Wine Notes. Sotanum, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Saint-JosephRouge 'Tildé', Domaine Villa, 2009

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1 page 1 Sotanum, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2004 Pierre Gaillard, Yves Cuilleron and François Villard, three leading growers in Condrieu and Côte-Rôtie, made their first wine in % syrah grown on schists, very dark, intense and minerally and not unlike Côte-Rôtie. Drink this year and next. Product Code RH14121 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2008 to 2014 Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2004 Price No longer for sale Saint-JosephRouge 'Tildé', Domaine Villa, 2009 Very concentrated old-vine syrah from the middle reaches of the large west-bank commune of Saint-Joseph which stretches practically from Condrieu to Cornas. Delicious already, but good for another five years at least. Product Code RH28751 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2012 to 2018 Style not applicable Closure type Cork, plastic Vintage 2009 Price No longer for sale Côte-Rôtie, Champin Seigneur, Jean-Michel Gerin, 2004 Jean-Michel Gerin is one of the top names in Côte-Rôtie. His father had been mayor here and had put the estate firmly on the map. Jean-Michel went further and refined the wines. There are two secrets to Gerin's success: first, fabulous vineyard, scattered across the appellation, second, a complete mastery of barrel ageing. Product Code RH16551 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2009 to 2014 Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2004 Price No longer for sale Producer : Domaine Gérin - See next page.

2 page 2 Producer : Domaine Gérin Jean-Michel Gérin works some 10 hectares of top vineyard in Côte-Rôtie, where his father had been mayor and really put the estate firmly on the map. Jean-Michel went further and refined the wines. Part of the secret of their success is having plots of vines on good slopes, scattered across the appellation (and including Viaillere and an acre of Landonne), allied to Jean-Michel's complete mastery of barrel ageing. He uses oak a good deal, both old and new, giving the wines a patina which comes through only with bottle age. His Champin Seigneur is a blend from all his holdings, with about 10% viognier included into the blend. Jean-Michel raises his Côte-Rôtie for up to two years in oak barrels, including some new, and the wines are bottled without either fining or filtration. Much of the work at this estate is done in the vineyard and the rich, concentrated style is a result of low yields and great care during the harvest. Jean-Michel also has some vineyard in Condrieu on two separate granite slopes, and a joint venture with winemaker Laurent Combier in Crozes-Hermitage. Gradually his son Alex is taking an ever-increasing role in the running of the estate.

3 page 3 Domaine Villard, Seul en Scène Terre de Vienne, Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes 2007 Silky, sensuous syrah made in the style of Côte-Rôtie by one of the pioneers of the reclaimed slopes around the city of Vienne. Product Code RH24051 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2010 to 2017 Origin RHONE - Northern Rhone Alcohol Level 12.8% Style Light to medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2007 Price No longer for sale Producer : Domaine Villard Food and wine are never far apart in the Rhône. This is hardly surprising when one considers that some of the world's greatest eating houses can be found between Lyon and Valence. So for Francois Villard's professional life began at the age of 20 as a waiter and wine-waiter when the wine bug really hit home. He bought vines in Condrieu and set up cellars behind those of his friend Yves cuilleron. He then built offices and cellar space on the plateau, above the vines of Condrieu. His idea of wine making is like cooking, forever searching, for ever questioning and trying new things out. It took him a while to get the hang of making red wine. There was a time when the wines were too inky. Not so today when on the contrary they surprise by their delicacy as well as by their depth and power. Like many of his colleagues, Villard has his fingers in lots of different pies, including the one of reconstructing the Roman vineyards that existed around the town of Vienne and that became abandoned at the time of phylloxera and the Great War. The vines all tend to have cuvée names and are not necessarily linked to any one vineyard. Reflets for example is a blend of old vines selected from top sites and aged extensively in barrel.

4 page 4 Cornas Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Voge 2007 Alain Voge opted not to make a top wine in 2007, so this cuvée has benefited and has much more concentration of flavour than normal. Product Code RH22581 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2020 Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2007 Price No longer for sale Côte-Rôtie, Nicolas Jaboulet Perrin Frères 2007 Ripe and supple Côte-Rôtie, quite rich and concentrated thanks to early frosts shortening the crop. This is the promising first wine in a joint venture between Nicolas Jaboulet and the Perrin family. Product Code RH24101 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2012 to 2015 Origin RHONE - Northern Rhone Alcohol Level 13.5% Style not applicable Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2007 Price No longer for sale Producer : Nicolas Perrin - See next page.

5 page 5 Producer : Nicolas Perrin Maison Nicolas Perrin was formed in 2009 when two families joined forces from opposite ends of the Rhône. Nicolas, from the famous Jaboulet family, grew up in the Hermitage hillsides in the north of the region, whereas the Perrin family has been settled in and around the southern Rhône s Châteaneuf-du-Pape appellation (most notably at Château de Beaucastel) since Nicolas Perrin classes itself as a 'boutique négociant', buying in casks of wines from well-known, respected northern Rhône growers. These are carefully blended by the team, and matured in oak casks to enhance both their character and their ageing potential. The aim of the finished product is fresh, harmonious whites and reds with sophisticated concentration. Following French tradition, the distinctive terroir of each appellation is of the utmost importance to Nicolas Perrin. The company produces exclusively northern Rhône wines, sourced from growers whose vineyards benefit from the region s typically granite soils and excellent exposure. Syrah is the only red grape present in its wines, whereas the white grapes used are the Rhône s classic viognier, marsanne and roussanne varieties. Nicolas Perrin wines range from inexpensive (but delicious) unclassified blends to the prestigious Côte-Rôtie. The company also helps The Society blend our Exhibition Crozes-Hermitage: Nicolas uses his extensive contacts to buy wines from a selection of renowned growers, and the wine is then blended and bottled by the Perrins. Interestingly, Nicolas Perrin is particularly passionate about partnering its wines with food, so much so that it has collaborated with the head chef at Château de Beaucastel to research food and wine matching in greater depth.

6 page 6 Cornas, Domaine de Saint Pierre, Paul Jaboulet Aîné 2001 The Jaboulets bought this precious vineyard high up above Cornas ten years ago and the wines have been much refined since. This is full-flavoured but with rounded tannins. Product Code RH10801 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2008 to 2020 Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2001 Price No longer for sale Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné - See next page.

7 page 7 Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné The man credited with starting the family firm was Antoine Jaboulet in the early nineteenth century. Antoine had twin sons, Henri and Paul. Both expanded the business but it was the elder (aîné) brother who had the business named after him giving the full title of the firm: Paul Jaboulet Aîné. The generations passed until Louis and his brother Jean arrived on the scene. Louis was the brains and marketing genius and it was he who, by some accident, made the very first contact with The Society some 40 years ago. Among the first wines ever bought would have been La Chapelle 1961, probably one of the greatest wines ever made. Louis Jaboulet remained in charge for some time until his son Gérard was rightly put in charge. Gérard, brilliant and outgoing like his father, was a worthy successor and became the driving force behind the firm. Sadly, a succession of calamities in the 1990 s were about to endanger the firm s survival. In the early 1990s Gérard s equally talented brother Jacques, who had overseen winemaking, was involved in a scuba-diving accident which left him in a coma for months and from then on unable to recover his influence. Then, tragically in 1997, Gérard died suddenly, aged just 55. Gérard was not just the driving force of Jaboulet; he also had the authority that held the family together. Following his passing, the next generation, young and inexperienced, struggled to cope. The baton was passed between several members of the family, who never quite managed to restore the harmony and success of old in the wines as much as in family relations. In 2005 news came that the entire family business had been sold to Franco-Swiss financier, Jean-Jacques Frey, who also owns Château La Lagune in Bordeaux as well as having a large holding in Champagne house Billecart-Salmon. His daughter, Caroline Frey, is in charge of winemaking with expert consultant Denis Dubordieu. Much has changed, with Frey s considerable wealth allowing Jaboulet to invest heavily in new cellars as well as more vineyards in Côte- Rôtie and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, for example. The wines themselves are certainly more convincing than those made during the tumultuous period following Gérard s death, but it is still early days for the new regime. At the heart of the estate is Hermitage where Jaboulet own 22 hectares, a little less than Chapoutier. The vineyards, in descending order of size, are Méal, Maisons Blanches, Bessards, Diognieres, La Croix and Rocoules. It is the blend of syrah grapes from these vineyards that make La Chapelle, which is a brand name and not a vineyard. Indeed, though the chapel itself, from where the wine takes its name is owned by Jaboulet, the vines around belong mostly to Chapoutier and Chave. As impactful as La Chapelle, and certainly more affordable, is Crozes-Hermitage from the Thalabert vineyard, an original Jaboulet planting. Another important area for Jaboulet is Cornas, where they make some of the appellation s best wines, from fruit grown on their own estate at Saint Pierre, and from grapes purchased from other growers.

8 page 8 Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné - Continued. Jaboulet also has excellent relations with suppliers in the southern Rhône, enabling them to make The Society s Exhibition Cairanne, exclusively for us.

9 page 9 Côte-Rôtie Rose Pourpre, Domaine Gaillard 2006 Pierre Gaillard makes tiny quantities of top-grade Côte-Rôtie from his best sites. Rose Pourpre comes from the Côte Rozier, next door to La Landonne. This is very dark and seductive. Product Code RH21271 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2011 to 2019 Style not applicable Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2006 Price No longer for sale Hermitage, La Chapelle, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, 2000 The 2000 vintage of this iconic syrah is rather lovely now. Round, sweet-tasting, and as elegant as Hermitage should be. Product Code RH9321 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2009 to 2025 Origin RHONE - Northern Rhone Alcohol Level 13.5% Style Medium-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2000 Price No longer for sale Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné - See next page.

10 page 10 Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné The man credited with starting the family firm was Antoine Jaboulet in the early nineteenth century. Antoine had twin sons, Henri and Paul. Both expanded the business but it was the elder (aîné) brother who had the business named after him giving the full title of the firm: Paul Jaboulet Aîné. The generations passed until Louis and his brother Jean arrived on the scene. Louis was the brains and marketing genius and it was he who, by some accident, made the very first contact with The Society some 40 years ago. Among the first wines ever bought would have been La Chapelle 1961, probably one of the greatest wines ever made. Louis Jaboulet remained in charge for some time until his son Gérard was rightly put in charge. Gérard, brilliant and outgoing like his father, was a worthy successor and became the driving force behind the firm. Sadly, a succession of calamities in the 1990 s were about to endanger the firm s survival. In the early 1990s Gérard s equally talented brother Jacques, who had overseen winemaking, was involved in a scuba-diving accident which left him in a coma for months and from then on unable to recover his influence. Then, tragically in 1997, Gérard died suddenly, aged just 55. Gérard was not just the driving force of Jaboulet; he also had the authority that held the family together. Following his passing, the next generation, young and inexperienced, struggled to cope. The baton was passed between several members of the family, who never quite managed to restore the harmony and success of old in the wines as much as in family relations. In 2005 news came that the entire family business had been sold to Franco-Swiss financier, Jean-Jacques Frey, who also owns Château La Lagune in Bordeaux as well as having a large holding in Champagne house Billecart-Salmon. His daughter, Caroline Frey, is in charge of winemaking with expert consultant Denis Dubordieu. Much has changed, with Frey s considerable wealth allowing Jaboulet to invest heavily in new cellars as well as more vineyards in Côte- Rôtie and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, for example. The wines themselves are certainly more convincing than those made during the tumultuous period following Gérard s death, but it is still early days for the new regime. At the heart of the estate is Hermitage where Jaboulet own 22 hectares, a little less than Chapoutier. The vineyards, in descending order of size, are Méal, Maisons Blanches, Bessards, Diognieres, La Croix and Rocoules. It is the blend of syrah grapes from these vineyards that make La Chapelle, which is a brand name and not a vineyard. Indeed, though the chapel itself, from where the wine takes its name is owned by Jaboulet, the vines around belong mostly to Chapoutier and Chave. As impactful as La Chapelle, and certainly more affordable, is Crozes-Hermitage from the Thalabert vineyard, an original Jaboulet planting. Another important area for Jaboulet is Cornas, where they make some of the appellation s best wines, from fruit grown on their own estate at Saint Pierre, and from grapes purchased from other growers.

11 page 11 Producer : Paul Jaboulet Aîné - Continued. Jaboulet also has excellent relations with suppliers in the southern Rhône, enabling them to make The Society s Exhibition Cairanne, exclusively for us.

12 page 12 Cote Rotie Les Grandes Places Dme Gerin 2005 Les Grandes Places is an outstanding vineyard in the northern part of Cote-Rotie. Soils here are dark and dominated by slates. The syrah grape makes a very deep coloured wine of great finesse and brilliance Product Code RH21091 Dominant Grape Syrah/Shiraz Product Type Red Wine Drink Dates 2012 to 2020 Style Full-bodied Closure type Cork, natural Vintage 2005 Price No longer for sale

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Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2BT thewinesociety.com Member Services: page 1 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Château La Nerthe, 2006 The 2006 vintage produced deliciously silky wines that are just about ready now. La Nerthe in 2006 is finely judged and very long. Product Code RH24181