Very nice on opening , but excellent after 4 hours of air. Charactaristics of a classy Bordeaux and that of a really good chateauneuf - hugely enjoyable!
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Valentine's Day wine. Ate with a North African inspired chicken dish, a lovely pairing. Unlike prior note, very drinkable after 3-4 hours of air.
Medium ruby color. Aromas of red plum, sour cherry, smoke, leather, potting soil and white pepper. Silky texture, but a little thin for my liking. Medium-full bodied. Sour cherry and slight medicinal quality on the palate. Tannins remain a bit unresolved and grippy, so some time may still do this wine good.
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Much more open and ready to go. Especially on day 2, when I got lovely rose and bright fruit on the nose. Drink or hold a few years. This was always a great value wine for me (although the price keeps creeping up).
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This is really starting to hit its stride. Very pleasant ripe dark fruit, can drink on its own or with food. Even the missus went out of her way with positive commentary, unusual for her + Gigondas.
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Less fruit driven than most of the other St. Damien bottles I’ve had. Very savory which went great with a meal, but I enjoyed less on it’s own. More medium weight than heavy.
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This was so open-knit, expressive and inviting with sweet savory red fruit and just the right acidity. Am realizing I should be buying more of these Rhones as they are such great quality for the price. This is showing so well now and not sure if there's much benefit to more ageing.
Pnp. Medium+ ruby-garnet in colour. Nose of boysenberries, raspberries, with some plums and garrigue. On the palate, black cherry cola with some black peppery plums and a touch of milk chocolate on the palate; slight tannins; seems to be missing something from the mid palate since I last tasted this. Medium bodied with a medium finish. Last tasted February 2020.
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We're a family of Gigondas and St-Damien lovers, but this 2015 Souteyrades has never wowed us the way other vintages and bottles of S-D have. It's lightweight but lacks the beauty and elegance required for greatness of a lightweight red.
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PNP - Dark red color. On nose, garrigue, leather, raspberry and strawberry (palate was similar). Medium+ body, medium acidity & tannins and long finish. 92+/-
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Popped and poured. Opulent, not-quite-opaque dark ruby. Nice legs. Some good fruit lurking in the nose, but quite shy at this point. Well short of exploding from the glass. Much fuller and richer in the mouth, with a really fine dollop of toasty, tasty, oaky fruit, but there is also an off-putting note that makes itself apparent towards the finish. I'll wait awhile to see whether this goes away with air (or God forbid, becomes even more apparent).
A couple hours later, the offensive nuance is gone. What really strikes me here is the incredible youth; quite primary with loads of fresh, ripe raspberry and other red fruit, totally lacking in secondary notes you usually find in a fine old Cote Rotie like smoked meat and bacon fat. I think this might last 30 years. It is very attractive now, but likely to get even better with more time to develop. At this moment: 5-12-16-9: 92/100.
Next day: Same score as before, but now showing more tertiary nuances. This was a pretty good value for a nice Cornas. Not to say it will ever show as well as a Jamet or the La Las, but hey, they cost a lot more.
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Not sure why but my previous bottle fell short. Not this one, this was my last bottle, and what a nice way to go out, seemed like it needed all those seven years in the bottle. I did open a bottle once a year to check its progress and the early years it was just too harsh, and it seemed to come together all at once at 7. Full bodied and assertive and integrated.
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Garnet in color with slight break and edge. Knows of cherries and raspberries with a hint of leather and earth. Taste of cherries, tobacco, menthol, licorice, and hence of earth. Bright fruit, pronounced acidity, and balanced structure. Sneaky tannins, tasting young and powerful. Taste better on day two then on day one. Drinking well now but like the edge positively of the next 5 to 7 years.
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Nose is violet flowers, fruit of strawberry, almost a bit of chocolate ganache. Flavors are explosive and fresh. Some light fruit notes. The wine is pretty wound up and needs some years still to fully resolve and integrate. Nice acidity on the finish that holds the wine together. I would rate it a 90, but I would rather wait to deliver a number.
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Lots of sweet plum and dried herb. Red and black licorice with fig tart to the middle. Almost started to think this one suffered from VA but the wine really needed a lot of good accoutrement. Served with chili dogs (hey, it doesn't have to be beurre blanc!). All by itself, the mor youthful and slightly unrefined nature of this one shows itself. Unless you're serving this with some serious heavy food, it is probably best to let this one sit a couple of years to integrate more. Although an enjoyable wine now (with certain terms), there is serious upside potential here.
Opened on Christmas, 3h air, then drank over two days. 80% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, aged 12m in oak. Medium garnet color. Plum, dried strawberry, licorice and baking spice on the nose. Restrained, but excellent, with depth aplenty. Satin texture, rich and round flavors of plum and some spice notes, framed by fine-grained tannins. Still room to run on this one, worth holding right now in my opinion. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like again in a couple years.
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Decanted two hours (no sediment). Lively and lovely raspberry compote, some minerals and granite in a medium bodied structure. Excellent finish with good energy. Just a bit of tannin. I think this is close to peak, but will give the next bottle 6 months or so. Wife thought it was a medium bodied, younger Zin = 94. I gave it a 92, so we'll compromise :)
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I have to echo most of what's been previously said about this wine. I'm going to enjoy seeing what happens to this and its sister (La Louisiane) over the next few years.
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Vinturried into a decanter and let sit for 3+ hours. Has a medium+ ruby in colour; nose of ripe raspberries and strawberries with some orange rinds with a touch of anise and garrigue. On the palate, there are black cherries with plums along with some black peppery dark green herbs ending with a spicy finish. Medium bodied with a medium+ finish. 93-94 pts.
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A distinctive Rhône experience, fruitcake spices and black earthiness abound, with a distinctive fizz evocative of a Riesling Kabinett. I can’t say I’ve tasted anything quite like it. Nothing like a traditional CDP, not as rough as a typical Rasteau, this must be what they mean by “terroir” .
PnP then consumed over two nights. Night one showed soft red fruit, soft structure and substantial minerality a la wet cement. Although restrained, quite pleasant. Night two brought more assertive fruit colliding with strident structure. Obviously young and bipolar at the moment, several years down should reveal a very nice effort.
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Garrigue, black raspberry, baking spice, licorice on nose. On palate, similar flavor profile. Full body, medium acids, medium tannins and a long finish. Very enjoyable - better with time but fine on PNP. 93+
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Decanted for 1h. Ripe black cherry and raspberry, licorice root, violet, stones. Silky and peppery upfront with firm tannin and balanced acidity. Red and dark berry flavors with licorice root and cherry liquor on the finish. Very high alcohol
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This meaty, fruity, decently structured wine was super with two moroccan red meat la'achas: slow cooked beef shortrib with nardello pepper, hibiscus, and fresno chili; and lamb shoulder tagine with lamb, cumin, and almond. Enjoyable now with upside; ideal 2020-2025.
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P: Med body; Very NICE frt met by some puckerish astringency which DOES pretty much resolve by the LONG, BALANCED finish with almost a lip-smacking tangy/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. DESERVES through '19, then drinking for 3-4 yrs more. My EXC-/EXC. 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck, 94 WA, 92 Vinous (Raynolds), and 16/20 Jancis Robinson & 4*/5 drinkrhone.com (ea a cask sample). [This vendor's $27.95 is @ the top of wine-searcher's currently limited listings.]
Note: For whatever reason, I found this tasting markedly more approachable than I had on 7/21/2018. So, at least in part based upon the other TNs here so far, perhaps it's "safest" to give this 'til at least sometime in 2020?
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Popped and poured. Took about a half an hour to start to show its stuff. Even so, still very young. Thick, viscous-looking wine with a virtually opaque black raspberry color and thick legs. Loaded with fruit, though largely masked for now. Jammy black raspberry in the nose. Elegant and rich in the mouth, but still tannic. In time, this should be outstanding. 5-12-16-9: 92/100.
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Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 3 *shared* bottles] from 07/20/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Typically, 80% Grenache (1948) & 20% Mourvèdre (1977) grown in SW-oriented, low stone content, white, grey-yellow clay soils on lower terraced lands of a plot called Les Souteyrades. Mostly destemmed & concrete vat co-fermented for ~7 wks; Aged in 50 hl oak barrels 12-15 mos; Unfined & unfiltered. ~750 cs made
N: Slightly closed; Cherries, garrigue?
P: LM body; NICE frt quickly met by an astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the fairly plentiful tannins. NEEDS through '21, I'm guessing, then making its 10th. 15% ABV; My EXC, very likely more IF one compares its QPR to similarly constituted CdPs. 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck, 94 WA, 92 Vinous (Raynolds), and 16/20 Jancis Robinson & 4*/5 drinkrhone.com (ea a cask sample). [This vendor's $27.95 is @ the top of wine-searcher's currently limited listings.]
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Some porty/VA notes that were a bit off putting for my palate but behind that lots of pretty red fruits, some garrigue and fig with a touch of alc on the finish but not out of balance.
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Tasted over two days, from a Coravin, alongside the 2015 Beaucastel. I wanted to compare the JD 97 point Gigondas next to the JD 96 point CdP. This is fresh and burly, but it also shows a distinct VA or VA-like element, that did not blow off in the glass. In theory, VA should not be bottle specific, and I wonder if decanting for a while would allow it to show better.
Otherwise, this is a wine of substance, dense and with great energy. Will pull the cork and let it breathe soon. If the VA does blow off, score it a few points higher.
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This is quite fabulous. Dark red cherry color. Very pretty nose, inticing, with lovely wild raspberry fruit. I could sniff this all day and never tire of it. Not incredibly complex, it nevertheless draws you in with its purity of fruit, well delineated. Not a fruit bomb, rather, balanced and floral. The wine carries this through to the mouth, where it’s youth is revealed with tight tannin that only suggests it can get even better with time. I wouldn’t quibble with anyone who wanted to drink it now for its exuberant fruit, however. A real winner and shows the great strides being made in Gigondas in recent years. I am getting to the point where I prefer Gigondas to CdP. The quality-and value compared to its neighbor-are undeniable. 4-13-17-9: 93/100.
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Casiss, strawberry, garrigue and blackberry jam on the nose. In the mouth mostly strawberry and chalk with a hint of cured meat. The mid-palate seems hollow to me, hence not scored as high as the previous reviewers.
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Savory strawberry and thyme, this also has raw steak, clove and salty river rock. The entry is delectable and fleshy, with an elegant middle and a long finish that almost sways. Incredibly enjoyable without a decant, yet displays enough backbone to suggest the proper ability to cellar. Bravo. Drink now - 2027.
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Winery Visit; Saint-Damien, Gigondas, Rhône, France.: Cask sample. Beautiful bouquet with dark and red berries and cherries. Very clean and youthful. On the palate already a beautiful and full bodied wine with – in this stage – cherries and raspberries, good acidity, some pleasant sweetness and round tannin with a beautiful bite. Great wine with a good future. 93 – 94+
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3/30/2024 - Handy1 wrote: 92 Points
Pop n poured. Dark fruit still with some
Tannins noticeable. Little bitterness at end that smoothed out with some air. Recommend quick decant
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1/26/2024 - silbakor wrote: 89 Points
Still quite chewy tannins. High acid. Med body. Try waiting a few more years to see if it mellows a bit more.
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11/23/2023 - Pak64 wrote: 91 Points
Nose: leather, some ripe fruit, pepper
Taste: sour cherry opening, red fruit, white pepper finish
Light to medium/light body, slightly acidic
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11/17/2023 - #alexindahouse Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice on opening , but excellent after 4 hours of air. Charactaristics of a classy Bordeaux and that of a really good chateauneuf - hugely enjoyable!
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10/17/2023 - daveyleis1 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Had this tonight with steak, baked potato, roasted spicy cauliflower and arugula salad. Perfect paring!
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3/28/2023 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drinking well. Full-bodied with deep dark fruit.
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2/14/2023 - daveyk39 wrote: 91 Points
Valentine's Day wine. Ate with a North African inspired chicken dish, a lovely pairing. Unlike prior note, very drinkable after 3-4 hours of air.
Medium ruby color. Aromas of red plum, sour cherry, smoke, leather, potting soil and white pepper. Silky texture, but a little thin for my liking. Medium-full bodied. Sour cherry and slight medicinal quality on the palate. Tannins remain a bit unresolved and grippy, so some time may still do this wine good.
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2/12/2023 - anstruletz Likes this wine:
Much more open and ready to go. Especially on day 2, when I got lovely rose and bright fruit on the nose. Drink or hold a few years. This was always a great value wine for me (although the price keeps creeping up).
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2/7/2023 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Ready to drink. Quite good. Full bodied lush fruit, not overpowering, well integrated, delicious.
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1/15/2023 - petervlam@skpnet.nl Likes this wine: 90 Points
Blijft een hele mooie wijn. Pruim, kers, leder, kruidigheid (laurier) en wat koffie en tabak.
De 2015 is denk ik nu wel behoorlijk op zijn top.
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1/15/2023 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is really starting to hit its stride. Very pleasant ripe dark fruit, can drink on its own or with food. Even the missus went out of her way with positive commentary, unusual for her + Gigondas.
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1/7/2023 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
Had a cold so a bit hard to assess this.
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12/11/2022 - td1836 wrote: 91 Points
Less fruit driven than most of the other St. Damien bottles I’ve had. Very savory which went great with a meal, but I enjoyed less on it’s own. More medium weight than heavy.
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10/25/2022 - John McCabe wrote: 93 Points
This was so open-knit, expressive and inviting with sweet savory red fruit and just the right acidity. Am realizing I should be buying more of these Rhones as they are such great quality for the price. This is showing so well now and not sure if there's much benefit to more ageing.
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10/7/2022 - AMC Eagle wrote: 92 Points
Pnp. Medium+ ruby-garnet in colour. Nose of boysenberries, raspberries, with some plums and garrigue. On the palate, black cherry cola with some black peppery plums and a touch of milk chocolate on the palate; slight tannins; seems to be missing something from the mid palate since I last tasted this. Medium bodied with a medium finish. Last tasted February 2020.
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9/16/2022 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright acidity, slightly tannic with some cherry flavor. Very tasty.
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9/8/2022 - Montesquieu wrote: 90 Points
We're a family of Gigondas and St-Damien lovers, but this 2015 Souteyrades has never wowed us the way other vintages and bottles of S-D have. It's lightweight but lacks the beauty and elegance required for greatness of a lightweight red.
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8/22/2022 - CWilliam wrote:
PNP - Dark red color. On nose, garrigue, leather, raspberry and strawberry (palate was similar). Medium+ body, medium acidity & tannins and long finish. 92+/-
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8/1/2022 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Opulent, not-quite-opaque dark ruby. Nice legs. Some good fruit lurking in the nose, but quite shy at this point. Well short of exploding from the glass. Much fuller and richer in the mouth, with a really fine dollop of toasty, tasty, oaky fruit, but there is also an off-putting note that makes itself apparent towards the finish. I'll wait awhile to see whether this goes away with air (or God forbid, becomes even more apparent).
A couple hours later, the offensive nuance is gone. What really strikes me here is the incredible youth; quite primary with loads of fresh, ripe raspberry and other red fruit, totally lacking in secondary notes you usually find in a fine old Cote Rotie like smoked meat and bacon fat. I think this might last 30 years. It is very attractive now, but likely to get even better with more time to develop. At this moment: 5-12-16-9: 92/100.
Next day: Same score as before, but now showing more tertiary nuances. This was a pretty good value for a nice Cornas. Not to say it will ever show as well as a Jamet or the La Las, but hey, they cost a lot more.
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3/30/2022 - Peter Z. Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rustic
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2/28/2022 - DDicaprio Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not sure why but my previous bottle fell short. Not this one, this was my last bottle, and what a nice way to go out, seemed like it needed all those seven years in the bottle. I did open a bottle once a year to check its progress and the early years it was just too harsh, and it seemed to come together all at once at 7. Full bodied and assertive and integrated.
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2/11/2022 - depdoc Likes this wine: 92 Points
Has really come around and is now really ready .
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10/31/2021 - efeldhake@yahoo.com Likes this wine: 93 Points
Garnet in color with slight break and edge. Knows of cherries and raspberries with a hint of leather and earth. Taste of cherries, tobacco, menthol, licorice, and hence of earth. Bright fruit, pronounced acidity, and balanced structure. Sneaky tannins, tasting young and powerful. Taste better on day two then on day one. Drinking well now but like the edge positively of the next 5 to 7 years.
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9/2/2021 - Justinneal654 Likes this wine:
Nose is violet flowers, fruit of strawberry, almost a bit of chocolate ganache. Flavors are explosive and fresh. Some light fruit notes. The wine is pretty wound up and needs some years still to fully resolve and integrate. Nice acidity on the finish that holds the wine together. I would rate it a 90, but I would rather wait to deliver a number.
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4/12/2021 - mflesh wrote: 91 Points
Lots of sweet plum and dried herb. Red and black licorice with fig tart to the middle. Almost started to think this one suffered from VA but the wine really needed a lot of good accoutrement. Served with chili dogs (hey, it doesn't have to be beurre blanc!). All by itself, the mor youthful and slightly unrefined nature of this one shows itself. Unless you're serving this with some serious heavy food, it is probably best to let this one sit a couple of years to integrate more. Although an enjoyable wine now (with certain terms), there is serious upside potential here.
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12/26/2020 - daveyk39 wrote: 91 Points
Opened on Christmas, 3h air, then drank over two days. 80% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, aged 12m in oak. Medium garnet color. Plum, dried strawberry, licorice and baking spice on the nose. Restrained, but excellent, with depth aplenty. Satin texture, rich and round flavors of plum and some spice notes, framed by fine-grained tannins. Still room to run on this one, worth holding right now in my opinion. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like again in a couple years.
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12/25/2020 - ogres3 Likes this wine: 92 Points
The more I drink the Gigondas, the more I like them.
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11/28/2020 - BHRH Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted two hours (no sediment). Lively and lovely raspberry compote, some minerals and granite in a medium bodied structure. Excellent finish with good energy. Just a bit of tannin. I think this is close to peak, but will give the next bottle 6 months or so. Wife thought it was a medium bodied, younger Zin = 94. I gave it a 92, so we'll compromise :)
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11/10/2020 - DDicaprio wrote: 90 Points
wasnt as good as past bottles
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10/10/2020 - Zweder wrote: 92 Points
Lovely wine with good garrique, nice berry fruits, good acidity and round tannin with a pleasant bite.
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5/31/2020 - weinmatt Likes this wine: 92 Points
I have to echo most of what's been previously said about this wine. I'm going to enjoy seeing what happens to this and its sister (La Louisiane) over the next few years.
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4/3/2020 - anstruletz Likes this wine:
Tight! Structures there.
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2/9/2020 - AMC Eagle wrote: 94 Points
Vinturried into a decanter and let sit for 3+ hours. Has a medium+ ruby in colour; nose of ripe raspberries and strawberries with some orange rinds with a touch of anise and garrigue. On the palate, there are black cherries with plums along with some black peppery dark green herbs ending with a spicy finish. Medium bodied with a medium+ finish. 93-94 pts.
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12/14/2019 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine: 91 Points
A distinctive Rhône experience, fruitcake spices and black earthiness abound, with a distinctive fizz evocative of a Riesling Kabinett. I can’t say I’ve tasted anything quite like it. Nothing like a traditional CDP, not as rough as a typical Rasteau, this must be what they mean by “terroir” .
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11/13/2019 - yatchisin Likes this wine: 92 Points
Full bodied yet showing some restraint, this is an enthralling wine of black raspberry fruit and anise and violets and herbs. PnP--wish I decanted.
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1/25/2019 - mpsocal Likes this wine: 91 Points
Bright acidity with some cherry flavor. A little tannic too.
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12/22/2018 - jeagle wrote:
PnP then consumed over two nights. Night one showed soft red fruit, soft structure and substantial minerality a la wet cement. Although restrained, quite pleasant. Night two brought more assertive fruit colliding with strident structure. Obviously young and bipolar at the moment, several years down should reveal a very nice effort.
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12/10/2018 - DeLuz wrote: flawed
Buyer beware. Corked bottle $30 down the drain.
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11/6/2018 - CWilliam wrote: 93 Points
Dark red color.
Garrigue, black raspberry, baking spice, licorice on nose. On palate, similar flavor profile. Full body, medium acids, medium tannins and a long finish. Very enjoyable - better with time but fine on PNP. 93+
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10/20/2018 - Alpton wrote: 91 Points
Decanted for 1h. Ripe black cherry and raspberry, licorice root, violet, stones. Silky and peppery upfront with firm tannin and balanced acidity. Red and dark berry flavors with licorice root and cherry liquor on the finish. Very high alcohol
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10/16/2018 - Rollerball wrote:
This meaty, fruity, decently structured wine was super with two moroccan red meat la'achas: slow cooked beef shortrib with nardello pepper, hibiscus, and fresno chili; and lamb shoulder tagine with lamb, cumin, and almond. Enjoyable now with upside; ideal 2020-2025.
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10/10/2018 - wondersofwine Likes this wine: 88 Points
15% abv. Dark purple color; opaque. Rich dark fruit. Grippy and somewhat tannic.
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9/15/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Rhone & 4 Shared Reds (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Typically, 80% Grenache (1948) & 20% Mourvèdre (1977) grown in SW-oriented, low stone content, white, grey-yellow clay soils on lower terraced lands of a plot called Les Souteyrades. Mostly destemmed & concrete vat co-fermented for ~7 wks; Aged in 50 hl oak barrels 12-15 mos; Unfined & unfiltered. ~750 cs made
N: Slightly closed; Garrigue slightly atop berries? Possibly smoke?
P: Med body; Very NICE frt met by some puckerish astringency which DOES pretty much resolve by the LONG, BALANCED finish with almost a lip-smacking tangy/swtness to the very, VERY fine tannins. DESERVES through '19, then drinking for 3-4 yrs more. My EXC-/EXC. 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck, 94 WA, 92 Vinous (Raynolds), and 16/20 Jancis Robinson & 4*/5 drinkrhone.com (ea a cask sample). [This vendor's $27.95 is @ the top of wine-searcher's currently limited listings.]
Note: For whatever reason, I found this tasting markedly more approachable than I had on 7/21/2018. So, at least in part based upon the other TNs here so far, perhaps it's "safest" to give this 'til at least sometime in 2020?
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9/9/2018 - MicklethePickle wrote: 92 Points
Popped and poured. Took about a half an hour to start to show its stuff. Even so, still very young. Thick, viscous-looking wine with a virtually opaque black raspberry color and thick legs. Loaded with fruit, though largely masked for now. Jammy black raspberry in the nose. Elegant and rich in the mouth, but still tannic. In time, this should be outstanding. 5-12-16-9: 92/100.
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8/13/2018 - STM82 wrote: 94 Points
So much better the second night.
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7/21/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Winebar [4 Whites, 8 Reds, & 3 *shared* bottles] from 07/20/18 (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): Typically, 80% Grenache (1948) & 20% Mourvèdre (1977) grown in SW-oriented, low stone content, white, grey-yellow clay soils on lower terraced lands of a plot called Les Souteyrades. Mostly destemmed & concrete vat co-fermented for ~7 wks; Aged in 50 hl oak barrels 12-15 mos; Unfined & unfiltered. ~750 cs made
N: Slightly closed; Cherries, garrigue?
P: LM body; NICE frt quickly met by an astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness to the fairly plentiful tannins. NEEDS through '21, I'm guessing, then making its 10th. 15% ABV; My EXC, very likely more IF one compares its QPR to similarly constituted CdPs. 97 pts Jeb Dunnuck, 94 WA, 92 Vinous (Raynolds), and 16/20 Jancis Robinson & 4*/5 drinkrhone.com (ea a cask sample). [This vendor's $27.95 is @ the top of wine-searcher's currently limited listings.]
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7/16/2018 - bajayngo wrote:
Some porty/VA notes that were a bit off putting for my palate but behind that lots of pretty red fruits, some garrigue and fig with a touch of alc on the finish but not out of balance.
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6/7/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
With the bottle open and time in the glass, the VA element blew off, revealing complexity and depth. Ripe, unctuous, and meaty. Still coming together.
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5/28/2018 - anstruletz wrote: flawed
Corked
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5/7/2018 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Tasted over two days, from a Coravin, alongside the 2015 Beaucastel. I wanted to compare the JD 97 point Gigondas next to the JD 96 point CdP. This is fresh and burly, but it also shows a distinct VA or VA-like element, that did not blow off in the glass. In theory, VA should not be bottle specific, and I wonder if decanting for a while would allow it to show better.
Otherwise, this is a wine of substance, dense and with great energy. Will pull the cork and let it breathe soon. If the VA does blow off, score it a few points higher.
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3/4/2018 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine: 93 Points
This is quite fabulous. Dark red cherry color. Very pretty nose, inticing, with lovely wild raspberry fruit. I could sniff this all day and never tire of it. Not incredibly complex, it nevertheless draws you in with its purity of fruit, well delineated. Not a fruit bomb, rather, balanced and floral. The wine carries this through to the mouth, where it’s youth is revealed with tight tannin that only suggests it can get even better with time. I wouldn’t quibble with anyone who wanted to drink it now for its exuberant fruit, however. A real winner and shows the great strides being made in Gigondas in recent years. I am getting to the point where I prefer Gigondas to CdP. The quality-and value compared to its neighbor-are undeniable. 4-13-17-9: 93/100.
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2/19/2018 - Portland Seth Likes this wine: 90 Points
Casiss, strawberry, garrigue and blackberry jam on the nose. In the mouth mostly strawberry and chalk with a hint of cured meat. The mid-palate seems hollow to me, hence not scored as high as the previous reviewers.
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12/21/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine: 95 Points
Savory strawberry and thyme, this also has raw steak, clove and salty river rock. The entry is delectable and fleshy, with an elegant middle and a long finish that almost sways. Incredibly enjoyable without a decant, yet displays enough backbone to suggest the proper ability to cellar. Bravo. Drink now - 2027.
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4/6/2017 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Winery Visit; Saint-Damien, Gigondas, Rhône, France.: Cask sample. Beautiful bouquet with dark and red berries and cherries. Very clean and youthful. On the palate already a beautiful and full bodied wine with – in this stage – cherries and raspberries, good acidity, some pleasant sweetness and round tannin with a beautiful bite. Great wine with a good future. 93 – 94+
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