1988 Rhone
BORDEAUX has an extraordinary way of hogging the limelight. If you hear people talk of '85s, '86s and especially '82s and '61s, you tend to assume they are talking about claret. Of course, we all know that Bordeaux has had a remarkable run of vintages recently; but in fact the 1980s have been a glorious decade for all the major French wine regions. Burgundy has come more into the picture of late, deservedly so, because since 1985 good vintages and more careful wine-making have restored lustre to the region. But the prices! I am prepared to believe that 1988 was a great burgundy vintage but I am not prepared to pay £20 for a bottle for premier cru Pommard still in the barrel.
The good, and less publicised, news is that 1988 was also a magnificent vintage in the northern RhOne, as was conclusively shown at a recent tasting chez Justerini & Brooks (61 St James's Street, SW1, tele- phone 01 493 8721). An indication of how underrated these wines are in relation to bordeaux and burgundy was that Juster- ini's able btwer, Hew Blair, wanted the opinion of a group of wine writers before deciding to go ahead with an offer. The best northern Rh6ne wines, Hermitage and COte R6tie, are unfortunately not the bargains they were a decade ago: a com- bination of tiny quantity and the proselytis- ing pen of Robert Parker has sent the prices soaring dangerously high. But in the lower reaches there are still some wines of uncompromising quality to be had at reasonable prices.
Crozes-Hermitage, with the exception of Jaboulet's single-vineyard Thalabert, has never been an appellation to set the heart racing — most Crozes is easy-going jammy stuff made from over-cropped vines, quite undeserving of association with the hal- lowed name of Hermitage. But Blair has come up with an exciting new grower who looks set to challenge Jaboulet's long-held supremacy. The proof of M. Pochon's ability is that he can make an interesting white Crozes — rich and buttery, with something floral too, on the nose, full- flavoured with fine balancing acidity (£5.45). The red is even better, the stan- dard bottling (5.70) very deep in colour, with intense syrah character on the nose and masses of concentrated fruit on the palate. Pochon's top cuvee, Château Cur-
son, is in fact more delicate, though still deep in colour; the nose has a whiff of violets and the whole effect is surprisingly burgundian.
St Joseph, the appellation which covers the left bank of the Rhone opposite Her- mitage, has never been one of my favourites either. The wines are robust and peppery, undoubtedly characterful, but they can also have the galumphing quaint- ness of Morris dancers. I was greatly impressed, though, by the St Joseph Clos de la Cluminaille (will be around £7) from Pierre Gaillard, a wine of opaque depth of colour and terrific power and concentra- tion on the palate. This one needs putting away for three or four years.
There was no doubt that the best 1988s on show were the Cote R6ties. In fact this small (though recently enlarged) appella- tion may have produced the very best 1988s in the whole of France. M. Gaillard featured again with a C6te Rode C6te Brune et Blonde, a deep-coloured wine with an enticing combination of creamy oak and deep blackberry fruit on the nose, very rich and concentrated on the palate — a wine to be laid down for seven years.
At the end of the tasting Justerini showed one or two older vintages. Clusel's 1987 C6te R6tie (£11.85) had a good colour, a charming floral scent and a lovely creamy texture, with no lack of length. As for the C6te 116tie Brune et Blonde 1982 (£12.50) from the acknowledged master of the region, E. Guigal, this was subtly perfumed, with a hint of oak, and com- bined flesh and firmness on the palate. Not cheap, these Cote Reties, but better value without any doubt than claret or burgundy of comparable class.
Descending from those heights to the level of everyday drinking, the Wine Socie- ty's offer (telephone orders: 0483 740222) of 1988s includes some excellent single village wines from the southern RhOne. Try the C6tes du Rh6ne Villages Valreas (£4.65) of Romain Bouchard, a wine of surprising finesse and aroma, or the stur- dier C6tes du Rhone Villages Sablet (£4.95), Domaine de Boissan. Better still, go and visit these ravishing villages in the rocky hills east of Avignon when the euphorbia and thyme flower in the Proven- çal spring.
Harry Eyres
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