2010 Rhone

Didier Negron is the son-in-law of Jean-Jacques Sabon, who tragically died at the end of 2011 after a long illness. Didier is now the chief winemaker at this increasingly impressive property.. He certainly talks the talk, fluently in English as we found out latterly, but to no great surprise, given his ability elsewhere. Owning 15 parcels across 17 hectares over the appellation, Domaine Sabon produce four cuvées of red, the most famous of which is seen as one of the very best wines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The secret is out!

Didier Negron is the son-in-law of Jean-Jacques Sabon, who tragically died at the end of 2011 after a long illness. Didier is now the chief winemaker at this increasingly impressive property.. He certainly talks the talk, fluently in English as we found out latterly, but to no great surprise, given his ability elsewhere. Owning 15 parcels across 17 hectares over the appellation, Domaine Sabon produce four cuves of red, the most famous of which is seen as one of the very best wines in Chteauneuf-du-Pape. The secret is out!

The evocative names of the surrounding landmarks, specifically the Plateau Des Garrigues and the Dentelles De Montmirail, provide a scenic geographical backdrop to Laurent Daniel’s vineyards. Silky elegance, real Mediterranean warmth and finely balanced tannins are the secrets to Laurent’s success, not forgetting more prosaic factors such as timely picking of the grapes and attention to detail in the winery.

Jean Michel is one of the great characters of the Rhône Valley, a natural leader with a keen sense of humour and an almost Messianic zeal when it comes to promoting the wines of Côte Rôtie and ensuring that they take their rightful place at the High Table of the great wines of the world. And, as seems to be the case in a number of properties in the valley his children are now taking key roles with both Mikael and Alexei sharing their father’s philosophy. 2010, they believe, is every bit as good as 2009, the latter a vintage with more alcohol and less fruit and natural acidity. 2010 is the year of harmonious natural equilibrium and as a result its wines will last longer.

The brothers Pacsal and Vicent Maurel, with a little help from the larger-than-life and near-ubiquitous consultant Philippe Cambie, continue to work wonders with this famous old Domaine, which gets its first BBR listing this year. The property is similar in size to Beaucastel and also has some spectacular parcels of old vines, its centurion-holders mainly situated on the Crau plateau. The winemaking here is traditional, yet the wines themselves seem to marry tradition and modernity with effortless aplomb.

The brothers Pacsal and Vicent Maurel, with a little help from the larger-than-life and near-ubiquitous consultant Philippe Cambie, continue to work wonders with this famous old Domaine, which gets its first BBR listing this year. The property is similar in size to Beaucastel and also has some spectacular parcels of old vines, its centurion-holders mainly situated on the Crau plateau. The winemaking here is traditional, yet the wines themselves seem to marry tradition and modernity with effortless aplomb.

The alliance of two of the greatest houses of the Rhône, Jaboulet and Perrin, with Nicholas Jaboulet at its helm, was always a very promising one. The promise has quickly materialised and the 2010s are even better than the already excellent 2009s. The best sites and the best growers have been harnessed. As Nicolas eloquently puts it, the Perrins at Beaucastel exploit many different grapes on fundamentally the same terroir, but his goal here is to cultivate what is essential the same grape (albeit dependent on the colour of the wine) but in differing terroirs.

2010 marks a spectacular return to form for this excellent Domaine which is based in St Peray and which has been no stranger to BBR over the years. . From the more traditional end of the spectrum, which in terms of Cornas means wines of incalculable gravitas, the Voge wines are now vinified by Chapoutier alumnus, Albert Mazoyers, and have never been better...

Jérôme Coursodon’s reputation continues to soar. Ideally placed vineyards and a perspective which inclines towards perfectionism have both helped him on his way. Add to that the extraordinary natural benevolence of the vintage, and his legacy seems secure. It is fantastic to see such a famous old estate performing so well.

Jérôme Coursodon’s reputation continues to soar. Ideally placed vineyards and a perspective which inclines towards perfectionism have both helped him on his way. Add to that the extraordinary natural benevolence of the vintage, and his legacy seems secure. It is fantastic to see such a famous old estate performing so well.

Mark Sorrel is a thoughtful and talented vigneron, initially quite reserved, like his wines, but who needs to say much when one owns some of the finest holdings on the hill of Hermitage? . Despite having one foot firmly planted in the traditionalist camp, when it comes to such things as destemming and ageing, he invariably manages to produce wines of great elegance and poise. He compares 2010 with 1978 and 1961. And who needs to say more than that?

Mark Sorrel is a thoughtful and talented vigneron, initially quite reserved, like his wines, but who needs to say much when one owns some of the finest holdings on the hill of Hermitage? . Despite having one foot firmly planted in the traditionalist camp, when it comes to such things as destemming and ageing, he invariably manages to produce wines of great elegance and poise. He compares 2010 with 1978 and 1961. And who needs to say more than that?

Young, dynamic and handsome, Stéphane Ogier has had another good year, purchasing some more prime vineyards, making some fantastic 2010s and celebrating the birth of his first son, Marius. His wine-making philosophy is intriguing, minutely sensitive to the requirements of both the vintage and the parcel in question. As a generalisation he prefers new wood and destemming for the Côte Blonde, and older wood and less destemming in the Côte Brune. But there are always exceptions... and the wines are always exceptional...

A brilliant vintage for Côte-Rôtie, this is René’s favourite vintage of the past 20 years. Long maceration and low temperatures preserve the crystalline focus, yet the ripeness of the fruit gives a balance of opulent richness that makes this wine approachable in youth. There is finesse with black fruit precision with a touch of wet stone minerality, floral jasmine notes and herbs de provenance on the finish. Personally, I feel this wine as it represents the best of the Côte-Rôtie at a reasonable price. Though approachable now, this has the structure to age happily for a decade or more and will continue to give and give. If you have a case of this, I would open a bottle a year and track its progress.
Fine Wine Team

M Rostaing, or RR as we affectionately call him, is something of an enigma, a man giving all semblance of being a classicist, yet whose winemaking philosophy, with its use of rotary fermenters and pragmatic approach to destemming, is far from the old-school. His vocabulary, however, is pleasingly old-fashioned; he likes the 2010 vintage, as there is ‘une belle rigueur’, describing it as ‘Jansenist’ in temperament. The classicism now extends to the names of the wines; the wine formerly known as ‘Cuvée Classique’ has been renamed Ampodium, the Roman name for the town of Ampuis, and the location of his winery.

M Rostaing, or RR as we affectionately call him, is something of an enigma, a man giving all semblance of being a classicist, yet whose winemaking philosophy, with its use of rotary fermenters and pragmatic approach to destemming, is far from the old-school. His vocabulary, however, is pleasingly old-fashioned; he likes the 2010 vintage, as there is ‘une belle rigueur’, describing it as ‘Jansenist’ in temperament. The classicism now extends to the names of the wines; the wine formerly known as ‘Cuvée Classique’ has been renamed Ampodium, the Roman name for the town of Ampuis, and the location of his winery.

M Rostaing, or RR as we affectionately call him, is something of an enigma, a man giving all semblance of being a classicist, yet whose winemaking philosophy, with its use of rotary fermenters and pragmatic approach to destemming, is far from the old-school. His vocabulary, however, is pleasingly old-fashioned; he likes the 2010 vintage, as there is ‘une belle rigueur’, describing it as ‘Jansenist’ in temperament. The classicism now extends to the names of the wines; the wine formerly known as ‘Cuvée Classique’ has been renamed Ampodium, the Roman name for the town of Ampuis, and the location of his winery.

The Duke of Gigondas,Yves Gras, is a charismatic and eloquent champion for these two great villages, easing them out of the shadow of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and into the light of a recognition which is far removed from an outdated reputation for rustic tannins and indulgent alcohol levels. The recognition garnered by the estate is evidenced by a most impressive new tasting room, complete with furniture which would not be out-of-place in a Parisian salon. Fame has its cost however; at the end of our visit a huge lorry, collecting wine to go to Holland, crushed a hundred year-old olive tree, much to the chagrin of M Gras and the eldery M Gras père, who rushed out to castigate the driver with some very colourful patois.

One must always expect the unexpected chez Pegau. This time we were greeted by a disembodied voice, seemingly from a distant echo chamber. It turned out that Laurence was cleaning out a foudre, from the inside, and had overlooked our arrival time. This hands-on approach is typical of an extraordinarily energetic vigneronne, who has risen to the very top by a winning and somewhat paradoxical combination of dogged determination and sheer hard work, flavoured with a dose of humility. Pegau is now seen as the very best of the ‘traditional’ Châteauneuf wines, most eloquently illustrated by the 2010s.

One must always expect the unexpected chez Pegau. This time we were greeted by a disembodied voice, seemingly from a distant echo chamber. It turned out that Laurence was cleaning out a foudre, from the inside, and had overlooked our arrival time. This hands-on approach is typical of an extraordinarily energetic vigneronne, who has risen to the very top by a winning and somewhat paradoxical combination of dogged determination and sheer hard work, flavoured with a dose of humility. Pegau is now seen as the very best of the ‘traditional’ Châteauneuf wines, most eloquently illustrated by the 2010s.