Got together last Monday with the one of the collectors who introduced me to so many great examples of mature wine over the years. All of these were obtained at or near release (the Guigals I understand came from the winery itself) and stored in the same place since. Much as I love the Northern Rhone, I have less experience with mature examples than I do mature Burgundy, and this Monday night was a special treat. We started off with a 99 Jaboulet Parallel 45, which, despite the modest pedigree and the struggles the winery faced at the time, was still alive and kicking, if not all that exciting.
With that out of the way, we started on the great stuff. I handled the corks, some of which were crumbly, others of which came “clean,” if old. Wines were decanted off sediment.
1979 Guigal Cote Rotie ‘La Landonne’ - A great showing. Aromatics of raspberry, cassis, smoke and a rack of cooking spcies. Gorgeous, seamlessly integrated texture. Great intensity. Lavish fruit and spices tightly knit together. A gamey and dark beauty. Confit fruit richness. Superb and elegant. Hints of blood and iron emerge with some air. Licorice, herbs and sweet fruit.
1979 Guigal Cote Rotie ‘La Mouline’ - the great 83 was previously the oldest example I have ever had of this wine, and that was when it was comparably much younger. More floral and perfumed nose. Spicier and more peppery. Seems less evolved, though we argued this point during the comparison. Redder fruit, but a fuller texture and mouthfeel than the La Landonne. Beef stock and mushroom notes. Earthier wine. A spicy core emerges with air, and the fruit turned a little darker.
On the rare occasions I have gotten to compare LaLas, La Mouline usually comes out on top. In this case, I actually preferred the La Landonne, though the tasting crew was split. The La Landonne showed more elegance for me.
On to Hermitage!
1976 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle - Right from the gate this shows the relative power of Hermitage compared to Cote-Rotie, as well as the ripeness of the year. More power and darker fruit, with a deep rich core of flavors. Blackberry and raspberry confit. Ripe, but not overripe. Rich fruit and lovely intensity. A hint of coffee bean emerges with air. Compared to the next two wines, this was almost a little candied , but still lovely.
1971 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle - Sometimes you know you are in for a treat just from the aromatics wafting from the freshly opened bottle, and this was one of those times. I’m sure there are greater vintages and examples of this wine, but this is the best North Rhone I have personally tasted. Blackberries, the whole world of spice, and then a cut wheat/toasted grain aroma that I love in mature reds. Kaleidoscopic red and black fruit mixed with aromatics of haunting complexity. Just superb wine. Black truffles, sassafras and cream soda.
1971 J.L. Chave Hermitage - Almost, but not quite as great. A brighter, more elegant wine. Lithe and ethereal, with a similar cut wheat/toasted grain aroma. Brighter red berries. Confit cherry and raspberry. A creamy texture and brighter acidity. A more melodious wine, in its way, but the acidity also makes it more linear and less mouth-filling than the 71 Jaboulet. Lingering, subtle finish.
Normally I prefer the relative elegance of Cote-Rotie the Hermitage’s larger scale, but on this night Hermitage was hors classe. It was fun to track these wines over several hours and compare back and forth.