Pretty big brush we’re painting with here. Cote Rotie, Cornas, St. Joseph, Hermitage all should taste different. Some may appeal, some may not. There are good, typical wines in all appellations and there are some that taste pretty generic to Northern Rhone or even some that taste less of terroir and more of Syrah of unknown origin.
The initial post seems to call out several wines that I’d characterize as somewhat generic…Offerus, Jamet CdR, some Cuilleron.
Not sure that aligns with some of the Cornas recommendations. I love typical Cornas but to me it tastes nothing like what’s listed. For me, that’s a good thing but if the OP is looking for Offerus type wines, maybe something from a negociant like Delas or St. Cosme would be more in alignment? La Rosine is a good call.
Generally in the price range, I’d usually suggest Eric Texier’s wines but European availability may not be as good, and also they don’t seem to fit the profile.
Frankly, with the offered suggestions, I might also look into German Syrah or Swiss, as I find those to be good wines without the intense terroir that you get from many Cornas or certain traditional Cote Rotie producers.
@mlawton Mike which producers do you think make N. Rhône Syrah that is especially evocative of Cornas, Hermitage, Cote Rotie and St. Joseph? Specific bottlings?
I have a hard time separating the top producers from their terroir. E.g. for me, Hermitage = Chave, Cornas = Allemand, Cote Rotie = Jamet. St. Joseph I’m less sure about (Gonon? Chave?). I do enjoy other producers from these villages, but (unfairly or otherwise) end up measuring them against the yardstick of these big names. This is even less fair if $50 is your max. No clue how to find the prototypical at these price points.
Not a Mike, but I think Clape is more archetype Cornas than Allemand. At least the early vintages where I cut my teeth, had that backward, brooding, dark presence. Allemand is a better wine, though. I agree with Chave and Jamet. St Joe to me is Gonon, IMHO, the best producer there.
Here’s my thoughts by appelation (but not respecting the $$ limit because that may be an unresolvable challenge):
Cornas - Clape. I love Allemand but it has a bit more of Allemand’s touch to it. Visited both cellars, and you can see why. Verset would be the archetype but NLA. There’s a lot of good new wines but Clape screams Cornas to me.
St. Joseph - Such a big appellation (N/S) that there are some individual styles across the area. I like Dard & Ribo, I like Gonon although pricing has gotten insane. I really liked A La Tache for typicity but I think they are no longer. There are quite a number of smaller producers who make authentic wines here.
Hermitage - Chave is different (I always find a wintergreen note that I don’t find in any other Hermitage) and I think the extraction and oak treatment has changed through the generations. It’s no longer to my taste, unfortunately. I do like Faurie and I think the various bottlings reflect the terroir well.
Cote Rotie - the archetype here for me is Jamet (pre-split). I haven’t had enough post-split wines to make a judgement. Barge also has been very authentic. There are certainly a number of other great producers making delicious wines - Stephan, Jasmin, Benetiere (no recent experience), Pichon, Levet and several more. Not a fan off Clusel-Roch, Rostaing or Gangloff (for different reasons) and old label (Michel’s) Ogier is probably a peer of Jamet for me, but unfortunately Stephane’s wines are not my bag although La Rosine used to be a great value bottle - not sure what it’s going for now?
Crozes-Hermitage: Graillott- needs 10 years
Saint Joseph: Monier Perreol- needs 7 years
Cote Rotie: Henri Gallet- starts getting good in 5 years, really should wait 10 years
Cornas: Paris Granit 30 or Gilles Les Peyrouses or Bourg
there is so much great wine out there for cheap, just gotta go find it especially if you’re in Europe
I was particularly impressed with their Brezeme and Gamay. Your sons said their vineyard was further down the hill from your Brezeme. I’d think you’d find a few folks on this message board that would benefit from a new thread about the wines your sons are making.
Thanks for the responses, guys. Lot of good info. I will be getting hold of some of the recommendations, both for tasting and aging. I am still so new and inexperienced that I really need to try more examples to get to know the various appellations, also some of the benchmark bottlings outisde of this price range.
Thanks. I will try to steer away from Saint-Joseph in 2021.
What about, say, Cote Rotie? Are they worth going after in the 2021 vintage, or still better to prioritize other vintages? I can get a pretty good deal on Barge’s Les Cotes 2021, which seems to be a well-liked producer in here.
