France - Limoux to Northern Rhone
Gregory Alken, Febvre &
Company
Greg provided comprehensive notes which are available here - right-click to save.
1. Château Rives-Blanques Blanquette De Limoux,
Jan & Caryl Panman, S France, 2002
Apple on the nose.
Nice, well-balanced, very pleasant. 90% Mauzac (taille gobelet - a
hot climate pruning method),
10% Chardonnay/Chenin Blanc
€22
2. Château Rives-Blanques Limoux ‘Dédicace’ AOC Limoux, Jan and Caryl
Panman, S France, 2002
A note of coffee on the nose.
Maybe I'm predisposed to get it because it says so in the notes but there
is a definite hint of 'After 8' in the mouth. Very complex, well-balanced
wine - one of the most interesting I've had. Super. 13%
€16-17
3. Château Rives-Blanques
Chardonnay, Cuvée De L’odyssée, Jan and Caryl Panman, S France, 2004
Light yellow. Ripe fruit and
a hint of lime. In the mouth, pineapple and vanilla. A very good
Chardonnay; a bit New World.8% new oak; 14% alc.
€16-17
4.
Château Mas Neuf Cuvée Traditionelle,
Château Mas Neuf, 2005
Spicy, warm nose, improving
in the glass. Much more fresh and well-behaved than the nose would have
you believe; decent grip; a really decent wine at a decent price. 13.5%
(It's on the list in Les Frères Jacques in Dublin
and I can vouch for it with leg and shank of lamb in osso
bucco style sauce.)
€12
5. Château Mas Neuf Cuvée
Compostelle, Appellation Costières de Nîmes, Château Mas Neuf, 2002
Quite dark, crystal clear.
Heavier nose than the Cuvée Traditionelle, herbs of the garrigue; very
good fruit, not the least bit jammy. Excellent.
€18
6.
Saint-Joseph Les Challeys, Delas Fréres, 2004
Darker than I expected. Some
oak, light and pleasant nose. Big, mouth-filling, smooth, fruity, good
grip and slight burn. A great wine; much better than Guigal, my
standard for St.-Joseph
€20
7.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Domaine Duclaux, Jérôme Quiot, Châteauneuf-Du-Pape,
2004
Strangely light coloured,
leggy. Nice, fruit gums nose. Lovely fruit, good acid, light grip - the
14.5% alcohol doesn't show. Incredibly fresh, beautifully balanced, modern
rather than traditional, gorgeous. Break out the piggybank.
€25
8.
Château Mas Neuf Armonia, Vin De Pays D’oc, Languedoc, Château Mas Neuf,
2003
Startling nose. Blind
I'd guess a very good Australian. Coconut? The Cabernet Sauvignon
coming through strongly in the condensed milk taste. Tannins quite
mouth-pursing, Hint of powder that I could do without. This is a very
serious, very well-made wine; I'd compare it in style to
Stonewell Shiraz. Needs some time; give it five years...
€40
9.
Marquise De La Tourette Hermitage, Delas Frères, 2000
Beautiful dark red;
violets Plums, prunes, fruity, not too 'warm', soft tannins. Different.
Possibly too much prune for me.
€53
10.Côte-Rôtie
La Landonne, Delas Frères, 2004
Lovely almost purple looks,
polish and coffee on the nose. Great fruit, some sense of farmyard -
fleshy. incredibly complex with a long finish. Beautiful, gorgeous -
even at the price.
€99