We had some friends around earlier tonight and decided to open wines of general drinking standard. Some where very noticeably better than others.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg L31E 2002, Albert Boxler
Whilst this has some pure fruit and refined minerality on the nose there is also a slightly dirty, cardboardy character as well; it is not corked but this not in entirely good condition. I do like its precise, very well-defined minerality though. The palate also has hints of that dirtiness which do distract from the other, quite lovely, characters of this wine. There is a lot of limey fruit and the minerality is really complex but the main character of this palate is its screaming, and quite painful, acidity. It is in perfect balance, though, and I love acidity even if it hates my stomach. Sadly this wine is not up to the very high standard I've come to expect from Boxler, but it is not really his fault; there is something a bit wonky about this bottle.

La Grola 2006, Allegrini
Lots of bitter cherry fruit on the nose. This is rather nice and I feel if I was presented it blind that fruit character would allow me to instantly guess it was Italian. I like it that it is not frighteningly alcoholic, it is a balanced, accessible nose even if it is not terribly complex. The palate has ripe but a touch bitter fruit which matches its slightly tough tannic structure quite well. There is good acidity as well. It has reasonable length with the bitter cherry fruit and acidity persisting. However, despite these good points it is still not terribly complex. Whilst this is certainly clean and fruity, it is a wine for people who like a bit of rough.

Cornas ‘Domaine de Rochepertuis’ 2004, Jean Lionnet
The plummy fruit on this nose is very attractive but quite understated, there is also the vaguest hint of greenness but it is not very prominent so this isn’t a problem. Indeed, these aromas together with its earthy tang make this quite complex; I like this nose quite a lot. More plummy fruit on the palate with some tannins which are a bit tough and very Cornas-y. The acidity is also very present and fits the Cornas model well. That hint of greenness also shows but it is not a problem in the slightest, it adds to the considerable complexity of this palate. I really like its long finish which shows its complexity of flavours very well. This is good stuff and was quite the bargain.

Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim Vendanges Tardives 1998, Domaine Marcel Deiss
This wine is from the period after Jean-Michel Deiss had lost his marbles and started making truly awful wines, so I’m worried before even tasting this. Oh deary me, this nose is unfeasibly dull. All it has is a bit of candied citrus fruit and a hint of oxidative baked apple character. That is it; this great vineyard from a great vintage making a wine that smells so utterly one dimensional shows there is a serious problem with the winemaking strategy. Hell’s bells, the palate is also quite dreary. There is a bit of sugar, the suggestion of acidity and slight hints of that candied fruit and nothing else. It should have powerful minerality and far more complex, late harvest fruit action. I’d like a lot more acidity too. This is another totally shameful performance by Deiss, it is light years away from the quality it should show and which he is quite capable of delivering if he put his mind (which is clearly deranged these days) to it. Rather than a complex, engaging, sex-tastic wine those of us who didn’t refuse to drink any more (which I did) had to slog through this vinous wallpaper of mind-buggering tedium. I’m perfectly willing to admit that M. Deiss is not my favourite person. He stopped making brilliant wines in order to produce baroque, over-blown wines of horribleness all justified by the most cretinous, asinine philosophy I’ve been forced to tolerate to since I read a religious philosophy book. The fellow is an arse and should have his vineyards confiscated. Sub-interest. Really very sub-interest.

I’ve had some seriously good Rieslings in recent days; the two best ones in this flight were screamingly brilliant. Indeed, I’d go as far as saying that, Trimbach-style aside, Alsace Riesling does not get any better than these two. Shame about the knackered Z-H, but that is the risk you take when keeping these wines. The 2001 Z-H Rangen Riesling we popped recently was fine, but a 1998 popped a couple of weeks before was totally oxidised; do we have worries about the longevity of Z-H Rangen Riesling? Anyway, the notes!

Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Cuvée Sainte Catherine l'Inedit 2000, Domaine Weinbach
This has a livid, exciting but dense nose of fresh tropical fruit; passion fruit and mango. It is certainly big and buxom, but with all the intense minerality this displays it seems far from overblown. That creamy minerality really speaks of its origins, and its scale speaks of the ripeness of the grapes used in this cuvee. This is a passionate, sex-tastic nose that really begs you to have a taste. So I will. What a palate! Certainly big and powerful, with a noticeable amount of residual sugar, but it does not lack balance. The acidity is really impressive for a wine of this scale, giving it proper harmony. Its complex mineral character also shows strongly on the palate, and by my auntie’s nipples is it pleasing. Even though this does have residual sugar there is a savoury character to this which I always like in white wines. And I am yet to  mention the commanding fruit which dominates the palate, which I should do because it smacks a big smile across my chuffed visage. This is certainly up for drinking (with screaming pleasure) and I feel it is even better than the 2002 we had at The Ledbury on Monday night. Thrills, spills and orgiastic love from this wine; drink it and grin like an irritatingly smug person.

Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2000, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
This also has a very large-scale, opulent nose, but the fruit is more like apricots and peaches rather than the tropical offering from the Inedit. The vineyard character, which my chum Jeremy accurately describes and being hot and roasted rather than mineral, is certainly present. There is a pretty serious alcohol burn to the nose, but with all of that fruit you don’t mind so much. The palate is a huge mouthful of sweet fruit, alcohol and just about enough acidity. There is quite a lot of residual sugar and given its merely passable acid levels this doesn’t seem as thrillingly harmonious as the Inedit. It is very tasty, though, and does deliver on the pleasure front especially if you like Rieslings to possess heroic levels of alcohol and intense, opulent fruit. Yeah this is properly good, but not as good as the Inedit.

Riesling Grand Cru Rangen Clos Saint Urban 2000, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
A rather worrying shade of orange. A sniff: Yes, it is oxidised, past it and generally shagged out. There are hints on the pretty knackered palate that this was once a big, alcohol-and-fruit-driven wine with a lot of residual sugar, but it really is exhausted in the ‘nice drink’-sense.

Right, are you ready? Ok, let’s go!

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Vendanges Tardives 2000, Domaine Albert Boxler
In contrast to the proceeding wines this nose of this seems a sculpted entity of pure finesse and beauty. There is some scale to it, and candied fruit hints, but its totally focussed minerality gives this an exquisite character which is mind-bendingly thrilling and exhilarating. To sniff this is not only to be taken on a roller-coaster ride of riveting intellectual excitement but also to be stunned by its visceral, sex-charged love-power. The palate is even more lewdly delicious. For sure, it is quite large in scale with a good blend of candied and fresh fruit, but its balance and focus boggle the mind. It has a really precise minerality, the totally clear-cut expression of which one expects from a Boxler Sommerberg; just so electrifying, man. The quite scary levels of acidity which slash their way across your palate keep even this clearly ripe, late-harvest palate in total harmony and bursting with pulsing, throbbing life. It not only screams balance, class and refinement, but also shouts how much it loves you and wants to make you happy. Easily one of the very best, most thrilling, rabidly exhilarating Vendanges Tardives Rieslings I’ve had.

Our final wine of the evening was a red to go with the partner’s excellent ragu bolognaise.

Cornas ‘Domaine Saint Pierre’ 1996, Paul Jaboulet Aine
A good, mature nose of soft red fruit and a pleasing earthy complexity. It is quite a polished and generally cleaned-up nose for Cornas. It certainly smells like it is in very good condition and generally up for drinking. And the taste? Ah, how disappointing, it suffers from ‘1996-syndrome’, which is to say the acidity levels are too high to be ultimately balanced. There is plenty of fruit, which is soft and charming, a good, rigorous but refined tannic structure, but that acid really bothers me. Not a bad wine, by any means, but the harmony is ultimately lacking.

Last night we had a brilliant meal at The Ledbury. The wine list was most keenly priced and we chose one top wine and one which was disappointing. Still, much fun was had; it is a great place to eat. Anyway, the wines:

Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg Cuvée Sainte Catherine l'Inedit 2002, Domaine Weinbach
An explosive, decadent nose which just throbs with rich, ripe fruit and powerful minerality. Certainly a biggie, with concentration and power in spades, but not short on compelling, lovely charm (much like the winemakers themselves). It positively throbs with pulsing, thrusting life, no sign of oxidation at all. You’d have to be a pretty jaded Riesling drinker not to sniff this and chortle with mirth. The palate is also on the large-scale side. It has a powerfully rich fruitiness, a layered density of mineral flavours and searing but totally balanced acidity. What a palate! Big and weighty, for sure, but supremely harmonious. I’m charged up with aesthetic power after tasting this; to sip even the smallest taste is to love it and desperately want a bigger taste. Drink it now, boys and girls, its just scrummy.

Cote-Rotie ‘La Barbarine’ 2005, Gangloff
The fruit seems good and pure on the nose, but lacking a touch of the scented beauty I like in Cote-Rotie. Lacks complexity, too. It just seems a bit anonymous with nothing to really compel or draw you in to enjoy. The palate has a reasonable amount of fruit, but I don’t really go for the slightly over-extracted character it has. And those are pretty much the only characters the palate shows. It is short with no complexity to speak of. Deary me, a flat and boring Cote-Rotie from the great 2005 vintage, just what were they thinking when they made this wine? It didn’t take much thinking on our part to realise it was up to much. This ranks as ‘sub-interest’; if you want to buy good Cote-Rotie which is properly beautiful and complex stick to Clusel-Roch, Burgaud, Jamet or Jasmin.

I had planned to open three bottles of Cornas when Peter and John visited last night, turns out Peter brought along two bottles of Cornas as well. They were all quite cleaned up examples of the style.

Cornas ‘Domaine de Rochepertuis’ 2004, Jean Lionnet
There is plenty of fruit to this nose, it seems just ripe. There is a vague hint of greenness as well, but that works quite well with the earthy and fruity aromas. I find this quite an attractive nose, it is understated rather than opulent but the characters are all in good harmony. On the palate the tannins are a little rough, but hey this is Cornas! The fruit is there on the palate and it has good length. I think this is more than complex enough, an attractive little number.

Cornas 2003, Joel et Eric Durand
A massive nose of ripe fruit and alcohol, it is a bruiser alright. This is a very polished and round nose, opulent in a way the first wine was not. It is also very clean. Attractive as this nose is I am not sure it bursts with complexity. The palate is very ripe and round with a warm alcohol finish. It is generous, giving and fun. Very clean too. 2003 made some crazy wines, hard to make a decent assessment of producer style from a 2003.

Cornas ‘Domaine de Rochepertuis’ 2003, Jean Lionnet
The fruit here is getting perilously close to being jammy, this is another big, opulent nose. I think there is complexity here as well, though, so this does seem good. The palate is bursting with ripe fruit, but those tannins seem a bit tough to me. Bitter, almost. When it came to the first quick taste everyone else said this was their favourite wine out of the first three, I didn’t see that myself.

Cornas ‘Domaine Saint Pierre’ 1996, Paul Jaboulet Aine
Crivens, what a nose! Soft, mature fruit, earthy complexity and a real sense of class. This smells very pure, focussed and refined for a Cornas, really cleaned up. Really classy too, the elegant refinement is just so pleasing. Much like La Chapelle 1996 this seems to have avoided 1996 syndrome, the acidity is just fine. There is also real elegance on the palate. This is soft and mature, but complex and classy, a brilliant Cornas.

Cornas ‘Domaine Saint Pierre’ 1995, Paul Jaboulet Aine
This smells complex, profound, deep and classy. Ripe certainly, but everything is in total balance. This is really masculine. I am totally compelled and beguiled, when we get to smell wines this good our feeling of privilege can only be enhanced by drinking the wine. And now I have had a sip I feel great. This is an amazing wine. Up for drinking I’d say, but no real rush.

Hawksmoor’s wonderful red meat provided an excellent foil for solid Syrah and Grenache last night as we dined to celebrate the birthday of our chum James and also my birthday. I shared a 1.2kg prime rib of beef and it was totally brilliant meat. Really amazing, so much flavour and such a wonderful texture.

The last wine is what I purchased with the money from the Google click-through adverts so many thanks to all who clicked on them.

Manzanilla La Gitana, Hidalgo
Do I even really need to write a tasting note for this? Surely everyone has drank so much of this wine its flavour profile is etched on all our minds. Surely when there is a test match on in the middle of summer and the mood is with us it is La Gitana which refreshes us? I’ll be brief to refresh your memories. A crisp, nutty nose with a pleasing delicacy. The palate is very dry and fresh with a slight salty tang. This is the Platonic ideal of Manzanilla, good Manzanilla at that.

Cornas ‘Granite 30’ 2007, Vincent Paris
A very fruity nose with lots of prunes and plums. We have decided 2007 Rhones are fruity and this seems to confirm that. It has a definite rustic streak to the nose as well, a sort of meaty, leafy, leatheriness. Smells like pretty type Cornas if you ask me. There is lots of fruit on the palate too, and it has a crunchy, chewy texture which makes this quite a nice mouthful. Decent Cornas structure, alright. It is perhaps not the longest or most complex of palates, but is a good example of the appellation and provides a reasonable amount of pleasure.

Hermitage 1996, J. L. Chave
A very suave, sophisticated nose of polished fruit and rich earth. It is quite powerful, though, ‘manly’ as we are lead to believe. I’m getting a lot of enjoyment out of smelling this, it is certainly mature but still very lively. Ah, now that is a bit sad, it suffers a tad from 1996 syndrome, which is to say it is just a bit too acidic. Sure, the fruit is scrummy and it is undoubtedly a masculine presence in your mouth as we would hope for from Hermitage, but ultimately the harmony just isn’t quite there. Bums.

Cornas ‘Domaine de Rochepertuis’ 1999 en magnum, Jean Lionnet
Oh lovely, lots of scrummy bramble fruits on the nose. It is earthy, but not really dirty, and the hint of rusticity is seriously cleaned up to the point of being being more than presentable in proper company. This is a complex, compelling nose, it is certainly Cornas but very smart Cornas. The palate seems smart too, every tannin is polished, every piece of fruit blemish-free and the acidity completely harmonious. There is a bit of mature softness to this, but it’ll keep. A really lovely magnum of Cornas, I loved it.

I’ve seen this wine on sale precisely once; I purchased it then and there. It has been in the cellar since then and ten years seems a good age for analysing a Hermitage.

Hermitage ‘Le Vignon’ Vieilles Vignes 1999, J. M. B Sorrel
This is very peppery on the nose with a lot of tar and leather. It seems quite mature. There is some good fruit and earthiness (which is edging toward being rather dirty) there, but its maturity seems the main character. It is not a terribly complex nose. The palate is beginning to dry out a bit, it also lacks complexity and the finish is a bit short. This is not a great, manly Hermitage palate. It is by no means bad, but there is a real lack of coherency to the palate and I want more and better thrills and spills from my Hermitage. It is a good Syrah which is beginning to fall apart rather than a Hermitage to awake your passion.

My chum Jeremy suggested we go and try this at the Ampuis wine market many years ago. I am glad he did, it has provided much in the way of extreme Cornas experience over the years. We still have more. The label is hideous, but the wine is really good.

Cornas Cuvee Prestige ‘Vin Noir’ 2001, Domaine du Tunnel/Stephane Robert
This wine is a brooding entity which is just growing in my glass. It started off with beetroot and rhubarb aromas, now the fruit is very brambly with a good depth of character to it. This is really earthy, and a tad rustic, on the nose. It is easy to say this when you are not actually having to do it, but I like to think were to smell this when blind tasting I’d say, “That is freaking Cornas, alright, and a good one too”. There is a lot of life and energy to this nose, love that fruit for sure. Now that, ho ho ho, is a really tasty palate. Sure there is a lot of tannin there, but that concentrated fruit and earthy richness all work to keep this supremely balanced. And it is just delicious. The structure is really compelling, all the elements work really well together. Lovely, I tell you, even with its rustic edge. When a wine smells so lovely and tastes so god-damned sex-tastic you know that someone who knows how to make wine has touched this. If you see any good vintages around I suggest you snap them up. 7-12 years is usually enough for Cornas, as evidenced by how beguiling this is, so you don’t need to wait forever.

I associate a degree of beetrooty reduction with Burgaud and this knowledge didn’t lead me astray when blind tasting this wine. I nailed it.

Cote-Rotie 1997, Bernard Burgaud
The nose is an elegant structure of fruit and beetroot, with a fine earthy character running right through it. There is the merest hint of greenness to it, but I think that just adds to the complexity rather than seeming unripe. It is refined and complex. This is a classy nose of harmony and delight. The palate is sleek and sexy, but has some pretty present tannins. These are described as ‘noble’ and that knowledge allows us to blind taste Burgaud and get it right. This is a really pleasing Cote-Rotie, I love it.

Thanks Peter!

All of us Northern Rhone old hands will think of Jaboulet or Graillot when it comes to Crozes-Hermitage (Chapoutier are crap, obviously): these days we should also think of Domaine du Colombier. His wines are very expressive and merit serious consideration.

Crozes-Hermitage ‘Cuvee Gaby’ 2007, Domaine du Colombier
The nose is quite unfeasibly peppery, both the green (bell) and ground kinds. It is very earthy. As I suggested with the 05 Hermitage recently, Colombier wines tend toward the reductive when young, and this has hints of that beetrooty character. There is plenty of fruit, though, and it is a really earthy, mineral bugger. With a bit of a swirl in your glass this shows itself to be really expressive and complex, a classy Crozes alright. The palate has dark fruit and pepper, with good, ripe tannins and a sophisticated earthiness. This is one of the most buttock-bitingly delicious Crozes I’ve had in a while: complex, interesting and with bags of character. Lovely now, especially with serious decanting action, but probably best in 5-7 years or so.

As an aside, I am really taken with Domaine du Colombier wines in recent years. The basic Crozes is a fun drink, Cuvee Gaby is a properly serious, age-worthy Crozes of class and distinction and the Hermitage is throbbingly intense and stylish. These are the kind of Northern Rhone wines we want to drink, and they are not too expensive either.

I just thought it would be fun to record me raving about a couple of wines and see if I said anything amusing. I suppose I did in the last one. Click the bottle to play the mp3.

Cote-Rotie Classique 2005, Clusel-Roch

It was an amazing wine, one of my very favourite Cote-Roties along with such producers as Jamet, Burgaud, Jasmin and possibly others…

I really enjoyed Domaine de Thalabert Crozes 2006 from Jaboulet at the wine trade fair on Thursday and, of course, every bottle of Graillot is a delight, but this is also a serious example of the appellation. Colombier Hermitage is what the clever lover of Hermitage buys these days.

Crozes-Hermitage ‘Cuvee Gaby’ 2004, Domaine du Colombier
The nose is bursting with peppery spiciness, lovely black fruit there too and the merest hint of dark chocolate. This is a properly complex Crozes on the nose. It is quite refined and elegant, could I mistake this for Cote-Rotie if served it blind? Possibly, possibly. There is real concentration to the palate, but again there is good refinement. The fruit is quite delicious. Indeed, the tightly integrated palate is all quite delicious. I’m terribly pleased with this, thanks Dan and Jeff for bringing it around. A quite lovely 2004 Crozes, I’d love to try (and age) some 2005.

I’m just engaged in a little exchange of text messages with a chum. He asks if he should buy 2005 Jamet Cote-Rotie for £20 a bottle. Brilliant wine at an extremely keen price; I told him to snap them up. He then asked about 2004 and I said that was a bit less interesting but worth a few bottles.

Then it occurred to me that there is absolutely no interesting Claret for £20 a bottle, certainly nothing as thrillingly, mind-bendingly delicious as Jamet 05 or even 04. Yet, those money-grabbing Bordelais who sell their tedious shite for £20 will be producing epic quantities of wine from their large estates, far more than Jamet will make from his tiny patches of Cote-Rotie, and have vastly lower production costs as well. Bordeaux is over-priced and dull; buying it only serves to further line the pockets of people who have too much money to start with.

Sometimes when you try a wine it really hits your sweet spot. Sometimes these wines are really great bargains, and you feel really good about drinking them. I remember buying Clusel-Roch when I was at Oxford and I was deeply moved by their total elegance and refinement.

Cote-Rotie 2005, Clusel-Roch
This has astonishingly lovely blackberry fruit on the nose; pure and refined. It has a rich earthiness behind the fruit, which gives it dimension. There is a lot going on in the nose, but it never seems over-whelming. This is a nose that knows it is good. I know it is good, too, we understand each other on this front. When thinking about the nose I want to use the words sexy, svelte and silky, but I fear I may need these to describe the palate. I do, it turns out. The tannins are svelte and silky, with sophisticated, sexy layers of fruit. Real focus and purity, but there is a lot to enjoy here. This really does it for me. OK, their Grand Places named vineyard cuvee may be utterly better in all respects, but I am not drinking that now, I am drinking this, and I bloody love it.

This was the second bottle we took to wonderful Hawksmoor yesterday. They charge a fiver corkage on Mondays, which is pretty good. When I opened my bottle of this four years ago it seemed to be lacking some of the pleasure that this displays.

Cornas "Vieilles Fontaines" 1995, Alain Voge
Good earthy complexity on the nose, with a pleasing depth of fruit character. This does smell concentrated, but really quite elegant and refined for a Cornas. It is fully mature based on the nose and up for drinking. The palate is really silky and svelte, with fine tannins and lovely fruit. It is surprisingly light bodied, but this comes across more as elegance than dilution. This is quite a refined, classy bottle of Cornas, if not terribly Cornas-like. Good stuff.

2003 in Europe was a bonkers vintage, so hot. All the wines I had in the flat that summer got ruined. Many wines are just hideously over ripe, often too alcoholic, and occasionally sweet. But sometimes, one of them has style.

Cornas Domaine de Rochepertuis 2003, Jean Lionnet
This is really crazy man, really ripe and almost, but not quite, jammy. I suppose I'd like to describe the plummy fruit as opulent, will that do? The nose is undoubtedly hedonistic, it entices you in to have a mouthful. This is a nose that really excites the imagination. OK, the palate is tannin-tastic, in fact after the finish is actually a bit bitter. I love the fruit, good acidity, complexity but the tannins, especially after you swallow spit are just really bitter. This is quite an interesting wine, it has a degree of restraint that most 2003s don't have, but I fear the grapes were pressed until the pips squeaked.

A lovely gift from two lovely friends.

Cote-Rotie 2001, Bernard Burgaud
This is a bit reductive and meaty, hopefully some air will make it blossom a bit. Yes it has, lovely floral aromas have begun to develop, yummy. This is properly complex, real lovely Cote-Rotie action here. There are Burgaud 'noble tannins' on the palate, and some really lovely fruit. There is spicy, earthy complexity, too. This is a really delicious wine. OK, hellishly young, but it is pleasuring me immensely.

The results of my 'Best Cornas' poll are here. OK, a total of eight votes doesn't really qualify as popular acclaim, but Clape is clearly the most popular. I can understand how people would vote for his wines, much as I prefer Lionnet. A bit of a shame Noel 'Papa' Verset scored so badly.

When posting my poll of the best Cornas producers I missed out on mentioning M. Vincent Paris. Should I have included him? Read on...

Cornas "Granit 60 Vieilles Vignes" 2004, Domaine Vincent Paris
Leathery, blackcurrant, peppery aromas on the nose. There is also something vaguely floral, jasmin? It has a pleasing earthiness to it, and a good depth of character. The palate has a nice spiciness to it, pepper and cinnamon. The tannins are a bit dry, but it is not too much like hard work thanks to the old-vines concentrated fruit. It has a reasonable degree of style, but not really the class or complexity of Clape, Lionnet or Verset. It is good, but a distinctly second-rate producer.

From the only affordable producer of Hermitage comes this little cheeky delight.

Crozes Hermitage "Cuvee Gaby" 2004, Domaine du Colombier
A really refined nose of complex fruit and charming earthiness. There is a hint of cheap cologne, but the character of the fruit and earthiness move it on from such stereotypes of Crozes. The palate is svelte and elegant with a soft tannic structure and an explosion of peppery, dark fruit. It tastes really soft and charming, quite delicious. This may of have not have the vigour, and also be down a bit of style, compared to the great Alain Graillot, but is has reasonable complexity and is quite fun. I suppose this could age for another 5-8 years, but I really wouldn't bother; this is most pleasing as it is.

I was fortunate enough to have another bottle of Verset Cornas 1999 last night; it was quite delicious. It made me think about the discussions I've had with my wine obsessed friends about who makes the best Cornas. So, I have set up a poll and the best Cornas can be established by popular acclaim.

Free Online Poll

This is even better than the 1999 I popped recently, and that was a screamingly good bottle of wine. Papa Verset is greatly missed.

Cornas 1998, Noel Verset
A heady, rich nose of dark fruit and leather. There is a hint of stemminess to this, but it fits perfectly with the ripe fruit and earthy complexity. This is hilariously classy, oozing with style from every pore. Serious complexity on the nose which is utterly delightful. The palate is as pleasing as a Paul Smith suit: highly refined. The Cornas tannins are present but ripe and attractive. The ripe fruit is lovely, as is the earthiness. It is very long and the complexity of the finish charms the tits off me. This is a truly top banana bottle of Cornas, which was an incredible bargain from Byrne's. Fine wine does not come any cheaper.

I thought I may as well write up one of tonight's wines as I decant it so I don't have to disappear in front of the computer for quite so long when my guests arrive. It is always a treat to drink Noel 'Papa' Verset's Cornas.

Cornas 1999, Noel Verset
A rich, ripe nose of dark fruit with a hint of stemminess. There is some real earthy complexity to the nose, which is highly attractive. The overall impression of the nose is that it is multi-dimensional and deeply compelling. This is serious kit. The palate has some slightly rustic Cornas tannins, but generally is as smooth as silk socks and as refined as super-unleaded. Really ripe fruit, yet not in the slightest bit over-blown. This has quite a lot of class and wonderful harmony; I am finding it highly enjoyable. This is up for drinking now (with great pleasure), and I am sure it will continue to provide smiles for another five or more years if you have the cellaring capability. To think that a wine this desirable was sitting on Byrne's shelf for a mere fifteen notes; a super bargain.

Gentaz-Dervieux was the great old man of the Cote-Rotie. I feel privileged to have had many vintages from the 70s and 80s whilst at Oxford (many thanks to Paul Day who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of serious vintages), and tasting this brings back all of those happy memories. 1991 is a top Cote-Rotie vintage and with a producer of this caliber one can legitimately expect style, class and vivacity. It does not disappoint.

Cote-Rotie "Cote Brune" 1991, Gentaz-Dervieux
By arse this smells good! Mature, soft fruit, pepper and rich earthiness are very strongly present on the nose which is about as beautiful and elegant as one could possibly ask of Cote-Rotie. Really complex as well. The elegance is assisted by the low relatively low alcohol, this is not one of those over-blown Cote-Roties some people make, but it is a true vision of restrained loveliness. The palate has some Cote Brune manliness to the tannins, but the main impression one gets from this is that it is a subtle, deeply refined wine that sucks you in to enjoy its manifold pleasures. And how I am enjoying them. This is a wonderful wine that is up for drinking now, it is mature yet still lively. I'm smitten.

I was looking through my cellar list and was pleased to see that I've got quite a few bottles of Hermitage. I love Hermitage. I recently got a bottle of 2005 Jean-Louis Chave for the partner; I was very pleased to have snaffled it given its 'hen's teeth' status and generally obscene pricing. Given that I have about a case of mid- and late-nineties Chave I thought I'd see by what obscene amounts these cost now. I was surprised that old Chave is generally cheaper than the most recent vintage. For example, the 1997 is now £97 a bottle. The 1996 is £76, the 1995 is £152 and the 1994 is £87. Only the 1995 is more expensive (by a mere nose) and not only is a vintage at least as good as the 2005 but also it has had ten extra years to mature and reach its peak. You can see by my notes these are serious wines, and with the extra maturity it does raise the question of why one should be buying young Chave.

I should add that even at these prices Hermitage, especially Chave, is a special treat for your humble reporter. I have mentioned before that Domaine Du Colombier 2005 is the cost-aware choice for Hermitage from this top vintage. Not quite the fireworks of Chave, I admit, but a serious performer.

I love Cote-Rotie and Clusel-Roch make properly beautiful wines. Considering this comes from a really ripe vintage it is completely harmonious and deeply charming. It may be a tad over its claimed 12% alcohol, but such is the classy fruit and refined minerality that you will not be harassed by any awfulness.

Cote-Rotie "Classique" 2005, Domaine Clusel-Roch
Quite dark in colour. The nose has plenty of fruit which, whilst largely dark and ripe, is very elegant and refined. There is some great earthy complexity on that palate. Some people have said they find 2005 Rhone wines to be too tough and hard work, but there is no hint of that on this wine. The palate does have some big tannins, but they are ripe and give this wine great structure and personality. The length and complexity of the finish are quite delicious. If this wine is so good I can only imagine how the Grand Places (Clusel-Roch's prestige cuvée) would be. It does need a few more years to be showing at its best, but I feel it'll be well worth the wait.

After the 'Egly-Ouriet being nice' shocker it is good to get back to some reliably crap producers. The 'sub-interest' status of Santa Duc wines is forever assured. Of course, Robert Parker gave it 93 points (whatever the hell that means) and said it will age until 2018.

Gigondas "Prestige des Hautes Garrigues" 1998, Domaine Santa Duc
The nose smells of raw booze, strawberry jam and horrible, horrible rancid dirtiness. This is unbalanced and simply repulsive. The palate has a hot, booze-tastic burn and sweetness to it, soupy tannins (if they can even be called tannins) and a nasty flavour of rotting jam. Is it possible anyone could enjoy this monstrous horror? It has aged really badly and (let us be honest) was bloody dire when it was released, so please, let us drink something else and use this for burning grease stains off the garage floor.

I hosted a wine tasting last night, people didn't get as many right as I had hoped. Mind you, tasting Champagne is always really foxy, especially when, like these wines, they had a bit of cellar age on them. I had aged all three for three and a half years since I purchased them. The Cornas were both damned good.

Champagne Grand Siecle, Larent-Perrier
A lovely, polished complex nose, smells a bit of fishy Pinot and tinny, but mainly rich, complex, stylish aromas. This is a lot better than when it was fresh from the shelf. The palate was very complex and smooth, with a fine mousse and a good, long finish. This was quite delicious, well worth the £35 it cost.

Champagne Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Brut, Billecart-Salmon
Quite anonymous on the nose. There is not much there apart from a bit of egg and toast. Age has made this less expressive; weird. The palate was very direct and linear, with a good creamy minerality and lots of nice fruit on the finish. However, it was a touch direct. I found it a bit hard work on the old stomach for not much reward.

Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, Egly-Ouriet
Oh this is so difficult. Really hard. You see, the thing is every Egly-Ouriet wine I've had I've hated so I have sort of decided I hate Egly-Ouriet, yet this wine was truly excellent. It had a dense nose of red fruit and rich soiliness. Yet it still seemed very light and refined on the nose. Lovely complex flavours here. The palate had real weight, plenty of fruit, but great acidity and vivacity. The finish had a touch of meat about it, but the acidity and minerality were also present making this a lively, exciting wine. I am sure a bit of age helped it. This was quite delicious. Shame the wine is so expensive these days. Still, the only Egly-Ouriet wine I can recommend (up until now).

Cornas 1998, Clape
A lovely, herbal, meaty nose which strangely has a hint of arseholes about it. There is a hint of greenness, but loads and loads of lovely ripe fruit. A good grind of pepper is in there. It is extremely complex and not lacking any style. The palate has a huge tannic structure, interlaced with herbal pepperiness and masses of dark fruit. Very complex, but a tad angular. Great length, with real complexity on the finish. Quite delicious.

Cornas "Domaine de Rochepertuis" 1998, Jean Lionnet
Wow, what a nose! Silky, sexy ripe fruit, earth, pepper and bags of class. This smells polished and hedonistic. Real class here, and yet it is very Cornas. The palate has a lot of tannin, but it is very ripe and integrates with the bags of lovely, lovely fruit very well. Many flavours seemlessly play across your palate as you taste this. Not as angular as the Clape, but I suppose some pedants may not find this Cornasy enough. Excellent, up for drinking now over the next seven years.

It had been playing on my mind as to which Cornas would be better. Votes at the tasting were two each leaving me with the deciding vote. I have to say I lean toward the Lionnet. It just has a bit more class and style. Don't get me wrong I loved the Clape and thought it worth every penny, but the Lionnet is just a bit sexier. Half the price, too, not that these things matter so much on Elitist Review...

More Cornas, hooray! This one is from the grand-daddy of the appellation.

Cornas 2000, Noel Verset
Very stemmy on the nose, greenness with matchbox wood. There is a bit of sulphur about this. This sounds far worse than the wine actually is, though. It does smell typical and not short of style. There is a nice bitter cherry fruit to it. Proper Cornas tannins, slightly green and abrasive. Good acidity too, but this only adds to the fresh, bright fruit which is very pleasing. Good length. OK, this is a bit angular, but it is very good.

I'm back drinking, hooray! I've slept for the last two nights and I haven't thrown up in two days. This is excellent news, which together with the vast quantities of happy drugs I've been given have all worked together to put a big smile on my face.

Sadly this is the last vintage of Domaine de Rochepertuis; it is an excellent wine and it will be greatly missed. I have one bottle of the 1998 left, which will be opened soon. Eleven of the 2005 to go...

Cornas Domaine de Rochepertuis 2005, Jean Lionnet
A great, perfumed, scented nose of red fruit, earth and there is a hint of something floral about it. It is properly ripe on the nose, but the alcohol is completely in balance and there is nary a hint of jamminess to the lovely ripe fruit. This smells delicious, really complex and stylish. The palate is really ripe, with lovely fruit and a silky, stylish tannic structure. It is very polished and svelte, even though the tannins are definitely present and reasonably Cornas-y. The acidity is really quite good for such a ripe vintage. There is a bit of Syrah pepper there which is really nice. It is quite long, with a lot of different flavours on the finish which all integrate seemlessly into an exciting combination. This is very young, but it is a completely tits bottle of Cornas. I love it. This will age and age. With a damned good cellar this will be providing pleasure when it is twenty.

This smells really lovely, an excellent vintage from this excellent producer.

Crozes-Hermitage "La Guiraude" 2005, Alain Graillot
What a nose! Luxurious ripe fruit, real earthy complexity and flashes of Crozes cheap cologne. This is a totally attractive and utterly lovely nose, and this is 'mere' Crozes, triple-tmesis-A. The palate has really nice fruit, a lovely spicy/pepper character and a refined tannic structure. It has a nice Croze-y greenness on the finish, which is really satisfying. This might be ripe, but it is perfectly balanced and very refined. And very, very stylish. Alain Graillot is a cool geezer, alright.

This is raw booze. Sometimes that is nice, but this is just a bit too fiery and far too dull.

Lirac "La Reine des Bois" 2005, Domaine de la Mordoree
Incredibly dark. A hot nose of stewed fruit, not fresh in the slightest. It has some spiciness, too, but is mostly characterised by a shit-load of alcohol. I suppose my anaesthetised nose can just detect a bit of earthiness, but I wouldn't go as far as calling this complex, oh no. The palate is very hot and sweet with alcohol, with big, gum-busting tannins and some stewed fruit. And that, I am afraid to say, is very much it. No excitement here, move along please.

I have to say I've rarely got very much pleasure out of Mordoree wines, and yet I recommended this be purchased. I may be in touch with the deep message of wine but clearly I don't always pay attention when that message is "I'm a bloody awful bottle of lighter-fluid". I blame the beast of my Id, it just wants me drunk so I behave outrageously.

Steak mirabeau for dinner tonight, and with it something accessible and fruity.

Saint-Joseph "Les Royes" 2004, Domaine Courbis
A charming nose of fresh red fruit with a grind of pepper. It smells pretty simple but reasonably typical. The fruit is very nice but there really isn't that much else there. The palate has hint of Syrah spiciness, but largely it displays a lot of juicy fruit. There is some length to it, which is good. The flavours are quite simple, though. However, that is what you expect from Saint-Joseph, so I cannot really complain. It is perfectly adequate, but I feel I am going to get a bit bored with this after a couple of glasses. This ranks slightly above 'sub-interest', but not very far above that.

This is quite a fancy St. Joseph. I'm still drinking, hooray!

St. Joseph Cuvée des Anges 1999, Domaine Cheze
This has a very herbal fruit character, like cough sweets. There are ceps and earthy aromas with a very vague hint of bubblegum. But the nose is really good and complex, very expressive and interesting. Despite this style and complexity it still smells like a St. Joseph. Good. The palate has a very slightly angular structure and a prickle which is also very St. Joseph. It is still quite a serious wine, though. This is perfectly ready to drink and I will enjoy this as it develops in my glass. St. Joseph gets no better.

I've just opened another bottle of Domaine St. Pierre Cornas 1995 from Jaboulet. My last note on it seems pretty accurate to me, so I won't bother boring you by repeating more of the same. A couple of things are worth saying about this, though.

Firstly, this is a really svelte, silky and sexy Cornas. Lovely smooth fruit and a really charming tannic structure at a developmental stage that is certainly up for enjoying now. This is a truly lovely Cornas and should be enjoyed by all.

Secondly, it is really easy to enjoy this as it is a complete bargain from the Wine Society. At a shade under twenty notes a bottle I find it hard to think of a more pleasing and ready-to-drink wine that one can get quite so easily.

Clape Cornas was the subject of my first wine article to get published. I wanted to call it 'A dose of the Clape' but the journal editor re-named it 'Clape Clape - David Strange applauds a fine wine maker'. Clearly a lot less funny. I've had some lovely bottles of Clape over the years, they are always very typical (and good) examples of Cornas.

Cornas 1998, Auguste Clape
The nose is very Cornas; dark, ripe fruit, pepper, grilled meat and a certain rusticity. Even though this has a big nose it is not over-ripe, the fruit is fresh and lively and the alcohol is not excessive. There is a reasonable degree of earthy complexity there, too. It smells relatively youthful. The palate has big Cornas tannins but there is a lot of fruit there too; it is not unbalanced. The tannins have that touch of rusticity that one would expect from Cornas. Fruit persists on the finish, along with a good earthy flavour. The palate has complexity, but it is definitely a big, tannic wine rather than being svelte and refined. It is still pretty youthful and I think it will develop more over the next five or so years. This is a really good, typical Cornas, but I think I preferred the Domaine de Rochepertuis 1998 I had back in November, that was a more charming, silky wine.

We got a few bottles of this at auction a few years ago for less than the release price of the then-current vintage. Every bottle I have had has been in top condition so they were a damned-good purchase. There is a rib of beef roasting in the oven and what could be better with that than a glass or two of mature Hermitage?

Hermitage La Chapelle 1983, Paul Jaboulet-Ainé
A soft nose of mature plum and blueberry fruit, it has an aroma reminiscent of mature Port. Syrah pepperiness is still there. There is a great earthy character to it. It smells very ripe and decadent. The nose seems fully mature. The palate is a tiny bit dry, but there is still plenty of fruit there and it is very complex and earthy. Despite the obvious size and ripeness of this wine it has a degree of mature elegance that is very pleasing. Great length and complexity here too. This wine is fully mature and it is reaching time to drink, but it is still in good enough nick to provide a lot of pleasure. This is a lovely old bottle of wine, quite delicious and a real glass of hedonism.

The diet Coke in the background is the usual David Strange-fuel when I am not drinking fine wine.

Last time I had this wine I was presented it blind. Then I thought it was Alain Graillot's Crozes-Hermitage and tasting it again that seems like a very understandable mistake to make.

Cornas 2000, Noel Verset
The nose has a very strong cheap cologne character; very Crozes-y. There is a hint of greenness about it too, and some peppery, plummy fruit. It smells very earthy. From the smell alone I would guess this was reasonably mature Crozes-Hermitage. The palate also has plummy fruit, pepper and again a hint of greenness. It seems ripe enough, though. Good tannic structure. The finish is quite long, with fruit persisting. This is as mature as it is ever going to be, and whilst this is not a great vintage, it is an interesting, characterful wine.

I had this wine just before going into hospital. I've just found my note so I can finally publish it. I've got two more bottles of this wine in one of my cellars, a fact that pleases me very much. Burgaud is still a relative bargain when it comes to buying Côte-Rôtie, well worth looking out for.

Côte-Rôtie 1998, Bernard Burgaud
The nose is very elegant, with soft fruit and a pleasing earthiness. It smells very complex and refined, with no excess of alcohol showing. The taste? Delicious! Pure, ripe fruit, minerality and great length. The tannins are present but ripe and very well integrated. This is very refined and silky. I think Côte-Rôtie should be like this, harmonious, refined and elegant rather than being a butch monster. Quite ready for drinking, but it'll certainly last several more years with no problem. Excellent Côte-Rôtie that provides a lot of pleasure.

I went to Oxford today to visit my cellar and pick up some wines to drink over the next month or so. I got eighteen bottles and two magnums; pretty heavy on the way back. This is one (I've got more of this in the cellar. Good) which I have risked opening after the shaky journey from Oxford.

This is Jean Lionnet's prestige cuvée of Cornas, he makes a basic cuvée too. His wines tend to be less rustic than those of other Cornas producers.

Cornas Domaine de Rochepertuis 1998, Jean Lionnet
This has a lovely nose of grilled meat, leather and fresh, ripe blackcurrants. There is real complexity there and it smells very refined. The alcohol seems very well integrated and harmonious (claimed 13%). The palate has sophisticated tannins, plenty of fruit and a real persistence of flavour. For a Cornas this is really svelte and silky. This is just approaching drinkability, and will continue to provide pleasure for several years to come. Great Cornas.

The last bottle of this that I had seemed strangely backward. This is a lot more pleasurable.

Côte-Rôtie 1997, Jasmin
A lovely nose of ripe red fruit and earth. This seems fully mature on the nose and it has a truffle-y complexity to it. The palate has a soft, elegant entry, with plenty of ripe fruit. Initially it seems quite round, but there is a sting of acidity on the finish. It is not unbalanced, though. This is by no means a great bottle of Côte-Rôtie, but it is an interesting and nice drink.

I've popped my last bottle of Verset Cornas 1996. Just as with the bottle reviewed earlier this has painfully high acid levels, it is seriously unbalanced and not very nice. The levels of Brett are really distracting, too. No thanks.

The neighbour is after a drink tonight, this should do just fine.

Cornas Domaine de Rochepertuis 1997, Jean Lionnet
This has a nose of soft red fruit, with hints of chocolate and beetroot. It also smells warm and peppery. Perhaps there are hints of tiredness on the nose. Yes, it is a bit tired, the palate is a touch dry. However, it still has some nice red fruit, pepper and a reasonably sophisticated tannic structure (for Cornas, that is). It is perfectly drinkable, but perhaps would have been better a year or two ago. It'll function as an after-work drink with the neighbour with no complaints from me (and hopefully none from him).

Cornas is usually quite rough and masculine, this is a refined version.

Cornas Domaine Saint-Pierre 1995, Paul Jaboulet-Aine
The nose is silky with ripe, dark fruit. It has a good earthy character as well. It smells reasonably complex and perfectly mature, with a pleasing voluptuous character. There is a degree of masculinity on the palate, but it is very smooth and silky. Also quite sexy. The concentration and fruit are really good. This is a really good Cornas, mature but but still full of life. Yummy yummy, I like this.

We have popped another half bottle of Morey Premier Cru les Loups from Domaine des Lambrays; it is really terribly good. It has great elegance and refinement despite still being a bit closed. It is really silky and concentrated. This is lovely Burgundy. We've only got one more half left, alas.

I should say we opened this because the Santa Duc Gigondas Prestige des Hautes Garrigues 2003 we tried to drink with our steak proved to be too much like hard work. It was so frighteningly ripe and alcoholic that we could only manage a glass each before putting a cork back in it and deciding to re-visit it tomorrow. I don't really see the point in such monsters, they are rarely balanced or indeed nice.

Noel "The Gnome" Verset used to craft some wonderful Cornas from his steeply-sloped vineyards. Sadly, it appears this one suffers a bit from 1996 Rhône-syndrome.

Cornas 1996, Noel Verset
A very animal nose, meaty, sweaty and hairy. It is quite Brett-y. There is a bit of dark fruit underneath that. The palate has really rather high acidity levels that begin to hurt my stomach. What fruit there is on the palate is over-whelmed by this acidity and it is definitely out of balance. This is a bit strange as only a couple of months ago I had a bottle that was much nicer. Could it be that the obvious Brett in this wine has led to bottle-variation? Quite possibly; bottle variation is an oft-reported symptom of high Brett levels. Whatever has caused it, this is dirty, painfully acidic and sadly sub-interest.

Beaucastel smells of sheep shit, Bandol smells of arseholes; that is the way it is.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1995, Château de Beaucastel en magnum
Bright berry fruit, and dirty, slightly shitty nose. It is very rich and complex, with plenty of lovely flavours despite its filth content. Is this much Brett a flaw or acceptable? It is acceptable when it is in harmony with the wine, as in this wine. The palate has some big, drying tannins, but a lot of fruit. It is very complex, very earthy. The balance is quite delicious. Not short either. Perhaps a bit butch, and too shitty for some, but I rather like it. So do the friends.

Cheers!

I've had a lot of mixed experiences with 1996 Rhônes, this one is rather nice.

Cornas Domaine de Rochepertuis 1996, Jean Lionnet
Lovely bright fruit nose. Clean, ripe plums, with some earth. The palate has good acidity, but not the harsh acidity that a lot of 1996 Rhônes have. It has plenty of plummy fruit, nice, ripe tannins and good length. For a random bottle opened at a friend's place this seems rather lovely. Not super-fine, but a lovely, refined Cornas. As I have said before, I do like lovely.

The 1995 of this has been drinking marvellously over the past couple of years, I was rather surprised by this.

Côte-Rôtie 1997, Jasmin
The nose has very strong youthful Syrah beetroot characters. Also prune and some dark fruit. It smells very young. The palate is tight and closed. Not hard tannins but the fruit is locked up in a youthful core. It opened up a bit with vigorous oxygenation, but was basically really tight and backward. This wine is clearly still too young to drink, much to my surprise. I'll have to keep my other bottle for a few more years. It is a shame it was so tight, I was in the mood for something giving and charming.

When I purchased this I thought it seemed like a top vintage, time has proved me wrong. It is not bad, just not up to the standards of other vintages.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1994, Château Beaucastel
A soft, earthy nose. Some dark fruit there. Seems subdued and muted. The palate is quite dry and tastes very strongly of olive water, quite brine-y. There is fruit, and a bit of earthy richness, but this is basically on its way out. Much better than a bottle I had in the summer, that was completely past it, though. A nice old wine, but it has definitely been drawing its pension for a few years.

This was quite disappointing, not up to the required standard for here.

Cornas 1997, Clape
A nice nose of dark fruit and earth, but very dirty and bretty. The palate is angular and really filthy. Incredible levels of brett in this wine, it is very dirty indeed. There is not much else on the palate, hardly any fruit, and not much length. The nose promised some goodies, but the box was just empty. Very disappointing.

A nice bottle of wine last night, once again balance was key to its pleasure.

Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places 1997, Domaine Clusel-Roch
A ripe nose of dark fruit and some meat. It is quite ripe and earthy, but by no means over-ripe. It has a moderate alcohol content (claimed 12%). The nose is concentrated and round. The palate shows similar concentration and has a very round, complete finish. There is lots of ripe fruit, and it has a pleasing smoky bacon maturity to it. Nice and long, with a good tannic structure, and very well balanced. A very nice wine.

At the same time we opened the basic Clusel-Roch 1997. It was much lighter bodied, with higher acidity and a slightly raw edge to the tannins. This settled down with half an hour in the decanter, but the balance and concentration of the Grandes Places was much more pronounced. It was a good wine, but the Grandes Places was far more lovely and serious. Oddly, it also needed less decanting time.

There could well be plenty of Rhône wine notes over the coming months as I have just been back to my cellar in Oxford and picked out quite a few 1996 and 1997 Northern-Rhône wines.

Côte-Rôtie 1997, Bernard Burgaud
A soft nose of mature red fruit. It is ripe but by no means over-ripe; quite sedate, in fact. M. Burgaud says he aims for 'noble tannins' in his wine. This wine is certainly tannic, but those tannins have softened with time and the wine is most pleasingly soft and charming. It has plenty of red fruit on the palate, a balancing backbone of tannin and acidity and is quite long. This is not a great vintage, but the wine is quite lovely. Up for drinking, too.