Medium/dark red. Stink bomb at first on the nose with lots of barnyard. Frut is just very luxurious in this wine. Ripe black and red fruits topped with brown sugar. Yum! A big body with big tannins. Spicy.
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Medium/dark red. Sweet creamy fruit with a little green olive and freshly ground lightly roasted coffee. The fruit is darker with figs and prunes on the palate but very sweet fruit and supple tannins. The oak treatment clearly gave this wine more creaminess than some of the others. WOTN for several people but not me.
Medium purple red. More about the berries than darker fruits. Red raspberries and cherries. Thyme and other herbs on the nose. A real beauty of a nose. On the palate, not so much. Just meh. Mix of herbs and fruit. Just seems to lack any oomph. Totally disappears from your palate as soon as you swallow. A well balanced inoffensive wine that just underwhelmed me.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A little reddish brown with almost a Port-like color around the edges. Definitely showing its 10 years. A very intrguing nose. Reminded me a bit of Christmas for some reason. Showing some tobacco too. Really supple tannins and still lively fruit with a lingering finish. This one just seemed to have everyone going back for another whiff and another sip.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Dark red. This wine definitely had the biggest boldest nose of the night. A little in-your-face. Clearly not a Rhone Syrah. Herbs with cherries. Very full bodied, spicy, even a little racy. Seemed a little hot to me although all the wines were 14% - 14.5% and this was listed at 14.5%. Alcohol just seemed to get away from the fruit just a little bit for me. There seemed to be a bit of a vegetal element that bothered me initially. A little linear and maybe austere for me. I went back to it later in the night and it seemed to have filled out a bit.
Medium gold colored and hints of a slightly darker amber. The nose just gave me apricots. The wine was not overly sweet at all and not cloying or unctous. Very lively and fresh tasting fruits. Just barely enough acidity to give it a little zing. Otherwise it would have boardered on boring. I have absolutely ZERO experience with these kinds of wines so I hesitate to actually score it.
2005 Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Rasteau 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Rasteau
Medium/dark red. Stink bomb at first on the nose with lots of barnyard. Frut is just very luxurious in this wine. Ripe black and red fruits topped with brown sugar. Yum! A big body with big tannins. Spicy.
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2005 Domaine Thunevin-Calvet Cuvée Constance 88 Points
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
Medium/dark red. Sweet creamy fruit with a little green olive and freshly ground lightly roasted coffee. The fruit is darker with figs and prunes on the palate but very sweet fruit and supple tannins. The oak treatment clearly gave this wine more creaminess than some of the others. WOTN for several people but not me.
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2006 Domaine La Garrigue Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Romaine 84 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
Medium purple red. More about the berries than darker fruits. Red raspberries and cherries. Thyme and other herbs on the nose. A real beauty of a nose. On the palate, not so much. Just meh. Mix of herbs and fruit. Just seems to lack any oomph. Totally disappears from your palate as soon as you swallow. A well balanced inoffensive wine that just underwhelmed me.
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2005 Famille Perrin / Perrin & Fils Vacqueyras Les Christins 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vacqueyras
Beautful mix of graphite, pepper and dark fruits. Very nicely evolved tannins on the back end. Really rich and enjoyable. My WOTN.
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1999 Tardieu-Laurent Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A little reddish brown with almost a Port-like color around the edges. Definitely showing its 10 years. A very intrguing nose. Reminded me a bit of Christmas for some reason. Showing some tobacco too. Really supple tannins and still lively fruit with a lingering finish. This one just seemed to have everyone going back for another whiff and another sip.
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2005 Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Dark red. This wine definitely had the biggest boldest nose of the night. A little in-your-face. Clearly not a Rhone Syrah. Herbs with cherries. Very full bodied, spicy, even a little racy. Seemed a little hot to me although all the wines were 14% - 14.5% and this was listed at 14.5%. Alcohol just seemed to get away from the fruit just a little bit for me. There seemed to be a bit of a vegetal element that bothered me initially. A little linear and maybe austere for me. I went back to it later in the night and it seemed to have filled out a bit.
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1999 E. Guigal Condrieu Luminescence
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu
Medium gold colored and hints of a slightly darker amber. The nose just gave me apricots. The wine was not overly sweet at all and not cloying or unctous. Very lively and fresh tasting fruits. Just barely enough acidity to give it a little zing. Otherwise it would have boardered on boring. I have absolutely ZERO experience with these kinds of wines so I hesitate to actually score it.
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