Circle Update

RHONE 2: Dave DeSimone considers contrastingvintages in 2008 and 2009 in the Northern RhôneA challengeand a classicPaul Durand (I say ‘main’, because even a short tour of Tainl’Hermitage reveals any number of properties bearing theChapoutier name, some newly restored, some not so new,some seemingly disused) we had sat down to a tasting ofwhite wines from the 2007 vintage and red wines from the2000 vintage, all Sélections Parcellaires.The whites, all 100% Marsanne (which Michel greatlyfavours over Roussanne), were particularly strong, withthe Ermitage De L’Orée my favourite of the trio, although –credit where credit is due – I was also impressed by the StJoseph Les Granits which punched well above its weight.The red wines that followed were more variable, aconsequence both of a lesser vintage and the inclusion ofmore distant vineyards in the line-up perhaps; it certainlydid seem as though the wines from Hermitage were themore convincing. The Crozes-Ermitage Les Varonnierswas relatively disappointing, because many years onfrom my first tasting I still have fond memories of the 1995vintage, the most striking wine from this appellation I haveever tasted, whereas the Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée wasrather gamey and more suggestive of Brett than anythingelse. Head and shoulders above this pair were the nextChapoutier’shouse, with itscurious cornertowers, lookingdown upon LeMéal and LesGreffieux.two wines; now back with Ermitage once again, these twosuperlative cuvées hailed from Le Méal and L’Ermite; bothshowed stunning composition and potential. The final wine,the Croix de Bois Châteauneuf du Pape, showed well, but ithad that southern Rhône weight and sweetness which willnever – to my palate at least – shine in the presence of moresavoury and structured northern Rhône palates.Subsequently I had the opportunity to taste more fromthe range on two separate dining occasions, with dinner thesame evening, prior to my entertaining 4x4 foray though LesGreffieux and Les Bessards, and accompanying lunch thefollowing day. In the first case it was the 2001 Ermitage deL’Orée which really impressed with its golden maturity, allwrapped up in a fresh, still age-worthy structure, althoughit was probably not up to the standards that the 2007s willreach. It certainly put a rather confused and blurry 2006Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée in its place. And the following daya rather attractive 2001 Ermitage Le Pavillon shone, until itsbrightness was cast into the shadows by the majesty of thefully mature 1991 Le Pavillon. At twenty years of age, thiswas a superb finishing point for our meal, and my trip intoChapoutier World.No wine region other than Burgundy experiences theinfluences of vintages more keenly than the northernRhône valley. At the northern Rhône’s beginning, justbelow the city of Vienne, the cool, continental climate of thenorth starts colliding with the Mediterranean’s hot remnantsfiltering up the Rhône valley from the south. Resultingseasonal fluctuations often bring devastating late-springfrosts, summer hailstorms and early-autumn rains.The 2008 vintage, for instance, presented northernRhône vignerons with significant challenges. Summerbrought mainly overcast, light rainy days. Then, heavyearly September rains arrived to threaten the fruit withdisastrous rot. The entire season required relentless, skilfulwork in the vineyards merely to preserve any chance ofhaving a crop.By mid-September, Mother Nature showed a modicumof mercy as sunshine and La Bise – a chilly, dry wind fromthe north – allowed proper ripening. Vignerons with nervewho had held off picking while waiting patiently for returningfair weather salvaged a small, but good harvest.The challenging 2008 vintage also highlighted theimportance of careful work in the winery. The process oftrier – sorting out unripe, damaged fruit prior to fermentation– became critical. This further reduced volume, but allowedconscientious producers to deliver fruity, fresh and wellbalancedwines, albeit without tremendous depth.Circle Update October 2011 37