Impressions from a tasting this weekend, all wines double decanted an hour of so in advance, so obviusly the latest wines had more air.
François Villard St. Joseph Mairlant 2010.
Pure fruit, some blackberries and leather. Fresh with good acids and a pleasant mouthfeel and dissolved tannins. Nice length, sweet-sour and slightly minerally, a little anonymous.
Chave St Joseph 2012.
More primary with hints of cherries in the fruit, some olives and cherries in the finish, acidic and fresh with good length, still firm. Some oak.
Gonon St Joseph 2015.
Still young, slightly closed on the nose with hints of blue plums. Nice concentration in the mouth, blackberry and pepper, fine Syrah typicity. Still yannic and needs more time.
Gilles Cornas (Chaillots) 2015.
Intense nose with olive and pepper. Delightful grip in the mouth, sweet and sour with great balance. Significant length, delicate finish with red fruit, plenty of structure but beautifully integrated, great wine.
Vincent Paris Granit 60 Cornas 2015.
A lot of structure here too, but a lighter style of winemaking, minerally, leather. Elegant and fresh, nice length and still noticeable tannins.
Balthazar Cornas Chaillots 2015.
Peppers and leather with undertones of cherry, appears less developed than the two previous ones. Somewhat unresolved with significant structure, has more to offer. Considerable potential.
Villard Cote-Rotie Le Gallet Blanc 2015.
Lovely fruit-driven nose. Tobacco, juicy, but lacks a bit of concentration and the taste doesn’t quite match the delicate nose.
Guigal Ch. d’Ampuis Côte-Rôtie 2015.
Great nose, complex, licorice, sweetish herbs, a hint of oak, vanilla and meat. Powerful and impressive wine with nice depth and length, but as often with Guigal, the wines seem “produced” with the aim of hitting a certain market segment.
Jean Luc Jamet Cote Rotie Terrasses 2015.
A pronounced counterpart here, very fruity with blackberries and a wonderful balance in the mouth. A lot of tannins but beautifully balanced. Light-footed and elegant with bacon and smoked meat. Brilliant wine.
Jamet Cote Rotie 2009.
Deep and sweet nose with strawberries and tobacco. Ripe tannins with excellent balance in the mouth. Sweet fruit, minerals, and meat/blood. Long. A strong candidate for tonight’s best wine.
Jamet Cote Rotie 2014.
Unfortunately, a complete opposite, unfocused with neutral fruit. Unfocused mouthfeel and does not seem to have structure for further development.
Clape Cornas 2009.
Cool fruit, herbs, powerful and meaty in the mouth. A bit of licorice and red fruit in the mouth, I’m having a bit of trouble figuring out this wine even though it is clearly good.
Allemand Cornas Reynard 2009.
Very complex wine with significant structure, floral with hints of dried fruits and exotic spices. Firm and supple in the mouth with an intense finish, firm, lovely and elegant. Yet another strong candidate for the best of the evening.
Allemand Cornas Chaillot 2009.
Somewhat darker with more red fruits than the Reynard. Fruit pits, cherries with significant grip in the mouth, fine balance, savory and sweet-sour. Also a great wine, but interesting how different these two are.
Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne 2007.
Another Guigal wine, see my previous comment. Huge, sweet, structured covered in sweetness and oak, spice and ripe fruit on the nose. This is indeed an extremely warm vintage in the Rhone and it is noticeable. Compact and impressive, but not my kind of wine.
