Rhones -

Notes and impressions from a Rhone tasting - Saturday, Sept 30, 2000, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty-two wines were poured for a tasting fee of $20.

The wines, in the order tasted:

1999 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Blanc. $12.99. Lemon yellow color. Nose of citrus fruits. Toasty thick and nearly chewy mouthfeel, with flavors of pear and lemon, and a crisp long finish. 50/50 blend of Roussanne and Marsanne.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1999 Les Vins de Viennes Cotes du Rhone Les Vionniers. $19.99. Lemon yellow color. Floral, sweet lemon nose. Crisp semi-sweet fruit and mouthfeel. Excellent balance, long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Domaine Ferrer Ribiere Carignan VDP Empreinte du Temps-Vigne de 121 ans. $8.99. Dark purple violet color. Big nose of fruit, shoe polish, and leather. Toasty mouthfeel, off-sweet fruity taste and finish, with a bit of stem and tar in finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Mas Gabinele Faugeres. $13.99. Dark purple-violet color. Nose of toasty and stemmy fruit, and shoe polish. Big mouthfeel, toasty and fruity though still tannic, with a long slightly coarse finish. Grenache based.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B

1998 Chateau Gris Saint Paul Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Antonin. $9.99. Dark purple-violet color. Meaty and slightly stemmy nose, with a bit of green leaf and licorice. Toasty, and tar-like flavors. Big mouthfeel, and long mouthcoating finish. Syrah based.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B

1998 Domaine Deforge Cotes-du-Rhone Villages. $9.99. Medium dark ruby garnet. Sweet nose, with shoe polish, Porty/Late Harvest and candied licorice aromas. Tasty mouthfeel, with raspberry, tar and licorice flavors. Grenache based.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Mas de Libian Cotes-du-Rhone Villages. $11.99. Medium ruby garnet color. Nose of leafy and stemmy pomegranate, with a tropical fruit quality. Red raspberry fruit in the slightly sharp mouthfeel, with a smooth steely taste to the finish. Grenache Based.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes-du-Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues. $11.99. Dark purple-violet color. Interesting nose of stemmy floral aromas, raw hamburger, sweet/sour spices, and shoe polish. Full mouthfeel, lots of fruit and toast through long finish. Grenache based.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B

1998 Chateau des Tours Vacqueyras. $16.99. Medium-light garnet ruby color. Somewhat Porty in the ripe red raspberry nose. Toasty, slightly sweet fruit, with something of a melon quality to the aftertaste. Grenache based.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Cuvee Tradition. $24.99. Dark blue-violet-purple color. Very toasty, almost wheat-like nose, along with some meat and stems. Tasty and fruity, if seemingly light on mouthfeel, the wine seems aimed more at finesse.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Domaine du Galet des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $22.99. Medium garnet ruby color. Leafy, sweet/sour and toasty nose. Toasty and fruity mouthfeel, with a nice edge to the mouthfeel.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Domaine des Saumades Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $22.99. Medium-dark violet ruby color. Sweet/sour spiced nose, with notes of Port, ink, green leaf, and shoe polish. Nice toasty fruit, with good mouthfeel and medium-long finish, with lots of residual sweet fruit finish.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B+ Overall score: B

1998 Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $29.99. Medium dark purple violet color. Big fat and fruity nose. Very tasty sweet fruit and toast on the palate, with a nice long toast-and-jam-filled finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Paul Autard Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $28.99. Medium-dark garnet ruby color. Meaty, leafy and toasty fruit, with notes of shoe polish and ink in the nose. Sweet, slightly chewy and toasty mouthfeel, with smooth long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Chateau Cabrieres Chateauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Tete de Cru. $34.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Sweet/sour mixed fruit and toast nose. Big mouthfeel - quite chunky, with sweet toasty fruit, and very long and smooth finish. Very ripe feel across the palate.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Font du Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet. $45.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Very developed and complex nose of fruit, tar, shoe polish and toast. Toast/fruity flavors to the smooth mouthfeel, with just the perfect amount of edge to the long finish. Great aftertaste.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Chateau de Vaudieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape Preference Syrah. $39.99. Medium-dark garnet color. Nose of olive, sweet/sour spices, and jammy fruit. Somewhat moderate in mouthfeel, with toasty blackberry flavors and long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Les Vins de Viennes Crozes Hermitage Les Palignons. $21.99. Dark garnet ruby color. Very floral in nose, with a hint of rubber/vinyl. Tart mouthfeel, and a bit light on palate.
Aroma score: B Taste score: B Overall score: B

1998 Pierre Coursodon Saint-Joseph L'Olivaie. $21.99. Dark violet purple color. Nose of dark fruits, shoe polish, ink, toast and pepper. Very chewy mouthfeel, somewhat tannic and big across the palate, with a very long if slightly tart finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1998 Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats. $36.99. Medium dark ruby garnet color. Fabulous nose of jammy toast. Big, chewy, smooth and meaty mouthfeel, with a toasty long finish. The taste is also slightly "bright," with a hint of tartness to the fruit.
Aroma score: A- Taste score: A- Overall score: A-

1998 Saint Cosme Cote-Rotie. $44.99. Dark violet garnet color. Herbaceous and gamey nose, with a leafy and wheaty aroma. Very toasty mouthfeel, with a fruity and slightly leafy taste from mid-palate through long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B+ Overall score: B+

1999 Chateau de Stony Muscat de Frontignan. $5.99. (375 ml) Light-medium lemon color. Nice fresh lemony scent to the spicy sweet nose. Moderately light mouthfeel, with smooth consistence and long finish.
Aroma score: B+ Taste score: B Overall score: B

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Overall impressions: the big winners here were several of the CdPs, headed by the very nice Font du Michelle. The only Cornas in the lineup, the Domaine Courbis, was also delicious. No real surprises here, but there were several finds that provide a lot of wine for the buck. Wines such as the Domaine du Caillou, the Pierre Coursodon, as well as the Le Clos du Caillou, and the Domaine des Espiers are excellent values from the '98 vintage.
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Here is my order of preference by tier of the wines tasted:

1998 Font du Michelle Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee Etienne Gonnet. $45.99.
1998 Domaine Courbis Cornas Les Eygats. $36.99.
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1998 Chateau Cabrieres Chateauneuf-du-Pape Prestige Tete de Cru. $34.99.
1998 Saint Cosme Cote-Rotie. $44.99.
1998 Domaine du Caillou Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $29.99.
1998 Chateau de Vaudieu Chateauneuf-du-Pape Preference Syrah. $39.99.
1998 Paul Autard Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $28.99.
1998 Pierre Coursodon Saint-Joseph L'Olivaie. $21.99.
1998 Le Clos du Caillou Cotes-du-Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues. $11.99.
1999 Les Vins de Viennes Cotes du Rhone Blanc Les Vionniers. $19.99.
1998 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas Cuvee Tradition. $24.99.
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1998 Mas Gabinele Faugeres. $13.99.
1998 Chateau Gris Saint Paul Coteaux du Languedoc Saint Antonin. $9.99.
1998 Domaine des Saumades Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $22.99.
1998 Domaine du Galet des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape. $22.99.
1999 Chateau de Stony Muscat de Frontignan. $21.99. (375 ml)
1998 Mas de Libian Cotes-du-Rhone Villages. $11.99.
1998 Chateau des Tours Vacqueyras. $16.99.
1999 Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Blanc. $12.99.
1998 Domaine Deforge Cotes-du-Rhone Villages. $9.99.
1998 Domaine Ferrer Ribiere Carignan VDP Empreinte du Temps-Vigne de 121 ans. $8.99.
1998 Les Vins de Viennes Crozes Hermitage Les Palignons. $21.99.

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