Back by popular demand.
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2016 Domaine Lionnet Cornas Terre Brûlée - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (5/28/2021)
Really good Cornas. A bit reduced at first, it opens wide with a deep, dark, smoky berry nose laced with peppery herbs and resounds on a clay-like mineral note. Delicious, juicy and pure on the attack, the dark Syrah fruit fans out on a thin tannic scrim with sneaky grip, just a classic expression. There’s real old-vine depth character here. -
1999 Domaine Barge Côte-Rôtie Cuvée du Plessy - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (5/26/2021)
Another freaking great bottle. Enjoyed at Wu’s Wonton King with a bunch of geeks and a LOT of champagne, I think this got a little bit lost in the shuffle. But the fellas (and it was all fellas, what’s up with that?) nearest me seemed to concur that it was great. -
1991 Domaine de Gachon St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (5/16/2021)
DOA. A sentimental favorite from a long-defunct domaine. -
2017 François Merlin Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (4/29/2021)
I’ve liked Merlin’s St.-Joseph and was pretty thrilled to find a four-pack of this Côte-Rôtie on winebid. How quickly things can turn to disappointment. This comes across as stolid, blocky, and far from charming, with a heavy scorched/roasted character and a bitter finish. Not sure what cellaring will reward here, but who knows? -
2017 Jerome Despesse Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (4/25/2021)
It’s too bad there’s so little of Despesse’s wines because they really are great. This is old-vine stuff (1940s/1950s) and it walks the walk. This vintage is aces - big dusty nose with classic Cornas gravelly red/blue fruit, stemmy wildness, effusive violet florals, hints of musky game. The palate follows, medium-bodied, brisk and fresh with great drive and grip, salty brine-infused fruit, dry saline and powdery finish; unmistakably Cornas. -
2011 Domaine Monier Perréol St. Joseph Laliefine - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph(4/22/2021)
I had read about this curious wine some time ago and managed to find a few bottles at auction; it is not normally imported. The wine is made up of the dregs of all the other St.-Joseph wines that Monier-Perreol makes. Kermit Lynch’s website says: “Saint Joseph ‘Laliefine’ is made from the concentrated juice that’s been resting on the lees from each barrel. This cuvée has the most intense contact with the lees of all the wines. The wine is decanted off the lees and is aged for 3 months before bottling.”
I don’t believe that one is expected to age this wine for ten years, but it shows well. Classic olives and smoky nose, clearly aged and with a richness and ripeness that is perhaps unusual for St.-Joseph. On the palate the fruit is receding but this is still a nice drop. My curiosity satisfied, I don’t think I’ll go scouring the interwebs for more. -
1994 Marie-Claude Lafoy et Vincent Gasse Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (4/10/2021)
Auction lot, second bottle of four. Now this has that Barton Fink feeling! This did that old-wine trick of pouring out rather brown but freshening toward red as it sat in the glass. Really good nose, lifted, very tart red fruits, citrus, smoky coffee, savory airs of charcuterie, soy sauce, earthy radishes. Light-bodied, plenty of acid. On the attack the fruit is largely dried up, but the wine is broad across the palate with receding dried red fruits, old leather, smoky black tea, a brewed character overall; umami bomb. Pungent! This kept getting stronger over the course of several hours and its aroma carried across the room. I am really pleased with this showing and it totally validates the buy. -
2014 Louis Sozet Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (4/4/2021)
This really is unique - what a strange and beguiling wine. According to Livingston-Learmonth, only 400 bottles of this vintage were produced. The nose is much as Rollerball states - tiny little ripe cherries, dry herbs, a sense of roasted something, light touch of soy sauce, faint notes of amaretto, and something like toasted straw. The body is light - very light for Cornas - and the wine is fresh and delicate. The wine runs freely and flavors come across as savory herbed meat and soft, delicate, mulled cherries, among other elements that escape description. With air Syrah’s briny edge becomes more apparent. Everything is wild and unexpected; I suppose it has to be Cornas, but this breaks the mold, is sui generis. It’s so out of character for the appellation that I’m not sure this is an instant favorite, but it’s truly its own thing. I am grateful for the experience and look forward to tasting the other vintages of this that I managed to buy.
