A few notes since the last post.
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1998 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Le Gréal - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermnitage (12/13/2019)
Leaker, with a stained label as well. But this was great! Brothy with garrigue, this was rich and expansive, nicely resolved. This just got better and better with air. I’d imagine better-preserved bottles will be younger and fresher, but this was pretty great as is. -
2016 Domaine Gilles Barge Côte-Rôtie Cuvée du Plessy - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (11/7/2019)
Not giving much on the nose, even with air. The palate opens up, though, and is all juicy black raspberry fruit and some smoky Syrah complexity. I’ll leave half of this overnight and revisit. -
1999 Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (11/3/2019)
Second bottle of this, and it was just as good as the first. I ought to give this producer more attention. -
1997 Domaine Gilles Barge Côte-Rôtie Cuvée du Plessy - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (10/20/2019)
Silk. This is very elegant and still vigorous with a spicy aged Syrah nose that is also smoky, leathery, and shows accents of black tea. More of the same on the palate, where savory elements cling to the red fruit. Cool and streamlined, not an ounce of fat. The finish is juicy with superfine tannins still lurking about. -
2012 La Grande Colline Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (10/11/2019)
Keith’s note nails it (duh), but I’d go further and say that this goes over way over the line and into the abyss. I can grok “natural wine,” but this is so attenuated, shrill, and lacking in any semblance of fruit that there is little to recommend it. That and the gout-de-souris finish all but do it in. It’s a shame because Ooka seems so earnest (if you haven’t seen “Before It Begins” you really should), but the wine is just impossible. -
2014 Ghostwriter Syrah Santa Cruz Mountains - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (9/23/2019)
Another local wine store find - we really have great stores in Brooklyn. I have read about Hobo and Ghostwriter but have never had the pleasure of drinking either. This is fresh and authentic and quite like a Crozes-Hermitage - as BC below said. Nice wine, very well made. Lifted and savory and vraiment Syrah. There are some lovely sprightly bright fruits and potpourri and a decidedly citric edge. It finishes just a little short, but that’s a minor quibble. With air it becomes spicier, more encompassing and generous, a tiny sense of sugary red fruit. Nice work. -
1999 Domaine Gallet (Henri et Philippe) Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (7/29/2019)
Rich, brothy and smoky, this is in the zone. Decanted off its sediment, this was a powerhouse of smoky, funky, classic aged Cote-Rotie, with chewy, sinewy texture and an assortment of wild herbs and roasted meat notes. Kept cool, the wine was poised and focused and showed excellent vigor. As it warmed it became fuzzier and lost its focus a bit, but still packed a considerable punch. This is an umami bomb, wild but with a certain grace. I love it. -
1998 Domaine de Vallouit Côte-Rôtie Les Roziers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (7/29/2019)
Outstanding - just a beautiful wine. The nose is absolutely classic aged Northern Rhone perfume, with smoky, ashy scents mixed with resinous green needles, roast meat, and high-toned red fruit. The palate is lifted with a well-defined core of red fruit and wild forestal scents and aromas. High acid, high energy, but still a firm core of fruit that turns more tannic and grippy with air. Given the fruit profile this is at or just beyond peak and delivers pure, unadulterated, rustic Syrah pleasure. 100% in my wheelhouse. -
2015 François Merlin St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (7/17/2019)
Fine stuff, very dark, smoky and briny, long with a tart edge to the fruit and smoky game. Dense and richly textured, this needs a few years to uncoil but this is real St. Joseph.