By Camilla Bowler
2009 was a rather good vintage in a certain south west corner of France. Rumour has it that it has been pretty good in other French wine-growing regions too! We were therefore more than usually excited this year to be off to the Rhone to taste the 2009s.
First stop was Cote Rotie. At Domaine Jamet, Jean-Paul was on good form, as he should well be – I think I would be too if I was in possession of cellar full of barrels containing his 2009s. This is Cote Rotie for purists, and even at this early stage (the wines are kept back longer than at most other domains before bottling for lengthy ageing in old oak), the quality of the terroir shines through. We tasted, as usual, barrels from different parcels – raw materials for a blend that looks very promising indeed, if the 2008 Cote Rotie, about to be bottled, is anything to go by. Less ripe and rich as a vintage, this is nevertheless elegant and very well balanced. A further indication of the potential of the Cote Rotie 09 was given by the Cotes du Rhone from this vintage, which had just been bottled, always one of the top Syrah Cotes du Rhones and really extremely good in 2009. We were lucky to be able to try a few older vintages following the barrel tasting which showed just how impressively the wines develop; a sweet, almost exotic 2003 Cote Rotie, an earthy, smoky 1995 Cote Rotie (not quite ready yet, according to Jean-Paul, but getting there), and last but certainly not least, Cote Brune 2004, deep, fine and very long.
A few minutes away at C&P Bonnefond, an entirely different style of Cote Rotie is to be found. The wines are concentrated, quite full bodied, and expressive. They are matured for 18-24 months in barrel with up to 40% new oak. Two special cuvees are made: Cote Rozier and Les Rochains. The main difference between these is the exposure (SE and SW respectively) and what a difference this makes in the resulting wines; the former spicy and well-structured, the latter, broader, fleshier and more concentrated. Surprisingly though, the real highlight was the Colline de Couzou Cote Rotie, which offers superb value for the money.
Next stop was Domaine de Colombier in Hermitage. Florent (pictured below) arrived slightly late having enjoyed an excellent lunch we were told, but the wines were worth the wait. The reds were rich and concentrated, and firmly structured, a little backward but with a lot of promise. This was our first taste of 2009 white; would the very warm conditions have made this a difficult vintage for them? At this address at least, they were showing well; big and bold, in contrast with the more linear 2008s. The surprise though, was that despite the hot conditions they have retained more than enough acidity to balance the richness, and analytically the acidity is in fact higher than that of the 2008s.
We went south after Colombier, via JL Chave (whose rabbit warren of a cellar always provides one of the most enjoyable tastings of the trip, and whose Cotes du Rhone and St Joseph are on their usual excellent form) to Cornas at the very southern limit of the Northern Rhone. Known for its big, tannic wines, this did not sound like it would be the easiest way to finish a long day’s tasting. Franck Balthazar’s wines though, were a very pleasant surprise. Tucked away behind the church in the centre of the village is a cellar where some very approachable, yet expressive wines are made. The current M. Balthazar is from the third generation of a family that inherited land from the Versets, where they are owners of very good land in Cornas. Although not certified organic, the wines have been made according to an organic approach in recent years, and minimal sulphur and only indigenous yeasts are used. The result is wines that have fine, round tannins, ripe fruit and delicately floral aromatics. The only downside is small quantities, they have only 3.5 ha of vines.
So what was 2009 like in the Northern Rhone? Pretty good, on this showing. The wines are quite full and rich, with the intensity and concentration of 2007s but with more tannic structure making them slightly less approachable now but arguably more age worthy. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow’s trip to the south brings.
Tags: C&P Bonnefond, Cornas, Cote Rotie, Domaine de Colombier, Domaine Jamet, Hermitage, JL Chave, Northern Rhone, Rhone 2009, St Joseph