TN: A Survey of Allemand

Q: Is Thierry Allemand one of the best winemakers in the world?

  • 2012 Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Speciale Blanc de Blancs Les Chetillons - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
    As far as young Chetillons goes, this is fairly accessible and one of my favourites at release. The fruit is generous and round, and while there’s a good amount of citrus on the nose and palate, there’s also some broader orchard fruit here. Very nice crispness; this has the breadth that I like in my champagne. But given that this is over the Taittinger Comtes price, I don’t necessarily think that the value preposition is there. (93 pts.)
  • 2001 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    The best showing of this that I’ve experienced. The nose is delineated and precise, with beautiful red fruit and a slight saline note. Versus the 2001 Reynard alongside, this was cleaner and lighter (whereas the Reynard has a darker fruit profile). The palate here is also lighter, with a brighter acidity and just a little more lifted. For my palate, I liked this bottle a hair more than the Reynard, which didn’t seem as ready for drinking now. (93 pts.)
  • 2001 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    Pretty consistent with my previous note, this is a dark and burly rendition of Allemand. The nose initially has a little mushroom and stinky funk, but the purity of the black fruit starts shining through with some air. Versus the more red-toned 2001 Chaillot, I think this wine still has some ways to go as far as maturity; for drinking now, I preferred the Chaillot. In particular, this still feels a little clamped, with tannins that are still a touch grainy and not yet fully resolved. I reckon that this needs a few more years. (93 pts.)
  • 2012 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    In a pretty solid lineup of Allemand, this was the proverbial runt. It’s a little simple and just not particularly expressive at the moment. You get some of the Cornas juiciness, but not much of the complexity nor the perfume. I think this does have the correct amount of material, but this is a wine almost certainly caught at a very, very inopportune moment that I think will be able to develop very nicely with sufficient time. Versus the 2012 Reynard, this again had a brighter, red fruited profile but was also far simpler and just not as compelling. (93 pts.)
  • 2012 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    Versus the 2012 Chaillot, I liked this wine more, and I think the quality here is significantly higher too. Like most of the Reynards, this has a denser, blacker profile than its Chaillot littermate. Right now, there’s still a bit of that primary juiciness that makes this feel a bit simplistic, but the amount of material here is far more clear than on the Chaillot. Like the Chaillot, we caught this at a very awkward moment of its life, though I am certain that with time, this will catch up in enjoyment. (93 pts.)
  • 2004 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    I absolutely adore 2004 Rhones and this bottle is another case in point. Just fully resolved and almost certainly at peak. The nose has a slight hint of pyrazine, but also an incredible syrah saline perfume that I don’t think any other bottles tonight had. We didn’t have the 2004 Chaillot to compare, but this is a rendition of Reynard that I thought veered a little atypically to the red side of the spectrum. The palate’s texture is where this really shines for me – it’s pure silk. For my palate, at peak now – I could see pushing the aging on this for a few more years, but I like retaining a good amount of fruit still. (93 pts.)
  • 2011 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    This had the unfortunate experience of being served alongside the 2004 Reynard, and the awkwardness of youth shows on this wine. There’s a pronounced pyrazine element here, but it’s more of a herbaceous green than a green bell pepper sort of thing. Just like the 2004 though, there’s a svelte, elegant disposition that is a little atypical in Reynard (which I find a little denser and burlier). To be sure, I’m under no illusion that now is the correct time to open this, but it’s enlightening to catch a glimpse of this as it matures. I think in the longer term, this will become something similar to the incredible 2004. (93 pts.)
  • 2010 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    I think Chaillot tends to be a better wine in the riper vintages, and with the 2010 side by side, this certainly holds true. There’s certainly a very primary, juicy quality to the fruit here, and while this is slightly darker than the customary red fruit of Chaillot, there’s still a bit more of an acidic lift to render this an exceptionally drinkable wine, especially right now. This bottle really demonstrates the silky style of Allemand; it’s maddeningly elegant with loads of life still. I don’t think this will have the longevity of the Reynard, but I certainly prefer drinking this right now. (93 pts.)
  • 2010 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    Versus the 2010 Chaillot, I think this may well be the better wine, even if it isn’t drinking as well right now. There’s a bit of a similarity with the 2005 Reynard (which I had last year) in that this is kind of blocky and dense, but in general this seems to be less heavy-handed, if you can ever use that adjective to describe Allemand. This isn’t as black-fruited and dense as I would have expected, and it’s a little more open than my expectation as well. In general though, this is a massively scaled wine that has a very long life ahead of it. (93 pts.)
  • 2009 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    I think I liked this more than quite a few at the table. This is as hedonistic as it comes for Allemand. The fruit is incredibly ripe and potent, with an opulence that no other wine seemed to have. It’s more polished than any of the other wines too; there’s no sense of rusticity about this. The fruit is plentiful, sweet, and black, but the palate still maintains that incredibly silky texture that Allemand always seems to nail. Still quite juicy and maybe even a bit primary, though the age definitely shows next to the 2016 Chaillot. (93 pts.)
  • 2016 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
    This feels a little more typical for a red-fruited vintage Chaillot. The nose here is all perfumed red fruit. There’s a nascent hint of pepper but the primary syrah purple juiciness is here in spades. On the palate, this isn’t as complex as I remember the 2015 Chaillot to be; there isn’t quite the same layered quality as the 2015, but without a doubt, this is a wine with some serious stuffing and a lot of potential. This is a really large-scaled wine in terms of material and complexity, but the bright 2016 acidity helps keep this shapely. This is an excellent wine in the making. (93 pts.)
  • 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne - France, Champagne
    Twice in a fortnight (and from the same supermarket chain)? Lucky me. What’s more to say about this wine? It’s the greatest Dom made in my lifetime, and easily one of the greatest champagne values imaginable. This does show a little white grapey right now, but all the expected material is here. It’s a dense, powerful wine with just a hint of the Dom reduction. One for the ages, no doubt. (93 pts.)

A: Yes.

I just bought both of the 16’s last week. I like your notes. I wish I had the 2010 for the long term.

Trying to buy all I can, unfortunately these wines are not readily available at all. Thanks for the great notes anyhow.

Great notes, thanks

Thanks for the notes Adrian, as always. Out of curiosity, how much air did you have the 13 open for? I’ve had it a couple of times this year and I think after a couple of hours in a decanter it’s in a great place. Very much agree with your thoughts on the 11.

Thierry has wine making skills, great terroir, top viticulture, a willingness to experiment, and a great work ethic.
There are very few who are at his level.

Oh Lord, is this permanent 93 rating annoying.
I will refuse to even open a thread like this in the future —

Yes he is but I miss the days when almost no one knew that.
If some of the money from the new pricing is going to him that’s some consolation though.

If the points are important to you and you’re interested in the wines, the real scores are there on CT.

Odd reaction… that said, I think something got goofed up in the import from CT- as at least the 16 Chaillot is showing a 95 score there.

That so-called rule of 15 seemed to have worked well for the 2004 Allemand Reynard. I will look to consume one of mine from the remote storage.

Many thanks, Adrian. I’ve enjoyed every Allemand I’ve had the opportunity to try.

I know I complained before - but because he´s doing it all the time I´m entitled to complain again about this goofy silly attitude …
No, points are not more important to me than a TN, but they are a good indication if to be taken seriously if not all are the same - [head-bang.gif]

Definitely regret not stocking up on Allemand a handful of years back when it was easier and cheaper to get. Stupid, as I know the quality.

How long ago was it “cheap” and roughly what was it going for?

04 allemand is so good right now.

Man I love me some allemand.

It was never cheap but when I started buying the Chaillot was around $40 and the Reynard $60. As recently as the 2014 (the last vintage I bought since 2015 pricing was way above my comfort level) I got the Chaillot for $115 and, I think, the Reynard for $135.

Under $40 is my recollection in US for late 90s / early 2000s vintages, less in France. Then crept up steadily.

dude can’t believe you had an Allemand tasting in Chicago and didn’t call me. I have case quantities of Reynard. Had an 89 over the summer before the Stones concert and it was rocking. Hands down my favorite Rhone producer.

I recall 2009, 2010 and 2011 being offered to me around $120 or so, but for the life of me, cannot recall whether that was Reynard or Chaillot. My recollection is both and the cost differential was like $20.