Wine Tasting Group - Theme: Northern Rhone - May 6, 2018

Michael was kind enough to host in his lovely home. Present: Brandon, Erik, Rae, Claire, Michael, Bob, Javier and Lucia. Grimaldi's pizza and caesar salad accompanied the wines. Wines were tasted blind. A humbling but great learning experience by all. Night was capped by a Angostura 1787 15 yr aged rum that Erik hand carried from Tobago - was the indisputable consensus drink of the night.

• 2016 Domaine Georges Vernay Syrah Les Temps de Serine 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes

  Pale salmon color. Serine grape - a local N. Rhone clone (?) of syrah. Strawberry, unripe peach, and herb aromas. Elegant, lightweight palate with apples, white peaches, and herbs. A bit hollow in midpalate and lacked some concentration. However, it was quite enjoyable. Never had a syrah rose that was so light and delicate which completely fooled me on the grape.

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• 2007 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 60 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Decanted for 1h then back into bottle. Aromas of deep black fruits, tangy cured meats, olives, and herbs. Palate had a pronounced iron element, game meat, some green stems, deep but tart black fruits and olives. Finish was similar to palate with a hint of cough syrup. Excellent acids with tannins coming up on midpalate. When revisited 2 hours later, more balanced with the acid calmer and more of the black fruits coming to the fore. A complex but polished version of Cornas that still spoke of power without the brambly edges. Still young and hopefully, will develop further. Open the next bottle in 5-10 years.

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• 2015 Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut) La Souteronne 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Ardèche

  Decanted for 1h then back into bottle. Made from gamay. Aromas of bright red and black berries, iron, with a hint of bubblegum. Again bright red/black fruits, herbs, minerals, and the small amount of bubblegum on the palate. Over time, flavors become more concentrated moving toward black and hint of blue fruits. Mouthfeel becomes more dense with a greater sense of power. For me, it's the iron that always distinguishes these gamay from those in Beaujolais. Nice now but should reward aging.

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• 2014 Delas Frères St. Joseph Cuvée Francois de Tournon 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  My notes started to fade here. Pop and pour. Tart black fruits, herbs, and salami aromas. Palate is smooth with ripe blackberries and blueberries but with good acids that keep this from becoming cloying. Nice moderately long finish with tannins becoming more prominent. The smoothness made the wine feel modern that lacked some soul to me.

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• 2016 Domaine Romaneaux-Destezet (Hervé Souhaut) La Souteronne 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Ardèche

  Opened for ~30 min before tasting. From gamay. Aromas of mild brett - just enough to add interest, band-aid, black cherries, herbs, minerals and that hint of bubblegum. Palate has nice black fruits and cherries, herbs, minerals, and a bit of bubblegum. The textural differences between this and 2016 were pronounced. The 2016 was lithe and supple with black veering toward red fruits whereas the 2015 was dense, concentrated and powerful with fruits solidly in the black, veering toward blue. Many preferred the 2016 over 2015 and I would have to agree, by a small margin. We were all fascinated to see the differences between the 2 vintages so markedly reflected in these wines.

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• 2013 Jean-Michel Gerin St. Joseph 88 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Syrah. Ripe black fruits with herbs and olive aromas. Smooth and polished textured palate with ripe blackberries, herbs, and minerals. Bright acids kept the wine lively. Tasted like a well-made modern rendition of St. Joseph.

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• 2015 Cinder Syrah Snake River Valley 79 Points

  USA, Idaho, Snake River Valley

  Pop and poured. Almost monolithic jammy blackberry and blueberry aromas with some alcoholic heat. Palate had more very ripe, jammy dark blackberries and blueberries, accompanied by oaky vanilla, band-aids, and moderate alcoholic heat on finish. Smooth texture with mild tannins. No one's cup of tea in this group.

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• 2015 Eric Texier Côtes du Rhône Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban

  Syrah from the southern edge of the N. Rhone. Notable volatile acids and a little brett upon first sniff. Some noted that this was a natural wine right away. Nice red and black fruit and floral aromas. Some also noted blue cheese aromas as well. Palate showed ripe red fruits, with flowers and minerals. Excellent acids with prominent tannins on mid-palate. Hint of VA on the finish. We had another bottle of this together at Mr. Wok several months ago that showed much better then whereas this bottle seemed to be more volatile. Interesting bottle variation.

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• 2015 Domaine Faury St. Joseph (Hedonism) 85 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Band-aid aromas hit first followed by ripe black/blue fruits, gamy meats, and herbs. Palate showed the ripeness of the black/blue fruits, some minerals and prominent tannins on mid-palate. Finish, for me, was marred by noticeable vanilla oak. Surprised at this showing as I've Faury in the past and enjoyed. This version seemed modern, sleek with too much oak. Not a style that I enjoy.

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• 2014 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 86 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  A southern Rhone ringer - blend of grenache, syrah, mouvedre. Light black and red berry aromas with herbs and a hint of alcoholic heat. Palate had ripe cherry and blackberries, maybe a hint of blueberries as well. Smooth but medium bodied, esp. compared to the syrahs before this. Moderate tannins grip the mid-palate. A relatively short finish with some cough syrup.

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• NV Angostura 1787 15 Year Old Rum 93 Points

  Trinidad & Tobago, Trinidad

  Light caramel, dried stone fruits, herbs, and baking spices on the palate. All the components were beautifully balanced with sweetness of the caramel and fruits held in check. Flavors swirl and come and go. Complex and delicious. Hands down, the drink of the night for almost everyone and we emptied the bottle.

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