Last week, the Winter tasting season was inaugurated with a tasting of
assorted wines from the Rhône Valley put on by an Indianapolis
retailer. Alas, there was no real opportunity to spit, so my notes are
probably less detailed than they'd otherwise be:

2002 Canto Perdrix Tavel
color: pale, copper-red
nose: slightly corked IMO, with strawberry lurking underneath
palate: dull and muted with subtle notions of strawberry fruit and a
clean finish
[note: the other nearby glasses of this wine all came from the same
bottle, so I didn't get a chance to see if it was really corked or not]

2001 Guigal Condrieu
color: pale yellow
nose: toasty oak with hints of alcohol
palate: oily and viscous, with initial toastiness giving way to loads to
pineapple and apricot. Huge wine, but not my favorite style of
viognier.

1998 Dom. Girasols Côtes du Rhône 'Vielles Vignes'
color: dark garnet
nose: berries, sweet cherries and raisins
palate: acidic entry with noticeable tannins, full bodied with cherry
fruit and some heat before a mildly tannic finish
A year ago, I had the regular cuvée '99 CdR from this domaine and was
unimpressed. This, however, is a different beast altogether and a very
impressive CdR (retailing for ~$15).

1999 Dom. L'Espigouette Vacqueyras
color: dark red-purple
nose: almost Port-like with cherry fruit underneath
palate: light and smooth, with some cherry fruit and a decent finish.
Although the notes don't necessarily reflect it, this wine had a
noticeable Syrah character to it, which was reinforced by the wines that
followed.

1998 Mas de Collines Gigondas
color: brick-red with orange at the edges
nose: seaweed and funkiness
palate: meaty with cherry fruit, slightly tannic in the finish
This is a wine that I know well, having consumed a half case of it or so
over the past 2+ years. It has entered a somewhat awkward period, with
the fruit having faded from view, but the elements are there for further
development, so let's see what awaits at the other end...

1999 Bois de Boursan Chateauneuf du Pape
color: dark garnet
nose: kirsch, sweet with cedary elements
palate: quintessential CdP flavor profile; rich with a slightly tannic
finish

Very good CdP, but fairly mainstream for the vintage.

1998 Belle Crozes-Hermitage 'Les Pierrelles'
color: dark red-purple
nose: blueberries, flowers, cedar
palate: blueberry, pepper, slightly tannic finish
One of my two favorite producers in Crozes, though I typically get the
"Cuvée Louis Belle". Very nice Syrah fruit wrapped up in an attractive
package.

2000 Chave St. Joseph 'Offerus'
color: dark red-purple
nose: blueberry and roasted meat
palate: tart entry, blueberry and grapefruit
Too acidic for my enjoyment. I was surprised as I have liked other
vintages of this negociant bottling from Chave.

2000 Clape Cornas
color: dark, inky purple
nose: blueberries, coffee
palate: berries, acids and a tannic finish
I asked the guy running the tasting how long this wine had been opened
prior to the tasting, and he told me that he opened them 15 minutes
before pouring. What has happened to true Cornas? This wine should
have removed several layers of epidermis from the roof of my mouth, but
instead was a very fruit-forward Syrah. Beautiful fruit, to be sure,
but not your grandmother's Cornas.

1999 Guigal Hermitage
color: dark red-purple
nose: tar, black licorice, black fruits
palate: sl tannic entry, citrusy acids, dark fruit and a tannic finish
Not one of my favorite producers of Hermitage. Still, it was a decent
wine, but IMO less interesting than the Clape Cornas.

1998 Guy Bernard Côte-Rotie
color: brick red with orange edges
nose: flowers, red fruit
palate: soft entry, modest fruit and an acidic finish
Not a producer that I know well. This Côte-Rotie had little of the
perfumed character that I look for in the region and also seemed more
evolved than I would have expected. Not terribly impressive.

Next week, another tasting from the Rhône Valley...

Until then,
Mark Lipton

> 2001 Guigal Condrieu
> color: pale yellow
> nose: toasty oak with hints of alcohol
> palate: oily and viscous, with initial toastiness giving way to loads to
> pineapple and apricot. Huge wine, but not my favorite style of
> viognier.
>

Mark
Good notes of some affordable wines.

I love the Guigal, ( chacun son gout), like drinking fruit salad. I must
admit a glass is enough, or two !
JT

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the notes, good stuff!

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 03:48:31 GMT, Mark Lipton > said:
[]
] 2000 Clape Cornas
] color: dark, inky purple
] nose: blueberries, coffee
] palate: berries, acids and a tannic finish
] I asked the guy running the tasting how long this wine had been opened
] prior to the tasting, and he told me that he opened them 15 minutes
] before pouring. What has happened to true Cornas? This wine should
] have removed several layers of epidermis from the roof of my mouth, but
] instead was a very fruit-forward Syrah. Beautiful fruit, to be sure,
] but not your grandmother's Cornas.
]=20
]
Disappointing to hear about a "modern" Cornas, in a year that really doesn't
merit it, from Clape of all people. Let's hope this isn't a trend...

] Next week, another tasting from the Rh=F4ne Valley...
]=20
]

Staying tuned!

-E
--=20
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

In article >, Mark Lipton >
writes:

>
>2000 Clape Cornas
>color: dark, inky purple
>nose: blueberries, coffee
>palate: berries, acids and a tannic finish
>I asked the guy running the tasting how long this wine had been opened
>prior to the tasting, and he told me that he opened them 15 minutes
>before pouring. What has happened to true Cornas? This wine should
>have removed several layers of epidermis from the roof of my mouth, but
>instead was a very fruit-forward Syrah. Beautiful fruit, to be sure,
>but not your grandmother's Cornas.

Clape, modern and fruit-forward? Wow, there's a change. Good for those with no
patience, I guess.

>
>1998 Guy Bernard Côte-Rotie
>color: brick red with orange edges
>nose: flowers, red fruit
>palate: soft entry, modest fruit and an acidic finish
>Not a producer that I know well. This Côte-Rotie had little of the
>perfumed character that I look for in the region and also seemed more
>evolved than I would have expected. Not terribly impressive.
>

Too bad, I have a couple of these! Will move up drink dates.

thanks for notes!
Dale

Dale Williams
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John Taverner wrote:

> > 2001 Guigal Condrieu
> > color: pale yellow
> > nose: toasty oak with hints of alcohol
> > palate: oily and viscous, with initial toastiness giving way to loads to
> > pineapple and apricot. Huge wine, but not my favorite style of
> > viognier.
> >
>
> Mark
> Good notes of some affordable wines.

Thank you, John. Some of the wines were indeed quite affordable, though at
the top end the wines were selling that night for $55-65 per bottle. (just
to keep our Euro contingent calibrated on the subject of US pricing...)

>
>
> I love the Guigal, ( chacun son gout), like drinking fruit salad. I must
> admit a glass is enough, or two !

Of all the wines tasted, I was the most ambivalent about this one. I am
quite prejudiced, I do confess, about the use of new oak with viognier. I
just don't get it: do they think that the wine will actually benefit from
bottle aging? If not, then the oak is just masking the oh-so-impressive
fruit. Even as the wine sat in my glass for 15 minutes, it improved
noticeably, but I was still left wishing that Guigal had forgone the
barriques (or whatever it was that he used) in favor of neutral oak foudres.
Chacun à son goût, indeed!

Regards from the snowbound US interior,
Mark Lipton

Emery Davis wrote:

> Disappointing to hear about a "modern" Cornas, in a year that really doesn't
> merit it, from Clape of all people. Let's hope this isn't a trend...

Agreed, Emery. I just noted that the Pope of Monkton concurs on this, stating
that the 2000 Clape was "fruit-forward without the astringent tannins typical
of Cornas" or something like that. Perhaps the less-than-ideal conditions of
the vintage led him to that style, or so I choose to hope.

Mark Lipton

On Tue, 27 Jan 2004 10:42:18 -0500, Mark Lipton > said:

[]
] Agreed, Emery. I just noted that the Pope of Monkton concurs on this, stating
][]

Still chuckling over "P of M," thanks Mark!

-E


--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

Interestingly, I just read a note describing the 2000 Clape as backwards, to be
revisited in 10-12 years!
Dale

Dale Williams
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