1979 Alsace

The 2013 Crozes Hermitage les Varonniers is more juicy, fresh and acid-driven, with lots of minerality in its juicy berry fruits and subtle floral notes. There's good texture here, but the acid/fruit balance will be something to watch.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

West-facing and steep, the vines of this 3.2-hectare granitic vineyard are close, both geographically and stylistically, to those of Hermitage itself. The heady perfume and ripe, seductive fruit, however, indicate that something of the exuberant character of Crozes has not been entirely forsaken.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill.

There is a school of thought which, quite reasonably, worries that there are so many cuvées being made by Michel in Hermitage that this famous name may be in some way compromised. This is both to under-estimate the overall quality of the Chapoutier holdings on the hill and also to misunderstand the fact that this, alone, is the blended Hermitage cuvée, and therefore still has its own very special place in the Chapoutier canon. The 2013 proves this rather eloquently; ripe, seductive raspberry flavours with classic notes of gibier and sousbois, very firm but ripe tannins and a strong finish.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Michel Chapoutier is now the president of Inter-Rhône, which, we suggest, is very good news for Inter-Rhône, such is his energy and appetite for lively debate. The enormous new winery next to the motorway has his name written on the side in such large letters that it is probably visible from the moon, let alone the fast lane of the A7. Beyond the vanity, the classic cars, the helicopters and the bluff exterior, there is an engaging personality, a very capable businessman and, most importantly by far, a superb winemaker.

The barrel tasting chez Ogier is by turns entertaining and rewarding; Stéphane describes his Syrah from Côte Baudin, for example, as a ‘fake blonde’, the wine is far more floral than the vineyard a little further up the hill, Layat, which also features in the blend. The stalwarts of Besset, Fongeant, Champon and Viallière are joined this year by a new holding in Montmain. The wine is appropriately complex, floral, ‘aérien’ and with supple, sweet fruit and precise, very fine tannins. Drink 2017 to 2024.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Stéphane has come a long way in the 12 years or so that I have known him: he now has two children, an enviable reputation and a construction project to the south of Ampuis which will result in a winery to rival that of Messrs Guigal. He has also been buying land, which is no mean feat in Côte Rôtie. The challenge of 2013 centred on the cool weather in the middle of the season. Very late green harvesting and then a rapid harvest before the rains in October were key. I recall visiting during the harvest and witnessing a maelstrom of carefully choreographed activity, if you will pardon the apparent contradiction. The effort has certainly paid off.

The decomposed granite slopes of Les Mazards, rather alarmingly known locally as ‘gore’, are the source of this famous cuvée. Twenty-five percent of stems are added to the vat for a cuvaison of four weeks, then 24 months in cask, 20 percent of which are new. There is no Vieilles Fontaines this year, so all the grapes have gone into the Vieilles Vignes, which repays the compliment and is suitably magisterial and complex. Fresh and yet imperiously powerful, this wine will be one for the long, longer and longest terms.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Albéric Mazoyer, the charismatic sidekick to Alain Voge, is positive about 2013: there was no hail in Cornas and the late growing cycle was actually beneficial in this, the warmest of the northern enclaves, concentrating flavour but eschewing excess of any kind. The results are as spectacular as the volumes are scant.

From the Bédarrides commune in the south-east of the appellation, Croix de Bois is a monovarietal Grenache, and one which is seemingly careless of some of the problems which beset that varietal in 2013. Reserved at the moment than the wine has plenty of matière, spice and poised tannin, ensuring that its evolution will be fascinating to follow.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill.


In the same ballpark, the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Croix de Bois has a softer, more upfront and textured feel then the Barbe Rac, which always seems to me to be slightly more serious and focused. Giving up loads of jammy blackberry and assorted darker fruits, licorice, and wild herbs, this full-bodied, ripe and layered effort makes the most of the vintage. It will drink nicely on release and dish out plenty of pleasure through 2023.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#215 Oct 2014

Made from 100 percent Grenache in the pebbly vineyards in the south-east corner of the appellation, some of its vines over 100 years old, and aged for 16 months in large old wooden vats, this is a hugely successful Barbe Rac, its aromas of Provençal herbs and crushed raspberry imparting Mediterranean warmth and old-vine grip. Of the two top Châteauneuf parcels, this one is the more generous in terms of its fruit profile. 
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill.


What should be up with the crème of the vintage, the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape Barbe Rac is smoking stuff. Made from 100% Grenache and coming from less than a half-ton per acre (which is just about nothing), it sports a deep purple color to go with fabulous strawberry, blackberry, dried garrigue, cured meats and earth. About as seamless and elegant as they come in the vintage, it has medium to full-bodied richness, ultra-fine tannin and beautiful length. It should be reasonably approachable on release, and evolve for over a decade.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#215 Oct 2014

The limestone from the Méal vineyard informs the style this year; that is to say it is feminine, charming, linear and long. It’s a shame that the availability is so short, however, as only eight barrels were made. None of the fruit was destemmed, a fact which is hard to believe sometimes, such is the silky texture of this very fine wine. There is something in the region of eight percent Marsanne in this wine, it seems.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

It is more than likely that 2013 is not the first vintage described by Marc Sorrel as ‘classique’ and, one very much hopes, not to be last. He cites the fresh spring, the fine summer and the late picking as key factors in the cycle and describes the wines as soft and linear in character. A gentle vintage made by a gentleman.

Arguably the most iconic dry Riesling on the planet, Trimbach’s Clos St Hune is a 1.67-hectare vineyard that produces approximately just 8,000 bottles a year. It is traditionally aged for five years in the cellar after bottling, before release, and in great vintages, it is capable of drinking beautifully for another half century.

The 2011 is a classically styled vintage of this great Riesling. Not as exuberant as some warmer vintages, presently the wine is relatively taut with beautiful minerality. It still has the slightly glossy, polished palate-weight of this iconic wine. I expect it to open out in the next couple of years and drink for 20 more.

More closed than its junior siblings in youth, L’Ermite will come round over time with a Montrachet-like self-assurance. The sine qua non of Marsanne, or, quite possibly, of all white wines, this is an outstanding wine, and more than justifies Michel’s often outspoken but seldom unsuccessful quest for perfection.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill Completing a trifecta of perfect whites, the 2013 Ermitage l’Ermite Blanc is another sensational effort that offers incredible minerality/liquid rock in its pineapple, tangerine, flower oil, mint and caramelized citrus-driven bouquet. Full-bodied and beautiful on the palate, with more tension and focus than the Cuvee de L’Orée or le Meal, it has perfectly balanced richness, structure and freshness, with no hard edges and a blockbuster finish. It won't be accessible for another 3-4 years and will most likely be immortal in the cellar.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

From the north of the Côte Blonde, just above the town of Ampuis and not far from the famous Guigal Single Vineyards, this is 100 percent Syrah, confirming that Michel does not really believe in blended wines, not in the north of the valley at least. From soils made up of mica schist, loess and iron oxide, this is a beautifully crafted wine, with feline Syrah elegance and a silky veil of tannin.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill
 

Looking at Michel's 2013 Cote Rotie la Mordoree, it has a peppery, floral, lavender and black-raspberry-driven bouquet to go with medium to full-bodied richness on the palate. Ripe, nicely concentrated and balanced, with juicy acidity, it has a classic style and will benefit from short-term cellaring. It should have two decades of longevity.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

As you climb towards the chapel the soil gets thinner and thinner until all that is left is pure granite; and purity is certainly a key descriptor for L’Ermite in 2013. Parsimonious yields and minimal intervention are responsible for this, the definitive statement of Syrah, a wine that effortlessly combines charm and austerity, simplicity and encyclopaedic complexity, reticence and expansive poetry.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill. The 2013 Ermitage l’Ermite is another wine that’s a candidate for the wine of the vintage, if not the best wine produced in all of France in 2013. As normal, it has an insane level of minerality, and frankly, I know of no better description of “liquid rock” than the mineral-like sensation induced by tasting this cuvee. Graphite, charcoal, licorice and sweet crème de cassis also all emerge from the glass. This gorgeous 2013 has full-bodied richness, terrific purity, ripe tannin structure and serious intensity. Give it 4-5 years and drink bottles over the following 2-3 decades.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

Domaine Saint Préfert is a Châteauneuf-du-Pape A-lister. Isabel Ferrando’s vines are mainly located in the southern sector; her modus operandus is fairly traditional. Her outlook and temperament, however, fall into the more modern camp, as manifested by the multiplicity of differing cuvées – all, thankfully, pleasingly different from each other. Made only in magnum, yet in minute quantities, this particular wine is the appellation’s most eloquent celebration of the Clairette grape, hitherto somewhat underappreciated but historically significant.

Sourced from old vines in an enclave of Les Serres and barrel-fermented, the wine is full-bodied and rich, with almond, brioche and verbena notes which recall a Marsanne, or maybe its rather more urbane cousin.
Tasted as a barrel sample, Ferrando’s 2013 Châteaueuf du Pape Cuvee Speciale Vieilles Vignes (Clairette) is stunning. Made from old-vine Clairette vines in the Les Serres lieu-dit that wasn’t harvested until October 12, it’s similar in style to the classic cuvee, yet has additional toast, brioche and honeysuckle to go with medium to full-bodied richness, fabulous purity of fruit and terrific length through the finish. Bottled only in magnum, drink this blockbuster white anytime over the coming decade.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#215 Oct 2014

Beneath the famous chapel, but still part of the solid granite Bessards commune, the Pavillon is so-named in reference to the ruins of an old stone house. The wine is dense, sinewy and long, with distinctive black cherry fruit, liquorice and cigar box evidenced. Twenty percent new oak is worn with nonchalance, but adds subtle texture to the ensemble.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

In the late autumn of 2014 I was lucky enough to blind-taste a range of red Hermitage wines with John Livingstone- Learmonth and Andew Jefford. I have yet to see the final article, yet it emerged that my top two wines were both Chapoutier Parcellaires. This is a truly outstanding range, as indeed one would hope it to be, given the historical reputation of the hill of Hermitage and the fact that Chapoutier are in the enviable position of owning more of its vines than anyone else. A great responsibility, which they discharge with consummate skill. Moving to the 2013 Ermitage le Pavillon, it has terrific depth, density and concentration to go with layers of crème de cassis, Asian spice, toasted bread, licorice and the essence of granite-induced minerality. While this vintage produced more fresh, firm wines, this has a generosity and sexiness that defines the stereotype. Nevertheless, I suspect short-term cellaring will be required for it to be approachable, and it will have a long life.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

The Landonne vines are venerable, some dating back to the 1920s and all made up of Syrah only. Ageing is for 24 months and is shared between demi-muids (550-litre barrels) and older Burgundian pièces, a small percentage of which are new. René detects less of the ‘oxide de fer’ character this year, which translates in the glass into a rich, spicy wine, with complex red fruit nuances and immense power on the finish: archetypal l Landonne in other words.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Gnomic and somewhat whimsical at times, René has been playing his own tune for 43 vintages and shows little sign of abdicating. The Dauphin, Pierre, is now firmly and patiently ensconced. All the grapes were destemmed in 2013 and the harvest was not completed until October 13th; quality is good however, very good indeed.
A big step up over the Ampodium, the 2013 Cote Rotie la Landonne is a muscular, mineral and iron-laced 2013 that has lots of black and blue fruits, crushed rock, pepper and ground herb-like qualities all emerging from the glass. Shockingly good on the palate, it has full-bodied richness, lots of mid-palate depth and a plenty of structure. It will need a decade of cellaring, but be worth it.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

Chave’s mere 500 years of expertise in the Northern Rhône underwrites this deeply coloured spicy St Joseph, its notes of plum, black pepper and soft spice complemented by a firm texture, organic husbandry and an impressive seam of mineral acidity.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Jean-Louis Chave does not release his top domaine Hermitage wines in time for the en primeur campaign, which will allow us to give them the limelight when they do eventually appear, probably two years down the track. To make up for this, we have allocations of these two excellent wines from 2013, both made by his négociant arm, where a small amount of the fruit is boughtin. Being M Chave, however, we can rest assured that the quality of the fruit is impeccable and that his legendary attention to detail through all aspects of the process has been respected.

Stéphane is confident that Seyssuel will eventually get its own Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, although not, it seems, before having to pass through a stage as a humble Côtes du Rhône. No matter; he has done more than anyone to raise the profile of these rediscovered ancient vines. Their soils resemble Côte Blonde and their aspect approximates that of Hermitage. The happy coincidence of these features has fathered a wine of aromatic harmony and great latent power.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Stéphane has come a long way in the 12 years or so that I have known him: he now has two children, an enviable reputation and a construction project to the south of Ampuis which will result in a winery to rival that of Messrs Guigal. He has also been buying land, which is no mean feat in Côte Rôtie. The challenge of 2013 centred on the cool weather in the middle of the season. Very late green harvesting and then a rapid harvest before the rains in October were key. I recall visiting during the harvest and witnessing a maelstrom of carefully choreographed activity, if you will pardon the apparent contradiction. The effort has certainly paid off.

Decomposed schist, known locally as ‘arzelle’, hosts the tiny Rostaing holdings on the Côte Blonde. Ageing provides in Demi-muid a perfect, subtle foil for the unparalleled elegance of this wine; pure piercing Syrah dark-fruit descriptors lead to a dense yet composed palate, a pleasing paradox of potential.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Gnomic and somewhat whimsical at times, René has been playing his own tune for 43 vintages and shows little sign of abdicating. The Dauphin, Pierre, is now firmly and patiently ensconced. All the grapes were destemmed in 2013 and the harvest was not completed until October 13th; quality is good however, very good indeed.
Reductive and hard to read aromatically, the 2013 Cote Rotie Cote Blonde nevertheless has more stuffing, concentration and depth on the palate than the la Landonne. As normal, it keeps things slightly closer to the vest aromatically in its youth, yet the quality shows on the palate. Again, the ripeness, texture, voluptuousness and tannin quality that Rene was able to achieve in 2013 is superior to just about every other estate. I've no doubt this will show beautifully from bottle and be a mid-90s or better scoring effort.
Jeb Dunnuck - Wine Advocate Issue#216 Dec 2014

The vines for this wine are located mainly in the lieux-dits of Chaillot and Les Reynards. The wine is fermented in stainless steel and then matured in cask for 18 months. Stylish and feminine, the wine has a high-toned dark fruit and plush, expensive tannins; the perfume is memorable as with all great wines from this oft misunderstood appellation.
Simon Field MW - Rhône Buyer

Albéric Mazoyer, the charismatic sidekick to Alain Voge, is positive about 2013: there was no hail in Cornas and the late growing cycle was actually beneficial in this, the warmest of the northern enclaves, concentrating flavour but eschewing excess of any kind. The results are as spectacular as the volumes are scant.