jamet’s IGP is one of my favorite wines. I think it has alot of the traditional flavors and aromas of N. Rhone, its fresh and pure and supposedly even ages well. I find them hard to resist young. Jamet also makes an excellent Cotes du Rhone which offers a step up in depth and intensity IMHO.
The one thing I do note with the Jamet IGP is a grapefruit like acidity - not overpowering, but its there.
Domaine Garon makes a fleshy, ripe a delicious IGP as well. The also make a Cote Rotie Sybarine that sells for high $30’s, low $40’s that is elegant, accessible young and a really nice wine and value.
Graillot makes an excellent Crozes. My favorite producer though is Domaine Combier. It is often described as a “bistro” wine, but if that means consistently delicious vintage after vintage, then I agree. Fresh and pure with alot of floral, violet, honeysuckle like aromas and flavors. Never harsh or tannic, just easy to drink and love.
Combier makes a few different wines, some don’t come to the US. They also make a luxe bottling called Clos des Grives which I find a bit overoaked with some new wood evident.
Another excellent value and more traditional Crozes is Rousset. They make a regular Crozes, one from a south facing hill called Picaudieres and a pretty nice St. Joe.
Domaine Remizieres makes a pretty, stylish “Cali” style Crozes and the Chave CdR Mon Coeur is along the same lines.
Thanks for the opinion on Faury VV. I think its worth a try at $35. I have one local supplier that has a big selection of N. Rhone wines and they have a lot of Cornas and Cote Rotie that start at $60 and go up over $1000 for some old bottles. My pain threshold is $50 but might spend a bit more on a special bottle if I knew it was worth it.
Gene,
This is exactly what I was looking for. I will search for these wines you mentioned. Probably won’t find much locally, but will be going through L.A. next week and there many shops there with bigger selections.
One wine I do see a lot of here is E. Guigal, even at Costco.
How does this compare to other N. Rhone wines?
Joel, there have been plenty of good recommendations here, but surprisingly no mention of Becheras other than in your OP. He makes absolutely beautiful wines, with some of the purest Syrah fruit on the planet. Also, Jean-Pierre Monier’s St. Joseph will stop you in your tracks with the beauty of its fruit. Gene’s recommendation of Rousset’s Crozes-Hermitage Picaudieres is a savvy call. The latter two will be hard to find, but worth the sleuthing.
Hope you find and enjoy some of these. When someone mentions Guigal, I immediately think oak and new oak. I used to drink the CdR and always thought it was a very good value. Guigal is a huge operation as well.
Chambers St. in NYC brings in Rousset. Martin mentioned the Picaudieres and, I have to admit, it is by far my favorite of the three wines, though the regular Crozes is very good. The wines are built to age though they are beautifully balanced and approachable young.
BTW, the 14 vintage is a soft, approachable one IMHO. It lacks the depth and the last few vintages out of the Rhone but its an easy vintage to pop and enjoy.
The N. rhone has been on an incredible hot streak. 08 was lean and medicinal but since then the wines have been good at worst to great. 09 was very hot and not really my thing but that may be yours.
Domaine Entrefaux also made a very nice Crozes, haven’t had in a while though.
I finished a bottle of the 2007 Chave ‘Mon Coeur’ [Cotes du Rhone] over the last few days and it grew on me. A little prune and barnyard at first, but it rounded into plums, violets, some pepper. More depth than I recall in other vintages. Normally I don’t buy any of his wines, generally being left nonplussed by the negociant ones, and unwilling to pay up for the estate ones, but this year/example was pretty solid. Although mostly syrah from what I understand, I think the vineyards are in the Rasteau/Valreas/Cairanne southern Rhone areas. Glossy, modern style to my taste – but good. I’d give this a B+. Lots of concentration and it has held up well for a midweek QPR. Still, I think these should be drunk up. Last glass was quite cloudy with sediment.
I like the Chave Mon Coeur quite a bit for nice daily drinkers, but for the OP, this is not a Northern Rhone syrah. Yes, it’s by Chave, but it’s a Southern Rhone blend made of 40% grenache, 40% syrah and 20% carrignane. It drinks nothing like a Domaine Faury, which is 100% syrah from up north. I like them both, but the Faury is also a more serious wine, IMHO.