Northern Rhones

Some very nice wines here, including some from producers I'd never tried.

• 2010 Domaine Georges Vernay Condrieu Les Terrasses de l'Empire

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Medium yellow. Pear fruit. Medium weight, just off dry, carressing feel, underplayed subtle florality unlike most Condrieu. Really good.

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• 2009 François Villard St. Joseph Fruit d'Avilleran

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Medium to light yellow. Smells like ripe banana! Full bodied, dry, rich, some wood, lower acidity. Not as bad or as weird as I thought from the nose, but not something I would seek out either.

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• 2007 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage Blanc Chevalier de Sterimberg

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Full yellow. Some citrus. Low toned fruit on the palate with a bit of caramel. Full, dry, serious with very good length. Enough acidity to give it life and more aging potential.

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• 2010 Emmanuel Darnaud Crozes-Hermitage Les Trois Chênes

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Dark, almost black. Attractive nose of graphite and flowers. Medium weight, very clean dark fruit, good perfume in the mouth. Drink over next 3 years or so.

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• 2009 Delas Frères Crozes-Hermitage Domaine des Grands Chemins

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage

  Medium color. Leafier, more herbal aromatics. Lively due to good acidity, middle weight, some herbal component. Not fruity, reasonably complex but short finish. Not one to hold.

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• 2010 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph

  Moderately deep. Great perfume-it has the captivating flower and blueberry nose of a much higher priced wine. Elegant feel with black fruit and graphite. Crisp acidity, good youthful tannic bite, all of which predicts a life span of at least 5 more years. I've been impressed with this bottling from the last 2 vintages. Absolutely top notch St. Joseph which can compete with fancier appellations.

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• 2009 Domaine Courbis Cornas Champelrose

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  Medium red. Briary red fruit on the nose. Fairly light and dry, not at all fruit driven. Rather, excellent acidity and soil with a streak of red fruit in the background. No wood influence, quite complex. Really carried by the acidity instead of the tannin. I liked this.

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• 2009 Michel & Stéphane Ogier Syrah La Rosine

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes

  Light to medium ruby. Green herbs and baked earth. Light weight, full of soil. Distinctly cooler, green profile in the mouth with higher acidity. Surprising from the vintage and too lean for me.

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• 2009 Domaine Duclaux Côte-Rôtie La Germine

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Even medium ruby. Smoky aromatics. Medium weight. Elegant medium weight with anise and black fruit. Lovely feel with soft tannins and excellent finish. Traditional and very approachable now. As Cote Rotie goes, pretty good value.

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