Decanter panel tastings have become much more reliable since the days when they invited just about anyone (including me) to be a panellist. Now, just three 'experts' taste and review the wines: in this case, John Livingstone-Learmonth (probably the UK's leading authority on the wines of the Rhone), Marcel Orford-Williams (the Wine Society's Rhone buyer, amongst other things) and Ben Llewelyn (who may not have a double-barrelled surname but he has lived in France - presumably he has a little more specialist knowledge to qualify as an expert).
Panel tastings (even where the panel consists of only one person) can only be a guide at best although the number of people who continue to swear by the wines of estate X, claiming they are not influenced by critic Y, never ceases to amaze me. Of course, a world of wine without critics would be a difficult one to navigate. It is the job of the critic (whether wine writer or merchant) to weed out the rubbish and recommend only the worthy.
So, it is pleasing to see Beaucastel, Brusset and Usseglio all recommended - but, then, it would be surprising if they weren't!
Domaine Brusset, Cairanne-Cotes du Rhone Villages 'Les Travers'
'Subdued nose - a note of lime and hint of camomile tea. Yellow flowers, citrus and a saline edge to a palate that has decent length.' 2015-2019
Raymond Usseglio, Cotes du Rhone 'Les Claux'
'White raisin aromas in a nose of sunny depth. The palate is vibrant but mellowing and lingers for a while.' 2015-2017
I confess, I am not entirely sure what yellow flowers and other tasting terms are supposed to mean. For me, 'sunny depth' evokes up rather more. Still, the gist is they like the wines.
Panel tastings (even where the panel consists of only one person) can only be a guide at best although the number of people who continue to swear by the wines of estate X, claiming they are not influenced by critic Y, never ceases to amaze me. Of course, a world of wine without critics would be a difficult one to navigate. It is the job of the critic (whether wine writer or merchant) to weed out the rubbish and recommend only the worthy.
So, it is pleasing to see Beaucastel, Brusset and Usseglio all recommended - but, then, it would be surprising if they weren't!
Domaine Brusset, Cairanne-Cotes du Rhone Villages 'Les Travers'
'Subdued nose - a note of lime and hint of camomile tea. Yellow flowers, citrus and a saline edge to a palate that has decent length.' 2015-2019
Raymond Usseglio, Cotes du Rhone 'Les Claux'
'White raisin aromas in a nose of sunny depth. The palate is vibrant but mellowing and lingers for a while.' 2015-2017
I confess, I am not entirely sure what yellow flowers and other tasting terms are supposed to mean. For me, 'sunny depth' evokes up rather more. Still, the gist is they like the wines.
Comments
Post a Comment