Does anyone know how Maison Stephan’s wines age? I’m unsure how much long term faith to out into these natural wines.
I’ll be tasting some of their current/recent releases in a couple of weeks and I’ll report back on those.
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I had '05 Coteaux de Tupin couple of months ago, which showed well. More on the lighter side, but definitely wouldn’t say it had thinned out. Really enjoyed it so I am optimistic about the ageability at least for his top cuvees.
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I had some 06 that was drinking well. But that said then I think the wines was made slightly differently back then. I think the Jury is still out on wine made in theblast decade. But I would expect them to age well. Oldest I have in the cellar are some 2015’s.
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@LasseK Curious, how did his style change? '05 was the oldest I had and except for the lower alcohol, I thought the overall style was pretty similar.
Pretty sure the SO2 approach along with carbonic experiments/approaches has changed since then.
I know he brought his son on somewhat recently (when they changed the name of the domaine). I’ll ask if they’ve changed anything up since then.
The vieilles vignes ages spotlessly - '96 and '98 last year were increadible. The regular cuvee is a more mixed experience - I have some faith the barnyard of the middle age of e.g. the 09 and 10 will subside with some more years - but who knows…
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Vinous’ Rhone report just came out and Nicolas Greinacher is NOT a fan on the '21 reds. I’m interested to see if I also think they are so disappointing.
'21 has been labled as one of the worst vintages. That being said, as I enjoy leaner less ripe reds, I actually may prefer the style.
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I just got a mixed sixer of Rousset’s 2021s (Crozes, St Joseph). Will report back once they’ve had a chance to sit a week or so.
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Oops, saw the topic was '21-'22, oh well…
We tasted the 2020 Stephane Ogier Cote-Rotie lieu-dit at the vineyard last year and they were amazing. No surprise there’s a hundo and 98-99s. Hands down the most amazing tasting we’ve ever had.
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I just had the 2021 Clape Vin des Amis. On pop and pour, it had a great savory and complex nose, but not a ton going on on the plate, although it was very drinkable. I liked it a lot and scored it 90 points, although I think it got fruitier and less savory with air (and lost its slight tartness), so I liked it less as time went on. I didnt like it as much as usual, wouldn’t try to age it, and probably wouldnt buy much for $55+, although I’d be happy to drink more.
I’ll try to give my thoughts on the rest of the range when after I visit soon. Hopefully, they’re also pouring some 22s.
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After visiting N. Rhone and tasting a decent amount of wine, in 2021, I think great producers made great wine at their highest level cuvees (maybe not as much at the IGP and CdR level). At times, 2021s are a just a bit leaner, but I don’t think Clape Cornas, Gonon St. Joseph, Roastaing Ampodium, or Maison Stephan 2021s are weak or lacking.
I didn’t taste as many 2022s, and some of the ones I did taste were just bottled or still in barrel, but while they didn’t seem great across the board, the 2022s from great producers were great and seemed a bit more similar to recent vintages than 2021s did.
I thought the 2022 Condreius from Vernay were great. They didn’t come off as rich or alcoholic to me (though had good body). They were full of minerality and nice acidity. However, the 2021 Vernon stole the show there.
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Thanks for the observations! Glad to hear Maison Stephan showed well.
Has anyone tried or heard much on the ‘21 Gangloff? It seems the Serene was wiped out with the frosts
JLL says that in 2021 Gangloff elected to make just one wine, the Barbarine, from the grapes that go into it and the La Sereine Noire. He also gave the 2021 Barbarine a * * * * (*) rating. Also, in his vintage report for 2021 Côte-Rôtie, JLL wrote:
Y GANGLOFF: “WE USED TO CHAPTALISE IN THE 1990s, AS WELL”
YVES GANGLOFF felt the harvest was on the edge of a precipice towards the end: “I harvested Côte-Rôtie all at once – I reckoned one more rainfall would eliminate it. The degree ran between 11° and 12.2°; it’s worth remembering that in the 1990s there wasn’t a year that wasn’t chaptalised. I lost 30% of my Côte-Rôtie. My Tupin vineyard, usually 25-30 hl/ha, was completely frosted, and gave just 10 hl/ha. I hardly had to discard any grapes at harvest time, just the last St Joseph crop needed a bit of sorting.”
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They are out, I got mine in March, Barbarine and St Joseph rouge. Tightly allocated, certainly has to do with small harvest, but overall it got trickier (and pricier) to get any. I will open a St Joseph sometime soon. The recent vintages were surprisingly open and drinking well young, unlike the predecessors.
I liked the '21 Gonon Iles Feray last week. Based off of that, picked up some '21 Gonon St. Joseph.
- 2021 Pierre Gonon Ardèche Les Iles Feray - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Ardèche (4/27/2024)
Feels open-knit and generous right now. Loads of bright, bramby fruit on the nose with floral aromatics. Fruit feels brighter and redder than the ‘20s and ‘19s, a little less mineral and concentrated than the St. Josephs, but very pure, very elegant, and zippy acidity. Delicious.
Posted from CellarTracker
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Had ‘21 Iles Feray and St.J last week. Preferred the
Iles Feray. More Bacon fat and olive. St. J was lighter and more mineral and fruity.
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I liked the '21 St. Joseph more than the '22 Iles Feray I had next to it, but I think the St. Jo needs time to really strut its stuff and reach its potential. I thought the '21 had a similar flavor profile to the '22 and '23 barrel sample (i.e., purple [give or take] fruit, violet, and olive), but the '21 was a bit more elegant.
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