jamie goode's wine blog: Two Rhones from 2005

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Two Rhones from 2005

Just brief notes on two Rhones from the 2005 vintage.

The first is from a tiny appellation in the northern Rhone - Brezeme - which is a varietal Syrah. It's the Cuvee Eugene de Monicault 2005 Brezeme Cotes du Rhone from J-M Lombard (available from Yapp for £14.50). It's a dense, savoury, slightly backward wine in the style of Cornas, with savoury dark fruits on the nose complemented by a minerally, earthy streak. The palate has high acidity and firm tannins, with a nice earthy freshness to the slightly muted fruit. It's a savoury, fresh style with good intensity and the potential to age well over the medium term. 89/100

The second is one of Waitrose's new 'own label' range, which they have created in conjunction with some leading producers. This wine, a Chateauneuf du Pape, is made by the Perrins of Beaucastel fame. It's pretty good.

Waitrose Les Chemins des Mulets Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 Southern Rhone, France
Made for UK supermarket Waitrose in partnership with the Perrins. Mainly Grenache with 20% Syrah, from two properties. Deep coloured. Spicy, slightly earthy nose with some savoury complexity. The palate is earthy and spicy with raspberry and cherry fruit coupled with firm grippy tannins. There's some richness and complexity here, but overall it tends towards austerity, with its high alcohol and tannin. Just a little more lushness and fruit sweetness would have given this wine great balance, but still, it's an enjoyable Chateauneuf. 88/100 (£14.99 Waitrose)

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4 Comments:

At 11:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jamie ecrit
'....... but still, it's an enjoyable Chateauneuf.'

BANG! goes the Waitrose contract..... or maybe not.

 
At 7:00 AM, Blogger Jamie said...

Maybe my note seemed a little negative in tone - I'm trying to be appropriately critical, and I think the rating shows that this is a good wine. But you wouldn't really expect a world class Chateauneuf for £15, simply because this is now an expensive wine region.

 
At 11:43 AM, Anonymous Shon said...

The Perrin Rasteau L'Andeol 2005 is a beauty too, and a bargain at less than £10 at Majestic. 90 Parker points to boot!

 
At 9:48 PM, Anonymous Alex Lake said...

There are still great CNDP's to be had for £15 - amazing bargains in my opinion - just not from post 2000 vintages.

For example Les Cailloux 1999 - a fantastic wine at £144/doz IB (under £15/bottle all-in) is a no-brainer for me (but I've already got 2 cases!) and I bet it would wipe the floor with that Waitrose muck (for current drinking).

 

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