2004 in the Rhône Valley

The shell-shock felt when the 2003 Rhônes were unleashed on an unsuspecting public is still echoing around the world. Some wines produced in the vintage boasted natural levels of alcohol of 17%+ and such things are just not experienced very often. The fact that some of these wines actually come across as being in balance has made more than just this wine merchant go back to the drawing board and pencil in a few fresh parameters under the heading “The Outer Limits of What Is Acceptable in Fine Wine”.

N.B. We’ve had some Pégaü knocking around company stock for a while, awaiting decisive action to get it slipped into an offer. When we first tasted it at the domaine roughly a year after the vintage, the stuff was still fermenting and Laurence had had to add some cultured yeast to keep that sugar turning into alcohol. Wild yeasts go all groggy at 15 – 15.5% alcohol and stop working (don’t we all?!) and one cannot leave a red wine with unfermented sugar in it. Robert Parker’s doing cartwheels (see below) over the result.

But enough of ’03. We’re here to celebrate its immediate successor and it is easy to imagine that celebrating is exactly what the growers were doing, faced with something far less extraordinary (in the true sense of the word), less demanding, more comprehensible, than its forebear. What made it so much easier to cope with was the temperature. Once again, there was drought during the growing season, but thermometers were a great deal kinder. 

So who will like these wines? What’s the style of the vintage? And will it keep?

I don’t think it would be unfair to say that lovers of the wines of burgundy would get on very well with this Rhône vintage. Those that sometimes find drinking Rhône wine akin to chewing a mouthful of sand into which some dusty herbs have been stirred; those that find “Rhône” and “agriculture” closely filed in their consciousness; those that prefer their pheasants hung for just a day or two, rather waiting for the first maggot to drop from their plumage before firing up the range (as practiced in Victorian times).

These are, at least in the south - where the triumvirate appellations of Vacquéras, Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape allow the Grenache variety to hold sway – cool, supple, clear-voiced, clean-limbed and (hold the ‘phone!) elegant wines. These will drink relatively soon, but, in the main, won’t have any problem ageing into the medium term plus.

In the north – and here we’re talking about what is fundamentally a completely different wine growing region, don’t forget – the picture is a little different. Whilst there is great homogeneity in the Mediterranean wines of the south, one has to pick one’s way carefully through the north of the valley. At their worst, the Syrah-based reds of the Northern Rhône are the product of vines that were allowed to run riot, producing massive crops of fruit that struggled for ripeness. Lacking in fruit, but not short of rather green tannin, these are wines that encouraged thorough spitting during our selection tastings!

At the other end of the scale, one can find examples that fit very closely with my perfect blueprint for Northern Rhône syrah: crisp-and-rich, peppery, intense liquids that will last and last. After the truffle-grubbing, front row, grubby-kneed, muscle-bound wines of 2003, here we find their stylistic opposite; wines that gleam like sunlight through stained glass. Perhaps they’ll never inspire open-mouthed awe, but the best of these are very beautiful indeed.

The Wines

  A baked road in the flat valley bottom that is the southern Rhone

Domaine Tardieu-Laurent

This outfit has quickly become a world player in the Rhône stakes. Dominique Laurent some of you will already know as a the patissier: an ex-pastry chef with a well-established, high quality negociant business in the Côte d’Or (where reasonably fresh gossip finds him decamping into the arms of Sylvie Esmonin, a noted Gevrey producer, and fathering her child).

In the Rhône, he has teamed up with Michel Tardieu and, as in Burgundy, has formed close working relationships with some very fine grape growers.

These are natural wines that haven’t been messed about with. They are unfined and unfiltered and can thus express most clearly their origins. Tasting the wines, one finds that this expression is communicated with great confidence: these are powerful, rich and profound wines.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Hermitage, Tardieu-Laurent, Northern Rhône, France Notes: From a vintage in which there were some mixed results on the hill, Dominique Laurent has fashioned one of the stars of the show. This is really the only appellation in the Rhône Valley that one could say produces wines that have an aristocratic character and this wine describes that trait to perfection.   There is a wonderful freshness here to the juicy acidity, backed up by a wealth of red and black fruit. It is the mineral aromas that made me sit up; notes that continue as flavours on the palate. The tension is palpable here and it will see the wine forward into a highly rewarding maturity!	2013-2020	12x75cl	£420.00
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes, Tardieu-Laurent, Southern Rhône, France Notes: A number of the Châteauneufs that I tasted for this offer were supple and very much medium weight and I wondered whether I would be happy to sit down in a restaurant and drink them right away with a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner as, no doubt, the French would prefer it. Not here. The fruit is black like the inside of a leather driving glove. The palate is full and backward and laced with rich tannins. The nuances are complex and keep coming in wave after wave of meaty, gamy, spicy tones. Keep that horse a-paddock for the time being and keep this wine cellared!	2010-2020	12x75cl	£294.00
2004	Vacquéras Vieilles Vignes, Tardieu-Laurent, Southern Rhône, France Notes: This is pretty much the same grape mix as the Châteauneuf and massively impressive: better, indeed, than many a Châteauneuf that I tasted. Classically, unmistakeably Southern Rhône, this is all wild, feral aromas and flavours: spice and game and air-dried meat; truffly, liquorice-root; black, midnight fruit. Great Vacq.	2008-2018	12x75cl	£156.00
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Straight up for Condrieu!

Eric & Joël Durand

“And here's another name to look for, Joël Durand…”, so says Jancis Robinson in the web-based Purple Pages. I didn’t have to look out for him, as I’d already found him and what a delightful meeting it was. The Durands have 6 hectares in Cornas and 4 in St Joseph. They do those modern things, like picking very late, which prevent the wine from tasting like a bit of granite that’s been wrapped in leather and then dipped in tar. These are ripe, broad-shouldered wines that allow the syrah grape to focus its steely gaze on the soil in which it’s been grown.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	St Joseph Lauterets, E & J Durand, Northern Rhône, France Notes: I thought that this was punching way above its weight when I tasted it in London. It just seemed to have more of everything than surrounding wines, many of which were from much more recognisable growers and appellations.   Anyway, here's the note: Milk chocolate underscores aromas of red and black cherry on the nose. This is really quite meaty. Take a sip and this is lively from the off. Full of fine, very ripe tannins; backward and full of grip. This really is very long indeed and boasts a fine finish: really powerful. The whole thing is fresh and intense and fine.	2010-2020	12x75cl	£159.00
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One of the southern villages of the Côtes-du-Rhône: Cairanne

Alain Voge

Here’s a venerable old name in the Cornas appellation, recently given even greater credentials (beyond simply having produced one of the best wines of the appellation for many years!) through the employment of Albéric Mazoyers as winemaker (he used to be in charge of technical stuff at Chapoutier).

Cornas is the most southerly appellation of the northern Rhône Valley and makes what some consider to be the most typical representation of French syrah. In the past, this meant that it gave one the impression that one was sucking a handful of sharp sand for the first 30 years of its evolution, after which it tasted like 8 week old, sun-bloated badger that’s been tarred, feathered and then set alight. No more. The potential of this noble region is being unlocked through modern viticultural and vinification processes and one is being presented with one of the finest interpretations of fermented syrah juice.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Cornas Vieilles Vignes, Alain Voge, Northern Rhône, France Notes: This was tasted with mature examples of the same wine from the same cellar. I like where this stuff goes. It's a wine from the wrong side of the tracks, but from difficult beginnings makes something really good of itself.   I found black cherry aromas, with spicy, meaty notes and some bitter black chocolate. This is chunky/earthy, with medium, ripe tannins and medium, fresh acidity. Lots of meatiness. Mineral and long and juicy at the end. Stick all the bits together and extrapolate them a few years down then line and something very exciting appears.	2011-2020	12x75cl	£240.00
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The slopes of Côte-Rôtie loom above the town of Ampuis

Chapoutier

A great deal has been said about this historic estate, particularly since the generation change in the late eighties that instigated a flight to quality, thrusting it to the forefront of quality wine production, not simply in France, but in world terms.

Two ranges of wine are made here: the “basic cuvées” and what Michel Chapoutier calls the “séléctions parcellaires”, effectively single-vineyard wines intended to express terroir as closely as possible. Both Chapoutier offerings on this document are taken from this latter group.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	St Joseph Les Granits Blanc, Chapoutier, Northern Rhône, France Notes: Without being silly with one's wallet, this has been at the pinnacle of white wine production in the Rhône Valley since its inception in the 1990s. This is 100% antique Marsanne from the best sites in the huge appellation that is St Joseph. For those that don't know the white wines of the Rhône Valley, these wines can be something of a shock and, sad to say, that shock can lead one to irrational dislike before appreciation has the chance to settle in. This is a shame, as the flavours and textures and aromas one finds are unique.   This is redolent of white peaches and their skins, along with a nuance I always call angelica, which is probably nonsense. There are, in any event, complex floral bits and a thick, rich weal of fruit that flows across the tongue, unhurried and stopping occasionally to take in the sights. One doesn't often see this level of power in a white wine, especially one so delicious.   N.B. I very much wanted to include this wine on the offer. However, allocations have not yet been confirmed. Please select a substitute, if ordering this wine, to avoid (total) disappointment	2008-2015	6x75cl	£120.00
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Croix de Bois, Chapoutier, Southern Rhône, France Notes: This is an amazingly large wine in every respect. Weighing in at 16.5% alcohol, it nevertheless tastes totally balanced by the vast weight of fruit is possesses. Lush and plump, this has that fruitcake concentration of old vine Grenache and a lick of proper Rhône spiciness. Despite the ripeness and levels of alcohol, this remains nicely fresh and clean and will make a stunning bottle with cellaring.   N.B. I very much wanted to include this wine on the offer. However, allocations have not yet been confirmed. Please select a substitute, if ordering this wine, to avoid (total) disappointment.	2011-2020	6x75cl	£135.00
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The bridge at Tain, with the Hill of Hermitage behind

Domaine Saint Cosme

To quote Robert Parker in his latest edition of The Wine Advocate,”Proprietor Louis Barruol is one of the two finest producers of Gigondas…”. At their best, the wines of this appellation – a Côtes-du-Rhône village until 1971, when the wines were recognised as having such inherent quality that they gained their own appellation – rival those of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This information is now firmly in the public domain and prices are catching up.

Saint Cosme is typical of an increasing number of wine estates in France in that it has developed a negociant arm to pad out its own vineyard holdings. Fruit is bought in from pet growers throughout the valley and the resultant wine is marketed under the name “Saint Cosme”, rather than the “Château Saint Cosme” applied to its domaine wines.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Côte-Rôtie, Saint Cosme, Northern Rhône, France Notes: I commented above that I consider Hermitage to be the only truly aristo wine in the Rhône Valley and I must admit that I had to have a think about Cote-Rôtie, it being the only other contender to such a moniker. It's true that Côte-Rôtie at its best has something of the Médoc about it: a focus and surety that approach blue-bloodedness. And yet here there is always something else, something funkier, wilder. Imagine Prince William's regiment sent into a war zone and becoming involved in an Apocalypse Now/Heart of Darkness situation. It's that sort of aristo.   "...The floral, exotic 2004 Cote-Rotie is one of the better examples I tasted in this vintage...89-92/100." Robert Parker   This has simply delicious fruit underlying all the other aspects, both on the nose and palate. There are spice and oak nuances and flutters of other aromas and flavours that hint at ethereal things too hard to define. And at its core, there is this fabulous fresh fruit, bringing to mind a food-fight in a Pick Your Own strawberry field (and, believe me, I've been there!), or a small explosive device detonated among the raspberry canes.	2009-2018	12x75cl	£312.00
2004	Gigondas, Saint Cosme, Southern Rhône, France Notes: What travesty! Here's a wine from an appellation many might view in terms of being Châteauneuf's baby brother and yet this wine is better than many a wine of that supposedly senior appellation. It was ever thus. Just look to Burgundy, where dedicated producers will make better village wine than their neighbours will Premier Cru and a better Premier Cru than the Grand Cru made by Jean-Pierre down the road, always to be found in the local bar smoking evil black tobacco cigarettes and seldom seen anywhere near his vineyards.   Saint Cosme is at the pinnacle of wine production in the southern Rhône Valley and this, their "basic" Gigondas cuvée, is a benchmark for the wines of the appellation. This is crammed with bramble fruit and strewn with black spices: hints of pepper and a more evident lick of liquorice. The finish gallops over the horizon like a horse that's been introduced to chilli for the first time.	2008-2017	12x75cl	£126.00
2004	Gigondas Valbelle, Saint Cosme, Southern Rhône, France Notes: In certain competitions, contestants are required to complete one clearly defined task to the best of their ability and in that way talent is judged. They may then be asked to provide some unfettered work of their own choosing and thus creativity and imagination are measured.   So it is here. The wine above is a Gigondas of the highest order and could be mistaken for nothing other than Gigondas. With the Valbelle, M Barruol lets fly the dogs of Grenache (for this wine is a mono-varietal) and ratchets up the level of his creative juices. One is left with something distinctly lovely, having remarkably complex aromas of fruits and minerals, and an absolutely beautiful "mouth feel". Many in the region reckon this to be one of the best wines of the entire southern Rhône. Is it Gigondas? Who cares? It is the pinnacle of the wine making talent of one particular genius.     "...the 2004 Gigondas Valbelle is superb...92-94/100." Robert Parker	2010-2020	12x75cl	£231.00
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The village of Gigondas – one of the prettiest in the valley – with its back to the peaks of the Dentelles and its feet clad in antique bush vines

Domaine du Pégaü

There are producers in Châteauneuf who are trying to modernise the style of the wine of this ancient appellation (the oldest AC in France, indeed) and good luck to them, I say. I would even go as far as suggesting that Châteauneuf fans get out and try them, as among their number are some really excellent bottles. However, when you look to drink Châteauneuf – Châteauneuf of the old school: brooding, gamy, wild and untameable – one turns to Pégaü and a handful of other estates that are producing benchmark examples of the highest order. We are herewith offering two vintages of this wine.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2003	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réserve, Domaine de Pégau, Southern Rhône, France Notes: This is both an animal of a wine and animal in character. The power and concentration make one's vinous goalposts shift significantly. This is 95-98 on the Parker scale. He likes 'em big.   This is a fabulous colour: a mulberry purple deep enough to frighten the family canary. The nose is super-rich, floral and gingerbread-spiced and includes liquorice, crème de mure and a little tar. The palate is huge; very rich and loaded with structure. There are lots of ripe tannins; in fact, the whole palate bristles with structural intensity. The flavours are of black cherry and spice. There is huge drive and length here. All encompassing. Lowish acidity, but fully focussed and super-fine.	2012-2025	12x75cl	£258.00
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée, Domaine de Pégau, Southern Rhône, France Notes: Pégaü is one of the many Châteauneuf estates that is now making a number of cuvées, the pinnacle of which is Cuvée da Capo, which all sounds very Godfather-ish. The 2003 Robert Parker scored 99-100 and the sounds of his joy-jumping are still echoing around Maryland, no doubt. However, bear in mind that Lord Robert appended 95-98 points to the 2003 cuvée reserve: not far behind, although lagging massively in price.   In 2004, no Cuvée da Capo was made, so all that fruit went into this cuvée and it shows. If we were to compare this vintage to that above, one finds here a wine barely less concentrated (it would have to be either a total freak or boiled for several hours to be any more concentrated) but with more focus and purity. There is a similar depth of midnight colour and all those aromas that remind one of walking down a road in south-west France and taking in the heady mix on the breeze, wafting from the sun-stunted, woody herbs growing by the road-side. This is archetypal, scintillating Pégaü.     "...stunningly concentrated and pure...94-96/100." Robert Parker	2013-2025	12x75cl	£261.00
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Tasting in the cellar at Pégaü

Clos des Papes

From the sublime to…the sublime! There is some excitement to be had in offering, back-to-back, two of the finest estates of an appellation and in a vintage of real distinction. Two wines are made at this estate: a red and a white. No super-cuvées; no second wines. The style is ripe and liquor-like: a muscular red deer stag in an aristocrat’s park, making a fine counterpoint to the Pégaü above, which is more of a rutting wildebeest.

A quick note on the Avril’s white wine. This is absolutely delicious when it’s young; full of summery flavours: yellow cherry, tangerine and flowers, with a texture like the most freshly-pressed, ripest pear juice. Parker states that it should be drunk within the first two years of its life, but this is a classic white Rhône in that it should be drunk early, or it should be drunk late. It between, it closes down and is a waste of time. You pick!

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos des Papes, Paul Avril, Southern Rhône, France Notes: How can a wine that is analytically so similar to another taste so very different? Both the 2004 and 2003 Clos des Papes are just over 15% alcohol and have similar levels of acidity and yet this is less sumptuous than its immediate descendant, with more apparent structure and focus. Which is better? Horses (again!) for courses, but it will be fascinating to compare the two in the years to come. Parker marks this wine 93-95 and the 2003 97.	2013-2025	12x75cl	£300.00
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Clos des Papes, Paul Avril, Southern Rhône, France Notes: You won't have heard much about this white Rhône, but then not much is ever said about white Rhône wines at all, which is a shame because a number of them are quite brilliant. White wines make up just 6 percent of the volume of Châteauneuf production and this is among the finest. Part of the brilliance here is about texture. With oaked wines, one often gets a creaminess imparted by the wood. Here the creaminess is all fruit, cantering across the tongue like a rogue peach. Aromas and flavours of orange and citrus flowers nigh-on overcome the senses. This has power and massive concentration. Drink young for the fruity stage, or old for the nuts.	2009-2016	12x75cl	£282.00
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The rather smart barrel cellar at Clos des Papes. Note the differing sizes of container

Clos du Mont Olivet

The rise of the luxury cuvée in Châteauneuf is the cause for much debate. Is it driving the quality of the top wines of the appellation into the uppermost echelons of the global fine wine market, or is it undermining the quality of the bread-and-butter cuvées; the foundations on which stands entire Châteauneuf edifice? Personally, I have no idea. It’ll all work out in the end. In the meantime, allow me to introduce you to this wine: one of the top brass, with added palate-ability due to the fact that the owners of Mont Olivet aren’t taking the mickey with the price.

I bought a case of this wine of the 1990 vintage. We’re talking a long time ago now. It cost me £155 and is now trading over a thousand pounds ex VAT. Be that as it may, the 1990 was akin to port for the first decade-and-a-bit of its life, before losing its puppy fat and transmogrifying into one of the most intense Châteauneuf experiences I’ve had to date. This is what it’s all about, right here.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Papet, Clos Mont Olivet, Southern Rhône, France Notes: This is the pinnacle of achievement at this celebrated domaine and one of the most extraordinary wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. I am still drinking the 1990, which was akin to port for the first decade of its life and was made from grapes so ripe that I wondered whether it wouldn't age at all, but would simply fall over and turn into a puddle of icky-poo.   This is, in many ways, like a liqueur of red and black cherries (although I am not talking about one of those dodgy Dutch liqueurs that slowly granulate in the back of one's booze cupboard until one has a misguided idea about turning it into a cocktail at a barbecue, blaming the subsequent spate of vomiting on an iffy packet of chipolatas introduced into proceedings by a gatecrasher). There is concentration here that is so extraordinary that, were one unused to the wines of the Rhône and this estate in particular, one might be tempted to suggest that some osmotic process in the winery had been employed. From memories of the 1990 when young, this is better defined, with crisper fruit and certainly less portiness. It is also long: as long as a piece of string that's a minimum of 2 miles long. Essence of Châteauneuf; crème de Pape. Top liquid.	2010-2020	12x75cl	£300.00
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The vineyards of Cornas

Domaine de la Charbonnière

Typical of the appellation, Michel Maret’s Charbonnière runs a highly parcellated portfolio of vineyard holdings, including all the main differing terroirs of Châteauneuf.

One is never very sure what the term “Vieilles Vignes” is intimating, not being controlled by law. In this case, however, we’re talking about wizened, hoary old plants 80 years old plus, which, in my humble opinion, means that they’re perfectly entitled to the term. Most producers would have practiced euthanasia long ago, since the older a vine becomes, the less fruit it produces (and, conversely, the more concentrated, better quality the fruit there from). 80 year old vines prove one thing: that their owner is intent on producing the best possible wine from his vineyards. So that’s nice, then. Here’s Robert Parker on the domaine: “This property has been a marvellous discovery…This is an impressive, largely unknown estate.” I came, I saw, I concurred.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes, Charbonnière, Southern Rhône, France Notes: Slightly oddly, Charbonnière produces four wines, two of which are pitched at much the same level in terms of their selling price. Of the two, I found this much the most exciting. This is a domaine that has relatively recently found itself elevated to the top of the Châteauneuf hierarchy.   Here I found a delicious, sweetly ripe nose of red and black cherries and bramble, followed by a cool and fluid wave of bramble and cherry fruit in the mouth. Although medium weight and very elegant, it is full of covered grip, which lead me to believe that this is a serious keeper. It is also mineral and very, very long. Fabulous finish!	2009-2020	12x75cl	£225.00
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A pertinent message on and old barrel-end: “Water is polluted, drink wine”

Domaine Giraud

Tasting at Giraud is a family affair. Monsieur sits expansively on a chair, the family pooch at his feet, whilst son and daughter, both boiler-suited, run around fetching samples and standing by for one’s verdict on each one poured. This might be intimidating if the wines were rubbish. Thankfully one’s appreciative noises don’t have to be feigned in any way, as these are very, very proper Châteauneufs.

It’s good to see a family winery where the next generation have no thoughts other than continuing the business. The Giraud daughter is the first of the family to graduate from Oenology college and it is she that looks after the wine making. Her brother tends the vineyards, some of which are planted on Roman ruins.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2004	Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Gallimardes, Domaine Giraud, Southern Rhône, France Notes: I love this sort of estate. The family have been making wines here for generations and yet there's no gloss, no self-satisfaction. The wines are carefully made, harmonious and yet highly expressive. Châteauneuf can vary hugely in character and yet here is a style of wine about which one can say that its origin is unequivocal.   The nose is backward and very nutty. It reminds me somewhat of the 2001 that we offered a couple of years ago. And yet this is slightly less feral, purer.   On the palate, the '04 Gallimardes is very cool, nutty and persistent. It is also very elegant. There are some fine tannins. In fact, everything about it is fine, including a beautiful profile in the mouth. This gains in intensity to a very long, with a fabulous finish. This offers quite brilliant value.	2008-2018	12x75cl	£195.00
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This is me tasting in the cellar at Pégaü. On more than one occasion I have ended up dipping my nose in the sample…and it’s nothing to be ashamed of!