Popped and poured a glass, some heat and spice at first, fruits underneath but not showing much. After about 1 hour, still quite a bit of heat and not yet balanced, will finish the 2nd glass and try again tmw.
2nd day: palate became smoother but nose dropped, this is it??
Day 3: No way, this thing came back alive and everything improved, wow! add 2 pts!
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Drank Feb 27th with steak, eggplant and greens. Very tasty cotes du rhones, not hot despite 14.5 % alcohol. We all enjoyed the depth of this wine and are looking to buy ourselves one.
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– popped and poured – – tasted non-blind over 2 days –
NOSE: plum; savory herbs; a bit grapey, with some peppery spice. Day 2: still has very “dark” aromas, as it did on Day 1; new “pine needles” note, otherwise the same, if not a bit more open, as on Day 1.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter – there was a little sediment in the bottle; medium bodied; garnet-purple color of medium-deep depth.
TASTE: very nice So. Rhone typicity here; purple fruits; very well-balanced - doesn’t come across as alcoholic; hints of cement-like minerality, incense, and cigar wrapper provide complexity. Finish is approx. 30-40 sec. in length. I thought this drank a bit better on Day 2 than it did on Day 1 (seemed a bit sexier and more outgoing on Day 2). This was last bottle of 5 ... so long, good friend ... it was nice knowin’ ya’.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over a few hours -- -- 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan and 10% Mourvedre --
NOSE: rather expressive and fresh-smelling bouquet, featuring blackberry and plum fruits, garrigue, and a hint of funk; the freshness kind of strikes me as what a black soil forest would smell like during a rain shower.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; dark color of medium-deep depth; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: garrigue; spicy (slight touch of sandalwood); more earthy than fruity, but does give-up a light plum flavor; long finish; well-balanced, with slightly drying tannins and nice acidity -- makes for a great food wine; not very complex, but an excellent baby-CdP type of CdR; consistent with prior bottles. Drink now - 2011.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 7 = 91
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind over 3 days --
NOSE: beautiful and complex bouquet of plum, fig, and leather; hints of funk, spice, brown sugar, and unburned clove cigarette.
BODY: superfine particulate matter suspended in the wine; purple-garnet color of medium-deep depth; medium or medium-light bodied.
TASTE: lots of figs and minerals and a hint of smoke --- very nice acid here, although it did become too predominate on Days 2 and 3 as the tannins fell away; well-balanced on Day 1. Drink now - 5 years. this bottle was consistent with past bottles.
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-- popped and poured -- -- tasted non-blind 3 hours after opening -- -- 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan and 10% Mourvedre --
NOSE: niiiice! complex bouquet of sweet leather/meaty/stewed fruit (which I think plays very well here) funk; crushed sour cherry; fig; dates; very slight secondary hint of chocolate. Gorgeous bouquet.
BODY: superfine particulate matter is suspended in the wine (it was bottled unfiltered); garnet color of medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: very well-balanced: juicy acidity is nicely set-off by appropriate tannins; prounounced minerality; cedary spice and fig round-out this earthy/dark-fruited CdR; medium-length finish (30 - 40 sec.); certainly not a medium or long-term ager, but I'd expect this to drink nicely over the next 5 years or so. Purchased for $16 ... will be buying more at that price point. Excellent CdR with a Classic So. Rhone profile. Excellent, tasty, gorgeous! This producer has never disappointed me, and is quickly moving up my personal ranking of So. Rhone producers.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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5/8/2011 - danielk168 wrote: 88 Points
Popped and poured a glass, some heat and spice at first, fruits underneath but not showing much. After about 1 hour, still quite a bit of heat and not yet balanced, will finish the 2nd glass and try again tmw.
2nd day: palate became smoother but nose dropped, this is it??
Day 3: No way, this thing came back alive and everything improved, wow! add 2 pts!
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5/15/2010 - Armando B wrote: 85 Points
Good, but unremarkable CDRV. Red fruit that is a bit overwhelmed by garrigue on Day 1. Better balance on days 2 and 3. Nice every day wine.
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2/27/2010 - SadofskyDS wrote:
Drank Feb 27th with steak, eggplant and greens. Very tasty cotes du rhones, not hot despite 14.5 % alcohol. We all enjoyed the depth of this wine and are looking to buy ourselves one.
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10/13/2009 - grafstrb wrote: 92 Points
– popped and poured –
– tasted non-blind over 2 days –
NOSE: plum; savory herbs; a bit grapey, with some peppery spice. Day 2: still has very “dark” aromas, as it did on Day 1; new “pine needles” note, otherwise the same, if not a bit more open, as on Day 1.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter – there was a little sediment in the bottle; medium bodied; garnet-purple color of medium-deep depth.
TASTE: very nice So. Rhone typicity here; purple fruits; very well-balanced - doesn’t come across as alcoholic; hints of cement-like minerality, incense, and cigar wrapper provide complexity. Finish is approx. 30-40 sec. in length. I thought this drank a bit better on Day 2 than it did on Day 1 (seemed a bit sexier and more outgoing on Day 2). This was last bottle of 5 ... so long, good friend ... it was nice knowin’ ya’.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 8 = 92
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8/11/2009 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over a few hours --
-- 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan and 10% Mourvedre --
NOSE: rather expressive and fresh-smelling bouquet, featuring blackberry and plum fruits, garrigue, and a hint of funk; the freshness kind of strikes me as what a black soil forest would smell like during a rain shower.
BODY: lots of fine particulate matter; dark color of medium-deep depth; medium-light to medium bodied.
TASTE: garrigue; spicy (slight touch of sandalwood); more earthy than fruity, but does give-up a light plum flavor; long finish; well-balanced, with slightly drying tannins and nice acidity -- makes for a great food wine; not very complex, but an excellent baby-CdP type of CdR; consistent with prior bottles. Drink now - 2011.
B: 50, 5, 12, 17, 7 = 91
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8/4/2009 - vancouvermatt wrote: 92 Points
A ridiculously good value.
Great length, body and structure. Can easily age but very approachable now.
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3/20/2009 - grafstrb wrote:
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over 3 days --
NOSE: beautiful and complex bouquet of plum, fig, and leather; hints of funk, spice, brown sugar, and unburned clove cigarette.
BODY: superfine particulate matter suspended in the wine; purple-garnet color of medium-deep depth; medium or medium-light bodied.
TASTE: lots of figs and minerals and a hint of smoke --- very nice acid here, although it did become too predominate on Days 2 and 3 as the tannins fell away; well-balanced on Day 1. Drink now - 5 years. this bottle was consistent with past bottles.
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2/11/2009 - grafstrb wrote:
essentially the same as my 1/14/09 TN. very nice CdR!
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1/14/2009 - grafstrb wrote: 91 Points
-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind 3 hours after opening --
-- 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Carignan and 10% Mourvedre --
NOSE: niiiice! complex bouquet of sweet leather/meaty/stewed fruit (which I think plays very well here) funk; crushed sour cherry; fig; dates; very slight secondary hint of chocolate. Gorgeous bouquet.
BODY: superfine particulate matter is suspended in the wine (it was bottled unfiltered); garnet color of medium-deep depth; medium bodied.
TASTE: very well-balanced: juicy acidity is nicely set-off by appropriate tannins; prounounced minerality; cedary spice and fig round-out this earthy/dark-fruited CdR; medium-length finish (30 - 40 sec.); certainly not a medium or long-term ager, but I'd expect this to drink nicely over the next 5 years or so. Purchased for $16 ... will be buying more at that price point. Excellent CdR with a Classic So. Rhone profile. Excellent, tasty, gorgeous! This producer has never disappointed me, and is quickly moving up my personal ranking of So. Rhone producers.
B: 50, 5, 13, 16, 7 = 91
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7/28/2008 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
Forward in its Grenache based power. Tight right now. For someone looking for baby Chateauneuf this fits the bill ncely around $18.
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