TN: Reds from the Northern Rhône (plus Alsace and Jura)
07/26/2021
Thanks to our favorite enabler who took delivery of our combined 2017 Benetiere orders and for setting-up a nice, small, dinner to distribute and for us to get first-hand sampling of what some of us are about to be allocated. It was also a great opportunity to catch up with familiar faces after a lengthy no-offline period and also to meet with other fun local enthusiasts.
Good Italian eats at da Umberto in NYC’s Chelsea. Included was antipasti of fritto misto and beef carpaccio for the table and individual orders of primi and secondi. I had the costoletta alla parmigiana. Delicious and tasty, and I thought and wondered about how a nice mature Sangiovese or Nebbiolo would have also made a good pairing.
The whites:
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain, Alsace
Golden tint, refreshing in the palate, good acidity and length. B+
2018 Dom. Labet Cotes-du-Jura Fleur de Chardonnay, Jura
Served blind. Very forceful bouquet of fruit, varnish, and wood. The only guesses I heard included Chenin-Loire. I actually thought Jura but wasn’t bold enough to yell my guess until the last minute. Wine’s nose reminded me of Montbourgeau wines that I’ve had a few times before, but this one was smoother and less angular in the palate. Enjoyed it. B
The reds:
We jumped on to the reds and started by getting the main order of business out of the way and that is to check on our Benetiere. Greg suggested and we agreed to a flight of a single blind Benetiere, against a full-blinded 2017 Northern Rhone which was revealed to be the Levet.
2017 Vignobles Levet Cote Rotie Les Journaries
Deep dark red, young with big, rich dark fruit balanced by earthiness and nice acidity. A contrast to the Benetiere with Levet’s burliness, but the finesse is still present. B+/B
2017 Marie et Pierre Benetiere Cote Rotie Cordeloux
Still un-revealed, I counted 2 out of the 7 attendees preferring this to the Levet when we voted near the end of the flight. I am one of the minority. Obviously young, but on the feminine (if I may) side of the flight. Coolish-weather fruit feel, with good power, then hits with another bit of layered red and black berries, smooth throughout, and lingering medium-bodied goodness. If on this alone, I’m going to declare that Benetiere is back in fine uncomplicated form. B+
The rest of the reds were served “not” blind.
2001 Auguste Clape Cornas
Classic is always a recurring trait with any Clape Cornas I’ve had and this is no exception. Still with traces of youthfulness and tannin. Rustic with earth, ample fruitiness and that Cornas complexity. Slight TCA mentioned, but am not sensitive enough to worry about not enjoying the wine. B+
2004 Robert Michel Cornas La Geynale
When you get flighted with Allemand and Clape, my sense is that this was slighted a bit and unintentionally. Lesser in intensity level and perhaps need to gain more richness and completeness. Still quality in a bottle. B
2006 Dom. Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard
Unmatched in acidity level, precision, seamlessness in the Cornas flight. A most enjoyable long finish. A-
1997 Jaboulet-Aine Hermitage La Chappelle
Sweetness and ripeness. The La Chappelle “it” that I took from other vintages is present. B-
1998 JL Chave Hermitage
At the start I hear those saying this will still be young. I don’t disagree with them, because I drank versions of this with them before. This was at least a quarter of a step from being “young” and it drank very well. High pitched acidity is nicely complemented everywhere else. So good. B+
2001 Bernard Faurie Hermitage
This is one, imho, notable Northern Rhone producer that doesn’t get much air time in forums and TNs. I sensed from the group’s reactions that this was quite polarizing, with all the valid comments. Well, an old-school syrah bouquet gives way to red-fruited acidity, plump fruit, stems, and fruit that nicely veered on to the lean side. I’m happy with this. B+/B
2013 Domaine Jamet Cote Rotie
I’ve found through my experiences with this producer’s wines, that the wines can be atrociously-memorable when not drank at the proper time which is, to me, mostly on the early life of the bottle. This young, tannic wine even showed a tiny bit of harshness. This early read is not concerning to me, mostly given the pedigree and the expectation that this will show better “at the proper time.” B
2013 Vignobles Levet Cote Rotie Les Journaries
Everything about it is hinting classical. Cherries and strawberries and their good acid. Deliciously long. If I had, I’d be excited about the future, even at its already nice drinking form. B+
Just noting that my typed-into-iPhone notes are scanty and poorly organized. Will add that my wine observations also relied quite a bit on memory for information.