Maxime and Alain Graillot

On Day 3, we were up and at ‘em with a climat by climat barrel-tasting of the 2007 Hermitage at the Rhône valley’s most prestigious address – Domaine Jean-Louis Chave in the village of Mauves. The Chaves farm just under 14 of Hermitages precious 131 hectares and have an unbroken ‘de père en fils’ lineage stretching back to 1481. They have vines in 9 different sites on the hill of Hermitage so this was quite a protracted tasting. Here Jean-Louis Chave patiently explained the different attributes of fruit from different parcels of vines in what amounted to a masterclass in the concept of terroir or the impact of location on taste. Jean-Louis told us that 2007 is ‘Un bon millésime’ for his Hermitage – not a blockbuster but a vintage of flesh and fruit ‘a bit like 1997 or 2000’ that should drink well soon after bottling – we wouldn’t disagree.

Our final tasting of the trip was with Alain Graillot and his son Maxime at Les Chênes Verts on Le Chassis plateau of Crozes Hermitage. The Graillots 2007’s are bursting with black fruit flavours and one could happily drink them right off the bat. Despite the current economic gloom Graillot ‘Père et Fils’ are upbeat about business explaining that demand for their relatively inexpensive, early-drinking Syrahs is strong at the moment as people are looking for value on restaurant wine lists and aren’t buying grander bottles. This has always been a modern, forward-thinking operation and there is much evidence of innovation and re-investment. A substantial new cellar and wine store are being excavated to increase capacity for Maxime’s new négociant projects in Saint Joseph and Cornas. Also Alain’s superb, mineral-edged white Crozes’ has been bottled under screw-cap for the first time in the 2008 vintage which should show its clean apricot fruit to full advantage.

After our tasting and tour we headed back into Tain’ for a wonderful al fresco lunch of modern Mediterranean cuisine on the terrace of Le Quai restaurant where we enjoyed a bottle of Jean-Louis Thiers’ 2007 Saint Péray Nature and Alain’s own 2007 red Saint Joseph – which is supple and sapid and ideal for outdoor drinking.

After lunch we piled back into our rented ride and headed south for Avignon. There we checked into the basic but central Hotel Garlande and strolled around the town for an obligatory look at what’s left of the Pont.

Our mission completed with myriad tasting notes, a raft of photographs and a few very fine meals under our belts it was a pleasure to sit in the sunshine in the Place de l’Horloge and sip a glass of Domaine Maby’s delightful 2007 Tavel rosé which La Civette Brasserie bangs out at a not unreasonable 19 euros a bottle. It’s a tough job – but someone’s got to do it!

Christine Vernay

On Day 2 of our Rhône trip, we schlepped north to Côte Rôtie for a protracted barrel tasting with our old chum Patrick Jasmin. Harvesting here was a tough job in 2008 and Patrick had to pick his grapes in 3 different stages to obtain optimum ripeness. An early sampling of Patrick’s 2008 revealed a lightish, elegant wine that I think should drink well when young. The 2007 is denser and firmer but the signature Jasmin ‘burgundian’ softness is clearly evident. This is a classic rather than blockbuster vintage and we look forward to tasting the final vintage.

A short hop down river to Condrieu took us to the hallowed premises of Domaine Georges Vernay where Georges’ daughter and head winemaker Christine and her husband Paul Amselem were waiting to greet us. Tasting Vernay is always a pleasure as this is the spiritual home of the Viognier grape – which Georges (who is an active octogenarian) championed, almost single-handedly, during the lean post-war years.

Despite depleted volumes, Christine is pleased with the results of the 2008 vintage which was hard work in both the vineyard and cellar. All of the white wines here are made from pure Viognier and all exhibit wonderful, clean, clear, almost tropical fruit and understated elegance and finesse. The star of the show is the flagship ‘Coteau de Vernon’ from Condrieu’s most prestigious vineyard, which has an amazing concentration and complexity and a long ageing potential. These days Christine is also producing some fine red wines including a fragrant and juicy Vin de Pays Syrah and some superb Côte Rôtie.

After tasting we adjourned to Condrieu’s famous Beau Rivage restaurant for a relaxed and convivial lunch overlooking the mighty river Rhône. Our meal was accompanied by a fine Condrieu from Robert Jurie and a mid-weight Côte Rôtie 2004 from Philippe Faury that was a perfect match for my Navarin de Chevreuil. I praised Christine’s modesty in not selecting her own wines but she pointed out that it hadn’t been an option as they had sold out of the entire Vernay range. We may be mid-recession but it seems that there is enduring demand for exemplary wines.

After bidding farewell to Christine and Paul we headed down to Tain l’Hermitage to visit the HQ of another Rhône visionary – Michel Chapoutier. Here the genial young Export Manager ‘Florent’ tutoured us through an extensive range of Chapoutier wines from a humble Tricastin to mighty single-vineyard Hermitages. Obviously this is a rather polarised portfolio varying from wines with a million bottle production to real rarities that are sold on a strict allocation basis. If there is a common thread here it is that all the Chapoutier wines have a true sense of terroir and a polished perfectionism which gives them their enormous commercial appeal.

That evening we dined well at ‘Le Mangevins’ a lively new Bistrot à Vins which is a cork’s throw from the Chapoutier premises. The food here is simple and well-executed with some interesting Asian twists courtesy of the patron’s Japanese wife, who presides in the kitchen. The wine list is a delight and very reasonably priced – we enjoyed a 2007 Condrieu from Domaine Vallet and a fine, earthy 2004 Cornas from Alain Voge before retiring to our modest but well-run billet – the Hôtel Les Deux Coteaux, right beside the Rhône in the centre of town.

François Perrin at Château Beaucastel

After touching down in Marseilles and picking up a hire-car, our first port of call was Château Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape, conveniently located adjacent to the Autoroute du Soleil just south of Orange. Here, winemaking legend François Perrin conducted us on a tour of his extensive, pristine and recently renovated cellars before indulging us in a comprehensive tasting of the entire Perrin canon. All of the wines were impressive, even the entry-level La Vieille Ferme offerings. Space precludes writing too much here but noteworthy points are that the Perrins were early pioneers of organics (they have farmed without pesticides since 1960), they champion Roussanne and Mourvèdre respectively as important (and underrated) grapes in their white and red Châteauneuf du Pape and that the 2007 vintage has yielded cracking wines across the Southern Rhône. Interestingly, François observed that vintage variation is more significant for their humbler Côtes du Rhônes than their flagship wines, as these wines rely more on natural conditions than manipulation in the cellar. [Note to self: stock up on 2007 Côtes du Rhônes and Côte du Rhône Villages].

Our next stop was with another renowned Châteauneuf du Pape producer, Lucien Michel, at Le Vieux Donjon. Lucien is a man of few words preferring to let his charming wife Marie-José front the operation and his wines speak for themselves. However he does become animated when discussing vineyard politics or hunting, both of which are subjects close to his heart.  Here, the soon to be bottled 2007 was hugely impressive with a wealth of juicy black fruit and ripe tannins and the newly bottled white 2008 showed youthful promise.