Northern Rhone

Wines of the Northern Rhone
19 Oct 2009
Wine and Dine Society

This was another tasting with a great wine list organised by the wine and dine society.

1. Condrieu 1995 Domaine Guigal
Very strong apricot nose. Also floral and nutty aromas. Full bodied, this is a food wine. Med-low acid, good length and plenty of complexity and minerality on the palate. Not showing its age. Very good.

2. Crozes Hermitage 1982, Domaine Thalabert, Paul Jaboulet Aine
Very leathery and gamey. Very ripe red berries, surprisingly fruity for its age. Med body, high acid, med-high tannin. Fruity palate, chocolate finish. Very good, particularly since this was not a great year.

3. Crozes Hermitage 1983, Paul Jaboulet
Ripe fruit, some leathery notes. Roasted and sweet spice nose. Med body, high acid and med-high tannin. Fruity palate but with rustic tones also. Long but finish has grippy tannins. The wine will probably lose fruit before it loses the tannin. Very good now though.

4. 1983 Hermitage Domaine Pascal
Quite deep colour for the age. Black fruit, leather, cinnamon and something floral. Green pepper. All in all a pretty complex nose. Full bodied, especially considering the age. Good balance between tannin and acid. Long and complex palate. Excellent.

5. 1986 Cote Rotie, Les Jumelles, Domaine Paul Jaboulet
Slightly sweet smell. Ripe fruit but less complexity on the nose than the previous wine. Smoky, herbal nose. Medium body, too acidic - not enough fruit to balance it. Past its best. Good, but would have been better previously.

6. 1988 Cote Rotie, La Garde, Cuvee Reserve, Domaine A Devrieux Thaize
Sweet nose, cinnamon, leather, meat, herbs and red berries. Full bodied with ripe fruit on the palate. Tastes a lot younger than it smells. High acid, med-high tannin. This is a food wine but is also awesome on its own. It still tastes young. This is fabulous!

7. 1988 Hermitage La Chapelle, Domaine Paul Jaboulet
Very deep colour, looks as though it should be a 1998 rather than an 88. Licquorice on the nose. Also smells of champagne cellar. Grapey. Full bodied, high alcohol. Reminiscent of a young port. This is different to the other wines. I think that it still needs time(!) to come round. It may well turn out to be the highest quality wine here, but the previous wine is more enjoyable now.

8. Condrieux Doux, Domaine Georges Vernay
This is a very unusual wine - sweet condrieu. Pale gold colour. Nose is a little like a liqueur muscat. These are late-picked grapes with no noticeable botrytis character. It must just have been really hot that year with a long summer. The yeast dies at a lower alcohol level since natural viognier yeasts are weaker. This left approximately 3 degrees of potential alcohol as residual sugar. This is not sweet enough for a dessert. Unique, interesting and good!