Northern Rhone night at Cabotte

[Comte Flaneur]

Last night at Cabotte. Eagle-eyed BWErs will remember it was the venue where we had our second ‘official’ BWE London ‘23 dinner. But we were in the second smaller room.


White flight

With duck liver parfait, smoked breast, pickled mushrooms & bitter leaves

2003 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Blanc Les Recoules

Light orange with oatmeal and hint of sherry/oxidative notes, which I found most pleasant (and which I was expecting); quite beguiling; unctuous texture, very ripe. Alluring savoury rich orange peel with a nod to Seville orange marmalade, 14.5%. This wine divided opinions on the table but I marginally preferred it to its very different flight mate - 91

2015 E. Guigal Saint Joseph Blanc Lieu-Dit

Rich, ripe and alluring, my table mate compared it to a full-bore Californian Chardonnay, which hits the nail on the head. While impressive, it pushes the boundaries of ripeness, and another 14.5% wine (which also nudges up against a boundary), which one of our group noted is less that the 2019’s 15.5% (which I would imagine violates many boundaries)…91

On to the reds…

Cote Rotie flight

With handmade rigatoni, braised rabbit, morels, wild garlic & foie gras emulsion

2009 Delas Cote Rotie Seigneur de Maugiron

Nice symbiosis of primary red fruits and secondary evolution with some bacon fat notes coming through, but quite thick textured and a bit clumsy, especially in this auguste company. A wine that perhaps lacks finesse, but you would happily drink it….90

2009 Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie Landonne

Even though this was opened mid-morning this turned out to be a painfully shy wine, only peeping out of its shell on pouring, and when it finally did it was a bit like a Kabuki dance; it has violets and pepper notes in low key, and a beautiful equilibrium…but given these Delphic smoke signals in the dark I can’t give it more than 91 points, and I much preferred the 2011 which we had last year.

1999 Patrick Jasmin Cote Rotie

The nose on this was exquisite on opening, a wine which has been evolving at a snail’s pace it is nearly, but not quite, there. Patrick’s wines are less expressive that his father Robert’s. Still the 1999 Jasmin is beautifully elegant and precise with a fine-boned titanium frame of acidity; two more left, next one in a couple of years…93

So a mixed flight of Cote Rotie with the fabulous rigatoni and rabbit dish, we were in for a treat with the Cornas flight, which was a significant step up and a veritable match made in heaven with the pigeon course. Unfortunately I accidentally deleted my notes for these two flights so this is from memory and a bit sketchy.

Cornas flight

With pigeon, hasselback potato, smoked beetroot, red chard & pickled blackberry jus

2012 Franck Balthazar Cornas Chaillot

Riveting and rumbustious with some rough edges and rusticity, but ultimately very satisfying. Very much in the drinking window already but with plenty of time in hand... 92

2006 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot

Spellbinding from start to finish with violets, olives and pepper, but what I loved most about this wine was its raciness and thrilling tension through the mid-plate to the finish. Just enthralling….96

2001 Robert Michel Cornas

Another fabulous wine with an even better and alluring entry than the Allemand. This wine is, however, mellow and mature, with softer resolved tannins; it is less spikey but has less spine-tingling electricity and tension than its illustrious flight mate. Marvellous…95


Hermitage flight

With beef rump, parsnip, Treviso, trompettes, black garlic & Madeira jus

2004 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Greal

This is in a very good place now, and has some smokey and salty notes to go with the gamey and cured meat, pepper and plums expressions. What stands out is its excellent balance which could not be said for the 2007. This snuck into my top five but it was a close call between this and the 97 Jaboulet….92

2007 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Greal

When I open this next to the Jasmin the contrast was very stark. You get hit by an overwhelming wave of over-ripe, over sweet fruit. Served blind I would be in the southern Rhone in the same vintage…89

1997 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle

The oldest wine on the table and perhaps the most dignified. It is fully mature and if you have any in bottles you need to drink them sooner rather than later (magnums of course will last longer). While this cannot compete with the great vintages of La Chapelle it is most satisfying glass of mature Hermitage with tertiary meaty notes of blood, with smokey, spicey barb-q notes…92

Dessert

Vanilla mousse, ginger biscuit, berry and lime compote & basil ice cream

2007 Lafaurie-Peyraguey

Alarmingly evolved/deep burnt orange, OK…. 89

[JimHow]

Time to get back to London and/or Paris/Bordeaux in the late spring.
Alex or anyone, any travel advice about visiting France in the coming months, I'm assuming during the summer olympics is not good, looks like that runs from about July 26 to August 11th, any concerns before or after? I'm guessing it's going to be a busy stretch in France between now and the end of the summer.

[Nicklasss]

Thank you Ian as i’m a fan of Northern Rhône and like to read notes about any. I’m more a Côte Rôtie/Cornas guy, but Hermitage can move me too ( aaaahh the 2003 Chave).

Impressed that the Cornas was the best flight. I don’t know Michel Robert, but Balthazard and Allemand are solid producers. I had a young 2021 Johann Michel not so long ago that was great.

For Delas, i would say like you and are a bit « beefed up » and missing some é’égance, i buy rarely. Sad that the Rostaing was not what it should be. I try to buy few lately but the lottery system we have here did not turn well for me. Finish with 1 bottle of 2020 Chapoutier Nève. Jasmin wines are excellent, and guy i visited in 2012 is very welcoming.

For the Hermitage, it is tough that none gone over a 92 rating… but i believe you… as i have more reserves for Hermitage.