The Toronto Vintners Club Inc.

2001 NORTHERN RHONE REDS

Guest Speaker: Michael Pinkus, (The Grape Guy) OntarioWineReview.com

List of Wines and Tasting Notes

How The Wines Scored

Almost due south of Burgundy lie the vineyards of the Rhône valley, an area of considerable contrast. In the North, some of the world's longest-lived wines are produced: rare and aromatic whites and the tannic and the massively structured reds that we will be tasting wines at this event. In the South, a veritable sea of hearty everyday red is produced, but so too are the famous and high quality wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape (which Toronto Vintners presented in 2006) and Gigondas, as well as high quality sweet wines.

The Northern Rhône's wines, and indeed, some of the world’s finest wines are made from the Syrah grape. These include the famous, powerful, rich and long-lived duo of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie. This part of the Rhône valley is a land of steep, steep slopes carved into granite hillsides by the progress of the river over thousands of years. Vines cling to near vertical surfaces, or terraces carved into the rock. The winemakers of the north are largely long-established, family-owned wineries who have worked these daunting slopes for decades.

You will be able to sample wines from Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Cornas, and Saint Joseph, all from the 2001 vintage (see below of a listing of wines and notes). Stephen Tanzer writes of this vintage, "I'm tempted to call 2001 the most consistently satisfying Rhone Valley vintage since 1990 . . . . This is an outstanding vintage in the South and a classic year for the North. Many wines from the North appear to have put on weight and gained significantly from their final months of elevage, a trait often displayed by wines from ripe but not overripe vintages with healthy pHs. In the bottle, they are more aromatically complex, more intensely flavored, sappier and more ageworthy than the 2000s, and they are more classic than the often freakishly ripe 1999s. Certainly 2001 and 1999 are the two best vintages for the North in recent years . . . . The 2001s should develop slowly and gracefully in bottle, with Cote-Roties probably best suited for consumption 5 to 15 years after the vintage, and Hermitages 8 to 20."

Top of Page

The Wines

1. Crozes-Hermitage 'Le Clos' Delas Freres $49.95 
Good bright medium ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, black cherry, plum, bitter chocolate, licorice and pipe tobacco. Tactile and very persistent. In style, this is like a baby Hermitage Score - 90. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, Jan./Feb. 2004) 

2. Côte-Rôtie Classique Rene Rostaing $79 
Performing well right before bottling, the 2001 Cote Rotie Cuvee Classique exhibits aromas of tapenade, honeysuckle, black fruits, minerals, and wood in its perfumed bouquet. Medium-bodied, with excellent fruit, purity, and overall symmetry, it will be at its finest between now and 2012. Rene Rostaing is one of the most masterful growers and bottlers of Cote Rotie. Sadly, there is not much produced. Score - (88-91). (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, June 2003) 

3, Côte-Rôtie Brune Et Blonde, E. Guigal, $79 
Delicious. Smooth and packed with sweet fruit; elegant and racy, delivering layers of rose petals, mocha, raspberries, black currants, smoke and mineral. Full-bodied, the finish seduces with its balance. Tempting now, but will improve with age. Drink now through 2015. Score: 92. (Per-Henrik Mansson, www.winespectator.com, Dec. 15, 2003)  . Deep red-ruby. Roasted raspberry and pepper on the nose; fruitier than the Hermitage. Elegantly styled and fruity, with sweet flavors of redcurrant, raspberry, bacon fat, licorice, leather and woodsmoke. Showing nicely today, but this also has the backbone to develop over the next decade or so. Finishes long and juicy, with tannins perfectly supported by the wine's mid-palate material. - 91 - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar - 01-02/05 

4. Cornas Coteaux, Tardieu-Laurent, $80 
The Cornas Cuvées are the most concentrated, interesting offerings I tasted from Michel Tardieus's 2001 northern Rhône portfolio. The dense, medium to full-bodied 2001 Cornas Coteaux offers an inky/purple color as well as a gorgeous perfume of liquid minerals, crème de cassis, coffee, and licorice. High tannin is balanced by equally high levels of fruit and glycerin. This huge yet surprisingly refined Cornas should hit its peak in 3-4 years, and last for 15+. Score - (89-91). (Robert Parker Jr., Wine Advocate, June 30, 2003)

5. Saint-Joseph 'Le Prieure”, Jean-Luc Colombo, $29.95 
Made by Jean-Luc Colombo, a controversial character and founder of the Centre Oenologique des Cotes du Rhone, His theories, and his manner of putting them forward, have often been heavily criticised by his competitors, but his wines speak for themselves - full, deep and rich. This 100% Syrah is full-flavoured, assertive and incredibly well-balanced. It exhibits all the classic flavours and aromas, including blackberry and black pepper. A fine match for a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. (Vintages panel, July 2004) 

6. Cornas 'Champelrose', Domaine Courbis, $46 
The 2001 Cornas Champelrose exhibits new oak, and is elegant and less powerfully fruity than Les Eygats. Additional minerality suggests greater longevity. Deep ruby/purple-colored, dense, and chewy, it will drink well for 10-12 years. Score - (90-92). (Robert Parker Jr. www.erobertparker.com, June 2003) 

7. Hermitage 'Le Greal', Marc Sorrel, $149 The crème de la crème is represented by Sorrels?s Hermitage Le Gréal, a stunning old vine cuvée produced from some of the estate’s finest hillside vineyard parcels. The blockbuster 2001 Hermitage Le Gréals’s dense black/purple color is accompanied by aromas of ink, blackberries, licorice, and hints of earth and pepper. Weighty, full-bodied, rich, thick, and juicy with tremendous texture and great presence on the palate, this 2001 will be at its peak between 2007-2020. Sadly, there are only 350 cases of this profound red Hermitage. Score - (91-94). (Robert Parker Jr., Wine Advocate, June 30, 2003)

8.  Hermitage 'La Sizeranne', M. Chapoutier, $74.95
It possesses higher acidity than the 2000, as well as notes of creme de cassis, minerals, and figs, medium body as well as a moderately long, tannic finish ... This is truly a remarkable wine, but for most readers, patience is the operative rule as it needs a good 8-10 years to strut its stuff. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2018. Score - 88-91. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, June 2003)

Top of Page

How The Wines Scored

Top of Page