TNs: Northern Rhone Night

NORTHERN RHONE NIGHT - Song Ling Building (29/6/2021)

  • 2018 Domaine de Bellevue (Jérôme Bretaudeau) Muscadet Clos des Bouquinardières - France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet
    A rather forward, rich expression of Muscadet, but this was yummy. The nose showed notes of beeswax and honey, white peaches and nectarines, speared through with a nice streak of stony, flinty mineral and peppery spice. The palate started out with the same feint of stone fruited sweetness - peaches and nectarines again. Plenty of power and ripeness here, but it quickly showed dry on the midpalate and beyond, with that minerally streak on the nose reasserting itself, especially in a long, chalky finish touched with a twist of pink guava notes. Not brilliant, but certinaly solid and interesting. A new school Muscadet for sure. (91 pts.)
  • 1997 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    A pleasant wine, but perhaps the weakest of the half dozen 1997 La Chapelles I have had over the years. There was quite a pronounced forest floor funkiness on the nose at first, almost shading gym sock territory, before a deeper waft of sweet blueberries and plums, a dash of pepper, some lido rice, and a twist tobacco, all pulling together to form a fairly pleasant and coherent bouquet. There was maybe just an edge of volatile acidity in there, but this faded in and out over time. The palate felt quite a bit more advanced then the previous bottle. Soft powdery tannins and bright acidity framed a rather mouthful of black cherries and blueberries, again seasoned with plenty of licorice and smoky tobacco pulling away into a wood spiced finish. It was very charming with a little of air. Perhaps lacking a touch of weight and authority to be a top shelf La Chapelle, maybe a bit clumsy in its presentation, but certainly a pleasant drop. (91 pts.)
  • 1990 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie Cuvée Classique - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Beautiful - this was clearly stronger than the last very good bottle of 1990 I had. The nose was lovely, with lifted wafts of black cherries, blueberries and plums garlanded with sprigs of garrigue, lavender and smoky spice, maybe a touch of earth and meat. A classic, and very lovely Cote Rotie nose. The palate was lovely too, with a noble structure of fine tannins and nicely judged acidity framing delicious flavours of blueberries, black cherries and sour plums, these layered with gentle wafts of exotic spice, a touch of roasted meats, and then a little kiss of earthiness, all trailing away into a beautifully integrated finish. Delicious, almost profound stuff. Effortless length and depth; plenty of power and authority without weight - this was an absolutely lovely wine. A complete wine, drinking beautifully now. (94 pts.)
  • 2014 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Tupin - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    This was absolutely lovely. The nose was almost like a stemmy Burgundy - think Leroy or Dujac - with drifts of Chinese herbs and wood spice wafting about sweet notes of black cherries and dark berries, earth and a fragrance of floral rose water. Beautiful. The palate was where it really shone though. Beautifully measured and balanced, perhaps more advanced than I thought a 2014 should be, but oh so soft and integrated, with velvety tannins and wonderfully judged acidity draped over beautifully pure, fleshy flavours of blackberries, sweet cherries and plums, all tumbling across mouth in a deliciously juicy mouthful. Lovely finish too - with blushes of spice and herbs and more roses unfolding beautifully on the back palate. An absolutely lovely wine, drinking very well even now. (94 pts.)
  • 2005 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
    Pretty good. A world of a difference from the tremendous 1990 Rostaing we had alongside, but this was quite nice in its own right. The nose was very youthful indeed, with touches of herb and spice swirling around a core of sweet blackberries, raspberries and cherries, touched with notes of violets and roses, and just a little sprinkle of spice at the sides. Attractive, but still surprisingly primary. The palate was where this shone though. It felt a whole lot nobler, more serious, with a lovely depth to its delicious flavours black cherries and sappy tones of plums and wild berries, playing against a backdrop of fresh acidity and fine-boned tannins. Fine without being really elegant or silky - there was still a certain masculine strength to it. Very nice though. Good finish too, with little notes of graphite and earth and spice amidst the fruit. This was yummy stuff, drinking nicely now, but with its best years clearly a decade or so ahead of it. (92 pts.)
  • 1983 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    I enjoyed this - one of the better bottles of 1983 La Chapelles that I have had. The nose was really funky at first, real sweaty socks territory, but that faded a bit with time thankfully, and then it unfolded nicely with notes of meat and earth, black cherries and plums, with a halo of wilted flowers, tobacco herb and spice. The palate was nicer than the nose I thought. Fine tannins, bright acidity, and charming flavours of dark cherries and red berries layered with notes of peppery spice and earth, and just that little kiss of violet flowers. Tons of charm on this, and drinking quite at peak. Stronger than the bottle of 1997 La Chapelle we had alongside. (93 pts.)
  • 2010 Domaine des Rémizières Hermitage Autrement - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
    Brief notes from memory. The full version got lost because my phone ran out of battery. This was a solid wine, if rather too young. The nose showed classic Syrah notes of dark berries couched with spice, earth and a touch of florals. The palate was full and fairly powerful, with more of those dark berry note, but this time subtly seasoned with notes of earth and spice, all these framed by fine tannins and decent acidity as the wine unwound into a fairly lengthy finish, where the fruit was touched by notes of earth, meat, spice, and just that tiny hint of violets. All in all, a solid expression for Northern Rhone Syrah. A bit serious and primary now though - this will take some time to unfold. I would wait at least 6-8 years in the next bottle. (92 pts.)

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