This is way too young at this point. Spent five hours in the decanter, and bareley opened up. This has a minty note that very pleasantly cuts through the dark fruit, but the tannins are too coarse and intense at this point to enjoy easily (and if you do, do it with food).
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Eucalyptus. Effervescent. Rare beef. Cranberry. Savory. Tremendous value. Excellent wine. Fantastic enjoyment. My top four QPRs - check my notes for specific bottles - include this along with Janasse, Pegau, and Turley.
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Pnp. Medium crimson-garnet in colour. Nose of stewed black cherries and plums along with hints of raspberries and sandalwood. On the palate, there are black cherries and plums accentuated by some black tea and black peppers that runs along the palate; some espresso noted at the end along with its tannins. Medium+ bodied with a medium-long finish. Last tasted November 2018.
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Black plum, campfire, violets, river rocks, bramble, garrigue. Silky but weighty mouth feel. Tannins are integrated but offer supporting structure. This is firing on all cylinders and I don't really see it getting any better, so enjoy!
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Displaying appealing notes of incense, smoke, tobacco and herbs as well as ripe dark berries and fruits, this wine is in a great phase at the moment. It is fruity, full-bodied, powerful and structured, but also unique in its character. The wine is not closed anymore at all, and its tannins have resolved, so the wine is ready and pleasant to drink now. However, it is still having a youngish character, and it will keep and evolve for years, if you appreciate the qualities of a more matured wine.
Tasted at home with friends as a part of a "Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas vertical tasting", including the vintages 2016, 2015, 2012 and 2010.
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Decanted for about two hours. Nose of ripe strawberry with fresh leaves and herbal essence. On the palate strawberry, raspberry, red plum confit, spice and garrigue with fresh soil and early signs of raw meat. Pure and clean, bold and powerful with good freshness and sizzling tannins. Great balance. Beautiful vintage. Drink with air or hold
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Both bottles tasted at Aureole were strangely effervescent, unlike the many other vintages I've enjoyed of this wine. That distracted and disappointed me from the rest of the experience, as I'm not a big fan of effervescence in red wines. I had originally rated this in the 80s, but I'll give the bottles benefit of the doubt and change that to "Flawed". This is otherwise one of my and my wife's favorite wines.
Bigger and tighter structured then the '15 which is drinking great now. Perhaps more complex. Needs more time in the decanter or cellar then the '15. Great all around.
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Second wine of my holiday wine streak. Drank over two nights. Bizarrely slightly effervescent. Tobacco. Fruit roll-up; similar to Turley Zinfandel, but the cranberry fruit snack not as pronounced. Plus much more complex than Turley starting level Zinfandels. White pepper. Many layers. Lots of depth. Sophisticated wine. This would be perfect with savory meats. The complexity really is unmatched compared to recent other wines. Great juice.
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Great color. The nose shows fragrant aromas of raspberries, flowers, tilled earth, cracked pepper and minerals. This is medium full bodied on the palate with outstanding concentration and excellent class. The long finish features integrated tannins and fresh acidity.
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Ruby colored. Black fruits, earth, briar and pepper. Fresh with good balance. Chalky tannins and a long finish. Pnp. Recommend couple hours of air time. Better second day.
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Fabulous gigondas. A bit young but super powerful. A little intense on day 1 with loads of fruit, garrigue, chocolate and spice. Looking forward to day 2 after vacuum stoppered. This is almost certainly going to be better with 5-10-15 years or more in the bottle but delightful tasting window even now. 2016 southern Rhone-so reliable! 93++
Day 2 and 3 the wine is so solid and mellowed a bit but similar each time. Some more dark fruit and vanilla with some cocoa and coffee notes in addition to above. I think i smell and almost taste the local lavender?! Really pretty Complex but subtle nose and palate. Great but slightly dense mouthfeel. Long finish. Delightful. Great QPR if you like gigondas at least in this superb vintage. Potential 95. 93 for now. Next one in a year or two?
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PnP, decanting unnecessary, drank over 6 hours. This is a very enjoyable bottle. Dark fruits, soft tannins, good finish. Missing the usual Gigondas pepper.
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Very nice Gigondas. For the price excellent QPR. Very prominent elements of dark berries, leather, smoke and pepper. Nose started a bit funky right after open which is interesting for a wine of this youth, like jerky, but thats a freshly uncorked So.Rhone for ya.
After a couple hours of air this really well integrated. Very nice acids and still strong tannins. I will probably forget about my second bottle for 5 - 7 years. Approachable nonetheless. Great :)
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See my most recent notes around this tasting date. My favorite wines from the cellar right now are Argot (various but Association Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir in particular), Janasse (2016 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape), and this. All are incredible buys; currently almost impossible to find those exact bottles though. The Saint Cosme may be the best of all. Unmatched QPR except Turley (Juvenile and Old Vines). Separately, my all time top non-Bordeaux wines include Chateau Rayas, Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis, Sine Qua Non Syrah Subir Eleven Confessions Vineyard, and TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Those were my highest ratings. However, I love Next of Kyn too.
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So savory. Salt and herbs. Like Momofuku ribeye. Note to self: drink this with that steak next time. Rosemary and thyme. Anisette. It would be interesting to drink this side by side with Bordeaux. Again, the wine is a mouthful. It is big, thick, and heavy, in a beautiful and impressive way. Sticky and syrupy, not as much as but similar to Barolo or Barbaresco.
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This excellent wine is full-bodied and crisply tannic. The aroma and flavor palette is impressive and multi-dimensional, providing e.g. notes of incense, smoke, tobacco, tar and herbs, as well as diverse kinds of dark berries and fruits. In spite of its impressiveness, the wine is young and somehow closed at the moment. Consequently, I recommend to store it now and cork the next bottle after a couple of years.
Intensed flavours of blackberries, dark cherries an leather with a hint of smoke. Begiining to be well integrated with a very nice balance and acidity after 2-3 hours with air. Can develop and be even better in a few years up to maybe 10 years.
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Crimson in color, nose of blackberries, leather, and a touch of smoke. Medium to full bodied. Well integrated tannins a just the right amount of acidity. My only issue is this is my last bottle!!! Outstanding.
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2.5 yrs since my last bottle and this has come a long ways. Lillies, kirsch, cat, new leather, raspberry, blackberry, pencil shavings and garrigue. Intriguing mix of flavors and should continue to improve/evolve. Well worth the price.
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Blueberry, dark cherry and plum. Spice finish. Decanted for 2 hrs and consumed over an hour. Ready to drink and can last for a decade. Body is medium geared on the lighter side.
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Love this wine! Medium bodied. Soft mouthfeel with soft dry finish. Restrained dark red fruit with garrigue (thyme, dried lavender) and a dash of white pepper. Love these Rhône wines, being more restrained and less fruit forward compared to California Syrah’s. St Cosme is a great vintner and this is a great value wine.
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15% alc. Slightly darker Garnet color, long glycerin legs in glass. Beautiful nose of baking spices, wild fruit bushes, barnyard funk, tobacco and fresh cut wood. The perfume was like standing in the middle of the vineyard on a hot summer day. Med plus in mouth, some tannin to frame the fruits and great acidity that kept going through layered finish. Bramble berries, meaty notes, and cola. Long and pleasant. Exceptional with food. Ready to drink now with short decant, but I’m sure it will cellar for another decade.
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Surprise of the year. This wine competes with NOK and SQN for 25% to 33% of the price. Awesome vintage. Rich and concentrated with syrupy qualities. Salt and pepper. Herbs. Dark fruits. Vanilla. Chocolate. Ripe fruits.
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This has so much concentration and depth to it, you know this is a great year just in its youth there is so much potential. There are aromas of blackberries, cassis, kirsch and a touch of black pepper. The palate is big and full-bodied with fine chalky tannins, along with a palate of sweet black fruit, thyme, rosemary and liquorice. The palate is full yet the finish is complete, rich, long and begs for another sip. This has a great future
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Tasted over four days, and it showed well throughout, hitting its full stride on day three. Prototypical purple fruited, Gigondas Grenache, with a light kiss of brett...which mostly blew off after several hours of air, leaving only wafting hints. The wine turned more mineral-driven by the day, and on the third delivered a tour-de-force in all that is great about Gigondas, particularly vis-à-vis its more highly-touted, overpriced neighbor to the southwest. Excellent, bordering on the exceptional, in all regards. Let it rest for several years, as improvement seems likely. 93-94.
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Even after decanting for two hours, this was so tight, dark, and tannic on day one. Left it in the decanter overnight and it opened up (slightly) to reveal some perfumed plum, cherry, garrigue, and barnyard notes, but remained tannic.
Recommend leaving these alone for several years. The structure and acidity are there for the long haul.
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The entry level wine Gigondas from Saint Cosme is perfect for early drinking, while waiting for its big brothers or sisters to develop. Soft round, fruit and juicy, the red fruits have lift, licorice and herbs, with a hit of rusticity in the finish.
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Classic Gigondas. Dark ruby in color. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium finish.Thoroughly enjoyable after a double decant and 40 minutes air time. Definitely lived up to it's press clippings.
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PnP, with aromas of tar dominating the nose. Burly, but opens up a bit with air time to show black raspberry, black pepper, tea, mixed herbs, and tar. It's obviously a baby, but still sports a silky mouthfeel. So much potential here if you're patient.
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Goodness this wine was good tonight. Been awhile since I’d had a st cosme gigondas but this was exactly as I’d remember the ‘07 to be. Rich, polished, classy, touch stink, touch barnyardy, lingering finish with amazing glycerin notes. Very profound. No heat but some punch after a glass or two. Enjoyed with a non wine geek friend. Wow’d them too from first glass to last. Hoping to buy more. Not sure on the long term future of the wine but easily go 5 years. Right now there just isn’t the higher acid profile or tannic structure to make me think it’ll be improving beyond that timeframe. But wow. What a great wine for the next half decade. 15% etoh.
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I'm going to leave this one in the cellar for a couple more years. It's got all of the stuffing but still very tight and tannins need some time to soften. Excellent potential.
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Over four hours decant time. Has a diffused medium ruby-crimson in colour. Nose of ripe black cherries, raspberries, garrigue, and hints of sandalwood. On the palate, there are aspects of highly concentrated cherries and tea, peppery kirsch, and dark chocolate with a tad of licorice; chalky tannins. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. I'd give this a slight edge over the 2015. Try again in 2020 or so. 94+
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Open, poured, and drunk over 2 days, second day far more open. Raspberry and spice on the nose, jumps out of the glass. Hot on the palate, tight tannins, slightly bitter cocco, very pure. Needs food if drunk early, but suggest it needs to be left until end 2018 to settle down. One of the best house Gigondas around. 2016 I understand to be an amazing year in southern rhone.
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Where do you start with this wine, firstly don't open it quite yet. Keep it a few more years, I could not resist though. The color is just beautiful. The nose had fresh blackberries, strawberries, and a little black olive. On the palate, I found notes of pepper, fig, a little balsamic reduction and a spicy but extremely layered palate which strode away from you like a runner who is just a little faster than and even though you try you cannot quite keep up! Buying a few more of these
Dark and brooding with a sexy nose of spicy plum, cherry, blueberry and red currant fruit on the nose. The palate is pure cherry liqueur with a tannic bite and refreshing acidity. This needs time to flesh out and when it does, it will be something special. Long long finish. 92+ for now
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Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Day 1 this was clearly precocious. The nose was wild with the smell of tandoori chicken (tell me I’m wrong!), brambles, and garrigue. Like the 2015 I had a few weeks back, this was a little out of sorts on the palate but there’s loads of undeniably deliciously pure fruit. Tongue smacking tannin. Day 2 showed very little in the way of evolution. The tandoori had relaxed and left a more generic spiced meat character in its wake with brambles and Herbs de Provence. Looooooooong finish; well over a minute. The tannin is even more pronounced today but there’s so much stuffing that it kinda works now and I’m certain it will be firing on all cylinders when everything is more integrated down the road. IMHO, this is performing just a step behind the 2015 at the moment but both vintages are outstanding and will be for many years to come.
At tasting. Brief note. Nose and palate show a fair amount of toasty new oak influence on the round and dense purple and blue fruits. Big ripping tannins on the midpalate and sharp acidity are buffered by the ripe fruits and you can tell this is made well enough to integrate with time and become balanced. Not my style but I can appreciate it for what it is.
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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.
Just opened to proof for tasting. Out of the gate pepper, ripe blackberry, damp stems. Balanced palate, fruit is more restrained and palate shows good acid, pepper, garrigue, and fine tannins.
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Much tighter on release than the opulent 2015, but gives the sense that it has the potential to be every bit as good. Deep purple in the glass with black fruits and garrigue on the nose. Day 2 revealed some floral notes on the nose but still very closed in the mouth. I'll revisit in 1-2 years.
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PnP, nose of cherry, pencil shavings and cloves. Flavors of cassis, black raspberry, cherry, spice and talc. Medium tannins provide decent grip. Good purity and freshness of fruit. I would say fantastic qpr at $20 but at $40 about what I expect.
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4/3/2024 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Seems like it has aged since the last tasting.
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12/28/2023 - Peter Spijker Likes this wine: 91 Points
This is way too young at this point. Spent five hours in the decanter, and bareley opened up. This has a minty note that very pleasantly cuts through the dark fruit, but the tannins are too coarse and intense at this point to enjoy easily (and if you do, do it with food).
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12/24/2023 - Binder Likes this wine: 93 Points
Excellent match to traditionel Danish Christmas Eve Duck (not an easy match with caramalised potatos and red cabbage coked in vineager and honey 😋)
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12/11/2023 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Eucalyptus. Effervescent. Rare beef. Cranberry. Savory. Tremendous value. Excellent wine. Fantastic enjoyment. My top four QPRs - check my notes for specific bottles - include this along with Janasse, Pegau, and Turley.
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11/24/2023 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Huge QPR.
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10/5/2023 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Slightly effervescent.
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10/2/2023 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
See previous note.
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8/10/2023 - AMC Eagle wrote: 95 Points
Pnp. Medium crimson-garnet in colour. Nose of stewed black cherries and plums along with hints of raspberries and sandalwood. On the palate, there are black cherries and plums accentuated by some black tea and black peppers that runs along the palate; some espresso noted at the end along with its tannins. Medium+ bodied with a medium-long finish. Last tasted November 2018.
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5/31/2023 - Portland Seth Likes this wine: 94 Points
Black plum, campfire, violets, river rocks, bramble, garrigue. Silky but weighty mouth feel. Tannins are integrated but offer supporting structure. This is firing on all cylinders and I don't really see it getting any better, so enjoy!
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4/29/2023 - lkilpio Likes this wine: 95 Points
Displaying appealing notes of incense, smoke, tobacco and herbs as well as ripe dark berries and fruits, this wine is in a great phase at the moment. It is fruity, full-bodied, powerful and structured, but also unique in its character. The wine is not closed anymore at all, and its tannins have resolved, so the wine is ready and pleasant to drink now. However, it is still having a youngish character, and it will keep and evolve for years, if you appreciate the qualities of a more matured wine.
Tasted at home with friends as a part of a "Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas vertical tasting", including the vintages 2016, 2015, 2012 and 2010.
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4/22/2023 - cvst Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted for about two hours. Nose of ripe strawberry with fresh leaves and herbal essence. On the palate strawberry, raspberry, red plum confit, spice and garrigue with fresh soil and early signs of raw meat. Pure and clean, bold and powerful with good freshness and sizzling tannins. Great balance. Beautiful vintage. Drink with air or hold
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3/29/2023 - Montesquieu wrote: flawed
Both bottles tasted at Aureole were strangely effervescent, unlike the many other vintages I've enjoyed of this wine. That distracted and disappointed me from the rest of the experience, as I'm not a big fan of effervescence in red wines. I had originally rated this in the 80s, but I'll give the bottles benefit of the doubt and change that to "Flawed". This is otherwise one of my and my wife's favorite wines.
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2/25/2023 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Lots of sediment in this bottle.
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12/29/2022 - scheune Likes this wine: 94 Points
Cassis,dunkle Früchte, Kräuter mit seidiger Tanninstruktur
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12/18/2022 - spineguy Likes this wine:
Bigger and tighter structured then the '15 which is drinking great now. Perhaps more complex. Needs more time in the decanter or cellar then the '15. Great all around.
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12/10/2022 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Second wine of my holiday wine streak. Drank over two nights. Bizarrely slightly effervescent. Tobacco. Fruit roll-up; similar to Turley Zinfandel, but the cranberry fruit snack not as pronounced. Plus much more complex than Turley starting level Zinfandels. White pepper. Many layers. Lots of depth. Sophisticated wine. This would be perfect with savory meats. The complexity really is unmatched compared to recent other wines. Great juice.
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11/7/2022 - aajder wrote: 93 Points
Great color. The nose shows fragrant aromas of raspberries, flowers, tilled earth, cracked pepper and minerals. This is medium full bodied on the palate with outstanding concentration and excellent class. The long finish features integrated tannins and fresh acidity.
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10/21/2022 - djinc01 wrote: 92 Points
Needs more time & plenty of room to breathe
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9/17/2022 - mvande21 wrote: 92 Points
Ruby colored. Black fruits, earth, briar and pepper. Fresh with good balance. Chalky tannins and a long finish. Pnp. Recommend couple hours of air time. Better second day.
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5/16/2022 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Fabulous gigondas. A bit young but super powerful. A little intense on day 1 with loads of fruit, garrigue, chocolate and spice. Looking forward to day 2 after vacuum stoppered. This is almost certainly going to be better with 5-10-15 years or more in the bottle but delightful tasting window even now. 2016 southern Rhone-so reliable! 93++
Day 2 and 3 the wine is so solid and mellowed a bit but similar each time. Some more dark fruit and vanilla with some cocoa and coffee notes in addition to above. I think i smell and almost taste the local lavender?! Really pretty Complex but subtle nose and palate. Great but slightly dense mouthfeel. Long finish. Delightful. Great QPR if you like gigondas at least in this superb vintage. Potential 95. 93 for now. Next one in a year or two?
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3/28/2022 - jpkc Likes this wine: 92 Points
PnP, decanting unnecessary, drank over 6 hours. This is a very enjoyable bottle. Dark fruits, soft tannins, good finish. Missing the usual Gigondas pepper.
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2/14/2022 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Coravin. Unparalleled depth. So many powerful layers. Black pepper.
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2/4/2022 - parkline_wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice Gigondas. For the price excellent QPR. Very prominent elements of dark berries, leather, smoke and pepper. Nose started a bit funky right after open which is interesting for a wine of this youth, like jerky, but thats a freshly uncorked So.Rhone for ya.
After a couple hours of air this really well integrated. Very nice acids and still strong tannins. I will probably forget about my second bottle for 5 - 7 years. Approachable nonetheless. Great :)
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1/23/2022 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Coravin. Please see previous notes. Excellent wine. Big white and black pepper with this bottle.
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12/19/2021 - JonnyG Likes this wine: 90 Points
From a magnum. Straightforward, even a touch flabby, with sweet red berry notes and some spice, but lacking in any juiciness or complexity of note.
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12/1/2021 - shellylowen Likes this wine: 92 Points
Earthy nose, medium body with fine tannins, red fruit, long finish
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11/26/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
The more I drink this, the more I think that it tastes like an Old World Sin Qua Non. The wine is simply excellent. I love it.
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9/15/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
See my most recent notes around this tasting date. My favorite wines from the cellar right now are Argot (various but Association Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir in particular), Janasse (2016 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-du-Pape), and this. All are incredible buys; currently almost impossible to find those exact bottles though. The Saint Cosme may be the best of all. Unmatched QPR except Turley (Juvenile and Old Vines). Separately, my all time top non-Bordeaux wines include Chateau Rayas, Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis, Sine Qua Non Syrah Subir Eleven Confessions Vineyard, and TOR Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard. Those were my highest ratings. However, I love Next of Kyn too.
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9/1/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This wine is an exceptional value. I want more.
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8/13/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
See previous note.
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6/19/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
So savory. Salt and herbs. Like Momofuku ribeye. Note to self: drink this with that steak next time. Rosemary and thyme. Anisette. It would be interesting to drink this side by side with Bordeaux. Again, the wine is a mouthful. It is big, thick, and heavy, in a beautiful and impressive way. Sticky and syrupy, not as much as but similar to Barolo or Barbaresco.
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5/27/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very good. Full bodied and flavorful. Unlit cigars. Savory. Gamey. Herbs. Tea. Dry finish. Serious wine.
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4/9/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
First sip is like eating a full meal. The wine is really dense and full. Savory. Meaty. Gamey. Vanilla finish. Best with food. Spicy.
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4/4/2021 - lkilpio Likes this wine: 95 Points
This excellent wine is full-bodied and crisply tannic. The aroma and flavor palette is impressive and multi-dimensional, providing e.g. notes of incense, smoke, tobacco, tar and herbs, as well as diverse kinds of dark berries and fruits. In spite of its impressiveness, the wine is young and somehow closed at the moment. Consequently, I recommend to store it now and cork the next bottle after a couple of years.
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3/27/2021 - Kalle62 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Intensed flavours of blackberries, dark cherries an leather with a hint of smoke. Begiining to be well integrated with a very nice balance and acidity after 2-3 hours with air. Can develop and be even better in a few years up to maybe 10 years.
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3/6/2021 - rsct2001 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Crimson in color, nose of blackberries, leather, and a touch of smoke. Medium to full bodied. Well integrated tannins a just the right amount of acidity. My only issue is this is my last bottle!!! Outstanding.
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3/2/2021 - Portland Seth Likes this wine: 93 Points
2.5 yrs since my last bottle and this has come a long ways. Lillies, kirsch, cat, new leather, raspberry, blackberry, pencil shavings and garrigue. Intriguing mix of flavors and should continue to improve/evolve. Well worth the price.
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2/22/2021 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Tobacco.
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10/17/2020 - jwispw Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 6 hours
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10/16/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
One of my favorite wines. This punches way above its weight.
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10/8/2020 - FredericoWines wrote: 91 Points
Blueberry, dark cherry and plum. Spice finish. Decanted for 2 hrs and consumed over an hour. Ready to drink and can last for a decade. Body is medium geared on the lighter side.
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7/22/2020 - Jaber wrote: 95 Points
En carafe 2 heures. Explosion d’arômes: boîte à cigars, truffe et cuir. Bel équilibre , longue finale. Quelle belle surprise.
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6/19/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent. Rich.
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5/8/2020 - anstruletz Likes this wine: 96 Points
An hour after pnp you could smell this from across the room. Layers and layers of complexity and oh so long on the palate. Insanely good.
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3/20/2020 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine: 92 Points
Love this wine! Medium bodied. Soft mouthfeel with soft dry finish. Restrained dark red fruit with garrigue (thyme, dried lavender) and a dash of white pepper. Love these Rhône wines, being more restrained and less fruit forward compared to California Syrah’s. St Cosme is a great vintner and this is a great value wine.
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3/15/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Again, so much depth and complexity. Savory. Meaty. Rich.
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3/14/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Even better with food. Licorice. Long finish.
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2/16/2020 - Pedroel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Back-to-back with '15 Rotie Homage. This was less fresh tasting, less acidic.
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2/10/2020 - dclaggett Likes this wine: 94 Points
15% alc. Slightly darker Garnet color, long glycerin legs in glass. Beautiful nose of baking spices, wild fruit bushes, barnyard funk, tobacco and fresh cut wood. The perfume was like standing in the middle of the vineyard on a hot summer day. Med plus in mouth, some tannin to frame the fruits and great acidity that kept going through layered finish. Bramble berries, meaty notes, and cola. Long and pleasant. Exceptional with food. Ready to drink now with short decant, but I’m sure it will cellar for another decade.
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2/8/2020 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very concentrated with lots of depth. Savory.
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12/30/2019 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
So much depth and complexity. Layer after layer. Savory. Meaty. Rich. Intense raspberry aroma. This would be really good with beef stew.
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12/12/2019 - Winedog1 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Surprise of the year. This wine competes with NOK and SQN for 25% to 33% of the price. Awesome vintage. Rich and concentrated with syrupy qualities. Salt and pepper. Herbs. Dark fruits. Vanilla. Chocolate. Ripe fruits.
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11/15/2019 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 94 Points
This has so much concentration and depth to it, you know this is a great year just in its youth there is so much potential. There are aromas of blackberries, cassis, kirsch and a touch of black pepper. The palate is big and full-bodied with fine chalky tannins, along with a palate of sweet black fruit, thyme, rosemary and liquorice. The palate is full yet the finish is complete, rich, long and begs for another sip. This has a great future
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11/1/2019 - ocperu wrote:
Way too young. Needs 5-7 plus
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10/19/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
Thoroughly enjoyed again. Love the tarry minerally notes.
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10/18/2019 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
Tasted over four days, and it showed well throughout, hitting its full stride on day three. Prototypical purple fruited, Gigondas Grenache, with a light kiss of brett...which mostly blew off after several hours of air, leaving only wafting hints. The wine turned more mineral-driven by the day, and on the third delivered a tour-de-force in all that is great about Gigondas, particularly vis-à-vis its more highly-touted, overpriced neighbor to the southwest. Excellent, bordering on the exceptional, in all regards. Let it rest for several years, as improvement seems likely. 93-94.
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9/22/2019 - poppacork wrote: 89 Points
Even after decanting for two hours, this was so tight, dark, and tannic on day one. Left it in the decanter overnight and it opened up (slightly) to reveal some perfumed plum, cherry, garrigue, and barnyard notes, but remained tannic.
Recommend leaving these alone for several years. The structure and acidity are there for the long haul.
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 93 Points
The entry level wine Gigondas from Saint Cosme is perfect for early drinking, while waiting for its big brothers or sisters to develop. Soft round, fruit and juicy, the red fruits have lift, licorice and herbs, with a hit of rusticity in the finish.
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8/2/2019 - Mootsie Likes this wine: 94 Points
Obviously young, but with air an outstanding wine. Will certainly improve with cellar time.
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6/22/2019 - rsct2001 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Classic Gigondas. Dark ruby in color. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium finish.Thoroughly enjoyable after a double decant and 40 minutes air time. Definitely lived up to it's press clippings.
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3/8/2019 - ziavino wrote: 95 Points
PnP, with aromas of tar dominating the nose. Burly, but opens up a bit with air time to show black raspberry, black pepper, tea, mixed herbs, and tar. It's obviously a baby, but still sports a silky mouthfeel. So much potential here if you're patient.
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3/7/2019 - texaswinelover wrote:
Goodness this wine was good tonight. Been awhile since I’d had a st cosme gigondas but this was exactly as I’d remember the ‘07 to be. Rich, polished, classy, touch stink, touch barnyardy, lingering finish with amazing glycerin notes. Very profound. No heat but some punch after a glass or two. Enjoyed with a non wine geek friend. Wow’d them too from first glass to last. Hoping to buy more. Not sure on the long term future of the wine but easily go 5 years. Right now there just isn’t the higher acid profile or tannic structure to make me think it’ll be improving beyond that timeframe. But wow. What a great wine for the next half decade. 15% etoh.
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2/28/2019 - anstruletz Likes this wine:
I'm going to leave this one in the cellar for a couple more years. It's got all of the stuffing but still very tight and tannins need some time to soften. Excellent potential.
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12/25/2018 - ocperu wrote: 94 Points
Unbelievable as a pop and pour. Wonderful bouquet - fresh crushed raspy violets is what came to mind. Nice lasting finish
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11/19/2018 - AMC Eagle wrote: 94 Points
Over four hours decant time. Has a diffused medium ruby-crimson in colour. Nose of ripe black cherries, raspberries, garrigue, and hints of sandalwood. On the palate, there are aspects of highly concentrated cherries and tea, peppery kirsch, and dark chocolate with a tad of licorice; chalky tannins. Medium bodied with a medium-long finish. I'd give this a slight edge over the 2015. Try again in 2020 or so. 94+
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10/21/2018 - Willpap21 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Open, poured, and drunk over 2 days, second day far more open. Raspberry and spice on the nose, jumps out of the glass. Hot on the palate, tight tannins, slightly bitter cocco, very pure. Needs food if drunk early, but suggest it needs to be left until end 2018 to settle down. One of the best house Gigondas around. 2016 I understand to be an amazing year in southern rhone.
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10/14/2018 - Alexander Smith Likes this wine: 94 Points
Where do you start with this wine, firstly don't open it quite yet. Keep it a few more years, I could not resist though. The color is just beautiful. The nose had fresh blackberries, strawberries, and a little black olive. On the palate, I found notes of pepper, fig, a little balsamic reduction and a spicy but extremely layered palate which strode away from you like a runner who is just a little faster than and even though you try you cannot quite keep up! Buying a few more of these
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10/12/2018 - mimik Likes this wine: 92 Points
Dark and brooding with a sexy nose of spicy plum, cherry, blueberry and red currant fruit on the nose. The palate is pure cherry liqueur with a tannic bite and refreshing acidity. This needs time to flesh out and when it does, it will be something special. Long long finish. 92+ for now
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10/2/2018 - tak4 wrote:
First time among the round stones of CdP and Gigondas (Chateauneuf-du-pape, Gigondas): Deep crimson. Spice, pepper, red berries. Strong tannic backbone, front and center. Could be great in 4-5 years time.
88-90
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10/2/2018 - thesternowl Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Day 1 this was clearly precocious. The nose was wild with the smell of tandoori chicken (tell me I’m wrong!), brambles, and garrigue. Like the 2015 I had a few weeks back, this was a little out of sorts on the palate but there’s loads of undeniably deliciously pure fruit. Tongue smacking tannin. Day 2 showed very little in the way of evolution. The tandoori had relaxed and left a more generic spiced meat character in its wake with brambles and Herbs de Provence. Looooooooong finish; well over a minute. The tannin is even more pronounced today but there’s so much stuffing that it kinda works now and I’m certain it will be firing on all cylinders when everything is more integrated down the road. IMHO, this is performing just a step behind the 2015 at the moment but both vintages are outstanding and will be for many years to come.
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8/23/2018 - ESTEELE90 wrote:
At tasting. Brief note. Nose and palate show a fair amount of toasty new oak influence on the round and dense purple and blue fruits. Big ripping tannins on the midpalate and sharp acidity are buffered by the ripe fruits and you can tell this is made well enough to integrate with time and become balanced. Not my style but I can appreciate it for what it is.
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7/29/2018 - Motz wrote: 93 Points
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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7/27/2018 - Joe Kane wrote:
Just opened to proof for tasting. Out of the gate pepper, ripe blackberry, damp stems. Balanced palate, fruit is more restrained and palate shows good acid, pepper, garrigue, and fine tannins.
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7/23/2018 - anstruletz Likes this wine:
Much tighter on release than the opulent 2015, but gives the sense that it has the potential to be every bit as good. Deep purple in the glass with black fruits and garrigue on the nose. Day 2 revealed some floral notes on the nose but still very closed in the mouth. I'll revisit in 1-2 years.
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7/3/2018 - anstruletz Likes this wine:
Great things to come with patience. Pretty tight at the moment.
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6/10/2018 - Portland Seth Likes this wine: 91 Points
PnP, nose of cherry, pencil shavings and cloves. Flavors of cassis, black raspberry, cherry, spice and talc. Medium tannins provide decent grip. Good purity and freshness of fruit. I would say fantastic qpr at $20 but at $40 about what I expect.
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