Four of us got together to sample some N. Rhone fares at local WB love Kinjiro. If you like Izakaya food in a more refined cooking style, this is the place for you. Very wine friendly. Must book reservations.
Some quick thoughts
-Levet once again proves to be fantastic QPR.
While any vintage since 2005 are delicious for Juge, the great vintages are particularly compelling.
Off bottles of Allemand in great vintages makes me sad.
Trollat is a monster. Power without weight personified
Based on this VERY limited sample size, Benetiere seems to have made a stylistic change from his earlier bottles till now. But no one seems to have any history on him so I can only make assumptions based on how vastly different the structure and fruit profiles the 01 is from the 12/13. Definitely for the better as I think the young wines are very delicious.
2005 Raymond Trollat St. Joseph- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
So hash tagged blessed to have had this wine twice in a month. Since the wine was from the same source, it tasted pretty similar to ACYSO’s note on 11/10. Only difference is, the olive note took longer to develop on the finish but the intensity was rip roaring right from the get go. There is so much strength and power behind the fruit on this wine. It’s kinda surprising how much is packed into this wine without making it weighty.
2010 Marcel Juge Cornas- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
This wine really picks up weight and fruit as the night progressed. As always young juge is so effortless but the 2010 has also shed the more rustic tannic edges that the 11/12/13 have. It has that typical juge purity and cooling acid that runs through the palate. Really beautiful wine right now and I think will be in a very nice spot in a few years. Similar to where the 2005 is right now.
2010 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Maybe the bottle was off and a little damaged as it showed this really charred note on the nose, didn’t have that incredible display of olive, smoke, flowers and dark fruit that allemand reynard has and what I would expect from a 2010. The palate had that similar charred/stewed note. None of the acidity/balance.
2001 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Smelled strongly of the poop when first opened, needed about 20 minutes to dissipate. The palate was similar in the sense that it needed time to stretch its legs. Dark brooding brutish wine. Powerful black fruit and more rusticity on the acidity. It still needs some time to shed that broad structure and soften. Very different feel to it from the current wines.
2012 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Not quite as bright and lovely as the 2013 was, a touch reduced and poop but it shed that quickly. Started to express that wild berry and white pepper on the nose and the palate was just filled with acidity and olives. There’s something about that fresh blue fruit and herbs but right now the tannins kind of hold it back. Still have a decent amount of it in bottle and will try again.
2013 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
while it has a strong tannic backbone running through the palate, it never really seems to get in the way of the wine. That beautiful blue fruit raced down with that cote rotie acidity and the nose was filled with lillac, smoke and crushed blueberries.
2012 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Les Journaries- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Served blind next to 2012 Chavaroche. It didn’t have the wild forward nose of the Chavaroche but it made up for it on the palate. Loaded with small blue berry fruit, touch of meat with bright cote rotie acidity. Drinking really well right now.
2012 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche- France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Served blind next to the 12 Journaries. The nose is INCREDIBLE on this wine. Crunchy bright raspberry and mint on the nose sprinkled with black pepper and crushed over some rare steak. In a lineup with a lot of amazing rhones, this nose soared. The palate was clipped and very lean and lacking in fruit. Needs to build on that body, but that nose is ssick.
That’s a fun tasting. As a Northern Rhone fan and given that most of those wines are likely scarce and ones that I’ll also likely never be able to source/buy, I’m glad to experience vicariously through TNs.
Anyway, using your and data points from 6 years ago, if there’s any stylistic change in Benetiere it wouldn’t have occurred starting the 2005 vintage. As per the linked TNs, the 2005 Benetiere sounds to be more like the recent ones that you had.
I saw in John Livingston’s “Wines of Northern Rhone”, that the moved the locations of the cellars in 2003 from Roussillon to Condrieu. Apparently he got a pneumatic press then which he didn’t have before.
I loved the '12 Benetiere when I had it first two years ago (and preferred it to my first taste of the '13 at an equivalent point in its life) but last September the 12 had tightened up a good bit which seems consistent with your notes.
Lucky dog on the Trollat. Sounds epic. Does Gonon get even close?
I had a 12 earlier this month that was WIDE open. One of the best young cote rotie I’ve had. This btl was not as open.
I’ve only had Gonon vv once and it was years ago. Regular gonon doesn’t hold a candle. The trollat has a density of fruit that is pretty incredible without being weighty
