January 2024 Northern Rhone Dinner

Tasted Friday, January 26, 2024 by ylkim30 with 39 views

Flight 1 - Reds (10 Notes)

  • 2009 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Possibly flawed. When we first opened it, it was definitely aromatically more reticent on the nose with the palate being more austere, darker, much more savory, and brooding. I actually liked it, but when it was in the decanter for a couple of hours and people re-visited, the palate seemed to be blown out by the alcohol.

    I had wine fall apart before with too much air, but this declined in a way I never experienced before. I’m not sure whether it was a case of re-visiting the '09 after having a ton of other wines; too much time in the decanter causing the fruit and other elements on the palate to zero out; or just a flawed bottle. I really have no clue. Interesting experience and still glad I tried it, especially in comparison with the '11, which was a totally different wine.

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  • 2011 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Lifted on the nose with the palate red fruited and bright with a slight hit of savory smokiness. Very approachable right now and delicious (double-decanted before the dinner).

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  • 1994 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Landonne

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    The La Landonne had a pretty, floral nose; on the palate, the tannins felt resolved and there was no strong glossy oak signature. The texture and weight of the wine leaned elegant, and the fruit, while big, did not feel over-extracted and was balanced by savory elements. However, the smokiness (I’m assuming from reduction) was absolutely “embiggened” to massive proportions and was so overpowering, it felt like I was sipping a glass of an Islay single-malt. This wine didn’t come across as over-oaked (unless counting the smokiness being amplified by the new oak treatment), and in some ways it was enjoyable in a steroidal kind of way, but I’m not sure I would like drinking a full glass of this with dinner. It was just too much (this was decanted before the dinner).

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  • 1994 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Now, behold the La Turque, and imagine the La Landonne except younger, stronger, bigger, and tannic-ier. Joking aside, it does come across as a much younger wine: more closed on the nose, and the palate smothered with drying, unresolved tannins. And, similarly to the La Landonne, it was just infused with an overwhelming bigness swaddled in smoke (decanted before dinner).

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  • 2011 Alain Voge Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

    This showed really well and it struck a nice median between the bright, red-fruited ‘11 Cordeloux and the massive ‘94 LaLas. A touch darker than the Cordeloux, with a bit more meaty smokiness, but open for business and a pleasure to drink.

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  • 2015 Delas Frères Hermitage Ligne de Crête Les Grandes Vignes

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    This was too young with very firm tannins that basically blocked most of the palate. I didn’t linger long enough to see whether this opened up any in the decanter.

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  • 2020 Kobayashi Winery Syrah Sans Soufre WeatherEye Vineyard

    USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain

    A Syrah varietal wine sourced from the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Darker in character than the ‘11 Benetiere, it shared a fresh-tasting vibrancy and textural delicacy on the palate. While it had the smoke, meat, and herbs of the Northern Rhone, that Old World savoriness was married with a restrained, yet luminescent fruit that clearly placed it in the New. Although this cuvee is meant to be held for no longer than 10 years, the intensity of flavor feels a little too serious to be simply glou-glou, despite its easy-going drinkability. I never heard of this producer before, but I’m looking forward to following them in the future. (Apparently, Yves Gangloff consults on the Syrah and Viognier wines produced by Kobayashi).

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  • 2005 Peay Vineyards Syrah La Bruma

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    Another fine New World effort that was restrained, elegant, and savory with a restrained fruit profile. It didn’t enchant me as much as the Kobayashi, but a serious effort that shared a similar smoked meat and herbs savoriness as the Northern Rhone wines without having the gobs of velvety fruit I expect from a wine from the Sonoma Coast.

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  • 2016 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige

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

    Definitely the red wines' “gobbiest” of the night (GOTN): laden with a heavy-handed dark fruit, a velvety, almost viscous texture, and slightly ponderous; I wouldn’t call it a bad wine, but not one I plan to revisit.

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  • 2016 Domaine de Trévallon

    France, Provence, Alpilles

    Downright austere, with very assertive, unresolved tannins blocking most of the other flavors on the palate; I’m assuming due to the Cabernet in the wine. However, there seemed to be some promising stuffing underneath that wall of astringency. All too young to enjoy right now, but I’m kind of intrigued as to what this will taste like once the tannins resolve.

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Flight 2 - Whites (9 Notes)

Flight 3 - Sparkling (3 Notes)

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