2004 St-Joseph Les Vins de Vienne “l’Arzelle” ($22.99) Bright, black cherry-matics, lavender and sweet tobacco endow this with lots of class and immediate accessibility. The wine’s name is a reference to the highly unusual and diverse terroir of Saint-Joseph. With its Massif Central origins, the granite breaks up easily as it wears over time. This decomposed granite is known locally as l’Arzelle. Enjoy from now-2010.
2004 Hermitage Les Vins de Vienne “Les Chirats de Saint Christophe” ($49.99) This 100% syrah is aged for 18 months in 60% new oak. Although more plush in style than other wines from Hermitage, Les Chirats still maintains a gorgeous mineral back note and excellent acidity to boot. Black fruits, and bittersweet chocolate, are balance with subtle notes of smoke and espresso nib. Best from 2008-2014.
2004 Cote-Rotie Joel Champet “La Viallière” ($34.99) Joel Champet employs all the traditional wine-making processes. The grapes are never destemmed and they are fermented and macerated for three weeks in open concrete vats. The wine is aged in cask and foudre for 15-18 months, and then is bottled without filtration. In the mouth this wine executes elegance, exudes profuse aromatics, and has been said, vintage after vintage, to be the most Burgundian of all Cote-Roties. There is the feathery essence of earth, melding with a subtle element of spicy cherry fruit. This is refined, sophisticated, and dare I say, delicate.
—Keelyn Healy and Mulan Chan