A battle of Giants: Hermitage vs Côte-Rôtie

I was really excited for this blind tasting. Everyone was asked to bring a bottle of Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie.
All the wines were tasted blind, on a day not at all favorable on the biodynamic calendar.

A few notes of importance on those majestic 2 AOC.

Hermitage


Vineyards: these are spread over 3 communes in the Drôme: Tain-l’Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage and Larnage on the right bank of the Rhône.

Soil types: comprised of granitic gravel covered with a layer of micaschist and gniess, with areas of round alluvial stones (this diversity accounts for the named villages within the Appellation: Bessards, Greffieux, Méal, Rocoule, Beaumes etc.).

Area under cultivation (2009 date) : 134 hectares, yearly production: 4363 hl, basic yield: 26 hl/hectare

Grape variety mix: Syrah for the red wines (15% Marsanne and Roussanne content is permitted).

Côte-Rôtie

Vineyards: these are spread over 3 communes on the right bank of the Rhône: Saint-Cyr-sur-Rhône, Ampuis and Tupin-Semons in the French Department of the Rhône.

Soil types: very steep granitic terraces covered with a layer of sand-lime on the "Côte blonde" (pale slopes) and clay and iron oxide on "Côte brune" (brown slopes).

Area under cultivation (2009 data): 253 hectares, yearly production: 10 603 hl, basic yield : 42 hl/hectare.

Grape variety mix: at least 80% Syrah, with an authorised maximum of 20% Viognier

All info taken from the great inter Rhone website.

Now the wines tasted.

1st Flight

2001 Domaine Jasmin Côte-Rôtie

Great nose with sausage, a little mint, smoke. With air, nose becomes even more interesting with tarry and mineral notes. Red fruits with some cassis, it is elegant and somewhat light for an 01.
It showed best the next day but still I would not keep this wine another 20 years. To drink over the next 10.
Very enjoyable.

2006 Gaec-Gallet Henri et Phillippe Côte-Rôtie
Candy like nose: sweet violet.Smoky with nice raspberry notes, it's fresh with a good structure.
Nevertheless, it is a little bit too candy like for me. Certainly not a bad wine but it does not thrill me at all.

2003 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche
Totally opaque. Started very jammy, almost New World like with grippy tannins and a touch of heat.
On the positive side, it constantly evolved with air to become a little more civil with smoky and savory note. Still it definitely showed the vintage with stewed fruit.

2nd flight

1988 Domaine Jasmin Côte-Rôtie

Corked. Too bad.

1996 Bernard Chave Hermitage
Brickish rim, nice nose of smoky bacon, violet. Contrary to the Delas, it plays on the red fruits with a high acidity, typical of the vintage. Very floral, cherry and strawberry notes, it slowly got better with air. Nevertheless I think now is a good time to drink it, may even have been a little more focused a few years ago.
Overall a well made, elegant Hermitage with finesse.

1989 Bernard Burgaud Côte-Rôtie
Very nice nose with a herbal note (thyme), olives and ink. Complex.
On the palate it shows young and ripe fruit. What a surprise when the wine was revealed and the vintage.
We all went guessed a young CR or even Hermitage.
This is a wine far from being ready.

3rd flight

1999 Domaine de Bonserine Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune

Very dark and almost opaque. Weird nose of cheese cracker. Dark fruits with coffee and showing some oak.
Palate shows a similar profile. On the modern side of the appellation. Probably my least favorite.

2006 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas Renaissance
The pirate in our tasting.
On the 1st night, it showed anything but like a syrah. Definitely more grenache like.
Raisins, dark fruits with dry fruits and figs. Big and ripe but never alcoholic, it's round and soft, velvety but with grippy tannins on the finish.
A big disappointment.
The next day, this was a totally different wine. Still full bodied with ripe fruits, it offered deep floral notes with brighter fruit.
Really an interesting wine but that needs a few years to calm down. I'm really glad I got the chance to try it the next day.

1998 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette

The nose is polished. Dark fruits, prunes, a light touch of oak. Some typical smoke and olives (very light though) notes. Med body with a good structure, round, you can sense everything is there to make this wine a great one but it needs more time. A little reticent on the mid palate and more simple than the nose. Well balanced with good acidity, the long finish is promising.

Overall a great tasting. All the wines showed an obvious sense of place and terroir. There is still, especially in Hermitage, a respect for classic wines without over extraction and oak. Amazingly, all the wines, except the 2003 Levet, were either 12.5 or 13%.

Classic flavors such as smoke, olives and bacon were often present and the wines showed nice complexity.

Prices, even if they are not as stupid as in other regions, are high but production is quite low, harvest is done by hand because of the steep slopes so I can not really protest against the prices.