MNSC Rhone Trip Day 4: Roger Sabon

Visit to Domaine Roger Sabon in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where we were received by Didier Négron, the winemaker who is also Jean-Jacques Sabon's son-in-law.

2009 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Renaissance – fresh, floral, a little ripe, mineral, a little sweet, kinda alcoholic. Medium length on the palate.

2010 Roger Sabon Le Sabounet - animal, herbs and spices. Flat on palate.

2010 Rhône by Roger Sabon – more intense, spicy, animal, a little rubber, pungent.

2010 Roger Sabon Lirac Chapelle de Maillac – fruity, smoked meat, mint. Light on the palate.

2010 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Olivets – sulfur, rubber, dried herbs. Fairly smooth with a long finish.

2010 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réserve – no Cinsault in this blend. Sweeter, riper fruit, mint and forest. Bigger tannins.

2010 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige, from foudre – bigger, more structure with tannins. Minty.

2010 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige, from oak tank – fresher fruit, riper and sweeter.

2010 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape, potentially Le Secret des Sabon – From vines that are 80-90 years old. Bigger nose, more sulfur, minty, sweeter fruit with forest notes.

2001 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige – ripe and a little stewed fruit, some leather, alcoholic. Big body with plenty of tannins still. Opened up nicely in glass after a few minutes.

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 3: RC, Montrachet, Cathelin

Dinner at Pic in Valence.

2000 Leflaive Montrachet – big, explosive nose, toasty, minerals, lemon, ripe and sweet on nose without being over ripe. A long finish, with acidity slightly on the high side.

1996 DRC Romanée-Conti – my first experience in drinking an RC, even though I first bought some over 10 years ago.  Floral, elegant, feminine, a bit smoky and a little sharp on the nose. Then it turned a bit animal, meaty, a little soy sauce and savory, which was more masculine…

1990 Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin – very lovely and beautiful, very ripe fruit, leather, grilled meats, still a little alcoholic, slightly cooked prunes. An amazing wine!

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 3: Ogier

Visited Ogier and we were received by Stephane Ogier. Very obviously different from the other two proprietors we visited earlier in the day… just by feeling the very rough texture of his palms.

2010 Ogier Le Temps Est Venu – fresh, fruity, herbs, straight forward.

2010 Ogier La Rosine – more open, opulent, with bacon fat, leather, floral, exotic spices like nutmeg. Planted on granite and de-stemmed.

2010 Ogier L’Âme Sœur – a bit more pungent, smoky.

2010 Ogier Côte-Rôtie, pre-blend – floral and beautiful, with mint and spices.

2010 Ogier Côte-Rôtie, from Champin - mineral, flint, peppery. Nice acidity with good tannin structure.

2010 Ogier Côte-Rôtie, from Rozier - this is fruit that goes into La Belle Hélène, with 50% stems. Floral, minty, potpourri, and more open than Champans.

2009 Ogier La Rosine – grilled meat, dried herbs, sweet fruit and good acidity.

2009 Ogier Saint-Joseph – minty with potpourri. Nice acidity and tannin balance.

2009 Ogier L’Âme Sœur – there was purity of fruit, with mint and minerals.

2009 Ogier Côte-Rôtie – fragrant, a little floral, minty and fruity. Very elegant.

2009 Ogier Côte-Rôtie Lancement – minty, perfumed and flamboyant, with a bit of herbs and potpourri.

2007 Ogier L’Âme Sœur – nice and open, with leather and animal notes. Good acidity.

2007 Ogier Côte-Rôtie – floral and lovely, smoky with grilled meats.

2007 Ogier Côte-Rôtie Lancement – nice and rich with dried herb notes. Sweet on the palate.

2007 Ogier Côte-Rôtie La Belle Hélène – perfumed and elegant with mint and herbs. Lovely. There is enough tannins here for structure.

2009 Ogier Côte-Rôtie La Belle Hélène – opulent and more jammy. Good acidity.

2010 Ogier Viognier de Rosine – floral, mineral with ripe fruits.

2010 Ogier Condrieu La Combe de Malleval – more floral and mineral.

2010 Ogier Condrieu Les Vieilles Vignes de Jacques Vernay - mineral, very floral and fragrant.

2011 Ogier “Bâtard-Montrachet” – we saw a very small barrel tucked between bigger siblings, with the words “BATARD MONTRACHET” scribbled on the front. Being a curious bunch, we asked Stephane what it was… Apparently it’s made from Chardonnay planted near La Rosine. It was still bubbling in our mouths, and the nose was very toasty.

2010 Ogier experimental sweet wine – made from 100% Roussanne, this experiment started in 2004 but the wine was never commercially released. Lots of noble rot, acetone, honey, ripe and oxidized, with straw and beeswax. Very rich.

Very nice to taste through all these wines, as I previously didn't have any exposure to Ogier.

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 3: Guigal

Visited E. Guigal at their cellars in Ampuis, where we were received by Philippe Guigal. A pity that we did not get a chance to see the beautiful Château d’Ampuis.

Guigal is the other giant based in northern Rhône. They now produce 6 million bottles annually, across just about every appellation in the region. They have invested in a system custom designed by ABB to enable them to run the production side with just 3 people. They were also one of the first people to employ temperature-controlled tanks some 35 years ago.

Philippe told us a little about how much the Condrieu has grown over the years. Whereas the appellation covered only 8 or 9 hectares around 40 years ago, today it has grown to about 160 hectares. Guigal has the lion’s share of the production, putting out about 40% of the total volume. They have just increased their holdings a little more by buying half a hectare in Coteau de Vernon yesterday.

2010 Guigal Condrieu – very floral and sweet, with tropical fruits, apricot and mineral notes. Really ripe on the palate.

2010 Guigal Condrieu La Doriane – more mineral and steely, citrus, floral, same ripeness on the nose. Bigger body and a richer wine.

2007 Guigal Hermitage Blanc – a blend of 95% Marsanne with 5% Roussanne. A little lean with minerals and flint.

2007 Guigal Hermitage Ex-Voto Blanc – much bigger, with a beautiful toasty nose. But it’s not really ready yet, and is still a little pungent.

2007 Guigal Saint-Joseph Rouge – a little pungent, rubber, spicy, leather at first. Some minerals and sweet fruit later. Surprisingly smooth with good acidity.

2008 Guigal Saint-Joseph Vignes de l’Hospices – spicy, peppery, a little lean, toasty oak with good fruit. Good tannin structure.

2007 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde – spicy, opulent, ripe fruit, exotic spices, and smoked meat. Very nice.

2007 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis – Asian spices, turmeric, sweet and ripe fruit.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis – opened 24 hours earlier. Soft and elegant, with ripe fruit and spices.

2005 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis – opened 24 hours earlier. Really ripe… actually overripe and oxidized from too much aeration. Caramelized sugar on the nose.

2004 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d’Ampuis – cotton candy, sweet, minerals and saucisson… a little smoky.

2007 Guigal Hermitage Ex-Voto Rouge – minty, dried herbs, potpourri, smoky, ripe and fruity. A lovely wine but needs time to mature and soften.

2006 Guigal Hermitage Ex-Voto Rouge – spicy, sweet fruit, slightly oxidized a little smoked meat, a little green pepper.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline – La Mouline is made with fruit from 90-year old vines. Beautiful nose, with animal, leather and meaty notes. Very finely balanced, with some chewy tannins.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque – surprisingly a little more floral, with leather, spices, mineral and salty. Very well balanced and rich.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne – much bigger than its siblings, meaty, very salty, mineral and smoke. Surpsingly sweet on the palate, and the tannins were softer than expected.

1980 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne – opened yesterday and a little oxidized. Smoky, animal, a little dusty and not very clean. Big nose of savory soy sauce, stewed prunes. Acidic on the palate and finish.

1983 Guigal Hermitage (Les Bessards) – this cuvée was never commercially released, and it was such a privilege to be able to taste this. Les Bessards was so good in 1983 that they kept a portion of this on its own without blending. Nose of tea leaves, savory, soy sauce and smoked meats. Actually it was reasonably sweet and fruity on the palate.

1979 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne – a beautiful wine. Farmy, bacon fat, savory, soy sauce, minerals, and a little floral. So elegant and well-balanced, over time it opened up further and was just beautiful and opulent.

Philippe’s father Marcel planted the vines in La Landonne in 1975 to celebrate Philippe’s birth, and 3 years later released the first vintage of La Landonne. 1979 was only the second vintage…

What a privilege it was to be able to taste many of these beautiful wines, and grateful for Philippe’s generosity as well as patience for spending so much time with us.

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 3: Chapoutier

Winery tour at M. Chapoutier.  We were initially received by Export Director Stéphane Barlerin, and later by Michel Chapoutier and his wife Corinne.  Ron and Elva Laughton of Australia’s Jasper Hill were also visiting separately.

The outspoken Michel Chapoutier is clearly at the opposite end of the spectrum compared with Chave.  First of all, Chapoutier makes numerous single-vineyard cuvées to express the individual terroirs.  It is now also a big, global business, producing wines not only in Rhône but with numerous joint ventures in places such as Australia and Alsace.

2011 Chapoutier Saint-Joseph, from a new parcel – very soft and approachable.

2011 Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée – bigger nose, more spices, slightly more of the soft tannins.

2010 (Couronne de Chabot) – a JV with Yannick Alléno of Le Meurice.  Minerality was very obvious in the nose.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon – very floral, spices, dried herbs, coffee, smoke, and minerals.  A very lovely nose, but still pretty tannic at this stage.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage L’Ermite Rouge – elegant nose with more tannins and structure.

2008 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon – lovely and elegant, with floral, mineral, exotic spices, and sweet fruit that wasn’t overripe.  Soft on the palate with no finish.

2008 Chapoutier Ermitage L’Ermite Rouge – the vineyard is on top of the hill around the famous “la chapelle”, planted on pure granite.  Very elegant, potpourri and spices.  Slightly more alcoholic on the nose.  More tannins here with a little more body and finish.

2008 Chapoutier Ermitage de L’Orée – honeysuckle, honey, a little tangerine, not overripe on the nose, but slightly alcoholic.  Very lovely.  A wine that Michel Chapoutier likes to pair with century eggs (皮蛋) when having Chinese food.

2008 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc – a much bigger nose with more glycerin.  Overall bigger, rounder with more body.  Slightly sweet on the palate, and with slightly more length.

Lunch at Chapoutier with Michel and the extended group.

2006 Chapoutier Ermitage de L’Orée en magnum – honey, glycerin, elegant, fat and lovely.

2006 Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée en magnum – lovely floral nose with violet and mint.

2007 Chapoutier Les Coufis en demi-bouteille  – made from Viognier.  Glycerin, a little polyurethane, ripe orange marmalade on the nose, and still pretty sharp.  Really ripe and sweet on the palate, but mid-palate was slightly bitter, which carried over to the finish.

MNSC Rhone Trip: 1995 and 1998 Chave Cathelin

Dinner at 7 par Anne-Sopie Pic in Valence.

2006 Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - very smoky and toasty nose.  Ripe and a little alcoholic.

1998 Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin - spices, dried herbs, minty with grilled meats.  Still very tannic and not ready.

1995 Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin - sweeter, black fruits like prunes, dried herbs.  A little sharp on the nose.  Much better on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 2: Jean-Louis Chave

Visit to Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, where we were received by Jean-Louis Chave.

This was a totally amazing visit, and Jean-Louis spent a long time talking to us about the philosophy of his family.  They have been vignerons since 1481, and there have been 16 generations of winemakers in the family.  He is the 14th of 16th Jean-Louis' in the family.  This family is simply on a different plane when it comes to time... He mentioned that they had "recently" relocated their cellar to the present location, and when we asked him how long ago it was, he calmly replied: "around 200 years ago."

The Chaves are at one polar end of the philosophical spectrum when it comes to Hermitage.  To them, the most important thing is the cuvée, or making their "generic" Hermitage.  They want to focus on making this wine as perfect as possible, instead of making many different single vineyard cuvées to express the individual terroirs.

This is also expressed when one looks at the wine labels.  The biggest word on the label is Hermitage, not the name of the domaine.  They are clearly very humble... there's not a whole lot of ego here.  He talked about the difference between the vignerons - many of whom are simple farmers - versus the businessmen of Bordeaux who are more intent on creating big, globally recognized brand names.  Jean-Louis is a farmer - clearly evident from the simple way he dresses to the rough and dirty hand he reached out for the handshake.

They only use 10% new oak, because they want the wines to express the character of the soil.  For white Hermitage, the focus is on the texture of the wine.

2010 Chave Hermitage blanc, before blending, from Le Péléat - lots of toasty oak, very intense and ripe.  Spicy on the palate as well as the finish.  Made with fruit from vines that are a century old, planted on limestone and sand.

2010 Chave Hermitage blanc, before blending, second parcel - an even bigger nose of toast.  Much richer, rounder and fatter.

2010 Chave Hermitage blanc, before blending, third parcel - a little more balanced than the last two.  Acidity was a little higher.

2009 Chave Hermitage Blanc - perhaps a hint of sulfur in the nose?  Minerals very prominent.  Wine was a little hard because it had just been bottled.  Very nicely balanced, very soft and supple on the palate with a very long finish.  Alcohol was a little high, though, and I felt it in the back of my throat for a long time.

1995 Chave Hermitage Blanc - honey, tangerine, candied clementine, straw and apricot.  Nose was definitely oxidized but lovely and beautiful.  Very round on the palate.  Alcohol was pretty high, and I felt it on my tongue.

2010 Chave Saint-Joseph Rouge - granite and cold fruit showed through, with potpourri, forest, a little leather and a hint of floral notes.

2010 Chave Hermitage rouge, before blending, from Le Péléat - made with fruit from 80-year old vines planted on sand.  Nose was pungent, still with lots of obvious skin contact, then showed animal and floral notes.  Still pretty tannic.

2010 Chave Hermitage rouge, before blending, from Le Beaume - more elegant and fragrant, a slight pungent whiff but more floral later, with mint and potpourri.

2010 Chave Hermitage rouge, before blending, from Le Méal - big and meaty, peppery, pungent and rubbery.  Very ripe and sweet on the palate.

2010 Chave Hermitage rouge, before blending, from Les Bessards - this is their largest holding in Hermitage and forms the backbone, the soul of the Chave Hermitage.  Normally the fruit for Cuvée Cathelin comes from Les Bessards.  Nose was more restrained, but the body was more structured with more tannins.

2009 Chave Hermitage, pre-blend consisting mostly of Le Méal - incredibly soft and luscious.  Beautiful.

2009 Chave Hermitage, pre-blend #2 - this has more Les Bessards, which meant it was a little more tight and structured.  Smoky.

2005 Chave Hermitage Rouge - mostly Les Bessards.  This was classic Chave, with a big nose of animal and very meaty.  Exotic spices like licorice and a little smoky.  So accessible right now... soft and silky on the palate.  Still tannic on the finish.

1991 Chave Hermitage Rouge - Le Péléat was important in the blend this year.  A floral and explosive nose, sweet, meaty, exotic spices, plummy and ripe.  Very smooth on the palate, with a little tea and minerals.

1978 Chave Hermitage Rouge - what an unbelievable treat!  An elegant and beautiful wine, with leather, lovely fruit like plum, exotic spices, coffee and smoke.  I just can't believe that Jean-Louis so generously shared this bottle with us!

MNSC Rhone Trip Day 2: Georges Vernay

Visit to Georges Vernay in Condrieu.  Received by Christine Vernay and her husband Paul Amsellem.

Learned a lot about Condrieu from Paul.  Nowadays Condrieu vineyards are only on the steep slopes; anything on the plateau at 300m or above cannot be classified as Condrieu.

2010 Georges Vernay Viognier Le Pied de Samson - lots of white flowers, chalk, minerals, ripe, tropical fruits like peach, sweet on the nose.  Acidic on finish.

2010 Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses des l'Empire - made with fruit from 40-year old vines.  Riper, more intense and powerful nose, a bit toasty, minerals, lots of apricot and peach.  Definitely felt the acidity on the finish, thanks to the minerality.

2010 Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Chaillées de l'Enfer - more minerals on the nose, very ripe, still fruity and sweet.  Richer, with flowers and licorice.  Better acidity balance.  The wine sees 25% new oak.

2009 Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon - very ripe, a little caramelized sugar, tropical fruits on the nose.  Ripe on the palate with good acidity balance.  A little alcoholic.  Production is up to 7,000 bottles.

2010 Georges Vernay Syrah Fleur de Mai - made with fruit from wines planted in the 60s on the plateau, that was originally planted with peach trees.  Really ripe and sweet on the nose, spicy with a little animal notes.

2009 Georges Vernay Côte du Rhône Sainte-Agathe - also made with Syrah planted in the Condrieu area.  More smoky, spicy, leather, a little pungent, farm, minty with exotic spices.

2009 Georges Vernay Saint-Joseph Terres d'Encre - big nose with ripe and sweet fruit, a bit spicy.

2009 Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Blonde du Seigneur - made with 8% Viognier and 30% new oak.  Perfumed nose, fragrant, ripe black fruits, and sweet.

2007 Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge - made from 100% Syrah with 30% new oak.  Nose was much more open and powerful, with animal and pencil lead notes.  Tannins are a little more silky given a few extra years' of aging.  Production is up to 7,000 bottles.

Lunch at Georges Vernay.  Details of the lunch are here.

1990 Georges Vernay Condrieu - wow!  First time for me to taste such an old Viognier!  Nose of straw, beeswax and a little honey.  The floral notes are long gone.  I have a new appreciation for how this grape varietal ages.

1997 Georges Vernay Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge- Christine's first vintage after entering the business.  A little smoky, minty, smoked meats.  Very lovely.