LEGENDARY NORTHERN RHONE LINE-UP - (26/12/2025)
A wonderful line-up that served as a reminder of how the very best of the northern Rhone can match Burgundy for class and nuance. The top producers can truly deliver the same level of refinement and silky finesse, and all the wines showed the iron fist in velvet glove quality that I always love. Top wine was Chave (perhaps unsurprisingly) but a special experience to have tasted some other bucket list producers. Perhaps a surprising fact about myself is that northern Rhone was my first love after my homestay in a restaurant in a tiny village near Lyon nearly ten years ago (but the same family opened my epiphany Burgundy on my last night), so I find it a pity that not as many people in Singapore enjoy northern Rhone compared to Europe or the US.
- 2004 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut Rosé - France, Champagne
My extra. More forward on the nose and the palate than my previous bottle a couple of months ago which was more elegant and restrained. Fresh raspberry with some grapefruit notes, alcohol was barely perceptible with more noticeable sweetness. More hedonistic and less contemplative than my previous bottle, but just as pleasurable. (95 pts.) - 1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, RhĂ´ne, Northern RhĂ´ne, Hermitage
My contribution. Opened four hours before dinner, was initially worried that the colour showed a tired red, and the palate only had astringent sour cherry fruit. Thankfully with most well-kept older wines, it simply needed time to settle. By the start of dinner it was already offering glimpses of its potential; a typically glorious Chave nose of smoked meat with a hint of five spice that could easily have been mistaken for top Burgundy, though the palate still lacked a little depth. As dinner progressed, the colour brightened into a more vibrant red and the palate gained both silkiness and weight. Six hours post-opening, the wine had become incredibly complete; caressing and vivid with a perfect equilibrium between power and finesse. Texturally flawless with haunting depth. The best Chave I’ve ever tasted, and that is saying something. (97 pts.) - 2005 Raymond Trollat St. Joseph - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
One of my bucket list wines and thankful to have tried this. Clearly the youngest of the lot with slightly confected red fruit and some vanilla (even I know there was probably no new oak), but with good lift from the obvious stem inclusion. Palate was both powerful and silky but with some unresolved tannins, an incredible concentration of dark red fruit similar to the '10 Gonon VV earlier this year. Needs a lot more time but a monumental wine. (94 pts.) - 1998 Noël Verset Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Same situation as the last bottle, the cork taint was intermittent but eventually fully reared its ugly head. Showed a beautiful, satiny texture at first though which wasn’t present in the previous bottle. Shame but we suspected that this might be TCA from the barrel rather than the cork given the unusual way it presented. NR (flawed) - 1998 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A textbook Jamet nose of olives and savoury bacon. Where Chave can sometimes be mistaken for a great Burgundy, Jamet is unmistakably northern Rhone with just the right measure of wildness. Also an iron fist in a velvet glove albeit in a very different expression. Consistent with my past experiences of this impressive cuvee, but the intensity and depth were taken up a notch. Still a little youthful next to the ’80s wines we had today, but no doubt Jamet belongs squarely among the Rhone legends in this line-up. (96 pts.) - 1983 Gentaz-Dervieux Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Réservée Côte Brune - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A generous backup from Corry for the corked Verset and my first Gentaz. On the first pour I was ready to give it 100 points, the nose was extraordinarily floral and vivid, laced with seductive mocha. Palate was both sensual and ethereal with the weightlessness that I adore in wines. Unfortunately from the second glass the fruit began to fade and the tannins turned more astringent. Some barnyard funk crept in and eventually I don’t think it was a completely clean bottle. But boy the initial glass was wine pinnacle for me. - 1985 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
A generous extra opened by Corry. Initially guessed ’99 Chambolle, because of the sweet red fruit and shockingly youthful palate but Dibbs was right that Musigny can resemble northern Rhone in character. A little reserved at first with a muted nose and palate was slightly lacking in depth, but unfurled beautifully with a mixture of red and blue fruit and a lovely silky texture. Beautifully balanced and undoubtedly showed its GC stature despite being from one of the producers that I don’t seek out. (95 pts.)
