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Northern Rhône 1991

A friend of mine who toured the Northern Rhône in the early 1990s experienced the enthusiasm of the growers first-hand, on visiting their cellars. They were enthusiastic about the wines from the 1991 vintage, proclaiming in many cases that they were better than the equivalent 1990s. Somewhat sceptical, believing this to be a ploy to shift stocks of an unwanted and unloved vintage, my friend enquired as to prices. When he learnt that the growers were, in general, completely sold out, it dawned on him that perhaps there was some truth to the statement.

In 1991 the Rhône was the only important region of France to escape the spring frosts. Then with a hot and dry summer hopes of a great vintage were high. This was realised in some regions of the Northern Rhône, but in others September rain dampened things a little. The vintage was particularly successful for Côte-Rôtie and Cornas, here being widely regarded as superior to the much lauded 1990 vintage, but success was by no means limited to these appellations. Very good wines were also produced in Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and St Joseph. The vintage was also a bountiful one for Côte-Rôtie, with a large crop to match the high quality. (6/11/02)

Northern Rhône 1991 - Tasting Notes

Tasted in November 2002. Click to locate stockists:

Graillot Crozes-Hermitage La Guiraude 1991: Quite developed on the nose, which offers lots of secondary character. Vegetal aromas, with pongy, gamy meat notes, and charcoal and coke elements. A beautiful texture though. The palate is full, still with plenty of tannic grip, and has firm, sweet fruit coming through on the end. Upright acidity. This wine has real staying power. Ready now, but will easily stand another 3-5 years. 18/20

De Vallouit Hermitage Les Greffieux 1991: The nose here is unusual, as it is still dominated by rich toffee oak, despite it being over a decade old. Behind this sits some rubber and fragrant elements. Somewhat backward on the palate. Good body but also firm, dominating tannins. A big, spicy wine, with good acidity and a long finish. A shame about the oak though. 15.5/20

JL Chave Hermitage 1991: A touch more closed than many other wines, although with time there is some dense fruit apparent, with an acidic raspberry character. Masculine, closed, and tannic on the palate, with good fruit. A slight oily-polyphenol edge to the delicious texture. Plenty of potential here. 17.5+/20

Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie 1991: Plenty of fruit on the nose here, and some perfumed elements which suggest Côte-Rôtie. Great balance evident on entry. The wine is much less spiced and tannic than the other wines, although it still has impressive fruit, and a lovely, fluid mouthfeel. There is a great finish with a touch of fresh acidity showing through. 17.5+/20

Robert Michel Cornas Cuvée des Coteaux 1991: Some maturity evident on examining the colour here. Sweet fruit on the nose despite this appearance, with a crushed raspberry character. This wine seems more open than some of the others. Medium bodied with firm, hard tannins evident on the palate, and a spicy edge to the acidity, although the wine comes together as a whole on the endpalate. A touch of liquorice at one point. A well balanced, mature wine. 18/20

Jean Luc Colombo Cornas 1991: The nose is more closed than some of the other wines. Some coffee and chocolate notes which suggest to me the influence of oak, together with dense berry fruit. Rich, spicy and full of potential on entry. Tannic with good grip. Spiced meats, pepper and fruit flavours, with plenty of texture and body. Needs five years. 17+/20

Robert Michel Cornas Le Geynale 1991: Little perfume on the nose, and in fact seems closed. Lots of texture on the palate, though, with some fruit, hard and spicy tannins, and good acidity. An awkward stage for this wine, which is packed with tannins, although it maintains good balance. Finishes long. 17.5+/20

Yvonne Verset Cornas 1991: There is a fascinating story behind this wine, and although I have alluded to it before (there is one other tasting note for this wine on The Winedoctor, from December 2001), I shall explain in more detail. The fruit for this wine was sourced from the vineyards of Louis Verset, brother of Noel Verset. Louis didn't wish to bottle the wine under his own name, for reasons which I won't allude to here. Contacting his brother for help, Noel agreed to bottle the wine under the name of his wife Yvonne. There was a need to keep down the costs of this new 'venture', which saw only one vintage, and so some labels were purchased from Augustus Clape. This all leads to a confusing bottle, bearing the name of the otherwise unknown Yvonne Verset, printed on Clape labels. Nevertheless, the wine inside is, in my experience, very good. Some vegetal, pongy, charcoal notes on the nose, with some fine, acidic fruit. Soft yet grippy tannins on the palate, with sharp, tingling acidity coming through. Medium bodied, with berry fruit, and charcoal nuances. With time it opens and softens in the glass, and has some elegance. 17.5/20

Chapoutier 'Gauntley's of Nottingham Reserve' Cornas 1991: Here's another wine which isn't quite what it seems at first glance. Although it bears the easily recognisable Chapoutier label, and has clearly been bottled for UK merchant John Gauntley, I have it on authority that the wine was sourced solely from the vineyards of Louis , brother to Noel Verset. Hence one might expect it to have some resemblance to the Yvonne Verset Cornas, which is really a Louis Verset wine (confused? - you should be!). Similar acidic fruit on the nose, but with blackcurrant and small berry fruits. Somewhat fuller on entry, and quite well balanced. Smoky, mature, and full of ripe tannins and rich fruit. A creamy mouthfeel, but a shorter finish. 17/20

Noel Verset Cornas 1991: Acidic black fruits on the nose, with smouldering charcoal in the background, and also some rubber. Intense. Firm, acidic, with plenty of fruit on the palate, and lovely texture. A lovely mouthfeel. Although a big and impressive wine, this is beautifully balanced and very approachable. Good tannins on the finish. 18/20