September 3, 2022 - Dark ruby robe with a good amount of bricking, fine clarity (stood up for a couple weeks then opened in advance). Stewed red fruits, animale, and garrigue on the nose with flutters of coffee, menthol, and olive brine (in a good way). The palate is ripe and shows some richness, but there’s loads of energy and thrust keeping things afloat. Red and black fruits vie with tertiary notes for attention on the expansive, verging on luxurious palate. There’s just enough funk to keep thing grounded in Vacqueyras. Maybe not overly polished, but I’d venture the earthy frankness is a virtue. Someone please tell me why I didn’t purchase more. Just lovely with grilled duck breast, potato gratin, and sautéed spinach. Just singing. Strong re-buy, for sure.
October 27, 2018 - The wine was big a delicious
October 27, 2018 - This wine was big a delicious
October 23, 2017 - One of the only wines that consistently tastes like it’s name. Iron, venison blood, and macerated cherries elegantly smoothly playing together. Just a touch of underbrush and garrigue creating intrigue. I love this wine. Drink or hold, but probably done improving.
October 6, 2015 - Day 1 Olive and blueberry, sweet basil and other fine herbs. Backwards on the palate for the first hour, tannin then fruit. That changes slightly over a few hours. Very tiny ripe blackberries muddled in stone, wet earth, grippy tannic bite, and smoke.
Excellent old world example
Day2 has smoothed this wine considerably. mix of dark berries and exotic apple.
excellent
July 12, 2015 - Perfectly a point now. A lovely mix of dark fruits with liquorice, and dark chocolate. Great balance. Enjoyed by all the 12 who tried them; sadly they enjoyed them so much all 5 bottles were finished and I have no more to worry if they are still in their drinking window!
May 9, 2015 - One-time favourite starting to tire, with acids loosing their freshness, alcohol taking over the balance and dark-plummy heaviness threatening. Drink up - it's all downhill from here.
February 16, 2014 - Both bottles showing freshness, spice, ripe tannins and good fruit. Delicious. But not everyone enjoyed them - couldn't work that one out for myself. I just think they were wrong. A lovely wine! Will continue to improve.
April 5, 2013 - Fruit dried out a bit compared to two years ago. But since then has picked up some exotic floral notes: rose petal, tiger lily, violet. Licorice, clover, blackberry, hint of vanilla, cocoa powder. On the palate, medium plus acidity, medium tannins, ripe and velvety. Medium plus finish. At 14% abv it doesn't taste alcoholic at all. Well-balanced. Worlds apart from your Australian GSM blend. Just make sure to decant it first for an hour or so as a typical Vacqueyras usually has a higher portion of Syrah and Mourvedre, which are both prone to reduction, than a Gigondas or a CdP. Decanting helps getting rid of the smell.
January 13, 2013 - Beautiful wine. Very consistent with the vintage and terriior.