2016 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas
Community Tasting Note
Motz wrote:
Sunday, July 29, 2018 - Shared with friends and finished the bottle during the course of a fine evening. Did not decant but should have, as the wine presented several layers of baby fat that masked its true substance until after several hours of air. Wholly enjoyable from the outset. Typical if restrained bouquet. Deep purple essences, coco powder, crushed and rocks. Lush, dense, and juicy, balanced oak and alcohol treatment.
After four hours of air the plushness began receding quickly...and the wine morphed into a tannin and mineral driven monster! Great day in the (wine)...evening!!! WOW! This features all the elements that make Gigondas stand out, and allows $30 to $50 specimens to compete with $100+ CdP bottles. For those with aversions to what I have happily seen described as soul-destroying tannins, if drinking now, probably best to not decant, but simply enjoy the baby fat, and ponder the substance...before the wine bears its tannic teeth. I would not hesitate to age bottles for at least five years, check one, and then age the others five more, etc. Likely to improve. 92-94.
Also noteworthy: To the best of knowledge this is the first serious (well-known, highly-regarded, etc.) 2016 French Red that I have tasted. If this wine is representative of the vintage overall, we have an great vintage to discover. Time will tell, and I look forward to the experience.
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4 comments have been posted
4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue (3,668 views)
Comment posted by Portland Seth:
8/1/2018 9:08:00 PM - That's why I love to drink Rhones young. I did not encounter the tannin dragon, but I will try another bottle and give it more air
Comment posted by Motz:
8/2/2018 8:40:00 AM - Mornin' PortlandSeth: Why do you like to drink Rhone wines young? That was not clear. If because you appreciate tannin, like I do, then this wine will not disappoint after a four+ hour decant.
Comment posted by Portland Seth:
8/26/2018 10:19:00 PM - Yes, I love chalky tannins on Rhones. Bought another bottle and gave it more air. This bottle seemed much more closed than the first one I opened and wrote a note on. The fruit was darker and murkier than I remembered.
Comment posted by Motz:
8/29/2018 7:57:00 AM - Did you think it an off bottle? It seems with some Rhones that air causes fruit to recede and brings out the structure. I do not mind fruit, but it is not what I look for in wines, and I usually appreciate when fruit recedes in young wines wine, as this lets the real substance (terroir) and structure show through, allowing for a fuller evaluation of cellaring potential.