2007 Rhône Offer – Not All About the South!

The North

Some famous names on the hills above Ampuis

A warm Mediterranean wind has been blowing upbeat news concerning the 2007 southern Rhônes through the airwaves for some months now and, indeed, following my tastings in the region last month I can confirm that this is potentially the best vintage of the period since 1998 to date, perhaps looking back considerably further.

There is also, however, a great deal of interest in the northern part of the valley. Sure, the growing season was not as propitious and yes, quality is less homogenous across the board. Yet there is much to delight lovers of these wines.

From my experience, there is a stylistic shift as one moves north to south. It seemed to me as though the northern (red wine) appellations - Côte-Rôtie and the upper part of that vastly elongated vineyard that is St Joseph - have turned up wines that resemble those of the same vintage in Burgundy: pure and focussed, fresh and defined.

Further south (in the north!), the wines appeared to fill out, be riper and broader; more like the 2006 burgundies, perhaps.

We have selected the very best for our offering.

The Growers

Domaine Gilles Barge

Julien Barge getting busy with a pipette

Côte-Rôtie is the one appellation of the northern Rhône that produces wines one could describe as being beautiful. At their best, they display a purity of fruit, a complexity of aroma and great voluptuousness in the mouth. They can rank alongside the greatest red wines in the world.

The Domaine Barge finds its origins in the mid-nineteenth century. They started bottling a part of their own production as early as 1929, in its entirety in the early 1970s.

The domaine is just off the main drag in Ampuis and it’s here that they vinify the product of their 6-and-a-bit hectares of vineyards, spread around the Côte-Rôtie appellation.

Vinification here is pretty traditional, although one does see some smaller barrels in the cellar: a sign of their willingness to experiment.

The wine below is largely from their holdings in the Côte Brune

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2007	Côte-Rôtie Cuvée du Plessy., Gilles Barge, Northern Rhône, France Notes: Very aromatic nose of red and black fruits, along with exciting notes of smoke and spice. There's something medicinal here, complimenting the dry spice aromas and the lovely, pure, red cherry and blueberry fruit. There are nutty bits and a hint of liquorice. The second barrel added aromas of dried herbs: an almost pine-like note. This is very fresh in the mouth and very mineral and shows a fine linear shape. The palate fills out really strongly towards the finish, where lurk granular-textured minerals and an earthy nuance. This is very, very long and there's excellent juiciness at the back. The second barrel was more supple, yet more animal and the fruit was a very cool expression of bramble and blueberry welded to rich, upright tannins. Fine stuff.	2013-2020	12x75cl	£240.00
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Domaine Eric and Joel Durand

The château of Châteaubourg in which village the Domaine Durand is to be found

Last year, our tasting at this domaine was hosted by Eric Durand: a very nice chap indeed, but he does like to talk throughout one’s tasting, which makes concentrating difficult. This year, his brother Joel entertained us and our visit was shorter and more focussed.

This is a modern producer, using modern wine making methods to make the best from their organic vineyards.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2007	St Joseph Lauterets, E & J Durand, Northern Rhône, France Notes: A really peppery nose here. The aromas of blackberries and their jam are given dimension by notes of milk and dark chocolate. Take a sip and the fruit drives coolly forward in a plum and pepper flavoured wave. This is very nicely composed, with linear shape right up to the finish, where it becomes crunchy with minerals and grip. Rich, textured tannins add a welcome skeleton, as does the fresh, medium acidity. As ever, at this stage, this is a big, black wine and one that's punching far above its weight.	2011-2016	12x75cl	£171.00
2007	Cornas Empreintes., E & J Durand, Northern Rhône, France Notes: A super-black and rich nose of cocoa and the blackest plums meets the taster. The plums have the sorts of tangy skins that split with a crack under one's teeth. There's an animal note dusted with dry spice. The palate's very cool, fresh and pure, having a fine shape in the mouth. This is proper Cornas, proved to be so by rich, masculine, ripe tannins, the tannins grippy and largely integrated. This is a complete and big wine; very long with a peppery finish lifting the wealth of plummy fruit. Classically built and a keeper.	2014-2021	12x75cl	£201.00
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Domaine des Remizières

In the tasting room with Philippe Desmeures on the left

A big range of wines here. Visiting the domaine is always a good opportunity to have a chat with Philippe and find out about the qualities of the vintage.

Tasting sessions at Remizières are lengthy affairs for a couple of reasons. Firstly, M Desmeures makes a number of wines from each appellation, some oaked, others not. Additionally, Philippe’s a very easy guy with whom to talk. He speaks slow, clear French and makes one feel as though one’s doing likewise.

Vintage	Wine	Drink dates	Case size	Price In Bond
2007	Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Christophe, Domaine des Remizières, Northern Rhône, France Notes: N.B. The fruit for this wine comes from a 70 year-old vineyard. The wine sees 80% new oak. A cool nose, creamy-rich and smoky. There are herbal notes, as well as a hint of char to the ripe bramble and black plum fruit. This goes in the mouth as a cool and fluid wave, but the structure quickly becomes apparent. This is backward and full of grip and vim. It bristles with very rich, tacky tannin. A very fresh wine and a powerful one. Pure and long and very, very young. Mineral. Lots of fruit concentration in its plumy, brambly blackness. There's a little oak to absorb, but it'll be a classic of the appellation. Excellent value here.	2012-2018	6x75cl	£82.50
2007	Hermitage Cuvée Autrement, Domaine des Remizières, Northern Rhône, France Notes: This is the top wine from this domaine and usually among the best in Hermitage. Very granitic soils here. The nose here is a creamy, delicious and deep mix of ripe damsons, leather and cocoa. This goes into the mouth creamy, too; rich and concentrated. The fruit is all about bramble and damson and has that crunchy aspect that lends focus to the palate. There are flavours of chocolate preceding a minerality that comes across like crushed sand. This is one fresh and pure wine; persistent and consistent right the way through. Long and juicy, with great control. Just a fabulous example.	2015-2023	6x75cl	£402.00
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