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The Rhone Dichotomy: Conclusion
And so, with the addition of at least six Rhone tastings over the past couple of months, it is time to bring my examination of the wines of the Rhone to an end. The aim of the tastings was to try to answer a number of questions concerning Rhone wines. These questions essentially boil down into one very important question for the consumer - should I buy from the Rhone négociants? Of course, this is impossible to answer with a simple yes or no, and so it seems more sensible to break down the question into component parts. Firstly, do the négociants produce worthy wines, and if so which ones are they? I set about answering this question by examining the ranges from two Rhone négociants, Delas and Chapoutier, although I also penned a new and very relevant Jaboulet profile during this time as well. Secondly, how do these wines fare against the wines from individual producers? I set about answering this latter question in two ways, initially with a 1995 Southern Rhone tasting, then with a series of producer profiles all concerning Cornas; Noel Verset, Thierry Allemand and Jean Luc Colombo.
Firstly, it is clear from my négociant tastings that the astute wine buyer could not possibly limit him- or herself to the négociants. Not one Rhone négociant produces an entirely sound range of wines. For every stunning Hermitage Les Bessards there is a soft and sweet Crozes-Hermitage or somewhat iffy Cotes du Rhone. And for every outstanding bottle of Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers there is a questionable bottle of Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonnieres. So my first conclusion - one that is hardly surprising - is that négociant wines must be carefully selected. One cannot rely on the name on the label to guarantee quality at all levels.
Credit where credit is due though. I have tasted one or two simply fabulous wines over the past few months. Kudos here particularly for Delas, a house once drifting in the doldrums, but which has recently turned things around - thanks to winemaker Jacques Grange - and now has some super wines in its portfolio. The aforementioned Hermitage Les Bessards is first class, but both red and white Hermitage Marquis de Tourette can be excellent. The latter wines are also eminently affordable when compared with others from the same appellation. When it comes to Chapoutier, however, although there are one or two few jewels in the crown here also, one has to dig much deeper in the pocket to purchase these. Buying at the same price level as for Delas, one is more likely to find disappointment at Chapoutier. Indeed, looking back through all my tasting notes, it is only one vintage of Les Varonniers that really impressed. It seems that the real pleasure here lies in drinking the top Hermitage cuvées, but the prices are sufficiently prohibitive to prevent myself, and the vast majority of drinkers, from partaking regularly, if at all. A black mark for Chapoutier here.
So, in answer to my first question, it seems that the négociants do produce some wines worthy of attention from the serious wine buyer. But not all and, in my opinion, it is the minority of wines that are of interest. These wines tend to be higher up the appellation pecking order, typically from Hermitage. There may be success in the lesser appellations, but here greater pleasure can usually be found, in my opinion, from those small producers who own their land and work it with passion, the aim being to produce the greatest wine it is capable of. This may explain the dichotomy within the négociant portfolio - the greater wines come from their own vines on the hill of Hermitage and elsewhere, whereas lesser wines are often made from purchased fruit or even purchased wine.
And so on to my second question. When purchasing a wine - let us say from Cornas - should one opt for the 'reliable' négociant or the individual producer? Here I suspect my bias, freely declared, is already evident. Neither of my négociant tastings included a Cornas for comparison, and I profiled my two favourite Cornas producers - Noel Verset and Thierry Allemand. These two individuals have turned out more top quality Cornas than any local négociant ever could. Both tastings included a dazzling array of fine wines, often not from the greatest of vintages, but the ability to make lovely wine in a weak vintage is the mark of a great winemaker. Continuing past my bias, however, I also examined the wines of Jean Luc Colombo. Here the portfolio includes Cornas from Colombo's own vineyards, together with a range of négociant wines. The former are clearly the superior, which again suggests victory for the individual winemaker. In addition I also examined a range of wines from the 1995 vintage, pitting Chapoutier Gigondas and Châteauneuf du Pape against the likes of Beaucastel, Vieux Telegraphe, Fortia, Clos des Papes and more, including even 'lesser' wines such as Cotes du Rhone Cairanne from Domaine de l'Oratoire and others. Even in a successful vintage such as this, the négociant wines paled in comparison.
So, in answer to my second question, individual producers - even those from minor appellations such as Cotes du Rhone - can turn out wines of superior quality to those from the négociants. Not always at a better price of course, as one must pay for quality, but assessing value for money has not been the object of this exercise. This has always been about assessing quality, and nothing else.
As with my series on buying en primeur, it is only right that the conclusion includes some details of my own practice. Do I practice what I preach? Quite definitely, yes. My cellar holds some Hermitage Las Bessards from Delas, some Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert and Hermitage la Chapelle (before quality went downhill) from Jaboulet and, I confess, one vintage of Hermitage Monier de Sizeranne from Chapoutier. Here, largely, I have cherry-picked from the négociants' ranges, ignoring the lesser wines and those that I feel will give inadequate pleasure. But what of the individual producers? A quick check through my cellar inventory shows several vintages of Cote Rotie each from Burgaud and Ogier, several vintages of Hermitage from Sorrel and Faurie, Condrieu from Andre Perret, Verset Cornas, more vintages of Châteauneuf from Beaucastel than you could shake a stick at, as well as Vieux Telegraphe, Clos des Papes, Bosquet des Papes, Senechaux, Solitude, Janasse, Lucien Barrot and Font de Michelle, and Gigondas from Brusset, Cayron and St Cosme, not to mention numerous vintages of Coudoulet de Beaucastel.
All of which fits in nicely with my Rhone Dichotomy conclusion: stick to the individual producers and cherry pick from the négociants. Hmmm...apart from that ageing bottle of Guigal Cotes du Rhone I turned up. Ah well, nobody's perfect! (27/4/04)
The Rhône Dichotomy
This series explores the differences in quality offered by the négociants and the individual producers of the Rhone Valley. Articles in this series are as follows:
