After a long day of tasting young, tannic Biodynamic wines, it was nice to settle into a nice wine bar and crack open a bottle of aged Syrah with two friends.
-2004 Thierry Allemand “Chaillot”
Right off the bat, huge aromas of dark, brambly fruit filled the air, but on the palate the wine is tight and shy and hiding behind a veil of tannins. As it sat in the decanter, it began to fill out, dropping layers of clothing to reveal itself slowly, a lovely striptease of dark fruits, flowers, earth and hints of game. The aroma was lively yet dark, with a nervy, earthy backbone that swayed back and forth hesitantly, unsure of what to show us. But our patience was rewarded with a beautiful, vivacious structure that was both seductive and classy. Gorgeous, just gorgeous, a sizzlingly sexy wine that ended in a long, slow finish. God, why can’t more Syrah be like this?
Cheers!
I’d say it was the best Cornas I had to date, I’m usually always a bit bothered by the acidity being always a bit “on the side”, not totally integrated in the wine. But this time it was perfect. It’s still young but not at all “undrinkably young”, i.e. nothing overpowers the wine, the tannins are in check, etc. I enjoyed it a lot.
And as we mentioned on Sunday, we didn’t really talk about the wine at all apart from some “wow, it’s really good” comments, which means the company was great.
Some people have been a bit sniffy about Northern Rhone 2004s. My experience with them has generally been positive, especially with Cornas: they are ripe enough but still have good Cornas ruggedness. Thanks for reporting on this wine; I am glad you enjoyed it.
This wine definitely felt ripe enough, which is to say not overripe, which is maybe why some people didn’t like it. I like some acidity, well, in all my wines, but especially Northern Rhones, it really lifts up the wine. This one had all it needs, and the wild character that can be a bit tough at times in Cornas (at least for my palate) was there, but not overly so. I’m afraid the dreaded “perfectly balanced” designation fits this wine quite well!
Guillaume says it perfectly: the acidity was there in spades, really lifting the wine and giving it life. A real beauty, though truth be told I’m a fan of 04 in the Rhone. As you say, the ripeness is there, but so is the ruggedness of Cornas. Damn, I’m tempted to go back tonight and grab another bottle.
I have to say I’m not a big fan of Cornas - Côte Rotie appeals more to me. I’ve had numerous bottles of Clape and Allemand, young and old, and althouh I definitely thought they were good, not of them really prompted me to investigate the matter further - but that last one might have achieved just that.
Agree completely. And if you think the Chaillot is good, get ahold of the Reynard. Or the holy grail “Sans Souffre” bottling from that vintage. Here are my notes from those two, tasted in 2007:
2004 Allemand Cornas “Reynard”
Dark garnet, nearly opaque, deep dark black fruits, lavendar, granite, smoke, good acidity, quite tannic. Beautiful but bruising Syrah. 93
2004 Allemand Cornas “Sans Souffre”
Bacon and lavendar on the nose, Beautiful deep fruit, grilled meats, baking spices, smoother more integrated tannins, great acid/structure, med-long finish. Spectacular wine. 95
Thierry Allemand’s various Cornas offerings are very serious and certainly worth seeking out, but if you like classy, brushed up Cornas for a smaller fun-token outlay I can heartily recommend Jean Lionnet’s prestige cuvee: Domaine de Rochepertuis. I’ve necked a lot of the stuff. The 2004 was another delight; ripe enough but with a good, Cornas-y tannic structure. However, I feel this wine is Cornas for the lover of Cote-Rotie, it has a bit more refinement and is less spiky than some other examples. This gets me into trouble with my wine chums who say I should be preferring Clape or Verset. Much as I love those two producers, my tastes run a bit more toward Lionnet’s structured elegance and polished charm. They age well, too.
Sadly the lovely Jean Lionnet* retired after the 2005 vintage so this is the last we will see of his wonderful, and wonderfully affordable, wines.
Cheers,
David.
*He was a lovely chap. When the team went to visit him in Cornas we got there a bit early so sat on a vineyard wall by his property to sample some other wines we had with us. He noticed this and came to join us sitting on the wall, brandishing a bottle for us to taste blind. It was 1990 Domaine de Rochepertuis; a truly brilliant wine to start a tasting with. Since we guessed it right we went on to try many other great vintages plucked from his cellar.
Shame to hear the Rochepertuis isn’t made anymore. I thoroughly enjoyed a few bottles of the 2000. Elegant for a Cornas and a wonderful value at $20-ish a couple of years ago.
Quite a shame, isn’t it? I felt I was onto such a good thing when I discovered Rochepertuis; not only a classy, refined Cornas but such a bargain. I can get the lovely 04 retail for £19 (~$30), a price point that beats the buttocks of most flash Rhones I own. I think if any lover of Syrah sees a bottle of any vintage on a shop shelf it would be well worth the risk.
Just want to chime in and say that I completely agree with the extraordinary quality consistently found in the Allemand wines, especially the Sans Souffre. Of the three I’ve been lucky enough to try, two were remarkable but one was funked out (perhaps b/c of the lack of sulfur?). Love the Reynard and the Chaillot, love the ‘off vintage’ Allemands, love Cornas in general. While the prices have crept up, Cornas is still a source of value and interest for me.
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