TN: Southern Rhones

Notes from a tasting of Southern Rhone wines:

2020 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallieres Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet Montmartel - runner up for the longest name award. Fairly light colour, an interesting pineapple mango nose, clean and balanced. Made from Roussanne, Viognier Grenache Blanc and Marsanne.

1993 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes – from my cellar, this is one of the most profound white wines I have tasted. It is made in small amounts from 60+ year old vines whenever the quality allows. It was light amber, and the nose was sweet though the wine isn’t. There were elements of honey and oxidation in the nose but on palate it was pure clean concentrated fruit – some tropical and some like slightly salty apricots. Exceptional finish. You expect a sweet wine but get pure bottled sunshine – this has always been a conversation stopper. Almost always scored over 95 points (for whatever that is worth) and sells for a good buck. Don’t confuse it with the regular CNduP white – it has to be the VV version.


1989 Jaboulet Chateauneuf du Papes Les Cedres – the colour was getting Burgundian and the nose was a decent typical one with hints of meat and iron with some mint up front. Smooth with a medium length finish. Respectable showing for the age (my last bottle). As I type the next day I have the last of it in a glass beside me and it has held up very well.

2006 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape – usually a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. This is the basic wine (I usually buy the Cuvee Chaupin which Grenache and comes from different areas). The wine had good dark colour an some nice plummy fruit notes with an interesting cocoa hint in the nose. It picked up some spice as it aired.

2006 Domaine de la Mordorée "Reine des Bois" Châteauneuf-du-Pape – dark, with a nose of dark sweet fruit with some spice. Still a fair bit of tannin, and the garrigue came out on the nose with a bit of time. Smooth in the mouth and will good length. Nice showing.

2005 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée – this one is coming on line now (especially if you bought in 500 ml size as I did) Dark, warm, smooth with a killer minty, gamy nose, that picked up some forest floor notes with time. Good showing – will schedule some of mine for mid term tasting.

2011 Tardieu-Laurent Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes – quite dark as usual for this producer, with a gamy leathery nose with some earth. Still a fair bit of tannin, full bodied. Not refined but tasty.

2018 Château de la Roulerie Coteaux du Layon Chaume – (cheese wine need not be in theme). Light amber colour, very nice nose of dried fruit (raisins, lychee etc. Honey and gooseberry and good length. Nice way to end the tasting.

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[Jenise]

Some comments:

Loved that Sablet, but this bottle wasn't as open as last summer's had been. Should have opened it a day earlier and let it breathe overnight. I love that it's not the usual fat style of Southern Rhone white--in part because I don't think it contained any marsanne, the usual culprit. What I had said it was 50% roussane, and 25 each viognier and GB.

Your Beaucastel Blanc was incomparable. I have nothing but that to add to your description, and I thank you for sharing it on an occasion when we could be there. Because of the drive I had to be careful about pours and didn't have any seconds, but it took a lot of willpower to skip going back to this. Thank you! And your Jaboulet--definitely Burgundian. Sans theme, I'd have never picked it out as a CdP. Excellent.

I'm embarrassed about the Janasse. It was supposed to have been a Pegau, but when I went into the cellar to fetch same, which I had stood up a few days before, I knocked it off the counter--it didn't break but it rolled a few feet so it was no longer suitable, and I just grabbed the Janasse without thinking too hard on it ("same vintage, good producer"). I have owned that orphan for ages and never realized it was 15.5% alcohol, which showed. I did have some Janasse 06 Cote du Rhone and we drank the last one about three months ago--it was superb, better than this. Btw, my info on it said 80 grenache and 20 syrah-mourvedre.

And so was John's Mordoree, and same vintage, which is why he trotted out behind me in the pouring order. No contest between the two. Loved the Mordoree. And Alvin's animalistic Pegau.

2018 Château de la Roulerie Coteaux du Layon Chaume – (cheese wine need not be in theme). Light amber colour, very nice nose of dried fruit (raisins, lychee etc. Honey and gooseberry and good length. Nice way to end the tasting.

My notes on this simply say: buy more Layons!!!

Enjoyed your frittata a lot. Remember, I'm doing the main next month.

Very nice tasting. I don't drink a lot of Southern Rhones anymore, as my tastes have moved away from really ripe, high alcohol wines, but there's no doubt these are world class wines and I enjoyed all these bottles we tasted. It was a very interesting selection I thought, in terms of various vintages and producers.

2020 Domaine Notre Dame des Pallieres Cotes du Rhone Villages Sablet Montmartel - Crisp, fresh wine, I would have never guessed Southern Rhone. Pineapple, dried mango, but not in a tropical, ripe style. A great refreshing starter wine to get the taste buds in gear.

1993 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Roussanne Vieilles Vignes – Slightly oxidized on the nose, rotten fruit, apricot, salinity on the nice, unique nose. Just a touch of oxidation on the medium bodied palate, not heavy, quite hard to describe the flavours on show - perhaps a bit more savory than fruit notes. Very interesting wine.

1989 Jaboulet Chateauneuf du Papes Les Cedres – Mint, cherry, burgundian nose; earthy cherry on the rather light palate. I thought this was a little past it, but certainly still hanging on and worhtwhile.

2006 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Classic Southern Rhone nose, earthy cherry and plum, leather on nose and medium bodied palate; some tannins give it nice structure. In the zone now but will last.

2006 Domaine de la Mordorée "La Reine des Bois" Châteauneuf-du-Pape – This was darker in colour, with tar, garrigue, plums on the nose and medium-full bodied palate. Great velvety texture, still some tannins, drinking well now with time ahead. This showed very well, only eclipsed by the last CDP.

2005 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée – I can't believe I didn't guess this wine. A classic Southern Rhone and, in hindsight, Pegau nose with game, leather, deep plums. Cherry, spice, more game, tannins and a bit of funk on the medium-full palate. In the zone now but again has lots of time. This bottle showed very well; I had a 2005 Pegau a couple years ago and it was much more youthful and quite tannic still.

2011 Tardieu-Laurent Vacqueyras Vieilles Vignes – Gamy, leathery, earthy nose. Medium bodied, some tannins, dark cherry, plum and garrigue. I thought this punched over its stature in this lineup, but didn't quite have the depth or complexity of the preceding CNPs.

2018 Château de la Roulerie Coteaux du Layon 1er Cru Chaume – Didn't take notes, but this was a dessert wine that wasn't too sweet, more off dry, with lots of apricot, lime, orange and a slightly viscous texture. Great with the cheese!

I can still taste that mushroom frittata, very tasty! Great tasting, where all the wines showed well.

[Jenise]

John, your Mordoree was my favorite of the reds, much as I love Pegau (and like you can't believe I didn't suspect what it was). It was brighter--sometimes when wine people say "plum" they're talking about flavors besides the usual cherry/berry notes but not necessarily meaning to include plum's acidity--Bill, for instance, only mentioned it on the nose, not the palate. Your Mordoree had it all.