2007 Southern Rhone Blind Tasting: Part 1, Or, Check Your Equipment

I was fortunate to be invited to a blind 2007 southern Rhone tasting by fellow blogger Adam Japko who crafts a well written and quite slick looking wine blog called WineZag. This was to be a gathering of sixteen or so fellow tasters, some, also, wine bloggers, but the majority were simply wine enthusiast friends of Adam's. I had met Adam, once, for ten minutes at a Loire Valley wine tasting event in Boston; other than that there wasn't a single person I had met before, face to face. There were three other local wine bloggers there with whom I had exchanged verbal shots over the internet via Twitter but had never met in person. Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter are bringing people together in ways I never would have imagined.

When I arrived, possibly the last to do so, the event was in full swing. Our host had arranged an appetizing spread of cheeses, cured meats, bread, crackers and dips, which everyone was sampling while chatting. After a few introductions and a chance to nibble, there was a brief explanation of what we were tasting, and how we were tasting them. We would be tasting primarily Chateauneuf du Papes with a couple of Cotes du Rhones, all from the 2007 vintage. We were tasting them blind, and in two flights of six. We were asked to bring our own glasses, but if we couldn't or if we forgot (guilty) our host would supply glasses.

The 2007 vintage in the southern Rhone Valley is much talked about and, in a fairly unanimous chorus, is considered a banner year. Below are a few popular wine reviewer's in their own words.

They range from riot inducing hyperbole:

"... after tasting the 2007 southern Rhônes, (presumably from barrel) especially the top wines from Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Côtes du Rhône, and the most hallowed appellation of the south, Châteauneuf du Pape, I stated it was “the vintage of a lifetime.” I also suggested it was a hypothetical blend of a very hot yet opulent, powerful, sumptuous year such as 1990 and a cooler, drought and Mistral-affected vintage such as 2001. Tasting the 2007s out of bottle has confirmed my thoughts – this is a truly historic and profoundly great vintage. ... this may be the most compelling vintage of any viticultural region I have ever tasted." - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate

...to a  measured approach:

"The 2007 vintage in the southern Rhône has been the subject of intense scrutiny and sometimes overheated rhetoric virtually since the grapes landed in the presses. For the most part, the hype is justified. ...the winds of September ensured impeccably clean grapes and a healthy harvest. An extended growing season, with little in the way of heat spikes and capped off by moderating breezes and cool nights in September, allowed for the steady build-up of both grape sugars and skin maturity, yielding wines with balance and complexity. For the most part the 2007s feature abundant but not excessive alcohol levels. The charm of the vintage lies in great part with the seductive upfront appeal of the wines, but the best of them are built to last and improve in cool cellars." - Josh Raynolds, International Wine Cellar

And finally, praise with a minor concern: 

"2007 is a vintage where ripeness plays a big role—a big role. The wines are fleshy, dense and intensely ripe, with many of the top Châteauneuf-du-Pape cuvées topping out above 16 percent alcohol. It's a hedonist's dream vintage. ...If there is an Achilles heel to the 2007s, it will be the yields, which are higher than in recent vintages. Some growers reported bringing in 30 or more hectoliters per hectare [2.2 tons per acre] after a run of low-yielding vintages from 2003 through 2006 that averaged in the range of 25 hl/ha (1.8 tons/acre). In that way, 2007 may be akin to 1998—a vintage that produced extremely ripe, flattering wines, many of which now are starting to show a slightly fluid edge on the finish as they hit maturity." - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

I had tasted a few dozen CdRs from 2007, but only a few CdPs before this tasting. My general impressions: most of the wines had big fruit, richness, and high alcohol. My only concern was structure for future balance. Most of the wines I had tried were, simply, yummy. I was very eager to get down to it and sample these, principally, CdPs even though the identity of the wines had yet to be revealed to me. I unpacked, from a tan cardboard holder, the six glasses that were given to me . I didn't yet know that the first flight was to be marred by some bad luck and me not checking the equipment.

The first six wines were poured and I started tilting the glasses back and forward, left and right. I checked their hue and density, which for the most part were quite similar, with wine #1 standing out for its darker and deeper color. I started to smell the wines, but starting with wine #2 I noticed an off odor of chlorine and something metallic and swampy. This showed up in wines #3, #4 and #6 as well. I had tainted glasses! I quickly informed my host, who apologized profusely, went into another room and returned with six new glasses. The damage, however, was done and I was reminded of a valuable lesson taught to me ages ago: always check/smell your glasses before pouring wine into them.

I perused the room, checking out the other tasters. No one else seemed to be having equipment failure. I also noticed that no one else was spitting. I was slightly concerned that it might be a social faux pas, but I asked for a large glass to spit into. The fumes from a few of these wines had me fearing for open flames and I had a long drive home. I am glad I went this route for safety and clarity sake, and it turned out that the host had two extra wines to pour which we squeezed in between the flights of six without incident. The conversation was lively and everyone contributed by verbalizing their thoughts during and after both flights. The whole event was engaging and loads of fun and at the end we were all asked to name our top three wines, which someone tabulated. We each had our personal faves, and of course the top three wines of the night were recorded for posterity.

I ferreted out four wines that stood out and above the rest. When asked to name our top three in order, I wasn't sure which criteria to use. Best drinking now? Best wine overall regardless of drink-ability? In the end I chose in a descending order of approach-ability and deliciousness. 

1. 2007 Vignerons d'Estazarques, Domaine d'Andezon, Cotes du Rhone
2. 2007 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, Chateauneuf du Pape
3. 2007 Le Vieux Donjon, Chateauneuf du Pape
4. 2007 Roger Sabon, Cuvee Reserve, Chateauneuf du Pape (honorable mention)

The following is the list of wines tasted, in the order tasted, before they were revealed, with my notes. I highlighted the wines that stood out for me and the four label shots below, were, for me, the best wines of the group in descending order. With the exception of the Sabon Reserve, my palate was in the minority. I generally liked the wines everyone else disliked and vice versa.

1. Le Vieux Donjon, CdP - Med. red, blue rim. Nose med. intensity of red fruits and spice. Smooth texture, balanced, long finish. Very Good+
2. Clos du Mont-Olivet, La Cuvee du Papet, CdP - Light to med. red. Metallic... Bad glass.
3. Domaine les Mas du Bouquet, Vacqueyras, CdR - Bad glass.
4. Delas Freres St. Esprit, CdR - Bad glass.
5. Domaine du Vieux Lazaret, CdP - Light to med. red. Tight with some dark fruit aromas. Nice acidity, spicy fruit. Moderate finish. Good+.
6. Paul Autard, CdR - Bad glass.
7. Les Bosquet Papes, CdP - Light red, tight nose, lots of heat! Simple, short. Fair.
8. Roger Sabon, Cuvee Reserve, CdP - Light red. Cherries, spice, cocoa, touch of earth. Modern. Good+
9. Domaine Giroud, Les Gallimardes, CdP - Med. red. Very ripe, sweet fruitiness, floral, hot, hot!!. Finishes very light. Big upfront and dies. Fair.
10. Les Cailloux, CdP - Light red, cooked fruit aromas, cola. Lean and bitter on the short finish. Fair-.
11. Vignerons d'Estazarques, Domaine d'Andezon, CdR - Dark deep red, hint of blue. Dark fruit aromas, blackberries, earth tones, game. Nice acidity, tart/sour, no bitter. Full to med. body, coarse texture. Very Good+.
12. Domaine de la Janasse, Terre d'Argile, CdRV - Dark red. Oaky, red sweet fruits, lush. Sweet and slight bitter. Modern. Good-.
13. Cuvee du Vatican, CdP - Light red. Wild berries, gamey. Bitter and astringent, light bodied and watery finish. Fair-.
14. Roger Sabon, Le Olivets, CdP - Med. red. Red berry fruit, oak, spice, cocoa, burnt sugar. Hot!! Cherries. Long finish. Good. 

After the tally was finished, we had the three top wines, according to the crowd, of the evening.

1st Place - Domaine Roger Sabon, Reserve - 35 pts.
2nd Place - Domaine de las Janasse, Terre d'Argile - 7 pts.
3rd Place - A tie between Domaine Roger Sabon, Le Olivets and Delas Freres, St. Esprit - 6 pts. each.

Interestingly enough, the highest rated wine, Clos du Mont-Olivet (98+ Parker pts.) was, based on its score and the stated opinions of all gathered, the least favorite wine of the group. It scored 0 pts., which basically meant; no one scored it as one of their top three wines. Food for thought. Cheers!