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Northern Rhone Reds
Seattle, WA
Tasted February 15, 2017 by dpolivy with 300 views
Introduction
Our tasting group decided to explore Northern Rhone Reds, along with a few ringers and some fun starters! In the flights, all wines were tasted blind and then ranked in order of preference.
Flight 1 - Starters (4 notes)
A lovely English sparkler, and interesting aged Chenin courtesy of Will, and a new rose from Michael!
White - Sparkling
2010 Bolney Blanc de Blancs
Slate, minerals, lemon/lime zest. Rich body but still light and ethereal. Tons of acid! Lemon, citrus, minerals, rocks, green apple; zesty. I thought it was Champagne!
White
1994 Andrew Will Chenin Blanc Cuvée Lulu
Quite aged; nuts, French's mustard. Bitter and burnt notes on the palate. Interesting, but past its prime.
Rosé
2016 Savage Grace Wines Cabernet Franc Rosé Red Willow Vineyard
Beautiful nose. Watermelon, spice, roses, intense wild strawberry and bubble gum on the palate. Fresh and clean, with great acidity.
White
2014 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Condrieu Domaine des Grands Amandiers
Slightly reduced, with nuts and white flowers on the nose. Rich body, yellow fruit, flint and minerals. Spicy tannins. Finishes with a bit of acid to balance out the richness.
Flight 2 - Batch 1 (5 notes)
Group ranking:
2014 Domaine de la Roche Paradis
2010 St. Cosme
2015 Savage Grace
2012 St. Cosme
2013 Perret
Red
2013 André Perret St. Joseph
Tasted blind. Tobacco, sweet fruit, and spice on the nose. A mix of fruit, earth, leather, tomato and spice on the body. Well balanced with good acidity.
Red
2014 Domaine de la Roche Paradis St. Joseph La Madonne
Tasted blind. Floral, meaty, and spicy all at once. Bright, sweet fruit (blackberry, black cherry), molasses, orange peel. Nicely weighted on the palate, and finishing with some fine, stemmy tannins and good acidity.
Red
2015 Savage Grace Wines Syrah Underwood Mountain Vineyard
Tasted blind. Sweet fruit, violets, black cherry, and flowers. Bright purple, almost neon colored. Soft, lush and approachable -- lots of fruit, and finishes with light, fine tannin. Very nice, though young and perhaps a bit simplistic at this stage.
Red
2012 Saint Cosme St. Joseph
Tasted blind. Red cherry, spice, wood and smoke on the nose. Dense and plush, with a simple and round mid-palate of black fruit and spice. Wood spice, fine tannin, and a touch of astringency on the finish.
Red
2010 Saint Cosme St. Joseph
Tasted blind. Cotton candy, dense fruit, smoke, and paint thinner. Some VA? Darker and more brooding on the palate. Mouthcoating dry tannins. Smoke, leather, and licorice. Chewy tannins. This is still pretty tight.
Flight 3 - Batch 2 (4 notes)
Group ranking:
2012 Faury l'ArtZele
2011 Faury Cote Rotie
2014 Arnot-Roberts
2013 Domaine du Colombier
Red
2011 Domaine Faury Côte-Rôtie
Tasted blind. Meat, iodine, and olives. Lovely body, medium-plus weight with red and black fruit. Soft and round overall and quite nicely balanced.
Red
2012 Domaine Faury Syrah L'ArtZélé
Tasted blind. Violets, dark fruit, spicebox. Savory body, notes of saline, blood, dried meat and black fruit. Soft tannin, nice acidity. Beautiful.
Red
2014 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Griffin's Lair
Tasted blind. Spice, smoke, earth with a hint of pretty fruit and flowers. Dense and juicy, with red/black fruit, sweet berries, and spice. Some VA. Fine tannins. Younger but still enjoyable.
Red
2013 Domaine du Colombier Crozes-Hermitage
Tasted blind. Closed and reduced, with some wood spice notes. Dark, dense and tight. Tea and leather, with a bit of astringency on the tannic finish. A bit clunky right now.