During a winter trip to Northern Rhône, the highlight was meeting the Cornas icon Thierry Allemand at his winery. Besides Allemand, we attended fantastic La Marche aux Côte-Rôtie tasting event and dined twice at stunning Le Mangevins.

Well before this winter trip, I had contacted some top winemakers that we were drooling to meet. One of them was, of course, Thierry Allemand, the legend of the southernmost appellation of Northern Rhône wine region.

Talking with my travelling companions, two devoted Rhônephiles Mikko and Ilkka, we had our doubts whether Allemand would answer us let alone invite us over. Contrary to our expectations, Thierry’s wife Emmanuelle replied within a day (!), welcoming us to Cornas.

After reading that e-mail, I immediately called Ilkka. An SMS would never have been enough to tell him that his dream would come true.

THIERRY ALLEMAND, The Man behind iconic Syrahs

The moment we approach Cornas, I feel vaguely ambivalent, being well aware that our visit would be very demanding to me being the only one of us who speaks a bit of French. As we enter the Allemand cellar, there are three other visitors.

Thierry is not at home. Emmanuelle Allemand says he is on the vineyards with Argentine winemakers. Despite, we start the tasting with Chaillot 2014, a 100 % Syrah that turns out to be

Suddenly, in the middle of whirling and sniffing, Thierry steps in with the Argentineans. He starts to open bottles, asking if we want to taste “this or that”. An unanimous YES, PLEASE! echoes in the cellar.

There are times when the term “elegance” can mean a wine technically so well-made and so flawless that it starts to become boring. Thierry Allemand’s famous Syrah bottlings – Chaillot, Reynard and sulphite-free Reynard Sans Souffre of which only 2,000 bottles are made, and not every year – are dazzling manifestations of perfectly energetic elegance.

Their strength is not powerful, full-bodied structure and overtly fruity taste but nicely gripping tannins, structural finesse and crazy length. Sighing over the brilliance of Chaillot and Reynard 2014, we get to taste Chaillot 2012 and 2010. Sheer bliss! I am numb. We all are.

OLDER VINTAGES

The plot thickens as we continue with Chaillot 2005. After that, Thierry Allemand serves us something blind. My guess is 1996, but it turns out to be Reynard from the 1998 vintage. Even though the wine has nearly 20 years behind, it feels so youthful that I decide to cellar the Chaillot and Reynard I bought for a long time…. and be very picky about who to invite for sharing them.

As the visit proceeds, I realise it is not every day that one gets to buy Thierry Allemand’s fabulous wines. While I acquire a bottle of each, Mikko opts for a magnum Reynard 2014 for his 2 years old son. I kindly ask Allemand to sign that bottle for the little chap.

Once the Argentineans are gone, we stay in Allemand’s cellar and feel really cosy despite the language barrier. Thierry does not seem busy at all, so I finally dare to give him a box of Finnish ginger liquorice, which clearly delights him. “I love ginger so much”, he whispers.

Thinking back now, I will always remember the Allemand couple and their lovely black labrador who was as enthusiastic about the tasting as wE. Hopefully I’ll get back to Cornas!

 

LE MANGEVINS – Food & Wine heaven in Tain l’Hermitage

Another of the greatest Syrah wines of my life was also enjoyed during this trip. Marc Sorrel’s Hermitage Le Gréal 2011 was so good that it brought tears to my eyes at the restaurant table. Not the first time a wine makes me weep, but definitely the most memorable.

First, I felt slightly ashamed of my strong reaction. But looking at my travelling companions, I realised the Sorrel moment had struck them too.

But my emotion was not only because of Le Gréal. The whole restaurant, Le Mangevins, made a deep impression on us. Hidden in the heart of Tain l’Hermitage, Le Mangevins is a wonderful spot for any wine and creative cooking lover. In the interior, blue and white shades play with warm wooden materials while the space is blessed by a beautiful light.

Run by a lovely couple, Keiko Yamada plays with Japanese cooking techniques and first-class French ingredients while her husband Vincent Dollat takes care of us just as dedicatedly and warmly as a great sommelier can. As we ponder on which vintage of Le Gréal to order, he proposes 2011, stating it would be perfectly enjoyable already.

Perfect wine moment

And oh boy, it is. The wine oozes lilacs, rose petals, yummy fruit, tea leaves, bitter almond, jasmine, liquorice root and freshly ground black pepper. My skin goes goose bumps before we taste. That’s why tasting scares the hell out of me. Sometimes a wine can offer such an earth-shaking nose that you already know there is no way the taste could ever equal it.

But Le Gréal can. There are so many layers on the palate that it’s impossible to distinguish them. Classic black pepper mouthfeel followed by sophisticated reddish berries and beautifully integrated oak. Lingering, silky finish that you wish would never end. Irresistible potpourri of aromas and flavours makes me weep while eating Le Mangevins’s delicious veal with broccoli.

In fact, we are so convinced of Le Mangevins that we book another lunch for the following day. That lunch also follows the red theme, but from a less prestigious appellation, St-Joseph. Jean-Claude Marsanne‘s unfiltered Saint-Joseph 2013 is made of grapes from 60 to 100 years old Syrah vines and fermented with wild yeasts. Displaying perky aromas of red cherries, violets and spices, it is a perfectly light and vivid lunch wine.

The wine list of Le Mangevins is so full of wonderful things and several vintages from top Rhône winemakers that I wholeheartedly recommend the place for anyone with a crush on Rhône wines. Also Emmanuel Lassaigne‘s stellar champagnes are on the list, but despite my best efforts, I cannot make the boys share a bottle with me.

To my surprise, our second lunch has a perfect ending as well. As an inborn aesthetic, I can’t keep my eyes off the adjoining table. A smiling guy with lovely, fluffy, toast-coloured hair.

While he prepares coffee installations for the owners of Le Mangevins and invites us to taste, it turns out he is the owner of Le Richer, my Monday spot in Paris during last summer! This is exactly what I love in France: although the country is big, you always end up talking with people who are somehow linked to something you have experienced before.

 

MARCHE AUX VINS d’AMPUIS: Côte-Rôtie, Condrieu & St-Jo

Our original reason to travel to Northern Rhône was Marche aux Vins d’Ampuis tasting event. Based on two days at this annually held 4-day event, the general level of the wines is high. Also, it felt refreshing to blend among the locals, many of whom come to Ampuis to fill their cellars for the rest of the year.

At the event, Gilles Barge impressed me with his characterful, stylishly powerful and firm Côte Brune 2013 while Jean-Michel Stephan’s natural Côte-Rôtie 2015 did the trick. Pierre Gaillard offered stunning value with his perfectly peppery 20 € Saint-Joseph. Of the whites, Yves Gangloff‘s Condrieu enchanted with amazing freshness and depth of the fruit.

Still, there was one family winery that outshined the rest: Clusel-Roch. Tasting their wines for the first time, I did not have any pre-expectations. When their entire range turned out fabulous, I was happy to buy a bottle of Côte-Rôtie Classique 2007 (already very enjoyable!) to take home.

To be honest, I must admit I was also charmed with the austere looks of Guillaume Clusel. But their number one position on my ranking was not based on any girlie crush since also my fellow travellers also ranked Clusel-Roch as their #1.

The Gangloff stand was so popular that we just got to taste tiny drops of two wines as they had already run out of the third one. No wonder, since this domaine truly knows how to make Viognier shine like a star. By shining I mean wonderfully fresh, fruity and vibrant white wines that are a far cry from overtly fat and way-too-exotic-spicy viogniers lacking acidity.

Of the Condrieus, I would also pick a talented young vigneron Xavier Gérard who makes very nice Condrieu on his steep Côte Châtillon plot just above the town of Condrieu. Other wines of Gérard are also worth trying, and his Côte-Rôtie is a star for the money you pay.

Beside the Condrieus we tasted at the event, it was white St-Josephs we were positively surprised with. Delicious and affordable quality stuff across the exhibitors! Why oh why didn’t I take a bigger suitcase with me?

Towards the evening the hall gets crowded, so it makes sense to arrive early. If you come just for drinking, never mind, but if you wish to chat with the winemakers, avoid the evening hours.

After the event we walk on steep Côte-Rôtie hills. Misty January weather swallows the most breathtaking views, but instead of complaining about the fog and the minus degrees, we marvel at  wintery vineyards that are extremely beautiful in a notorious way.

LAST-MINUTE PURCHASES

Once you’re done with tastings, it’s time to buy more wine! Compagnie de l’Hermitage in Tain is and old-school wine boutique. Packed with wine from floor to ceiling, this shop is a blast from the past with an excellent array of local wines.

When you enter, make sure you have time as it takes a while for the owner to warm up. But once Georges Lelektsoglou is ready, you’ll get plenty of detailed information on local wines. Lelektsoglou also bottles Côte-Rôtie under his own label.