Tyson Stelzer

Cote Rotie

So steep are the slopes of Cote Rotie that they were terraced by the Romans millennia ago. Such harsh, rocky slopes stress the vines into producing some of the best Shiraz in France.

These fruit-intensive wines were to me reminiscent of Barossa legends such as Turkey Flat and Charlie Melton. Plums, cherries, berries, liquorice and varietal spice. A small percentage of Viognier from the same vineyards adds a wonderful aromatic air to the wines. Tannin structures are impressively fine grained.

Guigal

1998 Cote Rotie Very Good+

93% Syrah, 7% Viognier.
Dark colour. An attractively aromatic nose of cinnamon, spice and apricot. The palate fills these out with plum and cherry fruit, structured with dry, oaky tannins, and finishing long.

Domaine Georges Vernay

Top quality, small producer in Condrieu. Famous for its Viognier, but its reds are not to be ignored. Production is too small to facilitate exports to Australia.

1999 Cote Rotie Maison Rouge Excellent-

100% Shiraz, 50% new oak, just bottled. Good vintage.
Very dark. A big, deep, intense and complex nose gives way to an excellent dark fruits palate with liquorice, full tannins and medium to good length. I envisage that this would compare with some of the best $30-$40 Australian Shiraz.
$56

Domaine Clusel-Roch

A small family producer in Ampuis, producing a top range of wines using a 100 year old basket press. The most juicy, fruity Cote Roties that I have tasted, with the spicy/peppery characters pushed to their rightful second place. Across the board, excellent wines with fine but mouth filling tannins and good length. Guaranteed to age superbly. All 2000s and 2001s were tasted from barrel. Available in Australia through Lester Jesberg (Winewise).

2001 Cote Rotie Cuvee Classic Will be at least Very Good

Unblended barrel sample; will be bottled in September 2003.
Barrel 1 (top of hill vineyard): Intense, fruity, with hints of spice behind the fruit, and good tannins.
Barrel 2 (lower, near Ampuis): Quite closed, slightly lighter in colour with berry fruits and good length.

2001 Cote Rotie Cuvee le Grand Place Excellent

Older vines.
Intense raspberry and cherry fruit surrounded by excellent tannins. Still very young, but will develop very well.

2000 Cote Rotie Cuvee Classique Exceptional

To be bottled in September 2002.
Both nose and palate are superb, with aromatic notes and wonderfully intense raspberry fruit. Tannins are fine but full, and length is excellent. The wine has a freakishly similar fruit character to that of the 1996 Turkey Flat Shiraz when it was exactly the same age. By comparison, the Clusel-Roch is on steroids! Look out for this one.

2000 Cote Rotie Cuvee le Grand Place Exceptional

Dark colour. Closed but complex nose. Exceptional fruit depth of plums and cherries on the nose and palate. Very good tannins. The same style as the 2000 Cuvee Classique, but with darker fruit characters.

1999 Cote Rotie Cuvee Classique Very Good

Bottle sample.
Closed nose. Spicy berry fruit is dominant on the palate, with good, big tannins and good length.

Vidal Fleury

The oldest producer in the Rhone; a family business for more than 200 years.

1998 La Chatillonne Exceptional

85% Shiraz and 15% Viognier from a single tiny vineyard of only 0.7 Ha on Cote Blonde with vines of average age 60 years. Spends two years in one third new oak.

Dark red-purple. An incredibly rich nose of vanillin oak and very intense fruit. The palate is the same, with plum, cherry, vanilla and licorice. While there is loads of oak, the fruit holds up against it superbly. Fine but full tannins. Very, very long and intense – minutes of length.

Chapoutier

Prestigious producer based in Hermitage. Still uses a horse and a donkey to assist the hand labourers in the vineyards.

1999 Cote Rotie Mordoree Rouge Excellent+

Single vineyard wine. Only 2000 bottles/year.
Dark but glowing red-purple. A very intense fruity nose of cherry, raspberry and prune. The wonderful palate reflects the same, and adds liquorice. Excellent fine to medium tannin grain and good length. Drink from 2007 to 2030!
$204

Condrieu

The best Viognier I have tasted: fruit-intensive and, remarkably, capable of handling a few months in new oak. Only a select few of the very best have a good acid structure.

Domaine Georges Vernay

2000 Condrieu Les Terrasses de l’Empire Very Good

A light, fruity nose that I can best describe as “airy-fairy”. White fruits dance across the palate, with good length.
$40

2000 Coteau de Vernon Excellent

Vernay’s flagship Viognier, sourced from 75 year old vines and receiving the full workout, including, interestingly, some time in oak. Just bottled.

The nose is complex, with lemon peel and a very pleasant flowery, perfumey character that I have not encountered before. A similarly complex palate, combining layers of citrus, lime, fresh flowers, perfume and mild oak. Unusual for this varietal, excellent structure and good length. The best Viognier I have tasted.
$65

Vidal Fleury

2000 Condrieu Very Good-

One third of this wine spends six months in oak to add complexity and smoky aromas.
A good, fruity nose introduces a palate of smooth white peaches and florals.

Domaine Clusel-Roch

2001 Condrieu Will be Very Good to Excellent

Barrel sample. Still fermenting.
Nice florals and white peaches with good intensity and length.

St Joseph & Cote du Rhone

Large and incredibly variable appellations. St Joseph can produce some good wines, and the occasional star.

Domaine Georges Vernay

2000 St Joseph Good to Good+

Medium red-purple. A spicy, gamey nose with slightly stalky/green suggestions. The palate is fruity, with sour cherries and plums. A little dark complexity lurks in the background.
$23

Chapoutier

1998 Granits Blanc Very Good+

Very small single vineyard in St Joseph with 80 year old vines producing just 20HL/Ha. 10% new oak.
Truffles and honey dominate a very intense and complex nose. The palate is soft and elegant, with mineral, soft tropical fruits, melon and traces of lychee. Low acid is apparently a character of the 1998 vintage, but the wine is nonetheless said to have good ageing capacity.
$81

1998 Granits Rouge Excellent

Another single vineyard St Joseph. 10% new oak.
Very dark purple. A deep, intense and inky nose of liquorice and deep, dark fruits. The palate is a bit closed, but boasts huge levels of medium grained tannins, the same dark fruits and liquorice. Wait until at least 2007, but it will live for decades.
$79

Paul Jaboulet Aine

Large, high-profile producer in Hermitage. Imported by Tucker Seabrook.

2000 St Peray Excellent-

100 percent Marsanne from limestone soil areas in the Northern Rhone. Barrel fermented in one third new oak.
An intense nose of butter, honey and lemon. The palate adds excellent, smooth, buttery melon and lemon fruit with mineral hints, soft acid and very good length. An excellent wine at this price, within a soft structured, drink young style.
$14

Chateau Mont Redon

Large producer in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Does not yet export to Australia.

2000 Viognier Very Good

Cote du Rhone fruit.
An intense apricot jam nose introduces a fresh apricot palate with a nice lemon finish. Structure is a little lacking, although the acid on the finish is good.
$18

Red Hermitage

The slopes of Hermitage form what is historically perhaps the pre-eminent shiraz region of the world. Not so today. In my opinion, Cote Rotie is up there, not to mention Australia. Nonetheless, Hermitage produces excellent, long-lived wines of good fruit depth and fine to medium grained tannins.

Chapoutier

1999 La Sizeranne Hermitage Very Good+

A blend from three acres on the hill, in a very good vintage.
Bright red-purple. Rich raspberry, cherry and red berry fruit dominate the bouquet and palate. Tannins are excellent: big and full but fine, and length is good.
$68

1998 Rivesaltes Excellent

Not exactly Hermitage, indeed this is a Vintage Port style made from Grenache near the Spanish border.
Very dark colour. Complex cherries and chocolate with excellent, big but fine tannins and a very long finish.
Great value @$14.

Paul Jaboulet Aine

1999 Hermitage La Chapelle Excellent+

Dark purple-red. A complex but closed nose. In time it opened slightly to reveal liquorice and vanilla. The excellent palate was much more revealing, readily showing off its wonderfully intense plum/cherry fruit and well balanced oak. Very full, medium grained tannins and very good length. A good vintage that will take years to open up, and 12-15 to be at its best.
$106

White Hermitage

The Marsanne/Roussanne blends of Hermitage are excellent.

Paul Jaboulet Aine

1996 Le Chevalier de Sterimberg Excellent

2/3 Marsanne, 1/3 Roussanne.
The nose is wonderfully complex, and intensely fruity. A tropical and melon fruit cocktail! The palate is identical, adding honey/butter and citrus peel to the list of ingredients. After time in glass, mango and pawpaw became more prominent. The best Marsanne/Roussanne that I have tasted, let down only slightly by a medium length finish. I am told that it will improve further with another two to three years.
$59 for the 1999 (but lacking the structure of the 1996).

Crozes Hermitage

A better value alternative to Hermitage, and not far behind in quality. Jaboulet’s range is comparable in both price and quality to many good examples of Australian Shiraz in the $15-$40 bracket. Also some top whites.

Paul Jaboulet Aine

2000 Crozes Hermitage Mule Blanche Very Good+

A 50/50 Marsanne/Roussanne blend.
A citrus peel nose with lemon, melon and mineral. The palate is similar, with a buttery, honeyed finish and good to medium length. In the same soft style as Jaboulet’s St Peray.
$25.

2000 Crozes Hermitage Les Jalets Good

100 percent shiraz, just bottled, no oak.
A spicy nose with nice raspberry and cherry fruit and traces of barnyard. The palate is similarly fruity, with full acid and soft tannins. A fruit-driven style which is a little short on the finish, but nonetheless good value. Drink in a couple of years’ time.
$16.

1998 Domaine de Thalabert Crozes Hermitage Very Good-

40-45 year old vines, 15 months in oak.
The first bottle of this wine was clearly corked, although our host (one of Jaboulets top market managers) disagreed at first, then argued for cork oxidation after a second bottle was opened. When Nicolas Jaboulet himself joined us, he agreed that it was corked.

The second bottle had plum and cherry fruit, nicely balanced oak structure, good length, and a nice tannin and acid backbone.
$27

2000 Crozes Hermitage Domaine Raymond Rouve Excellent

Medium to dark red-purple.
Very good fruity nose of intense berry, prune, cherry and plum fruit, plus liquorice and vanilla. The palate is the same, intense, full-bodied and long. Good acid and excellent, medium grained tannin structure. This wine would compare with a good Australian Shiraz at the same price.
$34

1996 Crozes Hermitage Vielle Vignes Very Good

A once-off production.
Amazingly black purple-red for a five year old wine. Some mushroomy characters and chocolate on the nose. Surprisingly spirity/porty for 13.5% alcohol. A very intense, pruney palate with big levels of medium bodied tannins.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is king of the castle as far as Grenache is concerned. Fortunately, the state of its wine is significantly better than that of the dilapidated old castle after which it is named.

I cannot understand how anyone can grow vines in the rocks – one could hardly call it soil – that cover much of this region. But they do it with particular skill, and the result is fruity, spicy wines with good longevity.

Guigal

1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good

A very peppery, spicy nose with earthy notes and nice berry fruits lurking in the background. The palate adds to these cinnamon spice on a long finish. The tannins are mouth filling and fine to medium in grain.

Clos Mont-Olivet

Highly regarded Chateauneuf producer. No interest in exports to Australia. All wines tasted from 375mL bottles, a factor which should be kept in mind with the older vintages. And they didn't hesitate in putting them on.

1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good

Red colour. Big fruity nose with some nice feral notes. The palate has developed some attractive secondary characters behind its primary raspberry fruit, finishing with fine tannins and good length. A very good example of the style, with good vintage conditions producing a much more fruit-forward wine than, for instance, the 1999.
$16

1995 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good

Another very good vintage, producing a wine that is very typical Chateauneuf.
Good dark red colour. Excellent complex nose, blending earthy notes and good berry fruits. The palate boasts good length and an excellent, soft, fine tannin structure.
$23

1980 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good-

Dark red-purple, browning on the rim. A rich nose of chocolate and mushroom leads into a complex palate of the same, with coarse tannins and a long, rich finish. Standing up well given its age, although it did spend the first 15 years in barrel and tank. A more pleasant style than the 1988, which is overpowered by its coarse tannins.

Domaine de Beaurenard

Producer of dark, volumptuous Chateauneuf-du-Pape that belies its 60-80 percent Grenache content. Big, brooding wines with excellent fruit weight. Imported by Dan Murphys.

2000 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good+

Dark purple. A big, rich nose of plum fruit, followed by a similarly complex and fruity palate with an excellent, medium-grained tannins structure.
$26

1999 Boisrenard Chateauneuf-du-Pape Excellent+

Old vines.
Very dark purple. The nose is intense with rich plum and prune fruit, chocolate and liquorice. The palate follows true, wrapped in excellent full-bodied medium grained tannins. Intense, long and full-flavoured, with decades ahead of it.

Chateau La Nerthe

Respected producer with 16th century cellars. Imported through Wine Source.

1999 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Very Good+

The standout of the 1998, 1999 and 2000.
A fruit-intensive nose precedes a spicy palate with cherry and raspberry fruit. Length is good, as is the tannin structure, without being too big.