Superb 2010 Côte-Rôtie from Domaine Garon!
10/10/12 -
(Garon vines in "Le Combard")
For a few years now we've been reading about the fine Côte-Rôties coming from the Garon family - landowners in Ampuis since 1836, but winemakers only since 1992. Given the sensational quality of the 2010 vintage in the Northern Rhône, we have brought in a small quantity of the Garon wines, most notably their "Les Rochins," from a great site on the Côte Brune bordering La Landonne. Our friend Jonathan Livingston-Learmonth, who we feel is the most reliable writer on Rhône wines, has placed this wine in his top ranking of 2010 Côte-Rôtie, along with Rostaing, Barge and Guigal "La La's."
The Garon's plantings began on abandoned vineyard land in 1982, "It wasn't bad for the vineyards to rest a hundred years between plantings" observes Jean-Francois Garon. Grapes were first sold to Guigal, and the first wine, "Les Triotes," on schist soils in the Côte Blonde, was made in 1995. "Les Rochins" was first produced in 2003 and a third cuvée, "La Sybarine," from granite soils in the southern sector was added in 2009. The family, Jean-Francois and Carmen Garon with their sons Kevin and Fabien, are known for the careful work in their four-plus hectares of vineyards. Weeding is by hand, treatments are minimized and the key to their winemaking is the quality of the fruit. They do not seek extraction, seeking instead a more Burgundian style of Côte-Rôtie. The grapes are partially de-stemmed depending on the vintage and although there is new oak used for the two top cuvées, the wines are firmly in the "clear fruit style" and offer delicioius evidence that genuine Côte-Rôtie is "alive and well."
2010 in Côte-Rôtie - "What fruit, what balance, what richness" says Livingstone-Learmonth, comparing the vintage to 1978. It is indeed a great vintage for the region, as those of you with Gonon Saint-Joseph or Paris Cornas "La Geynale" can attest to. My comparison might be to 1991, a vintage initially down-played by some reviewers, but in which the bright pure fruit was perfectly framed by lifting acids. Although we are firm believers that wine purchases should be based on the grower rather than the vintage (after all, it's what nature gives us) we do have to express our enthusiasm for the 2010 Northern Rhônes. The Garon "La Sybarine" will drink well young and over the next ten to fifteen years while the "Les Rochins" will benefit from further aging and will be superb for twenty years or more. And please don't overlook the "Les Triotes" which is a particularly pleasing and traditional wine in 2009.
