Notes from a Southern Rhone tasting.

Georges Gardet Cuvee St. Flavy Champagne (nv) – very pleasant starter,
clean fresh nose, no secondary characteristics at what must be a very
young age, tasty apple and crisp clean finish.

2009 Vieux Lazaret blanc – interesting nutty cantaloupe nose, quite
light in colour, pleasant fruit, clean finish. Nice wine but not up
to the cost IMH.

2003 Beaucastel VV Roussanne – always a wonderful wine and very long
lived, we had a duplication where two people brought this. No problem,
we had one up front and one at the end with cheese. Fair bit of
colour – a mid straw, and a sweet, complex maturing nose with elements
of honeysuckle that later manifested as peach. Full mouth feel, and
excellent length.

2001 Tardieu Laurent Vacqueyras Vielles Vignes – no one believed that
I’d brought anything from this century, but I knew we’d have a
procession of Chateauneuf and wanted to make the point that there are
other things made in the Rhone. Good colour, a little pepper and
spice in an otherwise berry nose, and a bit of meat as well. Tons of
fruit in the mouth and very good length. Very enjoyable. Should have
bought more than I did!


2003 Dom. Relagnes Cuvee Vigneronne CNduP – not a familiar producer
for me, but the wine showed very well, staring with some attractive
anise and cherry in the nose, and following through still softly
tannic and sweet in the mouth. One of the more civilized 2003s.

2003 Dom. du Pegau Cuvee Reserve CNduP – this was really bizarre.
Although the wine gleaned huge point scores from the critics, I found
it to be – strange! A softer, sweeter nose, and a softer sweeter
wine, sappy and without the complexity and subtlety I look for in
Pegau. Yes, it did have lots of herbal and fruit notes, but not
melded together in any particularly interesting way. You may say that
the wine is just young and that the critics will be proven to be
correct given enough time. Fine, but you couldn’t tell that from me,
and I was actually happy to see that I didn’t have any in my cellar.
I’ll console myself with vintages like 01, 04 and 05.

1990 Vieux Donjon CNduP - I couldn’t believe this wine was in such
great shape, seeming quite youthful. Sweet Grenache nose with white
pepper, a tad of rubber, and some leather. Good fruit and a lengthy
finish. Good wine and put the Pegau in the4 shade as far as I was
concerned. Time to locate my small stash, I think.

2001 Vieux Donjon CNduP – a nice pairing with the 1990. This wine had
a deeper spiced fruit nose with a very enticing floral hint
(lavender?). The nose continued to expand in the glass for some time.
Bright fruit on palate and soft tannins. Entering the plateau stage –
no rush.

1998 Beaucastel CNduP – a slightly ripe tarry nose and cherry jam on
the palate, smooth and long. Very approachable – surprisingly so at
this age and from this vintage. Won’t be as long a hold as other
vintages (been thinking about getting into my 89 and 90 one of these
days)

Finished, fittingly, with the second bottle of VV Roussanne which
showed pretty much identically to the first bottle.

Next event – Northern Rhone.

On 2/9/11 10:13 AM, Bill S. wrote:

Interesting notes, Bill! A few comments follow:

> 2001 Tardieu Laurent Vacqueyras Vielles Vignes – no one believed that
> I’d brought anything from this century, but I knew we’d have a
> procession of Chateauneuf and wanted to make the point that there are
> other things made in the Rhone. Good colour, a little pepper and
> spice in an otherwise berry nose, and a bit of meat as well. Tons of
> fruit in the mouth and very good length. Very enjoyable. Should have
> bought more than I did!

The few T-L wines I've had were noticeably marked by the presence of new
oak. I realize that at 9 years of age, your Vacqueyras won't show new
oak like a young wine, but did it have the "smooth" patina I associate
with new oak?


> 2003 Dom. du Pegau Cuvee Reserve CNduP – this was really bizarre.
> Although the wine gleaned huge point scores from the critics, I found
> it to be – strange! A softer, sweeter nose, and a softer sweeter
> wine, sappy and without the complexity and subtlety I look for in
> Pegau. Yes, it did have lots of herbal and fruit notes, but not
> melded together in any particularly interesting way. You may say that
> the wine is just young and that the critics will be proven to be
> correct given enough time. Fine, but you couldn’t tell that from me,
> and I was actually happy to see that I didn’t have any in my cellar.
> I’ll console myself with vintages like 01, 04 and 05.

Here I think you see the mark of the vintage. Yes, '03 wasn't as
freakish in CNduP (or Bdx) as it was in e.g. Burgundy or the Beaujolais,
but it still produced grapes with higher sugars and lower acids. So
your wine was a bit lacking in -- dare I say it? -- structure for a Pegau.

>
> 1990 Vieux Donjon CNduP - I couldn’t believe this wine was in such
> great shape, seeming quite youthful. Sweet Grenache nose with white
> pepper, a tad of rubber, and some leather. Good fruit and a lengthy
> finish. Good wine and put the Pegau in the4 shade as far as I was
> concerned. Time to locate my small stash, I think.

You lucky dog! I drank mine up some years ago. Enjoy!


> 1998 Beaucastel CNduP – a slightly ripe tarry nose and cherry jam on
> the palate, smooth and long. Very approachable – surprisingly so at
> this age and from this vintage. Won’t be as long a hold as other
> vintages (been thinking about getting into my 89 and 90 one of these
> days)

Good to hear about this wine (and this year). I've just barely begun to
broach my '98s, but I too don't expect them to age as well as the '89s
and '90s have. Now, '01 is another story entirely IMO.

Thanks for the notes,
Mark Lipton

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