-
1998 Domaine de Vallouit Hermitage Cuvée Spéciale Les Greffières - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Hideously corked. (NR/flawed) -
1998 Domaine de Vallouit Côte-Rôtie Les Roziers - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Stunningly gorgeous, old-school syrah. This is perfumed but meaty with some brine notes throughout. The texture is silky and still shows a wisp of primary fruit though for the most part, you're getting more of a saline thing here. One of the standouts (for me) tonight in a field of some very heavy hitters. (95 points) -
2015 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
I think others were more down on this than I was. Certainly it's very ripe and almost a bit sweet (someone described it as Harlan-like). In the glass, this settles down a fair bit with air, but mostly this is a wine about the potential now rather than current enjoyability. Massively scaled with a slight leathery element and lots of black fruit. Obviously tons of young tannin. Best to tuck these away and let them rest; it seems quite unprofitable to open one now. (93 points) -
2008 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
In contrast to the 2015 which should not have been opened, the 2008 is showing quite mature, and for my palate, in a very good spot to drink now. Lots and lots of salinity, this feels thin and lacks the weight and concentration of the better vintages. Effectively resolved at this point, the tannins are present but silky. Some savoury tones on the finish. Not one that I think would have huge upside with further aging, but there's certainly no rush to open them now either -- I just don't think they're going to get appreciably better from where they are right now. (93 points) -
2008 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
You know it's a pretty good dinner when there's a third of a bottle of Allemand left at the end of it (and not because the bottle was messed up either). Red-fruited, light, and very lifted with typical Allemand perfumed aromatics. Very clean on both the nose and palate, though this veers a little more towards the acidity to the detriment of all the other good things in this wine. Modestly chewy tannins on the finish still. In a very good spot now, with limited upside. No rush, though. (93 points) -
2001 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Showing very nicely today even if the dirt this is from is not at the same level as most other wines at the table tonight. Red fruit and generally more light than more recent vintages of this wine, this is easily hanging on and likely still has some gas in the tank. A slight herbal note adds interest. (90 points) -
2001 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Absolutely fantastic bottle of Crozes-Hermitage that could easily play at the same level as, say Gonon. An intense, pure red-fruited nose that actually reminds me a bit of an outstanding 2001 Monprivato from last night. Concentrated and complex, this is surely Crozes at its best. A real treat to try some Graillot wines with this much bottle age. (93 points) -
1999 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
I really had trouble with this wine -- the nose was too bretty in a barnyard kind of way it was hard to get it to the palate. It certainly tastes better than it smells, but this bottle was triaged away in a night with so much wine. -
1999 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
Pretty awesome old school northern Rhone; somewhat reminiscent of the 1998 Vallouit Roziers tonight in the aromatics. The palate though shows a bit more freshness and primary fruit. Concentrated and tannic, this is easily the darkest of the Graillot wines tonight. (93 points) -
1979 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Very compelling secondary and nascent tertiary notes here, with a lovely herbal tone and some dried floral aromas. The nose isn't as perfumed and lifted as some of the younger wines, but there's definitely a lovely old wine perfume here. On the palate, this is rounded out with a lovely silky texture. For me, I think this would have been more interesting a few years ago, when there was still some more freshness. (93 points) -
1979 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Pretty clear that La Mouline was showing better of this little flight. The nose had a bit of volatility, and while the fruit was more present and primary here, the palate had started becoming a bit thin and showing a lot of high-toned notes. More interesting than good at this point, alas. (90 points) -
2005 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
I think it was a toss-up whether the group preferred this or the 2009 (I preferred the latter). However I'll readily admit that this wine improved significantly with air, becoming more intense and structural. The fruit is a pleasant mix of red and black, and definitely shows on the ripe side. A slight bit of spice (which was more obvious in the 2009) as well. (93 points) -
2009 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A phenomenally good bottle of Bénetière, at least for my palate. There's a concentrated intensity on the palate that makes me think of small, shot berries. Gorgeously aromatic black fruit, that's not over the top with regards to the ripeness at all. Intense and tannic with an entrancing spice note, this is a wine that has plenty of room for improvement with age. (95 points) -
1983 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Oxidized. (NR/flawed) -
2005 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
I actually thought this was the best of the Fonsalette syrah lineup, for better or worse. I really like the intensity of the black fruit here, but this wine lacks the saline component of a good northern Rhone; it drinks a little foursquare, if I'm being totally honest. Plenty of fruit here, but this lacks the lift and excitement that syrah can really bring out. (90 points) -
1996 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Corked. (NR/flawed) -
1995 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
This started off really smoky (as in cigarette ash) and I quipped that Bachelet probably made this wine. It really wasn't very good, with that herbal green note and the unpleasant smoky tones. Revisiting this in the glass with half an hour of air, this started to just show some mild pyrazines and the fruit really started to come out more prominently. (90 points) -
1994 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Probably not a correct showing of this wine, given the slight oxidative elements on the palate here. Surprisingly fruity despite those oxidative qualities; probably drinkable if you really tried, there just wasn't much of a point to that tonight. (NR/flawed) -
1985 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Most others at the table liked this much more than I did. For me, it was fine. It lacked plenty of the typical syrah qualities besides the fruit, which admittedly was clean and intense. The palate was similarly bulky in that way with large scaled fruit, but there was also a slight bit of earthiness that seemed to get in the way of the wine. (90 points) -
1983 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Kind of a dull, uninteresting wine. It ticks the right boxes and it's clearly correct, but lacking any excitement. Truth be told, the same could be said across the entire Fonsalette Syrah lineup -- the wines just don't taste enough like the northern Rhone. "But," the inevitable complaint begins, "this isn't from the northern Rhone." So what? With maybe a few Australian exceptions, if you can't make syrah like you do in the northern Rhone, why bother? (88 points) -
1996 Jean-Michel Sorrel Hermitage Vieilles Vignes le Vignon - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Somewhat light for an Hermitage, but plenty of red fruit here. This has lifted acidity and drinks in a very elegant, lighter style. Plenty of the expected Hermitage concentration here. Unequivocally a very old-school style of syrah that I really dig. (93 points) -
1998 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Oxidized. (NR/flawed) -
1995 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
What do people see in La Chapelle? This wine has been a chronic underperformer for decades, and this bottle no exception. Dull and lacking any perfume, this just feels like some dime-a-dozen "premium" red wine with a bunch of oak and tannin. As charmless as it comes. (85 points) -
1989 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Although the nose on this right after pouring it out of the bottle smelled so much like TCA I just couldn't get it out of my mind, I also concede that the musty notes did not become more prevalent with air, and in fact cleared up some. Others liked this bottle a lot more than I did; I just couldn't shake the slight TCA note here (whether or not it actually was TCA, we'll never know). The fruit is red and elegant, the tannins fully resolved. This would've been a killer bottle if not for that persistent doubt in the back of my mind. -
1989 Henschke Shiraz Hill of Grace - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Eden Valley
Would sir like a little syrah with his oak? This is probably one of the oakiest wines I've ever had (excepting all the ones that were incompetently made). I love the distinct American oak notes here, giving it lots of herbal qualities. The fruit is mostly secondary, showing more red than black, and there's a lot of acidity here to keep this wine lifted and bright. A very interesting wine, but I wish this actually had more weight on the palate. (93 points)
7 Likes
Fabulous line-up and great notes. Thanks.
FYI, Clape had some terrible corks in 83. I saw two bottles where the corks slipped in or out on the attempt to open them. So that might be why that was oxidized.
What a line up! I had the same thoughts on the 08 Jamet two years ago or so.
1 Like
Indeed, our bottle also had a shriveled cork and was showing significant ullage.
Super fun and extensive lineup. Love those old Vallouits - I drank through a couple of those 98 Roziers a few years ago, just kickin’ stuff.
1 Like
I just had a bottle of 91 Clape with a cork that was sliding away.
And a corked 99 magnum.
Frustrating.
This is the wine that pushed me from the wine drinker territory way into the wine enthusiast’s land about 16 years ago. I still have one bottle left, so I’m very glad to hear that is showing that well. Unfortunately, the Domaine got sold to Guigal in the early 2000s.
2 Likes
Yep, the Hermitage plots became part of Ex Voto. What a sad turn.
1 Like
It is a shame, indeed. The top Vallouit wines were wonderful, classic expressions of the Northern Rhone. The Hermitages of 1998 and 1999 are superb, too. I have a little bit of each.
2 Likes
Sadly I’ve had a lot of corked bottles of the 98 Greffieres Cuvee Speciale.
Inspiring thread, made me run out and source a case of the 1998 Vallouit Rosiers Cuvee Speciale for a keen price (if it’s anywhere near as good as your bottle).
Where did you find those bottles? The last time I bought them I found them in the Netherlands for about 60€ a piece, but that was about 9 years ago. I remember that they were also available in the UK.
The UK. All-in including VAT and duty was $74. It’s probably a good thing this is a one off arrangement, or I’d be backfilling left, right and center in Europe given the prices.
3 Likes
I understand that feeling… 
Bumping this thread.
So, inspired by this thread, I had the 98 Vallouit Roziers Cuvée Spéciale and what a unique wine. Resolutely old school, complex, effusively aromatic, sauvage, fully mature but vigorous, and in a style that is uniquely northern Rhone. I agree with Adrian’s score, this is a 95 pt wine for my palate.
What is it about old vine syrah grown in the northern Rhone that makes it so unique, so special? I think even pinot noir grown elsewhere has a better chance of tasting like burgundy than syrah does vinified outside of the northern Rhone.
Domaine de Vallouit is now gone (retired, sold, kaput) and back vintages are nearly impossible to find, so what else should I be looking for that can scratch the old school northern Rhone itch? Is it mainly Levet’s world at this point?
1 Like
I guess todays climate and higher alcohol makes old school wines largely a thing of the past - perhaps except for the 2021s - recently had a clape vins des amis with just 12%.
I love those old Vallouits and have a few in my cellar. I just opened a 1990 Cote-Rotie Cote Les Roziers with Adrian just over a week ago and it was fantastic.
For Cote-Rotie in a similar mold, Levet’s a good bet. I think Barge is pretty classic, and Gallet is as old school as it gets. I have been really impressed with Chambeyron-Manin’s recent vintages - these are dark and deep, very savory and muscular, beautiful really. Burgaud’s wines are underrated and have plenty of wildness with long aging. Eric Texier also makes a very fine and ageable Cote-Rotie that always shows lots of sauvage character.
3 Likes
Barge for the win!
1 Like
If you’ve tasted them, where would you put recent vintages of Champet compared to recent vintages of Levet, Barge, and Chambeyron-Manin for overall quality and old-school character?
1 Like
Champet’s a great addition - very classic and delicous wines. @Robert.A.Jr is a huge fan, and that’s good in my book. And the one bottle of Les Fils à Jo I have tried (2017) was a knockout.