2010 Rhone

The eponymous old men continue to adorn the label, redolent of the Burgers of Calais, patient and civilized. Our patience with Sénéchaux has paid enormous dividends over recent years under the stewardship of the Cazes of Lynch Bages. Winemaker Bernard Tranchecoste bemoans the short harvest, but this can partly be attributed to the vendanges vertes in the vineyard, an additional qualitative statement after coulure severely reduced the Grenache crop earlier in the season.

Vincent Avril, in a typically fascinating tasting, had prepared four pre-assemblages, of which one was set to be closest to the final blend. The differences between the four, with their varying degree of differing grapes, from differing sites, was extremely instructive. All were excellent but the final foudre seemed to be richer, longer and more complete. A very valuable lesson in the blender’s art, and for Vincent, all the components are vital, hence his insistence, probably in defiance of huge commercial reward, to resist the temptation of creating a super or deluxe cuvée. Such integrity is to be celebrated, most appropriately with a glass of Clos des Papes in one’s hand!

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.

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?

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.

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.

The Delorme brothers have, since 1986, forged an enviable reputation. They are based to the south-east in the village of Tavel, celebrated for its rosé wines, but they also own 4 hectares of vines on the Crau plateau of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a very well-positioned parcel in Lirac. Christophe is adamant that 2010 is their best ever vintage; the key to its quality is the juxtaposition of trademark concentration and very fine tannins, much finer, he maintains than in 2007 or 2009, both highly successful years of course. Mordorée are aiming for full organic certification in 2013, aided in no small measure by the new member of the team…Sarko the horse…(at least I think that this is the name they gave!)