Recent Rhones

[bills]

Notes on some Rhones:

2001 Seguret Dom. de Mourchon CduR Villages – dark wine with a black olive and black pepper nose, warm in the mouth with bright flavour, obviously maturing, and a bit of remaining tannin. Very nice and will keep another 1-2 years.

2001 Visan Cuvee Louise Amelie CduR Villages – this wine was quite a contrast to the first one. Lighter in colour and weight, it showed acidity but virtually no tannin, had a pleasant sweetness at the end and just kept opening up on the nose. A ‘pretty’ wine that would stand in for any Cru Beaujolais – need w red to go with fish? This is it. Need one to go with light summer food? This will do the trick.

1995 Jaboulet Parallel 45 CduR – I tossed this in as a blind ringer and as a comparison with the new kids – which I doubt will age anywhere near as long. Toffee and leather in the nose, medium bodied wine finishing with good acidity and fine tannins, a bit less peppery than it used to be. Drink now – it will not get any better and depending on your cellaring conditions may have already turned the corner.

2003 Chante Perdrix CNduP – a rather nice nose on this wine with light black pepper, green tea, a bit of smokiness….and in the mouth sweet, big and smooth, with good length. It drinks so well now and is so soft that while I think it will last a few years, I doubt it will be a long haul wine and will probably never show better than it is today. It would be hard to resist this one in the cellar. Ten years ago, if you had told me that it would not be uncommon to see CNduP that were serious wines, but that would drink as well at 2 years old as they ever would, I wouldn’t have believed you. But then I still haven’t started on my 1989 and 1990 Beaucastel…….