Northern Rhône 2015: Panel tasting results

This négociant house is the largest landholder on the hill of Hermitage and produces four single-vineyard red Hermitage cuvées in its top Sélections Parcellaires range. Le Méal is a large, south-facing, warm lieu-dit composed mostly of clay and small pebbles. Grapes are destemmed and the wine aged in new and second-use barrels. The parcel of biodynamically grown, 50-year-old vines creates a Hermitage of great concentration, power and ageing potential in vintages such as 2015. Matt Walls: A beautiful nose, the essence of Hermitage: woodsmoke, balsamic notes, wild blackberries. Aromatically open now. Very intense, fresh and saline. Effortless and regal. Gearoid Devaney MS: Strong, intense nose, dark berries and plum sauce. Christmas cake, smooth tannins, dark chocolate and spices. Fiona Hayes: Coffee, cedar and spice. Concentrated and full, yet still totally in balance. Garrigue notes and liquorice, and a very long finish.

Best known for his exceptional Crozes-Hermitage, Yann Chave also owns two small plots in Hermitage in lieux-dits Beaume and Péléat, towards the east of the appellation. The grapes are destemmed, then the wine is aged for 12 months in new and one-year-old demi-muids, then for a further six months in vats before bottling. It’s an under-the-radar, relatively affordable Hermitage that can offer immense pleasure with a decade’s bottle age. Matt Walls: Young still, but starting to open up. New leather, cedar, berry fruit. Has good amplitude on the palate and the oak still needs some time to integrate, but fresh, classic stuff. Gearoid Devaney MS: Ripe red fruits, perfumed cherry, pretty. A lovely frame, charming, with fine tannins and great length. Fiona Hayes: Layers of spice and leather, along with hints of pepper and dark plum. Structured and focused with plenty going on.

E Guigal, the influential Ampuis-based négociant house, owns significant holdings in Côte-Rôtie. Of the two cuvées submitted to the tasting, it was the cuvée classique Brune et Blonde that was unanimously preferred by the judges thanks to its approachability, finesse and drinkability. The vines are 35 years old on average. It’s fermented in stainless steel, then spends 36 months in oak barrels, 50% new. Matt Walls: High-toned, aromatic style. Cedar and incense. Light-bodied, fresh and vibrant with lovely acidity and clarity. Gearoid Devaney MS: Perfumed and inviting, ripe fruits. Charming on the palate, smooth tannins, juicy; a richness but with harmony and elegance Fiona Hayes: Farmyard notes and florals combine with dried cherries and red plum fruits. Savoury finish with smoky notes.

Two of the three Outstanding St-Josephs in this tasting were produced by the same man: Aymeric Paillard. A relative newcomer to the Rhône, Aymeric travelled and made wine in many wine regions around the world before settling in Tournon and buying a 3.7ha plot of St-Joseph in the commune of Sarras. Everything is done by hand, and he works organically (with some biodynamic influences) to produce wines of precision, tension and finesse. Matt Walls: Iodine, herbs and cold ash. Good fruit, structured and powerful. Great energy, freshness and acidity. Long, with real texture and could only be St-Joseph. Gearoid Devaney MS: Sweet floral aromas, black cherry jam, five spice. Lovely, smooth tannins, fruit structure, harmonious and velvety. Fiona Hayes: Lively core with bright cherry, plum and pomegranate notes. Lots of tension and length.

Aymeric Paillard’s cuvée Synesthésie is no longer produced. The fruit comes from the same parcel of vines as for Petit Père, but part of the blend is destemmed (Petit Père is whole bunch-fermented), there is a higher proportion of new oak, and the wine undergoes a longer maceration. He says his love of wine was instilled in him by his father, the Champagne producer Bruno Paillard. Matt Walls: Fresh, silky, cinnamon-spicy palate, very precise. Very granitic, very structured with chiselled tannic grip. Good fruit still: shows why you should keep St-Joseph. Gearoid Devaney MS: Dark fruit, purple flowers on the nose, concentration, ripeness and oak spice. Good fruit and smooth tannins, fresh and floral. Fiona Hayes: A floral and exuberant nose with oak spice notes. Hints of black pepper on a silky palate with notable tannic grip. A fresh finish. I would suggest decanting.

Only a quarter of the hill of Hermitage, its western flank, is composed of granite. The lieu-dit Les Bessards covers most of this terroir and that’s where the vineyards of Chapoutier’s Le Pavillon are located. It typically produces Syrahs that are less fleshy compared with Le Méal; instead, they emphasise tension, salinity and structure. In 2015, both cuvées offer a classic expression not only of Hermitage, but of their respective vineyard sites. Matt Walls: Huge, soaring tannic structure, saline and grippy. Bold, ripe fruit expression and incredible length. Cleansing and fresh, with granitic tannins. A force of nature. Gearoid Devaney MS: A classical, inviting, perfumed nose with dried herbs and ripe fruits. A lush mid-palate, fine-boned tannins and a long finish. Fiona Hayes: Coffee, smoky and savoury. This is showing plenty of development. The tannins are still a bit dominant, with firm grip on the finish, but decanting should help.

A 38ha estate owned by the charismatic Stéphane Montez, Domaine du Monteillet is based in Chavanay, just outside Côte-Rôtie, and excels across five northern Rhône appellations. Monopoles are rare in Côte-Rôtie, but Montez is lucky enough to have one: the lieu-dit Bons Arrêts. It’s a steep, southeast-facing slope in the southern part of the appellation, planted with 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. It yields a classic Côte Blonde-style wine: perfumed red fruits, spice and wonderful tannic finesse. Matt Walls: Fresh, aromatic, perfumed, very classic and elegant. Lifted star anise and sandalwood, delightful tannic finish and purity. Lovely now, will improve. Gearoid Devaney MS: Ripe cherry and warm spices, good concentration, lovely fine-grained tannins, classic lines and a long finish. Fiona Hayes: Perfumed red berry nose. Liquorice and spice with fine, chalky tannins, mineral with good length.

To have three wines among the nine rated Outstanding in this tasting is an incredible achievement. Montez’s Cuvée du Papy regularly features among the very finest St-Josephs. Essentially it’s an old-vine St-Joseph from the domaine’s best granite slopes, made with the same approach as for its Côte-Rôties: destemmed, natural yeasts, then 22 months in demi-muids (new, second- and third-use barrels). Better than some Côte-Rôties – and half the price. Matt Walls: Not the most expressive, but gentle herbs on the nose. A concentrated and peppery palate, and lovely herbal complexity. Good structure, really cleansing and fresh. Gearoid Devaney MS: Black fruit, spicy, liquorice aromas. Very dense and powerful, iron with oak spice and good tannins. Fiona Hayes: Wild herbs and pepper notes. A charming nose with dried fruits. Tannins are quite evident, but it’s long. Decant.

Fortis is the name of Domaine du Monteillet’s Côte-Rôtie cuvée classique. It’s a blend of several vineyards, all with gneiss soils, to the south of Ampuis. The vineyard contains 5% Viognier co-planted among the Syrah. It’s handpicked, destemmed and fermented with natural yeasts, then the wine is aged for 22 months in 580-litre new oak demi-muids. Often a smart buy, it can offer good value for such a reliably excellent Côte-Rôtie. Matt Walls: A lovely open nose that’s more about fruit than oak. Very fine, soft and tender but not weak. Suede tannins. An opulent, beautiful wine with great harmony and a real sense of place. Gearoid Devaney MS: Dark berry fruits and winter spices. Juicy black cherry with thyme, earthy with focus and clean lines. Fiona Hayes: Violet, floral aromas; you can really feel the 5% Viognier coming through on the aromatics. Charming and classic Côte-Rôtie.

Ripe, youthful nose of cherry, plum, violets and liquorice, nutmeg and dried fruits giving lift. Rich, warming and velvety with smooth tannins. Concentrated finish, with warming alcohol.

Dark berry fruits with cinnamon and oak. Earthy mushroom depth, dried cranberry, kirsch, cedar and blood orange. Full-bodied, structured, with fine tannins and saline grip. Long, layered finish.

Bright red fruits with cherry, floral lift and blood orange; lively, detailed berry core showing finesse. Silky texture, fresh acidity and fine structure carry a delicate, classic finish.

Deep colour with black plum, cassis and spice. Hints of olive and tobacco. Juicy, sleek palate with glossy and ripe tannins, firm structure and freshness driving a long, balanced finish.

Floral violets and cherry perfume with spice and liquorice; blood orange and dried fruits add lift. Fresh, direct black fruits with bright tannins, good acidity and a long, finely tuned finish.

Fragrant with sweet tobacco, herbs and smoky spice. Plum, blackberry and dried berries bring richness. Meaty and concentrated with velvety tannins, fresh acidity and immense length.

Intense dark fruits, spice and dried herbs, with tobacco, tapenade, forest floor and dark chocolate. Rich, satin-textured, with smooth yet chewy tannins. Complex, generous finish.

Ripe red fruits, floral perfume and sandalwood; smoky bacon, olive and savoury spice add depth. Light yet concentrated. Fine tannins and bright acidity give persistence and stony freshness.

Black olive, plum and dark berry fruit with clove, spice, smoke and graphite. Tapenade richness. Juicy, concentrated palate, chewy ripe tannins, polished depth, fresh tension and a long finish.

Ripe black cherry compote with liquorice, menthol and sweet spice. Meaty depth and stony minerality. Mouthfilling blackberry and plum, lovely tannins and a long, precise finish.

Still very deep and dark in colour. Very much closed for business currently, and a touch reduced. Berry coulis and liquorice come with air, but it's a touch truculent. Lovely sense of generosity, a weighty expression of this cuvée. Very tannic, but they're rounded tannins, and with good acidity. Will be excellent in time, but this needs a long time in bottle. Hands off until 2030. The family has 1.4ha in this lieu-dit, partly planted in 1943, partly in the mid-1970s. First vintage was 2005, but just 900 bottles; 2006 was the first to be sold commercially. Gneiss soils; stems only included since the 2017 vintage. Natural yeasts, submerged cap fermentation, 40% new oak.

Open nose of black plum, spice and pepper; olive brine, balsamic hints and sweet-savoury layers add depth. Juicy, full-bodied palate with ripe black fruit, soft tannins and a long finish.

Floral nose with dark cherry, liquorice, olive and gentle spice; herbal lift. Ripe cherry palate with silky texture, smooth tannins, fresh acidity and a long, balanced finish.

Attractive plum, damson, sweet oak and smoked meat. Earthy, savoury tones with leather and warmth. Generous, composed, with smooth tannins, good acidity and persistence.

Plum pudding and maraschino cherry with warm, toasty spice. Inviting and ripe. Full-bodied with suede-like tannins, richness and warmth through to a smooth, long finish.

Dense and powerful with dark fruit, black plum and damson. Vanilla, clove and savoury spice add depth. Concentrated with firm tannins, rich texture and a long, evolving finish.

Black cherry, black pepper and a touch of charcoal, with olive, tobacco and plum; menthol and earthy notes add lift. Juicy, energetic palate with smooth tannins, freshness and length.