Chapoutier Masterclass

A selection of Chapoutier wines presented by the NSW brand ambassador…

Great progress of quality through the bracket for me.

• 2016 M. Chapoutier St. Péray Les Tanneurs

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Péray

  slight tinned peaches, apricot and apple backed by sweet spice and slightly dusty herbs as well as a little alcoholic warmth prickling the nose. In the mouth it's slightly waxy and warm with stone fruit and creamy touches but finishes bitter with some more alcohol heat. Meh.

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• 2015 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Blanc Les Granilites

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Oak dominates initially, pretty floral top notes, cream vanilla and a slightly candied cream soda kind of thing. Confected, jubey stone fruit. In the mouth the wine is fleshy, the fruit as sweet as it smelled and that cream soda element is here as well. Slight waxy and travels long with non-intrusive alcohol heat. Hmm, something that doesn't quite feel right...perhaps that sweetness?

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• 2015 M. Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Chante-Alouette

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Peaches and apricots, orchard fruits, very slight fig. Toasty oak, buttery notes and a certain waxy quality married to almond meal. Very rich. In the mouth it's juicy but more apples here; ripe and rich though, long, exceedingly pleasant, well balanced with some front of mouth burr and a little bitterness and non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Possibly a little too worked but it's relatively young and I like it rather a lot.

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Bit of a hmm bracket for me though I did enjoy the Cornas...

• 2015 M. Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Blackberry, quite polished initially but becomes more rustic with time, green peppercorns, slightly smoky, meaty notes. It's a little sour initially on the palate and quite et with wild blackberry, meaty notes and muted peppery spice. Finishes with plenty of alcohol heat. Meh

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• 2014 M. Chapoutier St. Joseph Les Granilites Flawed

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Initially this shows some cork taint which masks the black fruits - especially blackberry - and some peppery spice & cream. And that continues to the palate. With time there is an initial improvement before it starts to fall again…FLAW

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• 2014 M. Chapoutier Cornas Les Arenes

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Polished oak, blackberry and cherry and an almost overripe raspberry quality that is quite confected. Whole berry I wonder? Our brand ambassador does not know. On the palate again it's jubey and fruit with exceedingly polished oak, tannins are silky but grippy and drying though the fruit persist underneath this though it does finish a little hollow. Having said that it's rather pleasant in a worked way.

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I was quite disappointed with these. It would have been fun to try the wines completely blind….Of course, it may that at 150AUD and 400AUD respectively my expectations were higher than the quality these wines presented for me on this occasion.

• 2011 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Initially slightly unripe black fruits, meaty, with slight funky notes over some polished, though contained, oak…with time the fruit games some candied notes and a little sweet spice comes through. Juicy, slightly candied black fruits, front of mouth grip from the tannins. there is something here that I just don't like' almost like a slightly cloying sweetness on the finish. I'd say time to come together but as this already has seven years under it's belt I'm really not sure.

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• 2007 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Concentrated black fruit that is almost rubbery in it's quality though still has a touch of contradictory sourness, cream, black pepper, meaty, earthy and leathery. Again there is a sweetness to the wine that I can't get to grips with. Perhaps it's too easy to please. Just showing some tertiary characteristics, a little leather to the integrated, slightly gritty, tannins. Hmm. Just not for me.

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Hmm, far less than impressive with a couple of notable exceptions. The Chante Alouette was simply lovely and the Cornas Les Arenes wonderfully new meets old world. The rest of the wines didn't really work for me though.