The Tasting Panel magazine

June 2012

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JC Cellars Syrah Appellation: Napa Valley Proprietor Jeff Cohn started his winery by planting Zinfandel. "But I love Rhône varietals—my '97 Syrah put Rosenblum on the map," he confesses. Today, Cohn keeps growing his beloved Syrah and also shares knowledge and terroir with French producer Pierre Gaillard. JC Cellars 2007 Stagecoach Vineyard Syrah is grown on 1800-foot elevation hillsides. A tooth gripper, it speaks of graphite and black fruit. SPAIN Garnacha and Cariñena have found stardom in Spain's most up-and-com- ing regions, led by Priorat, where their huge personalities are tempered by use of French oak. These and other Rhône varieties are showing up in other Spain D.O.s such as Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Castilla La Mancha and Catalonia. Bodegas Aragonsas Appellation: Campo de Borja Old-vine Garnacha (75%) melds with 25% old vine Tempranillo for a light-hearted muse of a wine from the largest estate in D.O. Campo de Borja, located directly south of Rioja. Rocky, high-elevation vineyards and an unusually dry climate bring out a lovely ripeness from the 100-year old, low-yield vines in the Bodegas Aragonsas "Don Ramón Tinto" ($10). Scoperta Importing Company FRANCE This is the country that gave the world Rhône varieties, and it's still tops in many enophiles' books. Taking its name from the Rhône River, which begins in the Swiss Alps and flows through France to the Mediterranean, the Rhône Valley is divided into two parts. In the smaller Northern Rhône, prestigious Syrah-based Hermitage (with Viognier-, Marsanne- and Rousanne-based Hermitage blanc) and Côte-Rôtie rule. In the Southern Rhône, historic Châteauneuf-du-Pape and broad Côtes-du-Rhône, along with other appellations, showcase Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Counoise, as well as Syrah and others; Medieval Meets Modern CHÊNE BLEU IS AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN RHÔNE In the foothills about Gigondas, along Mt. Ventoux, Nicole Rolet's vineyards lie amidst a bird refuge. "This property, a restored medieval priory, is an estate called La Verrière, named in 1427 after a glass-blowing workshop," explains Rolet. "It is not mine, not yours, but ours . . . that is our motto. My husband Xavier purchased the property in 1994, and now with the addition of his sister and her husband, we have dedicated our- selves to this venture. We have combined our grassroots wisdom with respect for nature, international know-how and avant-garde techniques." Her Provence winery is called Chêne Bleu, Provence winery owner Nicole Rolet of Chêne Bleu comes to Hospice du Rhône in California's Central Coast with her California distributor/ consultant, Doug Margerum. Margerum is a Central Coast winemaker. for the blue oak that stands at the edge of La Verrière's forest, presiding over the vineyard. The location of the 87-acre estate is in the Southern Rhône, but the domaine actually lies at the boundary of four appellations: Côtes-du-Rhône, Gigondas, Séguret and Côtes du Ventoux. "We have the one foot in the South and one foot in the North," Rolet tells THE TASTING PANEL. Jurassic and Triassic layers and topsoil ensure a unique mineral mix, and the vines—most of them over 50 years old—must dive deep to find an underground water table. "This specific mineral finish is the seasoning in our wine," Rolet offers. www.chenebleu.com Tasting Chêne Bleu The mineral "seasoning" in the wines of Chêne Bleu are magnificently reflected in Héloise 2006 (65% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 5% Viognier) and Abélard 2006 (Grenache 80% and Syrah 20%), named after legendary medieval lovers. Both are aged for 11 months in French oak, but while Héloise is focused, peppered with raspberry, black fruit and dense with feminine restraint, Abélard is muscular, rich and brooding, picking up garrigue, pine and brush eau de cologne. Both are priced at SRP $100. a total of 23 red and white varieties are recognized here, 13 of which are allowed in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. La Gramière Appellation: Côtes-du-Rhône Amy Lillard and her husband Matthew Kling are living the dream. In 2001, they left Denver for the South of France and in 2005, planted a vineyard. "We're just two Americans living just west of Avignon," says Kling, their vineyards located in Castillon du Gard, part of the Côtes-du- Rhône appellation. The 2010 La Gramière ($20) is 80% Grenache and 20% (whole cluster) Syrah, vinified in the same concrete tank. Velvet tannins make for a pleasur- able mouthfeel and perfumed blueberries (with a touch of violet and jasmine) make for a heady wine. "Grenache is a tricky variety in that it often has problems with shatter [the fruit doesn't set]," says Kling. "Often we'll have beautiful big bunches of flowers and then the tiny little grapes will just fall off after flowering. In 2010, many wineries in the Southern Rhône lost up to 30% of their crops due to shatter. Poudrage, or blowing powdered sulfur onto the vines to help against mildew, is supposed to help with that." www.lagramiere.com june 2012 / the tasting panel / 101 PHOTO: JEREMY BALL

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