syrah

TERRES BLANCHES REVISITED

If the subject matter looks a little familiar, guilty as charged. We sent this email on Les Terres Blaches in early October. We reiterated our dismay with the natural wine movement in general, which we’ve mostly eliminated in this piece, and spent a good bit of type extolling these folks in the Anjou for making some of the cleanest, best, most exemplary natural wines we had ever come across. There was no press at the time, and the interest admittedly disappointing. Literally a couple of weeks later, Wine Advocate’s Stephan Reinhardt ‘went off’ on two of the four wines we highlighted in that piece (plus the prior vintage of the ‘pet-nat’). We intend to send it out again with the Wine Advocate notes but the holiday email schedule is crammed and these wines deserve attention. So, for the moment, here are our original comments with Reinhardt’s notes inserted.

In 2004, Celine and Benoit took over the 8.5 hectare domaine of Bernard Coutel, who was retiring and had no family members to follow in his footsteps. Certified in Organic Agriculture since 2010, the Blets also work in the cellar to the rhythm of the wines. Their wines are the expression of the particular grape variety on the specific terroir as unfettered as possible. Their mission is to produce grapes and develop natural wines while protecting their environment throughout the farm. That synergy affects everything. The estate is located in Anjou, in the Loire Valley. The grapes varieties are Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. The vines are planted between 4,500 and 4,800 vines per hectare with natural grassing every other row, the other row is plowed after the harvest to bury the compost and maintained by hoeing the rest of the year. It is very methodical.

They refer to what they do as ‘peasant agriculture’, adhering to centuries old traditions that predated chemicals and machines. In their words, “To offer you hand-sewn natural wines, we strive to produce beautiful ripe grapes.” They are fanatics in the vineyards and you feel the energy and clarity of purpose in their wines. Us proffering ‘natural wines’ will be shock to many. But we aren’t pushing them because they are ‘natural’. We are talking about Terres Blanches because the wines impressed the heck out of us. These kids are on to something, and the wines are under $25.

The Celine et Benoit Blet Les Terres Blanches Les 3 Poiriers Anjou Blanc 2019 is also 100% Chenin made from a later harvest of grapes from similar (or the same?) soils. These ‘healthy, golden’ grapes were pressed into neutral barrels via gravity where they fermented slowly without SO2, and then bottled with no fining or filtration. This subtle, complex Chenin reminds us of a top-notch Vouvray sec, except for the price. Pear, peach, maybe a little orange, with well woven in, delicate minerality, sneakily complex and subtly captivating, this is a star.

From Wine Advocate, “From the second sorting of grapes picked in fully ripe and healthy condition at the end of September, the 2019 Anjou Chenin Les 3 Poiriers displays an intense yet refined and elegant bouquet of perfectly ripe Chenin Blanc grapes intermingled with very fine and refreshing, flinty, crystalline and lemony sandstone aromas. Medium to full-bodied, this is a concentrated, dense, intense and persistent Chenin with remarkable mineral tension and vitality. The wine fermented in two- to eight-year-old barrels, then was blended in July of the following year and bottled in September just before the 2020 harvest. This is an impressive, ripe, elegant and sustainable, well-structured and tensioned Chenin with excellent ripeness and concentration. A long-distance runner for sure. 14% alcohol. Tasted in June 2021…93 points.”

Like all of the others in this lineup, the Celine et Benoit Blet Les Terres Blanches Anjou Rouge Demon 2019 exudes great purity. In keeping with the theme this 100% Cabernet Franc of a particular variety referred as ‘Breton’ that was originally planted by an abbot of that name. It was harvested at optimum ripeness, destemmed, and given 5 weeks maceration then transferred to neutral (2-5 year old) barrels. Bottled unfiltered and unfined, with no SO2, this exudes ripe Franc character of dark red and blue fruit, is tender on the palate and without any green of funky notes. A gentle, engaging red that shows all the best sides of Cabernet Franc. Celine and Benoit refer to their produce as enlightened peasant wine. It seems the ‘peasants’ drink pretty well around these.

From Wine Advocate, “The 2019 Anjou Démon is from the Poulette parcels above the Hautes Bruyères and was completely destemmed before the infusion on the mash, which took one month. The bouquet is beautifully fine and elegant, with red and dark berry aromas, also cassis, along with crystalline stony notes. Smooth, refined and highly elegant on the palate, with perfectly ripe black berry fruit aromas and silky tannins, this is an intense and beautifully aromatic Cabernet Franc with outstanding finesse and balance. The tannins are marvelously refined and intermingled with the ripe and crystalline acidity, and the finish is ripe, long, sweet and balanced. A fabulous wine. Tasted in June 2021… 93+ points.”

In closing, we didn’t buy these because they were ‘natural’, but because they were really good, well priced, and quite distinctive. The fact that they were ‘natural’ had zero effect on our decision. The fact that wines this clean and expressive could be made that way was something of a revelation given our experience with the natural wine category. Clearly these kids are working hard and, in our eyes, setting an example. These aren’t wines particularly targeted for ‘natural wine’ buffs. These stylish, energetic wines are for anyone!

A LOOK DOWN THE RHONE ROAD: ST. COSME CDR 2019

We’ll try an keep it simple. We could launch a rather extensive rant on our long history with Domaine Saint Cosme. We have been selling it for going on three decades and have watched passionate owner Louis Barruol go through ups and downs, style changes, and the expansion of his program to other projects. He is one of the dependable labels we always look forward to checking up on, and have made some sensational finds over the years among his value offerings in particular.

Our purpose here is twofold. First, we want to talk about his beautifully textured, pure, ample, imminently tasty Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2019. Now his Cotes du Rhone, as we have mentioned the many other times we have featured it, is a little bit of a different bird. Unlike the majority of wines that bear this appellation, which are mostly Grenache, Louis’ Cotes du Rhone is all or nearly all old vine Syrah (Barruol states the average age of the vines on the property are 60 years old).

The 2019 is gorgeous and already an attractive drink. Lots of layered, plush fruit, spice and pepper, and, as Louis himself describes, “Blackberry, smoked bacon, charcoal, blueberry, rose.” We expected a lot given what we had heard about 2019, but the wine exceeded our expectations.

Besides the example this wine itself sets for expectations of 2019 from the southern Rhone, there are the outgoing Barruol’s own words. Of the vintage, within the context of his notes on the 2019 Cotes du Rhone, he said, “Be warned – this is a stellar vintage, the greatest since the extraordinary 2010. Of course, 2016 is great too, and even 2015, which in Saint Cosme was memorable. But there is a freshness, an intensity, an evanescence, something undefinable that is charming and vibrant in the 2019s.

“…The 2019 Côtes du Rhône Saint Cosme is the best since 2010. A wine with a substantial structure, it is also brimming with fruit and shows great concentra-tion, counterbalanced by the finest freshness. In a dry vintage, concentration affects all the component parts of the fruit: not just the sugars, but the acids, water (which does not concentrate but disappears…), tannins, color, aromas… etc… This natural phenomenon produces something we all love: intensity.

“Character and identity are subsequently multiplied tenfold. The fact that nature should be able to offer us these gifts is an absolute joy. These wines are suitable for either drinking or keeping. They will bring us joy and surprises. They will become advocates for what I would call ‘the red wine cause’. We live in an era of white wines, rosés and sometimes even unripe grapes – which is an aberration… 2019 is a gentle reminder from nature and a timely opportunity to set the record straight.”

This Cotes du Rhone, at $14.98, is a delicious wine and an exciting value. And in the bigger picture, it looks like there are more good times down the road in the southern Rhone in 2019. While we didn’t find any scores on this wine, but it’s early in the game for the 2019s. The gigantic barrel scores on their single-vineyard Gigondas bottlings affirms that 2019 should be on people’s radar.

2017 SOUTHERN RHONES: MORE GOOD VALUE STUFF

We’ll take this opportunity to make a couple of points. First is the vintage, 2017. In short, it’s a really smart vintage with plenty of bright fruit and great freshness. If it had come in the middle of the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it would have been hailed as special. These days, with global warming and following one of the best vintages of modern times in 2016, 2017 likely won’t ever get the respect it is due. That will likely have a greater impact on the higher end as collectors tend to focus on ‘the best’, but there will be a consistent source of tasty opportunities in the more moderate price ranges on things like Cotes du Rhones, Rasteaus, et. al..

Moving forward, that discussion is a preface to us talking about a wine that has been something of a staple here since Eric Solomon hooked up with Jean-Francois Nicq at Les Vignerons d’Estézargues to create the Domaine de Andezon label back in 1995. This is one of those rare cooperatives that is dialed into the growers and has the resources, and the flexibility to create some very interesting juice. Ten growers in this network vinify their best lots from which the coop creates the d’Andezon blend using no cultured yeasts, no filtering, no fining and no enzymes during vinification or aging and only add a small amount of SO2 at bottling.

The track record for this wine is pretty remarkable, garnering 90 points or greater many times since its inception, no easy feat for a wine that has never exceeded $12 on our shelves. What is perhaps somewhat kitschy about Andezon is that, even though the cooperative is near Avignon in the south, and sources grapes from the surrounding area, the majority of the wine is Syrah (writers says 100% Syrah, importer notes say there is a small amount of Grenache). Ripe, substantial and character-filled, as always, the 2017 Domaine d’Andezon Cotes du Rhone also has a lift and brightness befitting the vintage. As always, it’s the consummate value at $10.98.

Jeb Dunnuck, former Wine Advocate ‘Rhone guy’ now with his own service, confirms, “Deeply colored, the 100% Syrah 2017 Côtes du Rhône Domaine D’Andézon (brought up all in concrete) reminds me of a Côtes du Rhône from Pierre-Marie Clape with its iron, violets, plums, white pepper, and sappy aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, and elegant on the palate, it’s a fleshy, delicious Syrah well worth seeking out. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years… 91 Points.”

CHATEAU L’OU: “REMINISCENT OF MANFRED KRANKL’S SQN (SINA QUA NON) SYRAHS” (and under$40!)

We are nothing if not persistent. Sure we sold a bit of this in an email a while back but nowhere near what we should have. Here’s a $40 wine that was compared to one of the icons of California wine, SQN, which folks are lined up to throw $300-400 bottle at. Yes we get the whole ‘I got something that you don’t have thing’, but the math is pretty convincing when you can get a wine that carried a 96 point tout, and you could buy 5-7 bottles for what you’d pay for a single bottle of SQN, provided you even got the chance to buy that one bottle at all! L’Ou is a fantastic bottle of Syrah for the fare and we though it definitely deserved another mention. Here is a streamlined (sort of) version of the original piece…

“…We started promoting what we affectionately call ‘the Sud’ (French for ‘south’) about a quarter century ago, though admittedly a lot of the area’s potential ‘thunder’ was stolen by the Rhone which had an unprecedented string of exceptional vintages not long after the ‘Sud’ started breaking on te scene. Even given its long history, when one considers the remoteness, lack of flagship wineries, and association with ‘industrial volume’ production, it probably was predictable that buyers wouldn’t flock to the Sud right away.

Still when people in the region realized they had everything they needed to produce wines that could compete on the world stage. Unique soils, lots of sunshine, mediating influence from the sea, it was a pretty special place to grow grapes. All one had to do was drop a few clusters from the vines so the remaining grapes could be more concentrated and voila.

Séverine and Philippe Bourrier were pretty early to the party that started around the mid-90s. In 1998, they bought the estate of 30 hectares in one piece planted with 26 hectares of vineyards and 4 hectares of olive trees in the town of Montescot in the Pyrénées-Orientales, 10 km south of Perpignan. They immediately converted the entire property to organic farming. At the time, only 3 properties in the Roussillon were practicing organics. In 2009, Séverine and Philippe decided to expand their terroir options by purchasing 8 hectares of vines in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and 7 hectares of vines in Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes.

They are meticulous here. Beside the practicing organics, the grape harvest of Château de L’Ou is exclusively manual and they are specific about picking between sunrise and noon to help the grapes retain freshness. The grapes are harvested into crates of about 10 kg so as not to be damaged during transport and to facilitate handling in the cellar. The date of harvest is determined by tasting a sample of berries with particular attention to the fineness of the skin and seeds.

In our minds it is important for the region to establish a few successful estates to lend credibility to the region. Look what wineries like Booker and Saxum did for Paso Robles. We think the Chateau de L’Ou Secret de Schistes Rouge Cotes Catalanes 2015, an opaque, deeply colored, powerful and pure Syrah, can run with the ‘big dogs’ of the New World, though for all its extraction and presence, it doesn’t sit heavily on the palate. It also has the added bonus of the unique minerality from the black schist soils that are here and in Priorat to the south.

Jeb Dunnuck is making quite a statement in this piece about the Chateau L’Ou, “Saturated black in color, the 2015 IGP Côtes Catalanes Secret de Schistes is reminiscent of Manfred Krankl’s SQN (Sina Qua Non) Syrahs with its deep, unctuous, layered profile. Cassis, chocolate, licorice, smoked herbs and ample minerality all emerge from this full-bodied, sexy beauty that just begs to be drunk. Possessing ripe tannin, a stacked mid-palate and a great finish, it will be better in a year or two and keep for a decade…96 points” – Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate.

We’d make the point that Chateau L’Ou, at $39.98, literally can be had for a fraction of what things like Saxum and Sina Qua Non cost! Enough said.”

VTV Cotes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel Silex 2015: Poster Child for the New Roussillon

We marvel everyday and try to understand why some things we expect to be big aren’t and others for which we have no expectations are. The VTV Cotes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel Silex 2015 falls into that first category. Yeah, the name is a little long and even after a couple of decades there is still rather limited awareness of the Roussillon. Beyond that all of the descriptors are ‘aces’. From Jeb Dunnuck, “… The 2015 Cotes du Roussillon Villages Tautavel Les Vingt Marches is a hidden gem in this vintage. Made from mostly Syrah, with 20% Grenache and 10% Carignan, this full-bodied, deep and voluptuously textured red is loaded with notions of plums, violets and spice, with some Syrah meatiness developing with air. Completely destemmed and aged all in tank, I’d enjoy bottles over the coming 4-6 years. 93 points.”

You’ve got all of the right stuff here…old vines (the original review mentioned 50 year-old vines), unique terroir, an outstanding vintage, and a talented winemaker. Everything you would expect out of a wine with those parameters is there and then some. At $25 it can give a lot of Chateauneufs a run for their money. Is the market so saturated with great wines that something like this can be invisible? The wines emerging from the Roussillon these days are the best to ever come out of the region, and this powerhouse red is a poster child for that. You can buy a great Roussillon or a mediocre Cabernet for this kind of price…easy choice for us.

WELCOME BACK, POWELL

We have been at the Aussie game for nearly three decades now, and can honesty say that we were involved in the earliest days of the boutique influx. We were among the very first customers for groundbreaking importers like the late John Larchet (Australian Premium Wine Collection) and Dan Philips (Grateful Palate). We can still recall looking at a status report from an early shipment from Grateful Palate where a wine that we had never heard of called Torbreck RunRig (1994 vintage if memory serves) was on our manifest. We asked Dan about it and he simply said, “you want it.”

Turned out it was sensational and the first step in a long and successful run for the Torbreck label. The mind behind it was one Dave Powell, clearly a man of enormous winemaking talents and great ambition. Over the years he continued to amaze with one distinctive, deliciously well-conceived bottling after another. His winemaking associate at the time was Dan Standish, who has spun off to create a sensational label of his own.

Torbreck is now in the capable hands of former Peter Lehmann winemaker Ian Hongell. What happened to Dave? Well the story of his personal life would probably make a pretty good cable series on one of the edgier channels. But the key elements were that Dave got into a situation where he needed a serious infusion of capital to keep the label afloat and subsequently made his investment arm so distraught with some of his antics that he was essentially kicked out of the company he founded.

People have said all kinds of salty things about Powell. But no one, even his detractors, could honestly say that he wasn’t a brilliant winemaker. Well after the Torbreck debacle, the supremely confident Powell kind of disappeared from view. Apparently he spent some time teaching his son, Callum, the ropes and, clearly, the guy hasn’t lost a step. Whether or not this new duo will be able to equal the pinnacle of success that Torbreck enjoyed remains to be seen. But if you are looking for great purity of fruit, expressive personality, and unique profiles, why not go with one of the best winemakers in all of Australia.

Dave believes most of the work happens in the vineyard and this is where Dave and Callum spend most of their time. The resulting wines have the same kind of flair that those early Torbreck wines showed. The short story is that Dave is back, and doing what he does best in creating distinctive, hand-made wines. It doesn’t hurt that these debut wines are from 2016 which was an exceptional vintage Down Under.

Powell and Son Riverside Grenache Mataro Shiraz Barossa Valley 2016–It starts here with The Powells’ entry-level red, the 2016 Riverside Grenache Mataro Shiraz, a 70% Grenache, 20% Mataro and 10% Shiraz blend that spent 15 months in large foudres and concrete prior to bottling. A Wine Advocate 91, the comments are, “It’s full-bodied but floral and fine, with a silky texture, cherry fruit and a bit of earthy depth. It should drink well for 3-4 years, possibly more.” It’s like the old Torbreck Woodcutters value bottling only more engaging and packed with fruit. It’s kind of ‘old World’, as is Dave’s bent, but there’s an appealing lift and new World freshness. At $17.98 it’s a buy.

Powell and Son Shiraz Barossa and Eden Valleys 2016– The Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz “epitomises the philosophy of Powell & Son to marry the greatness of the Barossa and Eden Valleys”. Barossa supplies the rich middle with the higher elevation, cooler Eden Valley giving the wine a lift and freshness that people don’t typically think is a part of Australian reds. A 50/50 blend of Eden Valley Shiraz from 40+ year-old vines and Barossa Valley Shiraz from 60+ year-old vines, the fruit is fermented separately in concrete vats before spending 15 months in 4,500 liter French oak foudres.

The aroma of this wine shows kirsch, lavender, sage and charred meats. It has a dark, brooding character to add further complexity. The palate is dense and deep with ripe black fruits: plum, blackberry compote as well as a cured meats and black olive.

Wine Advocate was quite supportive with a 94 point score and notes, “Taking price into account, the GMS and this wine, the 2016 Barossa & Eden Valleys Shiraz, are my favorites in the Powells’ lineup. The blend is 50-50, as there was a single foudre from each region used in the blend. The nose is more floral and garrigue-like than the straight Barossa Shiraz, with mulberry and blueberry fruit mingling easily on the palate. It’s full-bodied, creamy-textured and rich, with a concentrated, velvety finish that’s a clear step up from the entry-level wines.”

Wine Spectator was equally enthusiastic with a 93 point score and comments, “Whiffs of eucalyptus and white pepper announce the massive, dense and concentrated blueberry and blackberry flavors, with Earl Grey tea— and clove-scented notes on the finish. There’s no denying the power here. A good candidate to evolve with mid-term cellaring.” The $44.98 price is serious, but so is the wine.

Powell and Son Grenache Shiraz Mataro Barossa Valley 2016– The Barossa Valley GSM takes the various ‘parts’ and hones it into a complete new world Chateauneuf type wine. The blend is about 2/3 Grenache from mature Barossa Valley Grenache bush vines, with Shiraz and Mataro making up the balance. Again the maturing in big foudres harmonizes everything while not allowing the wood to get in the way of the fruit. Engaging, expressive, and intense, yet never overblown.

Again impressive words from Wine Advocate, “…One of the best values and flat-out sexiest wines in the lineup is the 2016 Grenache-Shiraz-Mataro. Driven by the 1901-planted Grenache from Seppeltsfield that makes up 60% of the blend, it’s richer, darker and deeper than the Riverside bottling. Sage and licorice notes add nuance to the black cherries on the nose and palate of this full-bodied, richly concentrated and layered offering. 94 Points!”

Dave is back and this line with his son is an important new (old?) face on the Aussie scene.

STOLPMAN: TASTY VALUE-PRICED REDS FROM UNIQUE BLENDS

We have watched as Stolpman experimented with viticulture and winemaking ideas until they got it figured out. The Stolpmans had the passion and they also had Sashi Moorman on the payroll and, through him, a connection to a larger group of vintners with a ‘higher calling’ wine-wise. The common mindset here as they worked towards their goals was not visions of other domestic producers, but of some of France’s greatest Rhone producers (the Stolpmans named their child Augie, in deference to August Clape of Cornas, for example).

There’s a saying in sports about how one must ‘play the right way’. Well these folks did that with wine. They experimented, they learned, and they got better and better. Yet they never lost sight of the fact that people will be drinking their wine and clearly, given their pricing, the Stolpmans left their egos at the door. Now, with Syrah as their major focus, they make some of the most compelling and unique blends in California. The care that goes into these wines in both the vineyards and the cellar is far above the prices charged. To further enhance the individual wines’ identity, they give them individual labels and stories.

On top of it all, the Stolpmans produce these wines in partnership with the Solarzano family, who manage the viticultural duties for the entire estate, and permanent staff. It’s kind of a ‘family’ affair where everyone cares a great deal about what’s in the bottle. We can vividly recall a number of new labels from corporate type wineries where we asked about the source of the wine and were told, essentially, that the ‘story’ came first and they found some juice to fill the bottle. These are well conceived, purely made wines where the story on the label is from the ‘heart’ and the juice is first rate and unfettered.

As we mentioned, great Syrah is the recurring theme through this lineup. We’ll start with the newest edition, the Stolpman La Cuadrilla 2016. When Tom Stolpman originally bought the property, he wanted his workers on site year-round, so the team members could have a steady job, a career, and raise their families with security. To further that goal, Ruben Solarzano divvied up parcels among the workers for them to maintain and thus learn the growing cycle ‘hands on’. This wine includes the crew’s plots (called Cuadras) in a unique and tasty blend of 72% Syrah, 16% Sangiovese and 12% Grenache. Not to get too technical, but 80% of the grapes are destemmed and 20% are done whole cluster to give the fruit some ‘pop’. Afterwards it sees time in neutral oak just to round out the edges.

This is a juicy and accessible wine with an uncanny purity to the fruit that reminds us of times long past, with lively dark cherry, blueberry and plum. There’s a little spice and a pleasing savory streak to add interest to the blend, and all is integrated for current ‘applications’ and well-priced for what it delivers. You rarely get this caliber of juice for this kind of price here in California. Notes from Wine Advocate coincide with ours and demonstrate how far this sophisticated project has come, “…the unabashedly delicious 2016 La Cuadrilla is a beautiful wine, jumping from the glass with notes of roses, violets, wild berry fruits and pomegranate. On the palate, it’s medium to full-bodied with an ample core of juicy fruit, satiny tannins and a pure finish. This is an amazing value….92 Points”.

The name, the blend, and the winemaking are pretty daring on the Stolpman Para Maria de los Tecolotes 2017, but they are a key part of the reason why this wine is so unique. The blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Petit Verdot is quirky enough. But the ‘process’ takes it up a notch. By their own description this wine is done with 40% of the Syrah done via whole cluster (carbonic maceration) in a sealed tank, 40% Syrah destemmed and done by a traditional open top fermentation. The Petit Verdot also is destemmed and done open top. It’s a bit of work for a wine in this price range, but the results are beyond impressive.

We liked it a lot for its texture, density of flavor, and the cool underpinning to the dark Syrah fruit provided by the Petit Verdot, which plays not unlike Mourvedre in this mix. Again we are talking a unique, seriously complex wine from California for under $20, which we must again mention doesn’t happen every day. But Antonio Galloni of Vinous took it up a couple of notches from there. His words, “…another attractive wine from Stolpman. Here, too, the fruit is bright, precise and articulate, which is to say quite a departure from the style of the 2016. Generous and pliant on the palate, with no hard edges and striking aromatics…it is shaping up to be a real beauty…Don’t miss it….92-95 points”

As long as we’re at it, we feel compelled to mention their Stolpman Vineyards Estate Syrah Ballard Canyon 2016, definitely a bottling they are well known for and one of California’s best bargains on serious Syrah year in and year out. This wine gets plenty of love consistently and it did here again. It’s a Wine Advocate 92 and, in their words “keenly priced.” Vinous offers up a 93 with comments, “The 2016 Syrah Estate is dense and powerful in the glass, with plenty of fruit intensity. Even so, the shift towards a more polished, subtle style that is so evident in the 2017s is already quite evident here. Today, the Estate is a bit shy, but all the elements are very nicely balanced. I especially admire the wine’s persistence.”

Their program with their employees is enlightened and productive, and each wine is special in its own way. But they all share the aspect of being intriguing juice that performs well above their modest prices. Their hard work has paid off as has their thinking outside the cuadra. Now you get to take advantage.

A Dandy Andezon in 2016

The Cotes du Rhone from Andezon has been on our radar for a long time. It was on the front cover of our old printed newsletter at least once (maybe even a rare second time come to think of it). So given our experience thus far with the ‘little’ 2016s in the southern Rhone, we were quite anxious to see how this Eric Solomon staple for more than two decades fared.

The brief background story for those that don’t know this one by now is as follows. Back in 1994, Eric Solomon visited the Vignerons d’Estézargues Co-operative winery and met a young, passionate director/winemaker named Jean-François Nicq. By the end of the day, they had decided on a custom bottling of old-vine Syrah (30-60 year old vines) from one of their best parcels, Andezon, that had been previously sold in bulk to a “very famous producer in the Rhone Valley”. The rest, as they say, is history.

To repeat, unlike most Cotes du Rhones, the Andezon is predominantly Syrah with a little Grenache (up to 10% depending on the vintage, though some will claim it’s all Syrah), unlike the typically Grenache-dominated cuvees from this part of the world. It sees no oak, they use no cultured yeasts, no filtering, no fining and no enzymes during vinification or aging, and only add a small amount of SO2 at bottling. Les Vignerons d’Estézargues has begun to practice ‘natural winemaking’, for those interested in that sort of thing, and have to be one of the only co-ops in the world to do so.

As for the wine itself, the Les Vignerons d’Estezargues Cotes du Rhone Andezon 2016 is certainly the best example of this cuvee we have tasted, and that is saying something. The signature of the vintage is here…deep, riveting fruit, uncommon richness yet with energy and lift. We could go on but the prose of Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski certainly makes the point, “The 2016 Cotes du Rhone Andezon is 100% Syrah, aged entirely in tank. It’s a lush, medium to full-bodied wine bursting with ripe blackberries and blueberries. No, it doesn’t have the peppery spice of Syrah from the northern Rhône, but it does have enough cola-like spicy complexity to warrant an outstanding rating…91 points“

In closing, it is important to make another point we refer to as the ‘theory of relativity’. When a vintage this spectacular comes along, there is a tendency for reviewers to calibrate reviews between wines, and not necessarily factor in the vintage itself. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but it is a fact. People don’t always account for the fact that the whole category is working far above the norm.

The salient point is that better wines in lesser vintages often get higher scores than they should and, in outstanding vintages, the wines don’t necessarily get their due within the broader historical perspective. Pull out this ’91-pointer’ and put it up against similar ‘performers’ from other vintages down the road and this will dominate. The 2016s are that good, and this one will outperform the ‘number’ in the glass. Good times, 2016 continues to look like one of the best vintages we have ever sold .

ROUSSET CROZES HERMITAGE PICAUDIERES 2015

As hard-core Rhonies know, the 2015 vintage in the northern Rhone was something special…a vintage to be placed along with the icon vintages of the last quarter-century (1989, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2009, 2010). Some might make an argument that this could be the best given the fleshy ripeness, bright lift and freshness, and the fact that winemaking has come a long way in the last 25 years.

What some people tend to forget is that, in such vintages, a whole lot of producers have uncommon success. The wine media will go out of their way to fawn over the acknowledged great ones like Chave, Ogier, and Chapoutier. Those folks have earned their stripes, no question there. But demand for these limited production gems will be fierce, quantities will be low, and prices, if you can find the stuff to buy, will be scary. Our take on the 2015 northern Rhones is much like the 2015 Burgundies…find the hidden gems that you can drink and enjoy without the severe prices. In such vintages, you can find some very cool stuff if you know where to look.

The story goes that the importer found Rousset by asking the locals, including already famous Jean and Pierre Gonon. This was one of the names that kept coming up and, even though this family had been in these parts some eleven generations, they were still under the radar. The press we found only went back a couple of vintages prior to 2015, including some nice notes on the 2014s from Vinous’ Josh Raynolds. We haven’t seen any reviews on this one yet, but we didn’t need them in this case (though we’re sure they will come).

We tasted three wines from Stephane and Robert Rousset, all possessing pure, bright, succulent fruit, and those layered, nuanced, full throttle yet refined flavors that exemplify the best vintages from this part of the Rhone. Since they were all relatively similar in price, we settled on our favorite, the Rousset Crozes Hermitage Picaudieres 2015 . This is a single vineyard that is located on the hillside of Crozes with terraced, granite rows of vines facing south. Some notes made comparisons to Hermitage with respect to the soils and exposure.

To be sure this is certainly no ordinary Crozes. The Roussets own about a half-hectare here (about an acre and a quarter) of densely planted vines, many of which are quite old and date back to the 1930s. It is said to be one of the best parcels of the appellation. They plow by horse where they can, make the wine in the traditional way with only the wild yeasts and this particular bottlings sees a touch of new oak.

The result is a pretty thrilling bottle of Syrah with plenty of well-woven-in minerality and polished notes of the classic meat/smoke element that defines the region, all in a supporting role to a pure, juicy blast of perfectly ripened blackberries and black cherries. This is Crozes that reaches to a higher plane and, with apologies to all of the Rhone Rangers everywhere else, is the kind of wine that can only happen here, when conditions are exceptional, and when the winemaker doesn’t get in the way.

The problem with Crozes is that the appellation has so many variables, with killer vineyards high on the hill and more ordinary stuff along the autoroute. Picaudieres is top dirt and the wine costs way less than anything that says Cote Rotie or Hermitage on it, but it plays at that level. A dark, expressive beauty. These folks are still pretty ‘under the radar’, but we see that changing real soon. Beat the crowds.