88 points
Cornas, North Rhone. 13.5%
Some nice fresh cool fruit without being peppery or stalky. Clean and clear, but not particularly exciting. Lacks flavour concentration. There are more exciting cool climate shiraz in Australia.
88 points
Northern Rhone, France. 12.5%
Good wine. Distinctly Northern Rhone. Just less intensely flavoured and exciting than I had hoped given the price nd the vintage.
88+ points
Crozes-Hermitage, France. 13%
From Maxime Graillot, son of Alan, famous Crozes-Hermitage producer. This vintage is quite a confronting wine. It’s not green but it reeks of stalky floral flavour. And black pepper.
It’s been near impossible to drink until now when it’s starting to calm down and put on some flesh. I find it hard to believe this wine will ever be more than characterful, but I’m optimistic.
Interesting to give to someone used to warm climate shiraz. I don’t think they would ever guess it is the same grape.
91 points
Southern Rhone, France. 15%
I recall an earlier vintage of this wine, probably 10 years ago at least, as sumptuous and distinctly herby, an exciting luxurious treat. This is different, less opulent.
I’m not a fan of Grenache yet in C-D-P they avoid it getting so fruity, lollylike.
This is savoury, complex, and the alcohol isn’t noticeable. Still young with good acid.
91 points
Southern Rhone, France. 15%
I recall an earlier vintage of this wine, probably 10 years ago at least, as sumptuous and distinctly herby, an exciting luxurious treat. This is different, less opulent.
I’m not a fan of Grenache yet in C-D-P they avoid it getting so fruity, lollylike.
This is savoury, complex, and the alcohol isn’t noticeable. Still young with good acid.
91+ points
Hermitage, Northern Rhone, France. 13.5%
Shiny dense dark colour. Clear varietal Shiraz nose. This is a savoury concentrated wine with a bit of everything, but nothing overblown. Oak, tannin, flavour, acid. Well done.
Has lost the flush of youth but has some way to go until the complexities of age emerge.
86++ points
Northern Rhone. 13%
Smart modern but classic Cote Rotie. Complex smokey, geranium, minerally aromas mingle together.
Medium weight should fatten a little over the next few years but needs longer to lose the distracting florality of youth.
89+ points
Saint-Joseph, Northern Rhone. 13.5%
Benchmark wine for all Saint-Josephs. Perfect modern winemaking, fresh ripe fruit, restrained oak makes the young wine more approachable than expected. This is no 2003, by a long shot thankfully. Nor is it as ripe as 2005 but not far off.
Drink 2013 onwards.
90+ points
Dark, bright, lively Cornas. With some meaty aromas very typical of Cornas But fresher acidity than expected. This has a lot going for it, in an authentic not blockbuster style. Very much a vineyard wine. Leave for another 3 years at least.
First bottle slightly corked – returned to retailer.
87+ points
Still something of a baby, with fresh acid and floral fruit. But the noticeable thing about this wine is the quite flamboyant smoky meat aromas.
Drink 2012-2020.
87 points
St Joseph, Rhone. 12.5%
Smokey gamey aromas – attractive, not over-the-top.
Palate is a slight surprise then. Clean red fruits sort of Syrah. Not very concentrated.
Warm and ripe as it should be with nice cleansing acid and a touch of tannin.
Nice wine. Good cafe drinking. Over priced (in Australia at least).
Drink now and to 2013.
91 points
Cornas, Northern Rhone. 13.5%
Dark, warm bread-like aromas with a touch of new oak marzipan. Compared to the NZ syrah (Tin Pot 2007) tasted alongside this is meaty and ripe, not so floral and Pinot like.
Good wine. Like Bordeaux this has an appetizing vitality while still being deep and strong.
88 points
Northern Rhone. 13.5%
Opens quite fresh with obvious (for its age) nice new oak. After some time breathing it reminds me of an old Australian Shiraz – nice leathery, even perhaps a touch of greasepaint?
But not on the palate with is far more tart. It’s a nice complex wine but needs a bit more mid palate density and less tart acidity. Food friendly, as it should be. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
80 points
13.5%
Oily clean viogner like perhaps this is the Roussanne?
89+ points
Hermitage, Rhone. 13.5%
I didn’t get a chance to pay this much attention but it seemed to have all the requisite components for a good hermitage in a ripe vintage.
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