Domaine Pierre Gonon 2012, Part 1; Tasting With Jean Gonon, Friday, March 7!
2/12/14 -
(Jean Gonon)
"Rain until the 14th of July" said Jean Gonon about 2012 "followed by a good August and an OK September - we did a severe selection in the vineyard - a small harvest, but good." Not a great vintage, perhaps, but "very similar to 2010 for the white" says Jean and for me there are similarities to 1991 - a vintage maligned in the press for lack of weight and high acidity - which turned out to be superb in the Northern Rhône. This offering features the Gonon's two outstanding whites and the insanely delicious and affordable Vin de Pays "Les Iles Feray." (This Spring we'll receive the second bottling of 2012 Saint-Joseph Rouge, which Jean finds a bit more harmonious and structured that the first.)
The French are puzzled by the lack of attention paid to the Gonon's Saint-Joseph Blanc "Les Oliviers." The parcel, 600 feet above Tournon, has long been known to produce great wines, and is geologically similar to "Les Rocoules" in Hermitage, just across the river. (In fact, the most exciting wine we've tasted at the Gonon's was the 1991 Les Oliviers, opened in February 2009.) The 2012 was harvested in two passes, the first 50/50 Roussanne/Marsanne and the second, ten days later, mostly Marsanne, which added a bit more fat and alcohol. The finished wine is at 13.8 degrees and has great freshness, beautiful aromas and a full, balanced palate. "Drink it now or after five years" says Jean.
Scattered in the old-vine parcel the Gonons received from Trollat are Chasselas vines (with a bit of Marsanne perhaps) that are 110 to 120 years old. They won't last much longer, but at Trollat's request and with some amusement, the Gonons make this unique and delicious oddity labeled simply "Vin de France." Aged in fifteen year-old barrels, the 2012 is "volcanic" says Jean, "one tastes only the minerals." This may age beautifully...
The first red to arrive from 2012 is the Vin de Pays de L'Ardeche "Les Iles Feray" made mostly from 25 to 30 year-old vines on lower parcels between Mauves and Tournon, with some younger vines high on the slopes. There will be less of this made as the vines age, and in the last few years it has become a more structured and serious wine. The 2012 is simply wonderful and will drink beautifully over the next five to eight years. This wine has been available previously in case quantities, but with the very low yields in 2012 we are sadly forced to allocate this wine as well as the two whites: 6 bottles per person on the Iles Feray and 3 bottles maximum on the two whites.
Come taste and talk with Jean Gonon (English or French!) on Friday, March 7th from 5 'til 7:30pm, BY RESERVATION ONLY! We're extremely proud and happy to be hosting Jean on his first trip to the US! We'll take 12 people per half-hour so please call or email with your desired time. And please, if you can't make it, let us know, so someone else can enjoy your time-slot! DL
