While a bit beyond its window still drinking well but not a lot left. Considering the small (30%) Syrah I was surprised it was so prominent. It tasted more like 70 or 80% Syrah, so I checked the label.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
PnP after 2 yrs in cellar, drank over 3+ hrs, pleasing aromas but not forward, soft and earthy tastes with hints of berries, mocha, and just a touch of licorice/spice, but never really strutted its stuff. Short-med finish. Tried to give time/air to show, but couldn't tease it out, fruit was rather subdued and acid a bit weak. Maybe bottle variation, will definitely decant next btl, but could just be fading downhill. JD 90 pts a stretch for now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Wow, this has really blossomed out over the past year and is showing oodles of fruit that were submerged at last tasting. Profound bouquet of smoky Carignan and meaty Syrah and it comes across as very Boislauzon or Beaucastel-like. CdP satisfaction at $15, what’s not to like? This has a few more years of nice drinking, at least. 5+11+16+8= 90
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Initially tight and tannic, but better when open for a couple of hours. Red berries, pepper, minerals and a little earth. Excellent with our Mamoun's food (mostly lamb). Great QPR for $14 / bottle. Will be really good with 2 years of bottle age. I think I will try to buy some more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Notes after consuming two glasses over 4 hours open. Very dark purple color with clear, medium-speed legs and just a pinch of sediment. Light aroma of red berries, white pepper, vanilla, stones, and mist. Firm tannins and ample acidity, the fruit can seem hard to find but it's there, along with a sense of gravelly minerality. Short to medium length finish and I think it has plenty of life left. 4+11+14+8= 87
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Maybe a bad bottle, alcohol bouquet, no tannin, not much flavor, tried over 30 minutes with not much improvement, just flat, too much other wine to try again , drank with pizza.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
The wine is a blend of 30% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 30% Carignan, and all of these are vieilles vignes. A ruby red wine, the aroma is full of red berries, anise and something spicy(Humus perhaps). A wine that attacks the palate with good tannins, concentration of flavours like anise, dill and other spices, and even a bit of vanilla. The wine is 14% on alcohol, so it is a rather big wine, but not too much, good balance. it is still a silky almost creamy wine with a nice and long finish. Well-enjoyable!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
To be fair, this bottle had been open for several days and forgotten about in the fridge before I finished the last glass tonight. Overall impression is of a wonderfully rustic and grippy syrah that is still wrapped up quite tight, even after being exposed to air for so long. I will leave my other bottles alone for a year or two.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Light aroma with notes of berry, leather, and a hint of violets. Nice balance of fruit and acid on the palate with a pleasant lingering finish. Bright and cheery, well balanced, great with a carnitas burrito. 50 + 15 + 15 + 8.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
Deep red with a hint of violet. Aromas of flowers and earth. Rich fruit, some euchalyptus. Clean, light-medium body. Nice acidic lift, tannins fully resolved by day 2 (some bite at the first bottle open). Pleasant wine, good with food. Fairly polished for the region.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A winning everyday wine. The Syrah provides a spicy backbone. The Grenache offers calming fruit and the Carignan ties it all together for dinner. This is another, "If I stumbled on it in my travels, I would dance" wines. In the interest of balance, this wine is more about dinner, less about "tasting", more about terroir, less about value, more about a good winemaker, making wine that is drinkable today. There's a lot of sophistication here, great legs, silky mouthfeel, multi faceted palate, only dressed down a bit. Gorgeous to look at. Long finish, still holding back a little, while drinking beautifully now, I see 2 or 3 years left. Total winner. Sorry I have only three left.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
We decanted the wine for thirty minutes before we poured the first glasses. It was dark ruby in colour and offered red and dark fruit, lavender, anise and herbal notes on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red and dark fruit, cherry, blackberry, herbs, liquorice, anise and bitter chocolate, complemented by underlying mineral notes, with good, medium to medium-plus acidity, fine, medium-plus tannin and very good length. An easy-drinking, medium-bodied, medium-complex, well-balanced Côtes du Roussillon Villages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
3 A funky nose of black pepper, intense dried sage and tarragon, and blue fruits in the background. A mid-weight wine with medium, but soft tannins. A curious wine, riding the line between intriguing and odd. Despite this, purity is evident. No extra weight. Good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
/ Comment
Best after 30 minutes, when it built up more licorice and olive tapanade notes. Started heading downhill -- slightly -- 60 minutes in. A bit lighter than I was expecting (at the light end of medium bodied). 88-89
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
A well made, food friendly wine with subtle raspberry notes and a long finish. I've tried several other < $20 Garagiste picks from Languedoc and this is my favorite so far. Great QPR at $13. Poured first glasses about 20 minutes before we began and that seemed to be plenty, did not need a decant.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
/ Comment
6/6/2020 - Francophile Likes this wine: 87 Points
While a bit beyond its window still drinking well but not a lot left. Considering the small (30%) Syrah I was surprised it was so prominent. It tasted more like 70 or 80% Syrah, so I checked the label.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
3/9/2019 - Laz4wine wrote: 85 Points
Consistent with previous bottle, just serviceable
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
2/15/2019 - Laz4wine wrote: 86 Points
PnP after 2 yrs in cellar, drank over 3+ hrs, pleasing aromas but not forward, soft and earthy tastes with hints of berries, mocha, and just a touch of licorice/spice, but never really strutted its stuff. Short-med finish. Tried to give time/air to show, but couldn't tease it out, fruit was rather subdued and acid a bit weak. Maybe bottle variation, will definitely decant next btl, but could just be fading downhill. JD 90 pts a stretch for now.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
10/15/2018 - davidspieker wrote: 87 Points
Dark garnet color. Fermented berry aromas. Flavors of earthy dark cherry and raspberry. Lengthy earthy finish. Declining.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
1/25/2018 - fingers Likes this wine: 90 Points
Wow, this has really blossomed out over the past year and is showing oodles of fruit that were submerged at last tasting. Profound bouquet of smoky Carignan and meaty Syrah and it comes across as very Boislauzon or Beaucastel-like. CdP satisfaction at $15, what’s not to like? This has a few more years of nice drinking, at least. 5+11+16+8= 90
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/6/2017 - davidspieker wrote: 89 Points
Dark garnet color. Fermented berry aromas. Nicely balanced flavors of dark cherry, raspberry, blackberry and earth. Lengthy and seamless finish.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
10/18/2017 - brinko99 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Loads of fruit, garrigue, and fun. Well structured and balanced. Rich but not excessive.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
8/11/2017 - organicveggie Does not like this wine:
Extremely tannic and acidic. Disappointing.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/2/2017 - TashNYC wrote: 90 Points
Initially tight and tannic, but better when open for a couple of hours. Red berries, pepper, minerals and a little earth. Excellent with our Mamoun's food (mostly lamb). Great QPR for $14 / bottle. Will be really good with 2 years of bottle age. I think I will try to buy some more.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/31/2017 - fingers wrote: 87 Points
Notes after consuming two glasses over 4 hours open. Very dark purple color with clear, medium-speed legs and just a pinch of sediment. Light aroma of red berries, white pepper, vanilla, stones, and mist. Firm tannins and ample acidity, the fruit can seem hard to find but it's there, along with a sense of gravelly minerality. Short to medium length finish and I think it has plenty of life left. 4+11+14+8= 87
2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/19/2017 - mwneil Does not like this wine: 80 Points
Maybe a bad bottle, alcohol bouquet, no tannin, not much flavor, tried over 30 minutes with not much improvement, just flat, too much other wine to try again , drank with pizza.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
9/28/2016 - Benjamin on Wine wrote: 84 Points
The wine is a blend of 30% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 30% Carignan, and all of these are vieilles vignes. A ruby red wine, the aroma is full of red berries, anise and something spicy(Humus perhaps). A wine that attacks the palate with good tannins, concentration of flavours like anise, dill and other spices, and even a bit of vanilla. The wine is 14% on alcohol, so it is a rather big wine, but not too much, good balance. it is still a silky almost creamy wine with a nice and long finish. Well-enjoyable!
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
8/14/2016 - fingers Likes this wine:
To be fair, this bottle had been open for several days and forgotten about in the fridge before I finished the last glass tonight. Overall impression is of a wonderfully rustic and grippy syrah that is still wrapped up quite tight, even after being exposed to air for so long. I will leave my other bottles alone for a year or two.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
5/7/2016 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 88 Points
Light aroma with notes of berry, leather, and a hint of violets. Nice balance of fruit and acid on the palate with a pleasant lingering finish. Bright and cheery, well balanced, great with a carnitas burrito. 50 + 15 + 15 + 8.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/11/2016 - lelandinmichigan wrote: 88 Points
Deep red with a hint of violet.
Aromas of flowers and earth. Rich fruit, some euchalyptus.
Clean, light-medium body. Nice acidic lift, tannins fully resolved by day 2 (some bite at the first bottle open). Pleasant wine, good with food. Fairly polished for the region.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
2/2/2016 - Ideasthatstick Likes this wine:
A winning everyday wine. The Syrah provides a spicy backbone. The Grenache offers calming fruit and the Carignan ties it all together for dinner. This is another, "If I stumbled on it in my travels, I would dance" wines. In the interest of balance, this wine is more about dinner, less about "tasting", more about terroir, less about value, more about a good winemaker, making wine that is drinkable today. There's a lot of sophistication here, great legs, silky mouthfeel, multi faceted palate, only dressed down a bit. Gorgeous to look at. Long finish, still holding back a little, while drinking beautifully now, I see 2 or 3 years left. Total winner. Sorry I have only three left.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/30/2016 - JimEaton Likes this wine: 89 Points
A very nice rhone. Great nose with lots of dark fruit. Some spjce on the pallet. Really like this wine.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
1/29/2016 - PSPatrick wrote: 88 Points
We decanted the wine for thirty minutes before we poured the first glasses. It was dark ruby in colour and offered red and dark fruit, lavender, anise and herbal notes on the nose. On the palate the wine showed red and dark fruit, cherry, blackberry, herbs, liquorice, anise and bitter chocolate, complemented by underlying mineral notes, with good, medium to medium-plus acidity, fine, medium-plus tannin and very good length. An easy-drinking, medium-bodied, medium-complex, well-balanced Côtes du Roussillon Villages.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
12/23/2015 - TJay Likes this wine: 89 Points
Excellent value, this is quite nice. Very well balanced fruit against tannins and acid.
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/29/2015 - wagonwine wrote:
3 A funky nose of black pepper, intense dried sage and tarragon, and blue fruits in the background. A mid-weight wine with medium, but soft tannins. A curious wine, riding the line between intriguing and odd. Despite this, purity is evident. No extra weight. Good.
Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment
11/26/2015 - joraesque wrote: 89 Points
Best after 30 minutes, when it built up more licorice and olive tapanade notes. Started heading downhill -- slightly -- 60 minutes in. A bit lighter than I was expecting (at the light end of medium bodied).
88-89
1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment
11/3/2015 - mehalchin Likes this wine: 89 Points
A well made, food friendly wine with subtle raspberry notes and a long finish. I've tried several other < $20 Garagiste picks from Languedoc and this is my favorite so far. Great QPR at $13. Poured first glasses about 20 minutes before we began and that seemed to be plenty, did not need a decant.
3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment