Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022 - 91

Top Rhones
94 | Dom. Roger Sabon $217
2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Secret des
Sabons ^ The Sabon family's 45-acre estate is
in the northeast of Châteauneuf, where the
soils are sandy and rich in limestone; the
oldest vines date to the early 1900s. They
are the focus of this cuvée, mainly grenache
with an undisclosed amount of other varieties
blended in. The details of its vinification
are also kept a secret, until its final destination,
a single demi-muid barrel. The clarity of
the 2019 suggests a light hand in the cellar: It
radiates red fruit like sun filtered through a
ruby. Underneath, fine-grained tannins gird
the juicy fruit and draw out a meaty spice, the
wine steadfast and lively at the same time.
This will age well but it's also delicious now,
the balance of bright fruit and substantial
spice suggesting a match with a paella studded
with merguez sausages. § European Cellars,
Charlotte, NC
94 | Domaine du
Vieux Télégraphe
$105
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau ^ The
Bruniers have specialized in wines from La
Crau, a lieu-dit in the northeast of the appellation,
since 1898, when Hippolyte Brunier
began building a name for his wines. The
high elevation and the limestone-rich, galetcovered
soils make for some of the appellation's
most elegant wines, their rich red fruit
balanced by brisk acidity. The 2018 channels
a bright, fresh feeling right from the
start, with lots of floral spice moderating the
sweet red-cherry flavor. There's plenty of
depth there, too, with earth notes that bring
to mind roasted game, as well as forest floor
and fresh button mushrooms. But it's the
brightness and freshness that make this so
compelling, and so readily drinkable, especially
if there are some lamb chops around. §
Kermit Lynch, Berkeley, CA
93 | Chateau Simian
$41
2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Traversier
(BEST BUY) ^ Florian Serguier, the fifth generation
to run this estate, helped his father
complete the move to biodynamics, earning
certification in 2011. Today he works
with winemaker Pierre Chaupin, who favors
spontaneous ferments and concrete tanks for
the wines. The approach allows all the detail
in the flavor to show through clearly: The
2017 smells of deep forest and damask rose,
dusty spice and fennel. The plummy fruit has
a slightly baked edge, as if it were concentrated
by the heat of the sun. Still, the wine
feels lithe and silky, the aromatic complexity
accenting its length. § Jenny & François Selections,
NY
TOP CORNAS
94 | Delas Frères
by a sense of sun and air that makes it feel
expansive and generous. § Kermit Lynch Wine
Merchant, Berkeley, CA
$66
2019 Cornas Chante-Pedrix ^ Lush violet
scents and plush, velvety tannins surround
juicy plum fruit in this dark Cornas.
There's an earthy savor at the base of the
fruit that lends the wine a sense of gravitas,
but what makes the wine stand out is its lift
and translucence. It's easily enjoyable right
now, though its structure and staying power
predict that it will age well for a decade or
longer. § Maisons Marques & Domaines, Oakland,
CA
TOP COTE-ROTIES
95 | Ch. de Saint Cosme $100
2019 Côte-Rôtie ^ If you're looking for the
dark side of Côte-Rôtie, this isn't it. Instead,
it's lean and lithe, capturing the Rhône's
most northerly appellation in all its stony
cool. Louis Barruol makes it from sérine,
an old selection of syrah that he finds to be
especially aromatic, which he gathers from
a range of parcels and then allows to spontaneously
ferment as whole bunches. Its floral
notes come through clearly, lending lift
and complexity to the woodsy berry fruit;
herbal notes work with the tart cherry fruit
to accent the wine's cool savor. Vivacious and
fresh, it's a mouthwatering wine that should
age well in the cellar for many years to come. §
Winebow, NY
95 | Stephane Ogier
$82
2019 Côte-Rôtie Mon Village ^ A dark, sultry
Côte-Rôtie blended from several parcels, this
offers a deep well of concentrated black-plum
fruit, with ferrous tannins and a stoniness
that pins it firmly to the sides of the mouth.
For all that brooding flavor, it's remarkably
vibrant in feel, with violet aromas and a soaring
arc of acidity to bring it freshness. With
18 months of oak aging, it's built to cellar,
and then to pour with a thick-cut steak. § Vineyard
Brands, Birmingham, AL
94 | Barruol Lynch
$88
2018 Côte-Rôtie La Boisselée ^ Louis Barruol
works with importer Kermit Lynch on
this wine, a blend from an array of parcels
focused on sérine, an old, especially aromatic
selection of syrah. Vinified as whole bunches
with ambient yeasts, the 2018 is dark and
rich, a tight and complex weave of fruit, earth
and stone flavors held firm by ferrous tannins.
For all its savor, it feels clean and fresh,
of the earth without being earthy, energized
94 | Delas Frères
$340
2019 Côte-Rôtie La Landonne ^ A smooth,
modern interpretation of this famed schistous
vineyard, Delas's La Landonne is elegant
and concentrated in feel. The firm, ferrous
tannins keep the dark fruit close, oak
providing the loudest detail at the moment,
but the fruit is there, welling up behind the
oak, showing itself in the wine's generous texture.
Given time in a decanter, the fruit wins
out, expanding with juicy freshness, but this
would best be left to mellow in the cellar for
a few years before opening. § Maisons Marques
& Domaines, Oakland, CA
94 | Lionel Faury
$75
2019 Côte-Rôtie ^ This is ebullient CôteRôtie,
fresh and sappy, its red and purple
fruit suffused with floral freshness. That
freshness is encouraged by viognier co-fermented
with the syrah; it's also simply due
to Faury's light touch in the cellar, the wine
aged mainly in large old demi-muid barrels.
Supple but firm, the bright fruit is underlined
with a cool granite feel that makes this feel
as ageable as it is enjoyable right now. § Kermit
Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA
TOP HERMITAgES
96 | Delas Frères
$104
2019 Hermitage Domaine des Tourettes ^
A blend of fruit from the lieux-dits Les
Bessards, Le Sabot and L'Ermite, this 2019
draws together a picture of the Hermitage
hill in all its grandeur and complexity. At its
center, it's bright and juicy, filled with ripe
berry flavors; around the edges, it's stony
and firm, with herbal notes that accent its
cool reserve. It shows some vanilla and spice
tones from its time in oak (a mix of new and
barrels) but the fruit handles it well, absorbing
it into a warm, rich density of flavor. This
should age well for 20 years or more. § Maisons
Marques & Domaines, Oakland, CA
95 | Delas Frères
$320
2019 Hermitage Les Bessards ^ From the
heart of the Hermitage hill, this feels sunsoaked
and warm, with an earthy sweetness
to its dark, licorice-scented fruit. With air it
blossoms, the fruit turning fresher, redder
and juicier, spurred on by taut acidity and
herbal details. All the while, the mineral
tones hold the wine firm, as if tethering the
fruit to the hill's granite base. Right now, it
handles its oak better than the 2019 Domaine
des Tourettes, but feels slightly less multifacS
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Wine & Spirits - Spring 2022

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