2015 N Rhone and Friends

The theme was 2015 N Rhone, with one older wine added in to give some context. The restaurant did very well - they are reliably excellent with the food, and are so wine friendly one almost feels guilty.

• 2015 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Pale gold colour. Wonderful nose - initial whiff of wallpaper paste (which may or may not have been placed there by autosuggestion - someone mentioned wallpaper paste and I immediately smelled it) and a real vibrancy to it, lemon pannacotta and just a whiff of incense. On the palate, a kind of butterscotch breadth but...there's that non-acid finish that I still don't quite grok. Others are raving about this, and I can quite see why, but I don't quite get the tune. Couldn't help thinking how much better this would be with a small pinch of tartaric acid...

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• 2015 Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie Reserve

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Purple colour. On the nose, a kind of dense florality, give it a swirl and a deep sniff and the earthiness comes out. On the palate - again dense, the tannins are nice, a little grainy, but oh so very present. There's lovely fruit in here but the glossiness is a little hard to get past. Of all the reds tonight this is the one that feels the least ready to drink.

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• 2015 Ferraton Père & Fils Ermitage Le Méal

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Purple, but slightly less so than the preceding bottle. Very perfumed nose - violets, on the palate more blue fruit, a dense tannic core that is refined, fine grained, not quite gentle but quietly confident. There's a real joy to this, and as well as a quiet refinement. Waiting for several years for the next one.

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• 2015 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas Renaissance

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Purple / garnet colour. On the nose - yes more violets, evidently it's a violet day, and a gentle balance to it. On the palate - this doesn't take itself too seriously, it's somewhat lighter, somewhat easier to drink and...zing - a slight thrill, like someone unexpectedly stroking your neck when you were daydreaming about something else. Of the 15s.

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• 2015 Guillaume Gilles Cornas

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Colour - back in the deep purple zone. There's dense blue fruit. My handwritten notes start to get hard to read by this stage but this is great, there's lovely grip and density, that brooding Cornasien character but nothing animale or out of balance. This was super - very pleased to have a couple in the cellar.

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• 2006 Robert Michel Cornas La Geynale

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Is this the last year he made this wine? Maybe. Anyway. Goosebumps. Compared to the preceding 2015s this was much lighter, less substantial. That lovely earthy character though, just the hint of nosebleed, the acid is still there at its core. Lovely to taste alongside those youths - I suspect they will age differently, and likely even surpass this with some age, but this is just drinking lovely now.

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2015 is clearly going to be excellent. I would love to do a repeat of this dinner in 10 years time. My sense is that, more than any other region, N Rhone reds can have an alchemical reaction when very good wines can become 2 or even 3 levels better at the right age.