Tasting Notes from Marché Vins de
Côte Rôtie Ampuis 2004

This annual event is a showcase for the producers of the area -- largely focused on the wines of Côte Rôtie and Condrieu, but also presenting other AOC wines (Cornas, Hermitage, St. Peray, etc.) from the Northern portion of the Rhone Valley. In addition to offering the wines for tasting, almost all the wines are available for immediate purchase.

It really is in a gym The Marche ("Market") takes place in a high school gym/auditorium filled with about 60 trade show styled booths, each flanked by a few large spittoons. Participants can enter, depart (for a snack at the outdoor food stalls, a brisk walk, or an oft frustrating trip to that cursed ATM), and reenter as often as they like in a given day. The crowd seemed to consist largely of local consumers, but also a fair amount of restaurateurs, merchants, and a few mini-bus loads of foreign wine enthusiasts.

We tasted from smaller styled glasses, and there was certainly some amount of variation from bottle to bottle…with this in mind, I made an effort to retaste both my favorites and/or potential odd or off bottles. I tried to take ample breaks and refresh my palate from time to time, but as always is the case, especially in large, sprawling tastings like this – your mileage may vary.

_____________________________________

FRIDAY NIGHT -- saw relatively low attendance, but it made it both easy and a pleasure to taste and interact with the vintners. Saturday and Sunday were both crowded…more difficult to taste, but it did make for interesting people watching.

PICHON –

2001 Condrieu – high toned, intensely floral. Not incredibly thick or viscous, but agile and pretty. Plenty of peach and stones…quite nice.

2002 Condrieu -- more honey, less floral. Plenty of peach, but seeming more oily, fat and warm with alcohol. It was far less "precise"…not as appealing for me.

2002 St. Joseph – mineral and tar scents…earthy blackberry. Seems stemmy at the attack…herbal/earthy core supercedes the black fruit…substantial acids…tart finish.

2002 Cote Rotie – light notes of tar and appealing blackberry jam. It is tart and structured in the mouth…black fruits are met by strong astringency through middle. It wraps up with an over roasted coffee quality.

2000 Condrieu "Patience" (12.5% alc) noble rot – thick, viscous, plenty of unsulfured apricot flavor…honey and sweet herbs on the finish. Not as deep or substantial as the bottle Jon Cook brought back last year…for that matter, I’d say the color was far lighter, too.

OGIER –

Upon arriving at the table I asked (in my really poor French) Madame Ogier (we’d see Stephane other times) if I could have some water to rinse my glass (many people had water behind the table for just such requests). She took my glass, and like a flash, she was gone. "What have I done?" I asked Mike with all sorts of worry in my voice. We both watched her as she darted into the restroom on the other side of the hall, and proceeded to wash and rinse my glass. She returned with a smile on her face – apparently happy to help out. Slightly embarrassed at this level of hospitality, I still asked for a taste of the Cote Rotie.

2001 Cote Rotie – scents of charcoal…slightly gamy…black fruits and coffee. Black fruits and coffee seem rich on the attack and through the middle, where they become intertwined with an herbaceous core and a strong sense of sauvage. Long, complex, nicely textured, well structured…interesting.

2002 Cote Rotie – more floral…presenting riper fruit scents. Bigger, sweeter and grapier than the ’01. Solid structure/firm tannins…slightly coarse texture. Among the best 2002’s…not overdone, or pumped up…more simple/fruity at this stage of development.

JAMET –

2002 Cote du Rhone – slightly funky and sulfurous…still, nice floral undercurrents. The funk persists on the palate…drying and hard tannins. It was hard to leave the sulfur behind…

2001 Cote Rotie – plenty of minerals, earth, light spice and flowers…a long hovering, gorgeous perfume. It is a big, strapping Cote Rotie, but not in the "side show" proportions of the ballyhooed ’99. Full in the mouth with rich black fruits, light doses of chocolate, and roasted meats…good intensity and concentration from end to end. Broad, strong, coating tannins play well with lifting acidity…nice textures through the middle. At 28.5 Euros, one could easily have filled their suit cases and shippers here and gone home happy.

JASMIN –

For the second year in a row, Jasmin poured their 2001 Cote Rotie…good fortune smiled upon us. Both Mike Lawton and Jon Cook listed this as among their favorites from last year…a year removed, it was still listed among their favorites.

2001 Cote Rotie – intense with sweet flowers, blackberry jam, and an intriguing sauvage…an alluring, beguiling nose. The bouquet had real weight to it. Juicy black fruit seems wet and vital on the attack…concentrated throughout. There is plenty of mineral at the core and through the finish…interestingly herbaceous. Good tannins (broad and presently pliable) combine nicely with the acids. It is delicious now, but its structure and intensity speak to a bright future. Priced at 21 Euros, this was not only my favorite wine of the show, but also its finest value.

2002 Cote Rotie – less floral notes than the ’01, but expressing more mineral, and roasted character. The wine finishes with some bitterness, but it shows good concentration throughout…structure seems proportionately scaled back…good overall balance.

VOGE –

2001 Vielles Vignes Cornas – a little flower and mineral , but a pretty good jolt of oak and/or chocolate…plenty of ripe plum, but with swampy undercurrents.

2001 Vielles Fontaines Cornas – floral, earthy and spicy aromatics. Lighter in body than I expected, but agile…nice red fruits…polished, refined…bordering on too much oaky character.

_____________________________________

OFF TO OGIER – We took a break, making the short walk down to the Ogier cellars, where they were showcasing their 2002 La Rosine (Syrah) – a wine they had previously poured at the Marche, but since it lacks AOC status, it could no longer be featured.

2002 La Rosine – jammed with spice, black fruit, and coffee…light doses of relatively harmonious oak. Good flavors and concentration…fairly primary, but nicely balanced at this stage. A nice buy at 9.5 Euros.

1999 La Rosine – some sulfurous funk up top. It seems slightly disjointed, but still offering nice black fruit, light spice, herbs and coffee…slightly medicinal in its long resolve.

1996 La Rosine – Mike noted "canned asparagus"…green and herbal to be sure…later with a swampy funk, canned tomato, and chocolate. Herbs, blood, and juicy black fruit on the attack, but the herbs dominate the middle. The acids seem to have a "tomato juice" character about them…an odd wine.

2001 Cote Rotie -- bacon and smoke…light doses of flowers. Smooth dark fruits, play off nice firm acids…plenty of mineral, crushed flowers and meat on the finish. Wonderfully elegant…fine components to age.

_____________________________________

ROBERT S. (Domaine de Tunnel) –

2002 St. Joseph – granite and vegetal scents…Mike noted "asparagus". It seems loaded with structure…good stuffing, but the fruit seems washed out to me…harsh, tart finish. Others seemed to like this better than I did.

2002 Cornas – Scents of burnt coffee and light vegetal notes. Decent black fruit up front, but it turns hard and lean through center…notes of charcoal at the finish.

GAILLARD –

2002 St. Joseph – lilacs and mint seem to hang in the air…a very attractive nose. It offers up soft, juicy fruit, with minimal tannins, but enough acidic zing to give it nice life. One of the better ‘02’s.

2001 Les Pierres St. Joseph – cool funk on top…earth, animal fur and smoke. Nice density of fruit…chewy, gum tingling tannins. Accessible and enjoyable…

2002 Cote Rotie – plenty of mint and maple syrup on the nose. Sweet waffles and syrup in the mouth…juicy blue and blackberry fruit…polished and smooth.

FAURIE –

2001 St. Joseph VV – aquarium scents…quite chemical…penetrating "headache" sort of nose. Good black fruit, but a cascade of harsh, drying tannins drop over the wine…a spicy, gum tingling finish.

1996 St. Joseph (Young Vines) – gamy, furry scents. Somewhat volatile/unstable in the mouth…earthy/herbal/meaty notes…"rough"…finished up with canned tomato and herb.

2002 Hermitage – Sweet, ripe blackberry scents…lightly earthy and peppery. Ripe and warm in the mouth…good length and depth, while showing reasonably proportioned structure. One of the best 2002’s of the event…

1992 Hermitage – rubber ball scents…vegetal…dried leaves. A quick burst of sweet ripe fruit is met by an earthy/camp fire core…fruit seems slightly washed out. It shows more structure than fruit, but it still has some appeal for the "earth firster" mind set.

1984 Hermitage – Nice earth, dried leaf and mineral nose. Bottle sweet, mature cherry fruit accompanied by tobacco and spice. It seems lightly oxidized as it heads toward the mineral/rusty/eucalyptus finish. The tannins still have a little grip. In hindsight I should have picked one of these up for 26 Euros…an interesting, albeit mature wine.

STEPHAN JM –

2001 Cote Rotie – good black fruits couple with a light funk on the nose. The wine seems shy (served too cold), but it has nice black fruit and roasted notes. The proportions seem good.

GALLET –

2001 Cote Rotie – a rustic, but pretty bouquet of wild flowers, light herbs, and black fruits. I was surprised by the relatively thick fruit (in relation to other Gallet experiences)…nice balance with the perky acids and lightly gripping tannins. It shows more herb, leather and earth in the finish.

2002 Cote Rotie – more floral than the 2001…also adding notes of tar and mineral. It shows juicy, ripe black fruit in the mouth…good textures…lighter on structure. Actually very nice for 16 Euros…built for the shorter term.

DOM. CLUSEL- ROCH –

2001 Cote Rotie – quite sweet with brambly blackberry, but it is hard for me to get past the high pitched sweet, floral/nail polish remover overlay…certainly strikes me like VA, though a number of others did not find this problematic. Otherwise, the wine has solid structure…pleasantly herbal at the finish.

2002 Cote Rotie – more intensely "plastic"…rubbery scents overwhelm the nose. Seems to lack appropriate fruit on the palate…quite tannic/astringent.

2003 Cote Rotie (BS) – Quite grapey and ripe, but the VA note is even more profound in this young wine. It has a big gulp of fruit, but it seems carbonic.

SATURDAY –

PHILLIPE FAURY –

2001 Condrieu "La Berne" – sweet, light, elegant…the essence of apricot.

2002 Condrieu – more honey and higher toned on the nose. It was floral with a light sprinkling of crushed stone. It shows a softer feel…alcohol seems a bit hot and pointy.

NIERO –

2002 "Les Ravines" Condrieu – some honey, but plenty of peach on the nose…seems elegant…delicate. Light and elegant on palate, but amply concentrated with flavor…persistent with apricot and crushed flowers. It shows a softer sense of acid, but "just right"…quite long.

2002 Cuvee de Cheny Condrieu – smoky…more of an oaken overlay on the nose. Darker in color than the ’02 Ravines…as well as seeming fatter – almost buttery. Cherry and apple flavors with a sort of sweet tart resolve.

MONTEZ – Domaine du Monteillet

2002 Condrieu – sweet smelling…floral and sugary. Medium weight…apricot, honey and apple, though it seems fat through the center and warm at the finish.

2001 St. Joseph "Cuvee du Papy" – one of Lee Short’s (left) faves/best buys. Dark fruits and chocolate…showing a decent amount of oak influence. Big, thick, dark flavors…good balance, though leaning just a bit toward structure at present. Perhaps just a bit too polished and oak infused for my tastes, but I can see the appeal.

JASMIN – back for my daily dose.

2001 Cote Rotie – Powdery chocolate dust along with nice earth and minerals…solid, sweet smelling, fragrant nose. Good middle weight body with reasonable, controlled richness from end to end.

BARGE –

2002 "La Ribaude" St. Joseph Blanc – stony, herbal and high toned with flowers. A slight funk weaves between the solid white fruit…compelling.

2002 "La Solaire" Condrieu – high toned and pretty, but there is some alcohol peaking through. Light nad flat on the palate…no apparent alcohol problems, but just like a ghost, it disappears.

2001 "Cuvee de Plessy" Cote Rotie – funky, somewhat reduced…peppery and weedy in the mouth. The nose escalates as to its degree of stink…pretty tough stuff.

2001 Cote Brune Cote Rotie – funky, smoky and with flecks of wet stone/flint. Mike termed it "pot smoke". Lighter styled in the mouth…not much grip.

GUY BERNARD –

2001 Cote Rotie – black fruits and light flowers. Fruity and juicy up front…a decent little wine, but seeming a tad hollow. (Re-tasted in Sunday’s notes)

2001 Cote Rotie VV – chocolate, herbs, and dust on the nose. Seeming substantial and structured, with good over all balance. Certainly French Syrah, but hard to peg as Cote Rotie. (Re-tasted Sunday)

FERNANDEZ –

2001 Cote Rotie "Le Montmain" – an interesting nose with orange zest, Zinger tea, and flowers. Mike said "no stones," which could also apply to its lack of guts…short and slightly dilute on the palate.

2000 Cote Rotie – earthy and medicinal scents. Light chocolate over cherry cough syrup in the mouth…chocolate covered cherry runs all the way through the finish, where it adds a bit of menthol.

________________________________

Kira and I took a break from the crush of the Saturday crowd, and hiked up amongst the vineyards. I have often read of the extreme effort that is required to grow grapes in such an difficult situation, but truthfully, words never did the hillside terraces justice. I certainly found new appreciation for the labors and conditions that go into so many wines that I love.

Back at the Marche…

_____________________________________

JAMET –

2001 Cote Rotie – lightly gamy, with brown spice and black fruits. Funk and earthy undercurrents crowd the black fruit up front, but its richness and strength prevail through the midpalate. Bacon…mmmmm. The wine continues to impress.

CHABOUD –

NV St. Peray Brut – I’d never had a sparkling St. Peray before – though most of my friends scowled a bit at the notion, I figured "why not?". Doughy and yeasty on the nose…a nice wash of bubbles and acid. It seems mildly oxidized. It was OK…a novelty, but a decent palate cleanser.

PICHON –

2002 Condrieu – plenty of honey and apricot scents. Light in body, but seeming agile…good, but lean apricot flavors that persist through the finish…perhaps a bit warm.

2001 Condrieu – scents of flowers and flaked, wet stone….a thick, lingering fragrance. Apricot and peach are nicely complemented by stone and tight acidity.

2000 Condrieu "Patience" – definitely a darker hue to the wine, and far more perfumed and deep in flavor than the previous day’s sample – loaded with thick apricot, and honey essence…sweet and very long…checked by nice acidity. Gorgeous wine.

DELAS –

2000 Marquise de la Tourette Hermitage Blanc – stony and lightly herbal…scents of ripe pear. Oily on the attack, with nice pear and sweet apple…soft and smooth, but not too fat. More herb and stone shows up on the finish.

DECLAUX –

2001 Cote Rotie – Black fruit fragrances along with an enticing spice/herb medley. Full in the mouth, it quickly clamps down with grainy tannins. The structure gives way for black cherry fruit, coffee and a sprinkle of oaky spice – though not too distracting. The aspects of this young wine are nicely knit together.

A FRANCOIS –

2001 Cote Rotie – a tough one. Sulfurous and funky…swampy notes. There is a green, stemmy, drying nature to the tannins…fairly coarse.

D et R VERNAY –

2001 Cote Rotie – more of that sulfurous funk, but it gives way to some roasted meat and herbs. It is wet and juicy at the the entry, with tannins welling at the center, and holding tight through the finish. It has a pleasant earthy/herbal core.

Everett Bandman (left)

BRACOUD –

2001 Cote Rotie – Perfectly "OK" wine…not one to buy, but fine and nice if someone poured you a glass – otherwise, not particularly distinctive.

SUNDAY –

FRANCOIS JM –

2001 Cote Rotie – a powdery sweet tart sort of nose…dusty and rusty, too. It shows a solid core of fruit and peppery spice from end to end – quite nice.

PC BONNEFOND –

2001 Cote Rotie – lightly funky, along with a big pile of dried leaves. Ripe red fruits on the entry…lighter in body than many of the other CR, but the structure is in proportion. It is elegant…not overdone.

2001 "Les Rochains" Cote Rotie – Scents of hard, exotic woods...mahogany, smoke, and black fruit. Good, concentrated, black fruit carries easily into the midpalate…nice overall balance. It is a very nice, still developing wine, but 40 Euros makes it one of the most expensive Cote Rotie at the Marche…seems as if there is comparable or better quality for far less.

CHAMBEYRON – MANIN

2001 Cote Rotie – scents of ripe, sweet cherry fruit, along with tobacco and spice…after a few minutes of swirling (I was chatting while sipping this one ;-) the fruit blackens…the spice seems distinctly "cinnamon". Juicy red fruit at the attack… "disintegrating wood" and earth tones at its core. The wine is warm and inviting…positively easy. It is not structured for the long haul, but five or more years should develop it nicely.

ROBERT MICHEL –

2001 ST. Joseph – full of funk…iron and rust. It is soft and juicy in the mouth – just a hint of sulfur and swampy funk. Tannins swell toward the finish… solid wine, though nothing special.

JASMIN –

2001 Cote Rotie – light smoke, flowers and plenty of black fruits. It shows more of the same in the mouth, adding good doses of earth and spice. This wine is no blockbuster (in some respects it is understated), but quite lovely. Tannic crunch at the finish, coupling nicely with late sweetening fruit and minerals.

2002 Cote Rotie – both floral and roasted scents. Less concentration and body than the ’01, but nice all the same.

BERNARD GUY – I wanted to retaste these after not being particularly impressed with them on Saturday.

2001 Cote Rotie -- herbal/menthol scents…light dusting of stone. Juicy and vital up front…gripping tannins engage in the middle…cherry cough syrup at the finish. It is a nice, solid wine – especially for the 17 Euro price.

2001 Cote Rotie VV – dusty…plenty of menthol and herb…lightly roasted character. More full and juicy than the regular model…a few "wooden" tones , but they meld nicely into the wine…somewhat tannic, but seeming reasonably proportioned for cellaring. It shows nice, sweet, black fruits and roasted meats…much more intriguing than yesterday’s taste. An excellent bottle…in particular for the 22 Euro price.

VERNAY

2001 Cote Rotie – blood, guts, and sufur. Smooth, wet and juicy at the entry, but persistent acids give it nice vibrance. Good grip throughout…rustic (meats, leather and good funk) at its core. A very pleasant, engaging wine…

BARGE –

2001 Cote Rotie – light funk…this time I get the "pot smoke" Mike referred to on Saturday…a "head ache sort of nose". Thick and concentrated on the palate, but the tannins clamp down early…pretty hard at present.

BURGAUD –

2002 Cote Rotie – notes of licorice and ink…scents of ripe plum. Concentrated fruit up front – both "plumy and grapey". Blood and chocolate notes through the center, where it turns just a bit hollow. Certainly one of the best ‘02’.

GAILLARD –

2001 "Les Pierres" St. Joseph – quite ripe and floral on the nose…light dust, earth and violets. Big, thick, black and red fruit flavors join chocolate and plenty of spice in the center. It has good proportion to the structure…seeming elegant, even with all that fruit.

GERIN –

2001 Cote Rotie – overlay of powdery soap and wood shavings…alcohol, too. Ripe and sweet at the entry…turns a bit soft…certainly well oaked. A bit too slick for its own good.

VOGE

2001 Cornas Generique – good mineral and meaty scents. Dark fruits, are propped up by friendly acids…earth, rocks and meat at the core. Really solid, enjoyable wine.

2001 Cornas VF – cake spices and alcohol…seems closed and very shallow. A corked bottle was our consensus.

GANGLOFF –

2001 "La Barbarine" Cote Rotie – well paneled…full of strong coffee, wood spice and smoke. It has good balance between the fruit and structure, but the oak treatment is hurtful to my gentle palate. Not seeming much like a Cote Rotie.

DELAS –

1999 Crozes Hermitage – a woody nose…smoke and a little meat. Hard, strong and lean are all words that spring easily to mind…interesting on some levels, this purchase would seem to be a gamble.

2000 Cote Rotie – Smoke and vegetal scents…chocolate and blueberry. A very pleasant and drinkable wine, but another that is perhaps too slick for its own good….not particularly interesting.

1999 Hermitage – this shows more rocks and minerals, but it again comes across as too slick…not sure it has the power or depth to positively progress over the years. It is good now, but not special. ===>

BACK TO THE TOP