The reason I am thinking about wine ageing is that recently I enjoyed pulling the corks on some old and venerated northern Rhône Valley wines. Of course there is absolutely no fun in drinking old wines and for that matter any wine by oneself and as usual I was grateful to family and friends for indulging my interest. The wines, (as I will describe in a little more detail later and some are in the picture below), I thought were fabulous, although I do recognise some personal bias here.
The empty bottles are the ones already tasted at the time of taking the photograph
What I have noticed over the years when drinking older wines is that they are not to everyone’s taste even if they are in perfect condition let alone if they are oxidised, tired, and dried out. I accept that tasting old vintages is somewhat of an acquired taste and probably only for wine enthusiasts like me. Most wine drinkers it is true are more than happy with the good value for money and fruity modern wines that adorn any supermarket shelf. Why go to the expense of drinking an older vintage when you can get a perfectly good modern wine in tip-top condition and not for very much money? There is however, much pleasure and interest to be had in the whole process of ageing wines. There is first the search for wines that benefit from ageing that are not necessarily the tried and trusted cuvées, i.e. are affordable. It is interesting to follow the progress and development of a treasured bottle of wine. There is also the fun of matching a well aged bottle of wine with food; and when the combination is right it adds even more pleasure.
When I started to buy wine to lay-down I could not afford the grand cuvées of Europe. Premier Cru Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy’s were even 30 years ago well out of my price bracket. The fact that they have become even more out of my price bracket as the years have passed by is disappointing and a whole subject in itself. Blockbuster California reds and the iconic Penfolds Grange from Australia, which by the 1980’s were well established as “world class” were also too expensive. I perhaps could have gone for an Italian wine based on the Nebbiolo or Sangiovese red grapes, although the so called ‘Super Tuscan’s” were also commanding stratospheric prices by the 1980’s, but at the time I was not familiar with what I later appreciated to be fantastic wines. Instead I turned to wines that both benefited from bottle maturation, I could afford (just about), and last but not least I actually liked. What I liked at the time and still do were wines based on the Syrah grape variety.
The home of Syrah grape variety is the Rhône Valley in south eastern France. Syrah is usually said to have originated from Shiraz, the capital of Fars in Iran and brought to the Rhône Valley possibly by the Greeks of Phocaea some 2,500 years ago. Another opposing theory as to the origins of Syrah comes from Carole Meredith professor of viticulture at University of California, Davis. From an analysis of Syrah DNA, Dr. Meredith’s research points to Syrah being derived from two varieties: Dureza, which originates from Ardèche and Moneuse from Savoie both in France and relatively close to the northern Rhône Valley. Whatever the origins of Syrah there is no doubting that the best Syrah based wines are still to be found in the northern Rhône Valley although fantastic Syrah, (Shiraz as the grape is called in many parts of the world), wines come from Australia and increasingly Chile.
The great northern Rhône tastings took place at the Isle of Eriska on Scotland’s west coast. The wines were stored in Scotland since they were purchased by me more than 20 years ago. My modest collection of northern Rhône wines provides added enjoyment to visiting the old country from time to time.
Côte Rôtie Côtes Brune et Blond, E. Guigal 1988
I bought this wine from Cockburns Wine Merchants (no longer operating) in Edinburgh and it cost in 1990 £11.50 a bottle. Guigal is the most famous of the Rhône Valley’s merchants established in 1946 and often credited with catalysing the so called ‘Rhône Renaissance’. Although the label has the name Ėtienne Guigal, the son Marcel was very much in charge of the business by 1988. Côte Rôtie, (“roasted slope”), is the most northerly of the northern Rhône appellations. The Brune et Blonde refers to hillside vineyards within the appellation and the names derive from an ancient legend relating the two daughters of the Seigneur de Maugiron, one brunette and the other blonde. The Brune et Blonde is the ‘every-day’ Côte Rôtie, in comparison to the famous three cru wines produced by Guigal: La Mouline, La Landonne, and La Turque. Guigal is associated with modernising the style of Côte Rôtie towards a riper, mouth-filling, rich and oaky style much admired by the USA wine critic Robert Parker. By 1990 when I bought this wine the wines of Guigal had become popular not least because of Parker’s praise although it was still possible to buy the Brune et Blonde at a relatively modest price. The difference between Côte Rôtie and other northern Rhône appellations such as Cornas and Hermitage is that many producers include a small amount of the white grape Viognier with the Syrah. The Viognier provides a perfume to the wine often described as the scent of violets.
If you look at the photograph above you will see that this wine, third from the left, has a slightly lower collar level than the other wines in the photograph indicating a little seepage. Seepage can indicate that the wine is getting too much exposure to oxygen, which can both increase the speed of the ageing process and ultimately lead to what is called an oxidized wine. When this happens, the wine loses its fresh, fruity aroma and becomes vapid and flat smelling. When I opened the wine however the cork and wine were in good condition. The Côte Rôtie Côtes Brune et Blond, 1988 is a blend of 96% Syrah and 4% Viognier. The bouquet is sweet with smoky raspberry fruit, with still (amazingly?) some oak on the nose. Although the Viognier is really just a splash it makes a difference with the smell of violets. Soft and luscious on the plate there is fruit of plums and raspberries. The wine was definitely a little tired and past its best and should have been drunk a while ago, but I still enjoyed the wine and indeed it was probably the favourite amongst the group that tasted the flight of northern Rhône’s at the Isle of Eriska.
Côte Rôtie Côtes Brune et Blond, E. Guigal 1989
This wine was also from Cockburns and in 1991 was £12.50 a bottle. A dark ruby colour with a thick brick coloured rim. Still lots of fruit on the nose and I thought the perfume of the Viognier was also apparent as with the 1988 on this wine. Raspberries on the palate and very smooth and the tannins well integrated. As with the 1988 past its best, but again I am surprised just how good the wine still is, at least to me.
Cornas, Noël Verset 1989
I bought this wine from my favourite wine merchant, Raeburn Fine Wines based opposite the cricket pitch in Stockbridge Edinburgh and in 1991 it cost £9.50 a bottle. Cornas is the next appellation north from St. Pére in the southern part of the northern Rhône. In 1989 Noël Verset was already 70 years old and had been making wine since he was 12 when he joined his father in the family owned domaine. His last official vintage was in 2003 although apparently he still tinkered in his cellar until 2006. Noël Verset owned in total fewer than 2 hectres in Cornas and production was always miniscule. I cannot stress how rare this wine is and I admit it was the fact that I liked the artisanal nature of the production as much as the wine when I started collecting (the first vintage I bought was 1983) Noël Verset’s remarkable Cornas.
A thick brick coloured rim, browning, but with still an intense centre red colour. The bouquet was deep with lots of forest floor aromas overlain by dark plumb fruit. Remarkably I could still taste/feel a wee bit of tannin and dare I suggest for a 23 years old wine this still had the structure to possibly improve with further ageing. Maybe that it is pushing it a bit, but a well integrated wine and as smooth as silk. Possibly the best Noël Verset I have tasted (I have tasted 1982 through to 1988 and 1990 to 1995).
Cornas, Noël Verset 1991
This wine was also purchased at Raeburn Fine Wines in 1993 at £10.50 a bottle. 1991 was an under rated vintage in the northern Rhône Valley partly because of the late rains, which effected ripening of the grapes. This wine though had a deep purple colour with a graduating brown rim. The distinctive earthiness of Cornas with the addition of sweet cassis (blackcurrant) was apparent on the bouquet of the wine. In the mouth the wine had low acidity with still plenty of fruit of raspberries and plums. Definitely not past it and although unlikely to improve in the bottle will likely hold together for a few years ahead.
Côte Rôtie Cuvée Réservée, Gentaz-Dervieux, 1991
I bought this wine in 1993 from Raeburn Fine Wines and it cost £15.40. Marius Gentaz-Dervieux held approximately 1.2 hectres of vineyards on very steep slopes as with most of Côte Rôtie. The vineyards are only 50 metres from the famous Guigal’s La Turque vineyard. Carrying the sobriquet Côte Brune, these wines with great expression of terroir are earthy and are a true expression of their origins.
The wine had a deep ruby purple colour with a graduated brick rim. On the nose there was roasted raspberry fruit, horse saddles, and damp earth. Full bodied on the mouth feel with a smooth texture. Probably past it’s best although not necessarily tired. I will just have to keep drinking the remaining bottles!
Côte Rôtie Cuvée Réservée, Gentaz-Dervieux, 1993
I bought this wine in 1995 from Raeburn Fine Wines and it cost £16.50. This was Marius Gentaz-Dervieux final vintage. 1993 is often described as one of the most difficult vintages in the northern Rhône Valley. Although this has the name Gentaz-Dervieux on the label from the 1993 vintage the vineyards were leased to René Rostaing another famous family based Rhône Valley wine producer.
A strong purple colour with a thick brick coloured rim to the wine in the glass. As with the 1991, this vintage has the tell-tale Gentaz-Dervieux earthiness on the nose. Medium bodied on the palate with tannins completely integrated and smooth. Smooth is indeed the description for this wine and is just great with foods of surprisingly a wide variety. Probably past its best and needs drinking, hey-ho and here we go!
Hermitage, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, 1995
I bought this wine in 1997 from Yapp Brothers based in Mere Wiltshire and it cost me £32.50 a bottle, at the time the most I had spent on a bottle of wine. Hermitage is to the south of the famous white grape appellation of Condrieu in the northern part of the northern Rhône. Much of the 131 hectres of the Hermitage appellation are owned by the négociants Chapoutier and Paul Jaboulet Aîné. Domaine Jean-Louis Chave dates back to 1481 and retains an important and many would argue vital part in the image and quality of Rhône Valley perhaps even French wines. Jean-Louis, born in 1935, has been the driving force followed by his son and other family members who have succeeded in elevating the quality and reputation of Hermitage wines. At Hermitage, the Chaves work 9.3 hectres of Syrah vineyards and 4.6 hectres of Marsanne (80 per cent) and Roussanne (20 per cent), both white grapes that produce the Hermitage blanc as famous as the rouge wines.
Dark red, thin brick line at top. Dark red plums and mushrooms on the nose. The palate had remarkable complexity with fruit flavours of plums and blackberries still strong. To me this is a good example of how easy it is with older wines to mix up the grape varieties. I know this wine is 100% Syrah, but I am sure if I was doing the tasting blind I could possibly mistake this wine for a top quality Burgundy not least because of the finesse. There are also Pinot connotations of raspberry fruit, but the spicy flavours of the Syrah probably takes one back to the northern Rhône Valley. The wine has great smoothness with a long finish. I have a case of the Hermitage, Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, 1990, which I am still resisting opening, but it is going to be tough for it to match up this 1991. This is Syrah heaven?
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