Warm and earthy with sous-bois on the nose. Definitely more herbal than fruity, yet within expectations. Probably should have let in breath more, still pleasing to all and went well with our Mediterranean mixed grill.
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2 days ago I had a great ChdP - Georges - Lombrière Cuvée Marie 2018. 95 points!
Let's see if there are any similarities between the two. 2 hours in the decanter 🕙⏰ Well, this one is a completely different creature! Herbs here, herbs there, herbs are everywhere 🙂 Smell - fragile. Herbs, smoke, bacon( hmmm), something nice and sweet. Taste? Herbs( big!), kirsch, tobacco, coffee (big), red cherry, olives. Spice is everywhere! Perfect acidity, grippy tannins. Dry and tart texture. Perfect balance. Incredibly long finish. I bit a baguette with cheese and I still had this wine aftertaste! I'm sure this juice is not for everyone, because it has these strong herbs flavors, which I guess not are everyone's favorite. Nothing is "smooth and easy" here, but thanks to that the wine keeps your attention with every sip you take. 66% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 6% Cinsault and 3% other( it's hard to guess (( no info from the winery)), because this AOC permits 13 different red grapes and even one grape in the mix!) 2017 vintage got 94 points according to the WA Vintage Guide. Outstanding. Still tannic, youthful or slow to mature. Wine? JD - 95 RP - 93 JS - 92 Vinous - 92 WS - 92 Jeff Leve - 91
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Wasn't terribly impressed, perhaps it was too young? Served with the cassoulet, and it was perfectly all right but I've had ordinary cote de rhones with much more interesting displays of aromas and flavors. The fruit seemed muted but there sure was a lot of herbal aroma and plenty of tannin on the palate. Not sure I get the high scores here.
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Thick, tongue-coating fruit with light acidity and modest tannins. Complex herbal aromas. Lots to enjoy. My criticism of this wine is the same as my criticism for most CdP; it tastes heavy and unbalanced. Unlike one pro reviewer, I see nothing “Burgundian” about this wine. It’s more like the anti-Burgundy to my tastes.
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Was in the mood for a CDP and grabbed this. Still young, of course but I recall it was very enjoyable so much so that I bought a few more after I tasted. Very similar notes to my prior bottle. This may not be a wine that everyone will enjoy in this vintage. Herbal, spicy and peppery smoke (I guess that's what they call garrigue, and I pick out all of those elements here). Red fruits are there but still waking up. With swirl, more red fruits than without. I think patience will be a virtue. Clearly, I didn't have that here but I do have some of this left and am letting it breath for many hours to see how it evolves and to see if the fruit emerges more fully. Longish finish. Should age well if I can wait! 92+
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Single bottle purchased at Wineworks to decide about additional purchase. Coravin taste with dinner, didn't give it enough air but did a second small pour with Venturi. After an hour, and still sipping, it's opening up. It's very representative of the producer (which i have visited and love). In the glass, the color is a pale to medium purple (I saw one note saying it is very dark but mine definitely is NOT, medium purple at most), the aroma and flavor are a bit restrained but they open up to what I expect, that lovely mix of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry mainly) and there is some garrigue and spice and maybe a hint of chocolate mint as well. The tannins are a bit much for right now but not overwhelming. This wine is going to be great with the fruit coming out and the other complexity that is still wound up as the tannins resolve a bit in a few years, so I'm starting to be very optimistic about the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape vintage. I want at least a few more bottles of this one to age it. I'll pop the cork and finish this bottle reasonably soon but I'll give it a 3 hour decant. Will update if any change. 92++
Ok relatively soon ended up being today (3 days) because I went back and got 4 more of these and 2 of the cuvée Beaurenard.
Gave it some time to breath and it just keeps getting better the longer it’s in the glass. Tannins mellow with air. Fruit and garrigue and lovely balance. Endless wonderful finish. Excellent. Adding a point. Potential 95 for me in future; for right now- 93+
The cuvée should be outstanding but not going to do that sort of infanticide (yet)...
Thanks, Charlie!!
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Dark black purple, nose is subdued, spice, flowers, herbs. In time... Palate filling, round deep ripe fruit mouthfeel, intense, intense, intense. Tannins and alcohol well controlled. I would compare this to the Brunier 1978 Vieux Telegraphe which is approaching maturity in 2020, never disappointed, (received rave reviews from the critics before most of you were born.)
At $50 + - a bottle I can think of no better wine to purchase for your retirement or that special celebration in 2062.
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Rhone Reds (1-N, 5-S; 2-'16s & 4-'17s) (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): “65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, & 10% other AOC varieties. The bunches are picked & sorted by hand. They are then destemmed, slightly crushed, & placed in a fermenting vat. During the 12-15 mos the wine spends in barrels & truncated vats, we continue to refine its structure to achieve balance & harmony.”
N: Garrigue slightly atop ripe berries with notes of minerals
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (& POSS a *hint* of heat?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish which ult shows a sense of swtness to the dusty tannins. An intense style at least DESERVING (if not outright NEEDING) through '23, then drinking into '28 (& very likely beyond). 14.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the potential heat being my main concern. 95 pts Dunnuck (8/16/19), 93 WA, 92 ea WS & Vinous (Raynolds, 12/1/19), 91 Jeff Leve (9/21/19), 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Hemming, 10/15/18), & 3*(*)/5* drinkrhone.com (10/’18). [This vendor's $44.95 is as good as any of wine-searcher's current postings!]
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Garrigue and hints of smoke accompany the sweet, red fruits on the nose. Soft, round and forward, with a hint of tapanade in the finish and some dust in the tannins, give this a few years to round out and it will be even better. While dominated by Grenache, the wine includes various percentages of most, or all of the AOC allowable grapes.
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4/27/2024 - Rusdry wrote: 92 Points
Warm and earthy with sous-bois on the nose. Definitely more herbal than fruity, yet within expectations. Probably should have let in breath more, still pleasing to all and went well with our Mediterranean mixed grill.
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2/17/2024 - WojteG Likes this wine: 95 Points
2 days ago I had a great ChdP - Georges - Lombrière Cuvée Marie 2018. 95 points!
Let's see if there are any similarities between the two.
2 hours in the decanter
🕙⏰
Well, this one is a completely different creature! Herbs here, herbs there, herbs are everywhere 🙂
Smell - fragile. Herbs, smoke, bacon( hmmm), something nice and sweet.
Taste? Herbs( big!), kirsch, tobacco, coffee (big), red cherry, olives. Spice is everywhere! Perfect acidity, grippy tannins. Dry and tart texture. Perfect balance. Incredibly long finish.
I bit a baguette with cheese and I still had this wine aftertaste!
I'm sure this juice is not for everyone, because it has these strong herbs flavors, which I guess not are everyone's favorite.
Nothing is "smooth and easy" here, but thanks to that the wine keeps your attention with every sip you take.
66% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre, 6% Cinsault and 3% other( it's hard to guess (( no info from the winery)), because this AOC permits 13 different red grapes and even one grape in the mix!)
2017 vintage got 94 points according to the WA Vintage Guide. Outstanding. Still tannic, youthful or slow to mature.
Wine?
JD - 95
RP - 93
JS - 92
Vinous - 92
WS - 92
Jeff Leve - 91
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1/22/2023 - mazik wrote: 87 Points
Wasn't terribly impressed, perhaps it was too young? Served with the cassoulet, and it was perfectly all right but I've had ordinary cote de rhones with much more interesting displays of aromas and flavors. The fruit seemed muted but there sure was a lot of herbal aroma and plenty of tannin on the palate. Not sure I get the high scores here.
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7/26/2022 - rmalloy Likes this wine: 91 Points
Thick, tongue-coating fruit with light acidity and modest tannins. Complex herbal aromas. Lots to enjoy. My criticism of this wine is the same as my criticism for most CdP; it tastes heavy and unbalanced. Unlike one pro reviewer, I see nothing “Burgundian” about this wine. It’s more like the anti-Burgundy to my tastes.
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12/12/2021 - Glencoewine wrote: 93 Points
Needed three days to show its stuff. Outstanding. Will buy more.
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11/6/2021 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Was in the mood for a CDP and grabbed this. Still young, of course but I recall it was very enjoyable so much so that I bought a few more after I tasted. Very similar notes to my prior bottle. This may not be a wine that everyone will enjoy in this vintage. Herbal, spicy and peppery smoke (I guess that's what they call garrigue, and I pick out all of those elements here). Red fruits are there but still waking up. With swirl, more red fruits than without. I think patience will be a virtue. Clearly, I didn't have that here but I do have some of this left and am letting it breath for many hours to see how it evolves and to see if the fruit emerges more fully. Longish finish. Should age well if I can wait! 92+
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4/21/2021 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
Already added drank over 2 nights 3 days apart. Excellent.
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4/18/2021 - Triforwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Single bottle purchased at Wineworks to decide about additional purchase. Coravin taste with dinner, didn't give it enough air but did a second small pour with Venturi. After an hour, and still sipping, it's opening up. It's very representative of the producer (which i have visited and love). In the glass, the color is a pale to medium purple (I saw one note saying it is very dark but mine definitely is NOT, medium purple at most), the aroma and flavor are a bit restrained but they open up to what I expect, that lovely mix of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry mainly) and there is some garrigue and spice and maybe a hint of chocolate mint as well. The tannins are a bit much for right now but not overwhelming.
This wine is going to be great with the fruit coming out and the other complexity that is still wound up as the tannins resolve a bit in a few years, so I'm starting to be very optimistic about the 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape vintage. I want at least a few more bottles of this one to age it. I'll pop the cork and finish this bottle reasonably soon but I'll give it a 3 hour decant. Will update if any change. 92++
Ok relatively soon ended up being today (3 days) because I went back and got 4 more of these and 2 of the cuvée Beaurenard.
Gave it some time to breath and it just keeps getting better the longer it’s in the glass. Tannins mellow with air. Fruit and garrigue and lovely balance. Endless wonderful finish. Excellent. Adding a point. Potential 95 for me in future; for right now- 93+
The cuvée should be outstanding but not going to do that sort of infanticide (yet)...
Thanks, Charlie!!
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1/2/2021 - xyc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark black purple, nose is subdued, spice, flowers, herbs. In time... Palate filling, round deep ripe fruit mouthfeel, intense, intense, intense. Tannins and alcohol well controlled. I would compare this to the Brunier 1978 Vieux Telegraphe which is approaching maturity in 2020, never disappointed, (received rave reviews from the critics before most of you were born.)
At $50 + - a bottle I can think of no better wine to purchase for your retirement or that special celebration in 2062.
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6/13/2020 - srh Likes this wine:
Rhone Reds (1-N, 5-S; 2-'16s & 4-'17s) (Vintage Wines Ltd., San Diego, CA): “65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, & 10% other AOC varieties. The bunches are picked & sorted by hand. They are then destemmed, slightly crushed, & placed in a fermenting vat. During the 12-15 mos the wine spends in barrels & truncated vats, we continue to refine its structure to achieve balance & harmony.”
N: Garrigue slightly atop ripe berries with notes of minerals
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (& POSS a *hint* of heat?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish which ult shows a sense of swtness to the dusty tannins. An intense style at least DESERVING (if not outright NEEDING) through '23, then drinking into '28 (& very likely beyond). 14.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the potential heat being my main concern. 95 pts Dunnuck (8/16/19), 93 WA, 92 ea WS & Vinous (Raynolds, 12/1/19), 91 Jeff Leve (9/21/19), 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson (Hemming, 10/15/18), & 3*(*)/5* drinkrhone.com (10/’18). [This vendor's $44.95 is as good as any of wine-searcher's current postings!]
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9/21/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 91 Points
Garrigue and hints of smoke accompany the sweet, red fruits on the nose. Soft, round and forward, with a hint of tapanade in the finish and some dust in the tannins, give this a few years to round out and it will be even better. While dominated by Grenache, the wine includes various percentages of most, or all of the AOC allowable grapes.
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