It's that time of year again. This week we will be running our favorite articles from Palate Press staff writers. Evan Dawson's always insightful wine writing for Palate Press often covers the Rhône and here he revisits the "old vines make better wines" marketing trope. On a 97-degree day in France’s Northern Rhône Valley, I
On a 97-degree day in France’s Northern Rhône Valley, I was standing at the top of a vertiginous parcel of vines with a chain-smoking winemaker. There wasn’t a single part of Laurent Courbis that seemed coached or “media-trained” or careful. He was the picture of authenticity. And then he said
Some time during the last ten or fifteen years, Northern Rhone Syrah went nuts. Yes, Chave rouge has been a big-ticket bottle for many years. But it wasn’t that long ago that Clape Cornas and Jamet Cote-Rotie were $35 a bottle. Maybe not an everyday price, but accessible. Today, Cote-Rotie
The nose smells like blackberries crushed over the crisp, smoky end of a good prime rib, with a bit of soy sauce in the background. Smokiness comes out on the palate, under juicy blackberries and crisp beef fat. Black pepper and soy show on the mid-palate. This has good minerality
The nose smells like blackberries crushed over the crisp, smoky end of a good prime rib, with a bit of soy sauce in the background. Smokiness comes out on the palate, under juicy blackberries and crisp beef fat. Black pepper and soy show on the mid-palate. This has good minerality
Côte-Rôtie, one of the most remarkable appellations in the Northern Rhône region, is famous for its wines made from syrah, grown on a steep and sunny hill, very often with a splash of viognier. Or are they? Some producers are-read more-
The nose is very smoky, with smoldering hickory, bacon, black olives and black cherries. The palate has less smoke, but the same black olives, black cherries, and some bacon fat, along with pepper. The finish falls off a little quickly.-read more-
This wine, made from 100% Syrah, was impressive, an excellent example of Old World Syrah. It had a subtle nose of black fruits and earthiness, which became more prominent on the palate. It was powerful but not overly tannic, full-read more-