Had a great meal on Sunday with some good friends and drank through some noteworthy bottles.

‘95 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape - I’ve had this wine many times and it has always come across as relatively tight and compact on the palate, leading me to believe it needs more cellar time… not this bottle.  While it blossomed after a short time in the glass, it faded over the evening and lacked the backend structure to really age.  My previous notes on this wine are pretty consistent so I’m not going to jump to any big conclusions based off one bottle… but I plan on checking back in on this relatively soon. (91? pts.)

2004 Arcadian Syrah Hommage à Max - Count me as a fan.  This bottle was rocking with great aromatics of spiced blackberries, leather, garrigue, meat and spice cabinet notes.  The palate was medium to full bodied with a deft, light texture framing rich, down right sweet fruit.  The table was split with one person calling it a Cote Rotie… and another saying it was aussie like.  To me, it’s a blend of the complex aromatics only Northern Rhone Syrah can deliver and the fruit and richness you get from California wines.  Loved it.  (94 pts.)

2006 Williams Selyem Gewürztraminer Late Harvest Saralee’s Vineyard - Wow.  Glorious stuff and would stand up to just about any dessert wine out there.  Fresh, vibrant and decadent, the wine is filled with aromas and flavors of apricots, tropical fruits, flowers and creme brulee.  Full bodied with tons of sweetness that’s buffered by riveting acidity,  this just about had me considering licking the last drops out of the bottle. (95 pts.)

Just starting to dive into this region and am working on wrapping my head around the wines…  A couple standouts from recent line-ups include…

Mark Ryan’s Wild Eye Syrah - Has an oaky edge but beautiful fruit and depth.

Va Piano - Their ‘07 Syrah shows nice complexity and mixes ripe fruit and balance/elegance perfectly.

Buty - Two awesome wines.  The ‘07 Rediviva of the Stones(77% Syrah/23% cabernet) shows tons of depth… and the cab component really shows.  The ‘07 Beast Syrah is straight up, pure Syrah and showed the best on the second day.  Both highly recommended.

I’ll keep posting on the standouts from weekly tastings.

It’s now official.  I have the honor of being the moderator for the Hospice du Rhone seminar with Vincent Maurel of Clos Saint Jean, Michel Tardieu of Tardieu-Laurent and  wine consultant, Philippe Cambie.  I’m looking forward to sharing a glass of wine with these guys and hearing what they have to say.   Saturday, May 1st and  hope to see you there!

The other seminars and moderators can be found at: http://www.hospicedurhone.org/blog/2010/03/10/drum-roll-please-moderators-announced-for-the-2010-hdr-seminar-series/

Issue 3 notes…

Finally, all of the notes from the last newsletter are in the searchable database…  I still have a few minor clean ups but I think everything is linked up correctly.  Any miss spellings or inaccuracy catches are very much appreciated (email me at jeb@therhonereport.com).

A small subset of recent note worthy bottles…

Eric Solomon - I had the good fortune to attend a tasting of Eric’s Colorado portfolio last week and the highlight was getting to compare the the ‘06/’07 Marcoux CdP and Vieilles Vignes…  I love this producer and the wines show stunningly pure Grenache characters.  The ’07s are just fantastic and their straight CdP is easily one of the top base cuvees of the vintage.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the ’06s are impressive, but when tasted side by side, the ’07s truly shine.   Disappointments, Mas Doix.  The ‘05 Salanques and ‘06 Vieilles Vignes were both outstanding, but seemed well beneath prior vintages. Either way, the portfolio rocks across the board.

2001 E. Guigal St. Joseph Vignes de L’Hospice- ‘ello beautiful.. what a rocking bottle of Syrah… perfumed, smokey and packed with meaty notes, the palate is down right elegant, silky and shows gobs of vibrant acidity.  Burg lovers that like a touch more wild aromatics would love this. Highly recommended and drinking well.

Wind Gap - I attend a dinner with Pax Mahle and was able to taste the ‘07 Sonoma Coast Syrah as well as the ‘07 Griffin’s Lair Syrah. Both well worth seeking out and the Griffin’s Lair is really something.

2007 Sans Liege The Offering - I grabbed this bottle locally for around 20 bucks. A blend of that’s mostly Grenache (49% Grenache, 37% Syrah,13% Mourvedre and 1% Viognier), it has awesome aromatics of cocoa powder, earthy black cherries and freshly laid pavement and the palate has plenty of freshness and fruit. An easy buy again.

I’ll have full notes on these in the next newsletter in May.

Other happenings…

I’ll be in Washington state from April 21st through the 25th tasting and visiting with producers for the next newsletter. If you have a favorite Washington state producer that you’d like to see included in the next edition, let me know!

Hospice du Rhone is coming up at the end of April. Hope to see you there.

That’s it!
As always, all the best and thanks for reading.

Jeb

Just got an update from Karine of Cuvee du Vatican (www.cuveeduvatican.fr) regarding the snow in Chateauneuf…  not very common ladies and gentlemen.

Ok, I’ve screwed around for a week and it’s finally time to get back to work… on tap for tonight: finalize notes on a trio of rocking aussie grenaches; the ‘06, ‘07 and ‘08 Noon Eclipse. They’ve been open for two days and are still dee-lish.

The notes from the last newsletter are … almost… into the database. Seriously, there has to be an easier way to manage the notes. In the mean time, pour a glass to my misery as I manually link up wines, importers, drinking windows and notes in excel for close to 300 wines…. C’est la vie.

Hi all,
I’m thrilled to report that the latest Issue of The Rhone Report is now available on the front page!

In total, I review just shy of 300 wines with coverage on the South of France, Northern Rhône, Spain and a small subset of Rhone Rangers. I also included a detailed look at the weather from both the ‘08 and ‘09 vintages in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a listing of the top rated wines in the Issue, over 40 value recommendations and buying strategies for 2010. A lot of effort went into the report and I truly hope you get some use out of it.

The reviews have not yet made it to the database yet but they’ll trickle in this week.

As always, comments, suggestions and criticisms are very welcome and appreciated.

I hope 2010 is treating you well!
Jeb

Bouchon
The Venetian Resort, 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV
September, 2009
- Jeb Dunnuck

Bouchon is the bistro side of Yountville’s famed French Laundry and while the Vegas destination isn’t quite up to the level of the parent establishment, they still deliver a quality meal and a decent (and relatively affordable) wine list.  This early morning visit followed a long night at the poker tables and the early time allowed us to sit on the outdoor patio, prior to the 110+ degree Vegas heat baking anything that dare step outside.

One of the many French cookbooks I have gives a recipe for “Chicken and Waffles” but, I could just never bring myself to actually make it. Roast chicken, in the morning, with waffles… seriously? Well,  after seeing this on the menu and despite the odd looks I received from the wife, I couldn’t resist giving it a whirl, .  To give you an idea of the success of the dish, I’m still craving this meal some 5 months later. The syrup compliments the simply roasted bird and the waffles were as decadent as could be. A huge order of french fries rounds out the food. Eclectic, yes  I know, but it did work!

On the wine side, a bottle of the 2006 Qupé Roussanne Hillside Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard offered fantastic aromatics of stone fruits, apricot, honey comb and subtle butter notes along with solid underlying minerality. It’s rich and full on the nose as well as complex and smooth. Medium to full bodied on the palate, the wine is perfectly balanced with fresh acidity, a precise, pure texture and a long finish. I’m a fan and would opt for drinking this over the next 3 or so years.

A bottle of 2007 Melville Pinot Noir Estate was straight up delicious with big, upfront pinot fruit, vanilla and a little licorice and exotic spice aromas. In the mouth, it’s medium to full bodied with a big texture, beautiful balance and finish that has you coming back for another drink.   This will be a crowd pleaser and I’d image would pair with a wide variety of foods.  At the release price of around 20 bucks, it’s also a fantastic value!

2006 Qupé Roussanne Hillside Estate Bien Nacido Vineyard - 92 pts.
2007 Melville Pinot Noir Estate - 91 pts.

Chez Michel
10 Rue de Belzunce, 75010 Paris, France
June, 2009
- Jeb Dunnuck

Thierry Breton is the chef of this small bistro and he specializes in game and classic dishes from Brittany.  Located in the 10th Arrondissement of Paris, I don’t think this place could be harder to find. I’ve been lost both times I’ve visited and this time, the cab driver had to make multiple calls just to get us within walking distance.  If visiting, the cross streets are Rue St. Vincent de Paul and Place de Roubaix. Hopefully that helps and I do think it’s worth the effort to find.

For this visit, Traci and I had just gotten into Paris (after spending more than a week in Chateauneuf-du-pape tasting through the 2007s), were beat and looking for a relaxing, easy evening with good food and an affordable, solid bottle of wine.  Chez Michel delivered and the Soupe de Poisson, Mussels, Coq au Vin and Salmon courses were all first rate.  The wine list, while not very deep, did offer value and the 2006 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape came in at under 60 euro and was a no brainer.  This is certainly one of the top wines of the vintage and this bottle was even better than a previous one from a couple days earlier.  Possessing awesome purity as well as the edge and cut you expect from this producer, it had top notch aromatics of dark fruit, licorice and graphite  (this cuvee sees zero new wood.)  Balanced, precise and very pure, my guess is that this will drink beautifully over the next 15+ years.  All in all, a solid way to start a couple days in Paris!

Food:

• Soupe de Poisson
• Snails
• Mussels
• Steamed Salmon
• Coq au Vin
• Far Breton

Wine:

• 2006 Domaine de la Vieille Julienne Châteauneuf-du-Pape - 94 pts.
  

Boulder, CO
December, 2009
Jeb Dunnuck

That’s it, every Friday needs a lunch like this…  The theme was Spain and there wasn’t a dog to be found in the lineup.

We started off with a sublime 1989 Viña Tondonia Blanco Gran Reserva. This is a blend of Viura and Malvasía and I don’t know of a better white for under 50 bucks.  Rich and in an oxidized style, this gains freshness in the glass and just oozes character and class.  Medium bodied with sweet fruit, a clean texture and a beautiful finish, this is also incredibly consistent.  Probably the third bottle I’ve had this year and they’ve all shown incredibly well.  As a side note, I think the ‘81 of this is even better!  Do yourself a favor and give one of these a whirl.

The sole white (if you don’t count the dessert wine)  led into a bevy of reds and we started with the lightest and progressed to the younger, heavier wines.  The 1985 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia would give more than one grand cru burgundy a run for its money.  Light, nuanced and complex aromatics lead into a silky, completely integrated wine that is drinking at point.  I wished this had a touch more umph but the table loved this wine.  It also improved in the glass so while at point, I don’t think it’s going to fall apart over the next couple of years either.

The 2000 Clos Erasmus was pop and pour and while not up to an otherworldly ‘98 from the previous night, boasted gorgeous aromas of chocolatey dark fruit, hot asphalt, dusty spice and serious chalk and minerals.  There was noticeable wood at first but over the lunch and later that evening, this was completely soaked up by the fruit.  The palate is medium to full bodied with impressive purity and richness, a killer texture and a tannic, blockbuster finish.   I thoroughly enjoyed this but if you like more mature aromas, or are tannin adverse, give this another 3 or so years in the cellar.  That might do it…

The 1996 Artadi Rioja Viña El Pison was showing hints of maturity on the nose with peppered steak, raw meat, minerals, vanilla and slightly cheesy notes as well as straight up, pure fruit.  It’s earthy, rich, and amazingly complex.  In the mouth, the wine is perfectly built and maintains a sense of elegance as well as power.  Full bodied but with a precise, structured edge, this gains steam on the finish and shows huge length.  I love the cut and poise and it’s rare to find this level of both power and elegance.  Huge, huge fan here.

About as polished and seamless as can be, the 100% Grenache 2005 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Aquilon started off with lots of sweet, high class oak but like the Clos Erasmus, quickly showed primarily pure, beautiful fruit.  Blackberry liqueur, vanilla, licorice and spice all come jumping from the glass and the palate is a lesson in texture and balance.  Perfectly built, seamless, full bodied and yet light and airy, this is still a baby in terms of development.  Can a wine that is so seamless and approachable at this stage possibly age and improve?  I don’t know but I’d drink this any day of the week.

A more structured, dense wine, the 1999 Celler Vall Llach had plenty of toast and char as well as a slight nutty note to go with its dark, earthy fruit driven core.  Medium to full bodied, this becomes more than a little impressive after the first sip and the wine is perfectly structured, balanced and rich. It finishes with ripe tannin, pure fruit and plenty of length.   The blend here is 35% Merlot, 50% Cariñena and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon.

We capped the meal with a 1940 S.A. Málaga Larios Málaga Solera. Completely opaque and with a very dark brown/black color, it was the essence of coffee flavored toffee (maybe throw in some flamed brown sugar… or molassas.. or.. you get the idea.) The beauty, and frankly a unique component to the wine, was that despite the huge body and relatively thick texture, the wine remained light, airy and down right drinkable.

1989 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva (White) - 93 pts.
1991 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva - 93 pts.
1985 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva - 92 pts.
2005 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja Aquilon - 96 pts.
2000 Clos Erasmus Priorat - 95 pts.
2001 Fernando Remírez de Ganuza Rioja Trasnocho - NR
1996 Artadi Rioja Viña El Pison - 97 pts.
1999 Celler Vall Llach Priorat Vall Llach - 95 pts.
1940 S.A. Málaga Larios Málaga Solera - 96 pts.