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2018 Domaine Garon Côte-Rôtie Les Triotes - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (11/21/2021)
Very dark and inky, black-fruited and powerful with a very nice and sharp spine of acidity running through it. The scale is massive and I am a little taken aback. Dense, inky, chewy. With air the nose veers towards savoriness but the inky dark fruit here mostly overwhelms it. There’s a sense of oaken polish along the sides. I am pretty impressed but it’s not quite my cuppa. -
2016 Cuchet Beliando Cornas - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (11/21/2021)
Diving in for science. It’s a little reduced at first but this is a lovely wine. Dark and savory and very stony, with caressing brewed fruit, Cornas wildness, and superb balance. Dusty granite on the nose. Sappy, ripe. The texture is smooth and almost silken, the wine wrapping gently around the palate. Delicious dark berries, super pure. I expect this will drink well all along its path to maturity. -
2009 Domaine Duclaux Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (11/21/2021)
This bottle showed much different - and better - than the first, and in fact it’s hard for me to believe they are the same wine. The first bottle was a dark, dense, modern oaky mess; this is nicely aged Côte-Rôtie, albeit with fairly pronounced oak imprint. Pretty good wine but it’s not my style. -
2019 Domaine Jolivet St. Joseph L’Instinct - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph (11/21/2021)
My second go-round with this producer and it’s not much better than the first. Dark, rough, and brutish, this lacks charm and comes off somewhat bitter and astringent.
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Yes! My favorite thread 
I really want some of those Cuchet-Beliando’s. But i have only managed to find a single bottle in Europe in the past year…
Aw thanks Lasse. I hope you are able to locate some Cuchet - I have been very impressed and fortunate to have been able to buy a number of vintages. The 2000 and 2008 are crazy good.
Is Cuchet made by Guillaume Gilles?
Yes, I believe since 2007. Formerly it was Robert Michel.
Fwiw, the Garon '18s and '19s are fairly massive.
The '17 and '20s are much more my cup of tea, upper 12s-low 13s alcohol, and more finessed than powerhouse.
The '20 Côte Rôties that I tasted in barrel a few weekends ago with Kévin were plain fantastic.
Wow, the '20s are already being sampled. Any indication yet how 2021 was for harvest in Northern Rhone? 2021 is a birth year wine that I’ll want to buy a lot of.
As far as I understand, then NR was hit hard like large parts of Europe. So i donthink there will be much wine in 2021.
Small harvest, but a style back to the days before global warming. Low alcohol and cool climate elegance.
18 and 19s will need time in the cellar. 20 and 21s will likely be much enjoyable young.
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So great wines, assuming you can find any?
I’d say 2021 will be quite variable, but that is the idea in theory for the more successful wines. People were particularly excited about the prospects of the 2021s in Burgundy.
Higher acid, lower sugar/alc.
It is an “année de vigneron”, where the individual reactivity and know how will make all of the difference.
It is also a year where luck plays a huge role, in terms of how severely frosted/mildewed/oidiumed people got.
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2009 Domaine Duclaux Côte-Rôtie Maison Rouge - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (11/21/2021)
This bottle showed much different - and better - than the first, and in fact it’s hard for me to believe they are the same wine. The first bottle was a dark, dense, modern oaky mess; this is nicely aged Côte-Rôtie, albeit with fairly pronounced oak imprint. Pretty good wine but it’s not my style.
Many years ago found the 2003 in a closeout bin. Tried one bottle and sadly storage was an issue as they had a case.
Not the kind of vintage which will garner huge ratings imho. But lovers of classic and elegant style will enjoy.
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Might as well add two impressions from this week to my favorite thread .
Levet, Maestria, 2014:
Classic oldschool Cote-Rotie. Not as wild as the 16’ i tasted last year. Good balance, but the nose is a little shut down at the moment. You really need to put your nose into the glass right now. It will be awesome in a few years. 13% abv.
Guy Farge, Cornas Harmonie, 2017:
Much more accessible than Levet. Clear whole cluster low extraction Syrah. High pitched perfumed fruit with more red berries. With air you get the meaty notes. Not smoked meats, but freshly cut raw meat. Only a hint of pepper. There is a hint of something sweet. Guess it is the vintage, as i know they use five year old demi-muids. But it is well balanced. 13,5% abv. My first Guy Farge and it is very good. Will be better in 2027+.
I purchased on release the 99 Duclaux and drank it a couple of years ago (I think it was the normale, not Maison Rouge vyd) and it was really good.
This is one of the few times I recognize any of the wines in Zach’s posts!
The yields were ok in Cornas in 2021 for many if they were able to treat the disease pressure. Beautiful wines from a climate of years past.
The whites were a joy - Balthazar’s Saint-Péray was 12.5 ABV with gobs of acidity.
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Please, chime in with notes anytime!
I’ve liked Guy Farge’s Saint-Joseph a lot and have never had the pleasure of trying his Cornas. It is seldom seen here in the U.S. He also makes a higher-end wine from the Reynard lieu-dit that I would love to get my hands on.
Good info! Seems like I will splash some money on 2021 Cornas then…
Just drank Balthazar’s 2015 Saint-Péray less than two weeks ago. Even in warm year it was 13% abv. And it was one of the best white Northern Rhones i have had to date (limited sample size though).
Yea, it was a really good Cornas in a style I like. I also have 6x2017 Guy Farge Passion de Terrasses coming in any day now. Very excited about it after this Cornas.
Probably going to try the Reynard at some point. But the cheapest i can find it for in Europe is 74$ + shipping. So not the cheapest. But still worth a try.