2007 France Trip - Curson, Combier, Tunnel

Our first appointment of the day was with Etienne Pochon tasted us though Domaine Curson’s offerings. The younger vines are bottled under the “Etienne Pochon” name. I thought they were all just plain awful, unfortunately.

• 2005 Domaine Etienne Pochon Crozes-Hermitage Blanc

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Lemon curd, flowers. Zesty and Sauvignon Blanc-like on the palate. Tart.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Curson Crozes-Hermitage Blanc

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  60% Marsanne / 40% Rousanne. Floral nose. Lemon peel, flowers, and smoke. Tart acidity. Not for me.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Etienne Pochon Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Nose of ripe plums and diesel/petrol. Very tart and green. Yuck.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Château Curson Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Nose of black fruits and light spice. Lean. Mouth-puckering acidity. Way too tart. Yuck.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2003 Château Curson Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Bizarre nose of seaweed, soy sauce, and grape jam. The palate shows grape jelly and light spice. Very tart.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Etienne Pochon Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Barrel sample. Better, showing smoke, iron, and minerals. Very tart.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Château Curson Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Barrel sample. Red fruits/rhubarb. Lean, tart. Not for me.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

After hiking the hill of Hermitage and grabbing a snack, we stopped by Combier for a tasting with Laurent Combier. The highlight of our visit was a drive to the Clos des Grives vineyard, which is surrounded by fruit orchards – apricots and cherries. Due to the previous day’s rain, the cherries had split skins, and therefore could not be sold. We grazed on beautiful red cherries right from the tree. As to the wines, I thought they were good, and potentially a few of them might be great if they put on a little mid-palate fat with age.

• 2006 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  80% Marsanne / 20% Rousanne. Bottled two weeks ago. Flowers and citrus on the nose. Nectarines and lemons. A bit sharp.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  From younger vines. Recently bottled. Fresh tart raspberries, spice, and tobacco. Simple. Sharp.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Two barrel samples. The first had a reticent nose and a palate of fresh black raspberries, forest floor, tobacco, and light spice. The second was more structured, with spice/soy flavors. Promising.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos des Grives

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Barrel sample. From 50 year old vines. Perfumed nose of chocolate, licorice, and plums. Spicy red raspberries and cherries. Good structure and concentration. Showing lots of oak at this stage. Very promising.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine Combier St. Joseph Cap Nord

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Barrel sample. Raspberry fruit. Nice acidity and freshness. The finish turns slightly tart and drying.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Perfumed nose of raspberries. Nice smoky red fruits, minerals, smoked meat. Fine, ripe tannins. If this rounds out on the midpalate, it will be excellent.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine Combier Crozes-Hermitage Clos des Grives

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Fragrant nose of smoke and pure red raspberry fruit. Light spice. Nice acidity and minerality. Coffee, cocoa, and blackberries. Very young. Like the 2005 Crozes, this is a little bit lean on the midpalate.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2004 Trio Infernal Priorat No. 1/3

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  A Grenache/Carignan blend. Nose of cherry cough syrup. Fresh fruit, ripe tannins, and kirsch liquor. Big and burly.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

Our last tasting appointment of the trip – sob! – took us to Domaine du Tunnel in downtown St. Peray. We met with Stephane Robert for a comprehensive tasting through their portfolio. As my notes indicate, I thought these showed very poorly.

• 2006 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Ardèche Rosé

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Ardèche

  Pink/orange. Bizarre nose of asparagus, peaches, and urine. Medicinal. Watermelon rind. Terrible. This was bottled two days ago, so hopefully this is just bottle shock.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) St. Péray Cuvée Marsanne

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Péray

  Four barrel samples tasted. Simple and nice, with soft flavors of peaches, honey, and flowers. Nice supporting acidity.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) St. Joseph

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Two barrel samples tasted. The first had a fragrant nose of leather and blackberries, followed by a foxy, green, spicy nose. The second had a strong aroma of blood, and raw, green/animal flavors. Unpleasant.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Four barrel samples tasted. The first had a smoky blackberry nose. Flavors of animal blood. Angular, acidic, and rustic. The second was smoky, green, and tannic, with blackberry fruit. The third was raw and foxy, with concentrated blood/iron flavors. The fourth, a tank sample, was very smoky and supple, yet green.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2006 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas Vin Noir

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Four barrel samples tasted. The first had a smoky blackberry nose. Flavors of animal blood. Angular, acidic, and rustic. The second was smoky, green, and tannic, with blackberry fruit. The third was raw and foxy, with concentrated blood/iron flavors. The fourth, a tank sample, was very smoky and supple, yet green.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  More fragrant nose than the 2006 barrel samples. Black olives and modest fruit. Acidic and green. Not for me.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas Vin Noir

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Bottle opened yesterday. Thin and simple. Dustry red/black fruit, black olive. Green. Charcoal and burned soy sauce. Brutal.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2005 André Perret Condrieu Chery

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Similar to the previous bottle. Initially fresh and zesty, then turned very oaky as it warmed in the glass.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2001 Domaine Jean Royer Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Mon Père

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Like a baby Henri Bonneau. Burgundian nose. High-toned, complex fruit. Slightly tart finish. Very good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1990 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre Edmond

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre

  From magnum. Orange. A crazy wine. Amazing nose of over-ripe cantaloupe and petrol. Oxidized. Nutty and slightly sweet. With air, this started to smell and taste like a dry Yquem. Very unusual and good.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 1998 Domaine les Goubert Gigondas Cuvée Prestige

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Concentrated dark cherry fruit, mushrooms, and sous bois. Fresh fruit. Open for business. Excellent.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue

• 2000 Bernard Chave Crozes-Hermitage

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Rich black fruit, soy, and smoke. Concentrated and delicious. Open for business.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue