I’ve always thought the 05 is just too monolithic right now for a Reynard; even with a 6 hour decant at Christmas. I’ve always preferred the 04 and the 06 for current drinking, and the 14 is delicious from pop and pour.
But overall, yeah, it’s miles better than Vega Sicilia.
The Reynard has always been a little deeper, darker and more structured, as you might expect. Everyone clamors after the Reynard because it’s “the best”, but the Chaillot is still far better than most other Cornas. If it’s in your price range, don’t shy away from it.
The only reason I’ve stopped buying the Chaillot is that it’s not almost the same price as the Reynard, and I’d rather have the Reynard. It’s a terrific wine, no question.
Any experiences with '11 and '12 Reynards?
I’ve found the 11 to be in a weird place; it’s unusually massive (especially for the vintage) and can throw up a lot of green. The 12 is just lovely after a few hours in a decanter.
I had an 05 Reynard about 6 months ago and it was… underwhelming. Reminded me of Jasmin. Good stuff but not mind-blowing.
It’s good to have kind of a believe, even if it’s off.
We had 3 vintages of Reynard in October, and the group was far from excited … very good wines nevertheless, but not overwhelming nor stunning.
How nice for you. We had an Allemand retrospective in October and other than a couple of wines they were stunning. Someone brought a Rayas, too. For once it wasn’t corked or off, but it was fine.
Surprised by this. 05 Jasmin was nice, delicate wine. A recent Chaillot 05 was not kind and certainly glad I didn’t have more bottles.
Back when I was still buying Allemand, when they cost < 70, I skipped the 2005 Reynard as I wasn’t impressed after tasting it then, but bought/stored the vintages around it. The 2004 Reynard is starting to round into an impressive Cornas when I tasted early last year. The 2000 and 2003 are still young to my taste. I’m hoping to get to the 2006 that I have handy at the home wine fridge before the end of this winter.
Btw, I’ve always regarded Allemand as one of the most elegant, polished of Cornas, especially when compared to old-school ones by Verset and Clape. Now, I’m going with Juge as the most polished/elegant of Cornas, whose style others here seem to prefer more.
I love Allemand, and have been tasting and buying it for years (though that has mostly come to an end, with scarcity and increased price). I think it’s one of the top Syrah wines in the world. Having said that, I wouldn’t argue that it’s the “best”, or head and shoulders above every other producer. I have often tasted new releases of Allemand, Clape, and Chave side by side (in the past, but not for a few years now). There were years where every one of them shined a little brighter than the others, and there are numerous other producers I think that can show at the same level.
If I had never had Allemand before, I’d probably be willing to shell out the $300+ it takes to get a bottle these days, just to try it (note: Reynard is a step up from Chaillot); but I think pricing (at least in the U.S.) has made the equation difficult to justify continued purchase of future vintages, at least in any quantity. I’ll get some push back from a few here, I know, but I’d have to argue the best bang for the buck in northern Rhone today is Clape and Jamet at the high end.
But honestly, given where prices have gone, and the quality you can get from some domestic Syrah producers today, my focus has been more on domestic than Rhone in the past few years.
To put things in perspective, I refer back to this blind tasting from a few years ago
Comparing Allemand Reynards with Vega Sicilia Unico (pre-1991?) and Rayas to opine on which is better is sort of like comparing Bach, Coltrane, and The Beatles. Why?
In any case they can all be profound and often are.
I have tried a few Allemand. 2012 Reynard was corked. 2006 Chaillot was great and up there with some of the best wine experiences I recall. 2009 Reynard was very good, but left me underwhelmed vs. expectation. On other “big name” Syrah, I tried the 2005 Chave and found it good but not excellent… am hoping it is just to young. I have some Sine Qua Non from 2010 onwards, that I found excellent (but a bit over the top for me and in this case I am not sure aging these will change that) and some that have been not to my liking at all (I like the EBA better). Had some of a friend’s Grange once - it was excellent, mid 2000’s bottling I recall. Have had some Clape and Jamet but recent vintages and promising but not ready.
Others from the US I have enjoyed over the years are Peay, Arcadian, the later being excellent as they age (2000 and 2001 Garys).
I will continue to try and pick up a few Allemand to learn more, but at the prices they now fetch will just be a bottle here and there. Do people find bottle variation with his wines?
Cheers
Put me down as an unabashed Allemand fan-boy. Had my first experience back when Cornas as a whole was considered French hillbilly juice. Years ago my friend Kevin and I popped into Willi’s Wine Bar in Paris. Saw that they had Allemand on the list. Asked the girl behind the bar which wines they had in the cellar. She went down to look and came back saying she had magnums of both 2015 Reynard and Chaillot. Between us we took them all at French prices. Still have some of those bottles in the cellar along with subsequent numerous vintages. Some of my best Rhone experiences along with Chave and Rayas.
My point was not to compare Allemand to these other wines, I was merely pointing out other producers that imo are way more unique than Reynards or Chaillots. I wouldn’t mind shelling out $400 for these for a very specific event, but I wouldn’t pay half that for any Allemand. Last vintage I bought was 2011 and I paid 65€ for Chaillots and 75€ for Reynards. After that I didn’t feel I was getting my money’s worth, and even now I wouldn’t buy more at that price.
Again, to each his own, YMMV.
Alain
I was blessed to share a bottle of 2014 Reynard with some friends about two years ago now. It was a stunning wine even in an supposedly weaker vintage.
Hands down the best Syrah I’ve ever encountered. Perfect balance and amazing perfume.
I was happy to buy bottles of 2016 and 2017 Reynard when they were offered to me.
Years ago - vintages of 2015? Is this “years ago” like two years ago?
Time is a great distorter. For some of us more distorted than others.
Hey Jeffrey,
I am a huge fan of Allemand, as well as other like Jamet, Gonon, Chave, but it seems many other folks have discovered them too and prices have risen quickly. I bought a 6 pack of 2006 Allemand from Rare Wine Company years ago for under $85/bottle and now as you say it has risen to $375. My opinion is that a number of winemakers in N. Cal. with near-Coastal vineyards and rocky hillsides are producing some epic Syrah that in blind tastings sometimes outperforms the big names, at way lower prices. Pax, Arnot-Roberts, Halcon, Drew, and others are making savory, whole cluster Syrahs that rock.
Ha Ha. 2005