Belated notes from a short visit to northern Rhone back in October, 2007. Had to be in Lausanne for most of a week, then Oxford the following week, so Thursday afternoon headed over to Ampuis and environs for Fri/Sat/Sun. Lowlight of the trip: returning the rental car at the train station in Lyon. No sign of Hertz anywhere, ended up missing my TGV/Eurostar, but made a later train. Didn’t dampen the otherwise wonderful experience overall. The vineyards in Switzerland along the banks of the Lake of Geneva were beautiful, I need to learn more about Swiss wine.
Following the advice of Everett Bandman, I stayed in a very pleasant little chambre d’hôte in the vineyards above Condrieu. Plain, but pleasant room, but for 35 euros/night it was great, and maybe the best apricot jam I have ever had, made from fruit on the property.
Chave
Friday morning was bright, cool and clear for the 30 mile drive south to Mauves, just a mile or so down river from Tain l’Hermitage. I was lucky enough to have a well-connected winegrower make an appointment for me at Chave, where I spent time tasting with Jean-Louis, and two sommeliers from three star restaurant Meurice in Paris. First up were the Hermitage Blanc wines, 2006 which had been blended into tank, and some bottled wines:
2006 Hermitage Blanc barrels, from tank in preparation for blending, 80/20 Marsanne/Roussanne, several different lots, all showing crisp, spicy fruit, the older bottled wines demonstrate what this will ultimately develop into.
2005 Hermitage Blanc - great balance, showing more complexity, similar flavor profile to the 06 tanks, but a more complete wine with another year behind it, and some of the rough edges gone.
2000 Hermitage Blanc - smoother, some honey, white flowers, still a young wine but fully knit together.
1991 Hermitage Blanc - more oily, truffles (though this fades a bit with air), more wax, smooth, round, great spice, pepper, orange rind, no sign of oxidation, beautifully developed, with clear similarity to the younger wines, but so much more. A real lesson in holding on to the Hermitage Blanc to let it develop fully.
2006 Hermitage Rouge barrels - a variety of samples from Chave’s various plots on Hermitage hill.
Peleat - huge nose, smoke, deep red fruits, smoke, tar, medium tannin/acid
Les Beaumes - similar, less smoke, bit more fruit, spice
Moctin (sp?) - part of L’Hermite, granite soil, deep raspberry/strawberry, less smoke
Le Meal - more mineral and tannin
Bessards - J-L says this is the core of Hermitage, more fruit dominated, still tannic, mineral, truffles, mushrooms, as all the samples display
2005 Hermitage Rouge (from bottle)
More smoke and truffles, dark red fruit, strong tannins, but fine, not chalky, not mouth gripping, some signs of alcohol, spice, oozes dark red raspberry fruit, but very reserved, roasted mushroom, superb wine, but frenetically young.
1978 Hermitage Rouge (opened earlier in the morning)
An explosion of truffles on the nose, some strong smoke in the background, color is still medium dark ruby/garnet (though a little hard to tell in the dim cellar light), medium red fruits, very truffly, savory, smoky, some bottle sweetness, acidity there but not tart, easy to see the Chave lineage/terroir. A fabulous bottle, an even more fabulous experience.
Not sure how much better it can get for a wine geek than to be drinking '78 Chave Hermitage in the cellar with Jean-Louis 
Driving back to the north along the D86 gave me some time to reflect. There is a certain beauty to the area, of course, but this part of the Rhone is not your classically romantic wine growing region, with wide expanses of flowing vineyards and unsullied natural beauty. The river is a thoroughfare of ships and barges, dotted with nuclear power plants, overhead wires lining the roads, a mix of ancient villages and drab industrial outcroppings. Even the vineyards are somewhat lacking in natural beauty, littered with giant signs marking the various plots, like gold miners staking their claims - more a testament to the industrious fortitude of those who terraced the hillsides and planted the vines long ago. If it weren’t for the wine, and the people who grow and make the wine, there might not be much to draw anyone to this region. But then I turned west into the hills, and finally on to the narrow cobblestone street winding through the ancient medieval village of Malleval, a glimpse into a centuries-past world, interrupted only by the odd television antenna.
Pierre Gaillard
Out the back side of Malleval, up the hill another mile or so to the top of the plateau, arriving at the home and winery of Pierre Gaillard. If Chave is at one end of the spectrum, with an old subterranean cellar, lined with dust, cobwebs, and mold, Gaillard is the epitome of modern: an above ground, spotless, purpose-built barrel room. Unfortunately Pierre was not in town, and his wife was delayed in Paris, but I was kindly hosted by their daughter Jana.
2006 Rozier, all new oak (same as Rose Pourpre) no notes
2006 Cornas - excellent, 50/50 new/1yr
2005 La Brosse - deep reserved fruit, some wood
2005 Rose Pourpre - deeper, more intense fruit, more richness, but still tight, noticeable oak, but the fruit at this young age does manage to hold its own. Unfortunately, from past experience I know that won’t remain the case. The somewhat sad thing here is that the wines have become more “modern,” with a lot more new oak being used. Most of the wine we get on the west coast, imported by North Berkeley, is 100% new oak, which changes the fruit dramatically. NBI is not doing us any favors by coercing Gaillard into making these wines, and I refuse to buy them.
Had a short appt with Jean-Michele Gerin at his winery/tasting room, but only got to try one wine
05 Champin le Seigneur- 10% Viognier, fairly bright flavors, good, not special.
Ogier
Saturday morning was an anticipated appointment with Stephane Ogier at the family winery compound in Ampuis. We were joined by a very nice French Canadian couple who have been visiting every year for many years, and their friend, whom they introduced to me as Josette Jasmin (and I thought was another Canadian friend, silly me). Not until some way through the morning tasting did I realize Josette is the matriarch of the Jasmin family and Cote Rotie producer.
All 2006 barrel samples
Rosine - lighter, burgundian weight
Cote Rotie Rozier - med body, nice cherry/raspberry, good acid
Leyat (pronounced “leah”) - more tannic/mineral; 2nd Leyat barrel more delicate, less stone
Champon - bright cherry, some tartness
Cote Rotie blend: beautiful finesse, complex, medium acid, very burgundian
Lancemont - darker, more voluptuous, big, lower acid (but still med acidity), beautiful wine
Belle Helene - deep raspberry/strawberry, moderate/medium acid, some tannins, very fine, complex
2005 Rosine (bottle, open from previous day) - beautiful darker flavors, moderate acid, excellent
2005 Cote Rotie (from tank, bottling in 2 weeks) - darker, medium body, moderate acid, more depth than Rosine, some fine tannins, beautiful wine
2005 Lancemont barrel - darker, moderate acidity, dark red flavors, deeper than 06
2005 Belle Helene - also darker than 06, more dark cherry than Lancemont, higher acid and tannins, probably the better ager than Lancemont.
2007 tank samples
Rosine - dark!! bit sweet, more black fruits
Cote Rotie Leyat - huge, dark, tannic
Lancemont - dark, deep, blackberry fruit, grilled meat juices, fantastic
Champon - sweeter, riper, less tannic,
At the end of the visit, it came up that the Canadian couple were guests at the Jasmin residence, where they were going to taste through barrel samples the next morning. I was asked if I was free to join them, which I attributed to my not inconsiderable charm, and obvious expertise in all areas of wine 
(translation: I managed to avoid spitting on anyone’s shoes during 2 hours of barrel tasting). I was thrilled to reach “Mauss Act 2”
Saturday afternoon was a visit to the Chapoutier tasting room in Tain-l’Hermitage, the Valhrona chocolate tasting room a few blocks away, and driving up to the top of Hermitage Hill, walking through the vineyards. Chapoutier was fine, but more typical of a large, commercial tasting room. Poured a series of lesser wines, though after a few more detailed questions I think the pourer felt some sympathy and ended with a taste of 05 Hermitage Pavillon. Nice wine, but really not at the level of the Chave.
Jasmin
With Patrick Jasmin, who speaks little english, but my Canadian couple friends were happy to translate.
typical year is 5% viognier
when patrick has seen landslides on the slope, there are roots going down as much as 8 meters.
acidity comes from plots in Tupin (south end of cote Rotie)
vines: maximum 3 spurs, 2-3 canes/spur, 2 clusters max, 3-4 clusters/spur, tied up in May
2006 barrel, mostly blended. Two bottling runs, all blended in tank, then half bottled, half back to barrel 4-5 months, May and Sept bottling. pretty austere, medium acid.
2004 - cranberry, tart cherry, similar to 06
2005 - bir more fruit, still reserved, tart cherry, moderate/medium acid
2003 somewhat richer, slightly less tart, still clearly Jasmin style, not obviously 03.
98 (just opened) starts with truffles, old leather, decent fruit, medium acid, some bottle sweetness
2007 tank sample - huge, dark, not sweet, still big acid, iodine, fabulous, will be interesting to see how it ultimately tastes from the bottle.
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