Learning About Rhones

[Ron Johnson]

Damn, shared a bottle of Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage 1999 this evening.  Didn't memorize as well as I thought - skip this one...boring.  Bright fruit, but not much else happening.  Even for a young wine, this lacked any sense of fun.  Not cheap either at $25 at Beacon Liquors.

Jaboulet has not been up to snuff since the mid 80's. This is a producer to avoid. He makes all his money off of the "Parallel 45". There is much better in the Rhone.

[Steve Plotnicki]

I'm not much of a fan of white wines from the Rhone. But two of them, Chaves white Hermitage and Beaucastel's Roussane V.V. (different than the Coudelet Blanc and more expensive) are killer wines. I attended a tasting of the Beaucastel a number of years ago where they poured every vintage from 1987-1994 and they were phenomenol. The wines have a funny attribute to them in that they are great very young and then shut down and become virtually undrinkable for 15-20 years. But a Chave of age can have the same attributes that a Montrachet has.

Jaboulet's last good year for his Crozes-Hermitages was 1990. The Domaine Thalabert bottling is terrific. It can still be found at auction for about $50 a bottle. It's well worth finding and it has years of life left to it. But Jaboulet seems to have dropped in quality since then. Even their famous bottling which is Hermitage La Chapelle, hasn't been up to snuff. The 1961, 1978 and 1990 bottlings of La Chapelle are among the great bottles of the 20th century. But in spite of the fact that other growers made great Hermitage in 1995 and 1999, Jaboulet's offerings are a few notches below.

Heron - Part of the problem with comparing new world and old world wines is that they are made for two differently. Most French wine is made to be cellared until the wines reach maturity and most of the new world wines are to be drunk on release or at a younger age if cellared. So to say let's go out and buy a bottle of 2000 Crozes-Hermitage and compare it to a 2000 Andrew Murray (winemaker from the Central Coast,) the Crozes can easily taste like nothing. The best way to compare them is to drink them when each wine is at it's peak of maturity.

I think a greater lesson about wine can be learned if you take a dozen people and pour them 8-10 Cote de Rhones one at a time, so that by the middle of the evening each person has eight glasses in front of them and can go back and forth between the wines. If one has an affinity for wine tasting, a scenario that allows you to distinguish between multiple wines of the same type allows you to absorb a tremendous amount of tasting knowledge (and a tremendous amount of alcohol as well .)

[Sandra Levine]

I can't wait to start tasting. Thanks, Steve and everyone else. This is eGullet at its best.

[Blue Heron]

Great idea to have a tasting of several Cote du Rhones...

As part of the preparation for the Cote du Rhones tastings, it would be interesting to hear more about the area that particular wine comes from, and maybe the difference between the regular and Villages? Which things cause most of the variations in flavors/nuances of that wine...the soil qualities, grape qualities or the methods used to make the wine, aging, or just a combo of all and/or more? Are all Cote du Rhones new world style in that they can be drunk without aging? I'm making a list of ones mentioned so far as being good to try, but also.... Is price at the store a good indicator of the quality of the wine (in general)? (or is it just that it is produced less and so commands a higher price?)

[Steve Plotnicki]

Heron - Okay I will work on a list of wines along with accompanying data. It might take a few days so sit tight on this one.

[Blue Heron]

Steve - That is really nice of you to offer your time & expertise in preparing some info. Thank you so much, & I think everyone will benefit as well - (but please don't go to too much trouble). I already have the Remejeanne, I just need to add to that. I will sit tight.

[LaNiña]

I just bought a mixed case of wine. Included a 1998 Gigondas, Domaine du Gour de Chaule (nothing shmancy), recommended by the shop owner. Can't wait to try it.

Thank you all once again.

[Wilfrid]

A friend who knows more about wine than me unearthed a white Hermitage from the list at Wilton's in London. It was the first I'd heard of such a thing, and it was excellent. If only I had more detailed notes.