- Smaller Quantities than in 2015
- Same Deep Fruit, Amazing Acidity, Incredible Aromatics, More Crunch
2017 Domaine de la Côte St. Epine St. Joseph St. Epine Vieilles Vignes Rouge
- From 85+ Year Old Vines, $24.99 a Bottle, $22.99 on a CASE!
- Nose of Huge Red and Black Berry Fruit
- Deep, Deep, Deep Deep Wine - Big and Ripe Yet Stunningly Fresh
- You Can't Get a Better Value in the Northern Rhone
2017 Domaine de la Côte St. Epine St. Joseph St. Epine Blanc Vieilles Vignes
- The Gateway Drug for People Who Don't Yet Like Northern Rhone Whites
- It Has That Rhone Honey and Fruit
- But Always Fresh and Balanced By Great Acidity
- At This Price ($24.99), You Can Drink Every Day
- Some People Buy Cases
Vintages don't do something many consumers want them to do. That is that they are not spaced apart enough for them. I've been a quasi wine consumer my whole life so I get it but nature is nature and is not bound by the anxieties of the modern day wine consumer. Ideally you want two all time vintages a decade and then the rest to be fakakte so you can easily ignore them. That is a consumer point of view. Now I'm an importer and I realize that's a bad view to have. These are people who make these wines, and I know them and their families now. So with improvements in viticulture, cellar work, etc, many of the mistakes of the past have been rendered almost non existent and there are a lot of really profound vintages happening more frequently. It is what it is. It's the natural evolution of things. There are more wine regions as well which contributes to the overall idea that there are so many great vintages now. I'm happy, the growers are happy, but if put my consumer hat on, without being an importer, I'm slightly freaked about it because how could there be a profound all time vintage in the Northern Rhone as we just had 2015?
The 2017 Vintage in the Northern Rhone
Well, I am the bearer of good or bad news for how you decide to take it. 2017 is an utterly brilliant vintage and it is to me, after tasting extensively a brother or sister to 2015 but the style is different. It is a "solar" year as they say up there but also I found at most estates the alcohol is a tick lower than in 2015 which gives these wines undeniable crunch and freshness to their extravagant fruit. If 2010 and 2015 had a love child it would be 2017. Acid is amazing. Just amazing. To again have this wealth of fruit with the slightest bit lower alcohol makes the wines so appealing. They are all so great. As I look back on my 17 barrel notes I really really loved this vintage. Almost every wine had stunning aromas for being so young. Just stunning. There wade various different stem inclusions at different estates. Some 33%, some 50%. That is always a great thing for complex aromas. Especially with age. One thing also is the length of the 17s is as long as the 15s if not longer. So many long finishes. Next up is the density of the wines. All of them. Just dense. Dense like you wouldn't believe. The higher up the ladder you go the more profound the textures and tannins become. I had more 100 pointers out of barrel in 2017 than 2015. No doubt. There was some loss and it's not as bountiful as 15, and some wines maybe harder to get in 17 than 15. If I had to give a sound bite on the red carpet for the Met Gala about the 2017 Northern Rhones it would go something like this.
"Yes, why than you, I'm wearing Off-White, and the vintage can really be described as if 2010 merged with 2015 but it's slightly fresher, slightly lower in alcohol, has more crunch, tannins are melty and velvety and at the high end some of the best ever. Across the board we have extraordinary density from IGP to Hermitage, with some yields down from 2015, the 2017's, with their knockout aromas from top to bottom will be highly highly sought after. The fruit has a tiny bit more crunch from 2015. The whites are like if '16 melded with '15 and have extraordinary textures and richness but are buffered by very good acidity. They also have incredible mineral freshness. This is a historic vintage in line with 2015 big time will tell which one will turn out better. At this point we will just have to wait."
As has become something of a tradition I am debuting the 2017 Rhone program with the utterly brilliant 2017 Domaine de la Côte St. Epine St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes Rouge for $24.99 a bottle and $22.99 a bottle on a case. From vines as old as 140 years old and the average age is 85+ years old! This remains the best value Northern Rhone wine I sell. This wine can age! A 2012 was spectacular in January at the estate. I tasted every barrel and tank (I think it's 16) for the red and then we made we made a blend of the 85/85/140 year old vines from various barrels and it is very close to the blend that is the wine that I am selling today. . That was some tasting. The 17 is extraordinary and the best Epine yet from this very very undervalued estate. In 5 years the price has stayed stable.
The nose is big, ripe and has stunningly pure red and black berry fruit. Some mint and a even a little
But the palate on this was the real deal and had such depth, freshness and purity it really was a significant step above the 15, which mind you, is closed now. This has excellent purity and freshness. Stunning tannins. That's a theme of this vintage for me is the stunningly velvety quality of the the tannins. These have it. They are so fine. Juicy. Immersed with fruit and granite. Insane inner mouth aromas. It's big, ripe, expansive and already complex. Very long with exceptional balance. The tannins are big and ripe with that velvet and they really are a central part of this wine along with the freshness. This will stun in 5 years. It's a really deep wine from a really deep vintage. It could be deeper than 15. Who knows? All the winemakers, including Mikael were just giddy. The sweetness of fruit in this is just remarkable as is the freshness that drives that sweetness home. There is just an enormous amount of material in this wine and at $24.99 there is no better value in the Northern Rhone.
An Interlude on The Appreciation Delta for Northern Rhone Whites
So, 2017 is a great great vintage for whites. Before I get into that I would like to float a theory about why Rhone whites are not popular in the United States. I was at a great restaurant called The Dutch the other night and the food was very fresh inventive farm to table American with some unique accents from other cultures. I brought a 2015 Hermitage Blanc and because I was not familiar with the menu (it had been 5 years) I asked the somm to match it but had a caveat that it should be rich saucy dishes. That is what usually works. And there is an abundance in France. Anyway he picked one dish after going through a bunch that were more bright and acidic or had components like that that would clash with the wine. The dish was Asparagus/Duck Sausage/Watercress/Maple Soy Nut. It rocked with this wine and was by far the best food wine pairing of the night. Inspired pairing. Anyway the theory is we just don't have that much food that we make or serve in America that matches well with white Rhone wines. Below are maybe 5-6 dishes that really bring theses wines to life.
- Chicken with Morel Cream Sauce
- Seared Tuna with Watercress Puree
- Pork Chop (Heritage Breed) with Fennel Pollen
- Lobster with Ginger and Spring Vegetables
- Slow Roasted Salmon Fillet (325 degrees on a bed of celery) with celery root puree
- Fettuccini with Porcini Mushrooms
The 2017 Domaine de la Côte St. Epine St. Joseph St. Epine Blanc Vieilles Vignes can be had for $24.99 on a 4-Pack and $22.99 on a 12 bottle case. This is like if 16 and 15 melded. 17 has richness like 15 and the refinement of 16. It's another brilliant vintage for Rhone whites. 13/14/15/16/17 all are brilliant vintages. And I think 17 falls more in line with 13/15 in terms of style. It's rich but it's got refinement and freshness. Texture is the name of the game in this vintage for whites. The wine has epic huge Marsanne aromas. It smells creamy yet is mineral. It's rich and fresh with great energy and tension. Exceptional balance and purity. Complex and so refined. This when gets better and better every vintage and out of all my St. Joseph Blancs this drinks the best young and also ages without a problem. The 2008 on a recent trip was glorious with 10 years left. It's so juicy and long with just stunning purity and density. From an average of 100 year old vines. It has a baroque, grandiose quality, along with its scintillating acidity and depth. Aromas of honey and white flowers. It takes over your palate like a wine amoeba. It is so juicy and mouthwatering. It has such nice richness or "gras" as John Livingstone Learmouth would say. It has epic length and wonderful custard like texture and such awesome minerality.
2017 Domaine de la Saint Cote Epine St Joseph Rouge "Vieilles Vignes" - $26.99 ($99.96 4-pack, $275.88 12 bottle case {$22.99!}) (LIMITED)
2017 Domaine de la Saint Cote Epine St Joseph Blanc"Vieilles Vignes" - $26.99 ($99.96 4-pack, $275.88 12 bottle case {$22.99!})
(VERY LIMITED)
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