TN: Mostly No. Rhones

WINE TALK
1

We went to dinner last night at Denis & Tiffany’s home–yet another great meal with Denis at the helm. There were only 5 of us, but we managed to taste some pretty, pretty, pretty good stuff. I didn’t take notes, but here’s my impressions. In general, it was a contrast of what I liked now vs. what I think will improve down the road:

  1. White Hermitage. The first flight was the 2000 Chave Hermitage (white) and the 2004 Chapoutier Chante Alouette. I’m not usually a huge fan of white Hermitage, so my expectations were modest. These two wines, though, were excellent and even better with the lobster bisque. The 2000 Chave Hermitage was a little mute on the nose due to the chill, but then emerged and was brilliant and round. The 2004 Chapoutier was heavier, more acidic, and more noticeably oaky. I liked the Chave best by itself–it’s in a good place now–but the Chapoutier’s acidity paired best with the bisque.

  2. Red Hermitage. A fun contrast of the 1997 Tardieu-Laurent Cote-Rotie, the 99 TL Cote-Rotie, and the 2000 Chave Hermitage Rouge. Right out of the gate, the 97 TL was rocking, with beautiful leathery, meaty notes throughout. The 99 was like the 97 but dialed up a few notches both in terms of oak, acidity, and esp. tannins. The 2000 Chave Hermitage was a bit overwhelmed by the TL’s–it’s a softer, more subtle, more “Burgundian” style. It’s also the most in need of cellar time.

By itself, I preferred the 97 TL. With the mushroom and steak tartare course, I also preferred the 97 TL. But then with the braised beef course, the 99 TL was actually the better pairing due to the higher acidity and tannins. I didn’t have much of a preference between them with the cheese course. Overall, I love the 97 TL now, but the 99 TL may surpass it with 3-5 more years in the cellar. Lovely Cote-Roties that don’t get enough attention.

  1. White Dessert Loires.

We moved to a different region for the dessert course, which was mango and sticky rice. Denis and I decided to go with the Baumard Quarts de Chaume, and I think the tropical quality of that wine was an excellent match with the dessert. We compared two half bottles–the 1996 and 1997 Baumard QdC. The 97 is softer, rounder, and more approachable; the 96 is larger-scale, with both more sweetness and more acidity. The 96 can still age for 5+ additional years; the 97 is near maturity for my preferences.

It was a great evening with fantastic food, lovely wines (not a stinker in the bunch), and great company. A lot of laughs, although I think perhaps not worthy of a PG-13 rating. Thanks again to Denis & Tiffany for hosting a fine, fine dinner, and to Al and Hope for the stories.

Bruce

2

What a gorgeous list of wines.

My wife recently tasted a TL White Herm and decided we needed to seek out more northern Rhone whites. I’ve only had a few and, to generalize, have found either expressive, long wines – or over-oaked banalities.

Would you mind adding a little more detail about the Chave WH? How was the oak? And, as I put together my plan for holiday buying for my wife, any ideas on non-Condrieu northern Rhone white?

Cheers and thanks, Bruce.

3

Thanks for the notes Bruce. I’m surprised you liked the TLs so much. This one-size-fits-all approach to dipping all their wines in 100% new oak always made me shy away from them. To me, way too much make-up.

4

Bruce; Very sorry we missed this dinner. [swearing.gif] …it sounds like Denis did a heckuva job! I promised Al a nice Condrieu so I still owe it to him and the group.


Cheers!
Marshall [wink.gif]

5

Evan–The 2000 Chave White Hermitage was not noticeably oaky. I think Chave does REALLY well with both its white and red Hermitages, but they can be a bit spendy. I can think of a lot of other white wines from other wine regions that I would enjoy as much as a Chave Hermitage but for a lot less coin. But that’s just me.

Peter–I know what you mean about the TL Cote-Roties, but the 97 was a beautiful wine–everyone like it from the get-go. The 99 certainly was noticeably more oaky, but it also had more of everything. I think if it’s buries in the cellar for several more years, the oak may integrate well. It’s certainly not a Jamet Cote-Rotie, though.

Marshall–You and Diana were very much missed; I hope your puppy is OK! Even though there were only 5 of us, the volume level suggested a larger crowd…[g]

Bruce