Outstanding. Decanted off fair bit of sediment, aerated back into bottle. Tannins smooth, flavors lively, balance excellent. New oak influence integrated long ago. Excellent pairing with grilled duck breast. No rush to drink this up but would say this is a good time to enjoy.
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Big thread of burnt-rubber reduction running through this one. Otherwise, has a lot of transparency and almost ethereal character for Grenache. Almost Pinot-like, has a little jammy character but this delivers more minerality and spice than most other Southern Rhones I've tried. Bit more dark fruited flavours on the palate, bit of cassis and plum flavour. Acidity feels high for Grenache. I don't mind it though.
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This still has plenty of body a few more years ahead. Dark fruit and a hint of sweetness. Saw a note a while back suggesting amarone similarities and I would not disagree. Dusty tanins complete the picture. Good mature southern rhone.
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This is not as Amarone-like as the 1998, in fact there's good structure and balance here overall a mark from the cooler 1999 vintage. The oak is still prominent though, and it doesn't add anything to the wine aside from detracting from the local feel. And it dries out the fruit. Happy this was the last vintage I bought this wine.
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Not decanted. Deep red brown. Powerful nose of cooked blackberries, treacle and tar. Very high alcohol upsets balance. Palate more spicy with dry tannins on the finish. Paired with a spicy “Tunisian” pizza and went well. A wine for strong food. Very good (86-89) for a relatively inexpensive wine, would be more highly rated if it were not for the excessive alcohol.
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Drinking very well now. Typical mature grenache flavours spicy, peppery, dark forest fruits, nice body and structure with soft tannins. A great example of Gigondas
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Dark garnet. Rather unformed nose just hints at some nuances of ripe blueberry and high-toned herbs. Potential is evidenced by the buildup of flavor intensity most marked by pruniness, although the finishing warmth is cause for concern from my perspective. A good example of a wine that is big, concentrated, and yet not confidence-inspiring.
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15% alcohol it says on the label. You've been warned! There is no compromise here. Full-blown, full speed ahead Gigondas from Yves Gras. There is a lot of mocha, chocholate, tobacco and baked/cooked black fruit flavors here. Unfortunately there is also the mark of new wood which, in my view, is not necessary. The oak treatment doesn't bother me so much the first hour, but after 2-3 hours the fruit dries out and the oak is too overt. The wine is a decent match for grilled red meat, but ultimately I find it tiresome to drink these heavy, heady, full bodied wines.
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decantered for 1 hour before drinking...could have used a little longer....opened up as we drank....complex...provincial in style...lots of fruit...long finish...has plenty of life left in it...
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#7 -- A little heat with blueberries and raisins on the nose. In the mouth, nicely balanced acid, tannin, and fruit -- with [pleasant] stewed fruit flavors -- raisins, prunes, predominant. A nice complex finish. My WOTN (and consensus WOTN). The one wine I brought that didn't come out of my cellar. It showed better on this night than a few weeks ago when I tried my "test" bottle. This got an hour in the decanter and then back into the bottle. I think it helped.
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Lesser-Known Rhone Appl.: perfect day for this wine - it was the best wine on that day. A few others got to this level with time but thats unfair - no clue how this wine would have done given more time or less time - this one went FAST. floral, mushroomy, spicy, ripe but not jammy, lifting kick of acid... RHONE at its best. Complex and food friendly - what more can one ask for? QPR - hunt this down!
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A little hot on the nose, showing the 15% (+?) alcohol -- along with some raisin and dark stewed fruit. In the mouth, more balanced as it opened -- again with raisin, plum, stewed fruit and some spice. Good structure with tannins mostly resolved.
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Drank this bottle at Corduroy in DC for my brother's 30th birthday. The wine was decanted for approximately 2 hrs. The wine smelled of game, dark fruits, and smoke. On the palate, the wine displayed a strong notes of black fruits and pepper with a long finish. The wine was still tight and continued to open up until the bottle was finished. This wine can be drank now with decanting or cellared for 3+ years.
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Clear ruby brown; powerful nose of chocolate and/or cocoa powder, tobacco smoke, raspberry and some meaty notes; medium bodied with noticible acidity and smooth but mouth coating tannin; long finish; good and could sit a while longer
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Very, very, closed right now. Almost no nose. Good body and structure with some hints of ripe fruit and smoke, but everything is very muted and muddy right now. Needs 5 years.
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Much tighter and more closed than my last experience with this wine. I decanted it about an hour before serving - perhaps I should have just popped and poured. Still deep and powerful, with a beautiful silky texture, but lacking the complexity and exuberance that I remembered. Give this another 5 years of sleep.
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At the Park Hotel in Bremen, Germany. Dark, almost opaque, purple. Extremely well balanced. Beautiful, complex nose full of chocolate, dark fruit and sweet oak. Beautifully rounded mouthfeel with tons of fresh blueberry and blackberry flavors, along with milk chocolate, espresso, and just a hint of well-integrated oak. Long, complex finish. Much more open than I expected, this wine is drinking great right now, although it certainly has the stuffing to age quite a while.
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6/15/2023 - DBdeParis Likes this wine:
Outstanding. Decanted off fair bit of sediment, aerated back into bottle. Tannins smooth, flavors lively, balance excellent. New oak influence integrated long ago. Excellent pairing with grilled duck breast. No rush to drink this up but would say this is a good time to enjoy.
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5/29/2020 - Ron Slye wrote: 85 Points
This seems clearly past its prime. A bit pruney and one dimensional. I will revisit tomorrow but I think this is okay, not great, now.
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6/24/2019 - Milliontown wrote: 91 Points
Big thread of burnt-rubber reduction running through this one. Otherwise, has a lot of transparency and almost ethereal character for Grenache. Almost Pinot-like, has a little jammy character but this delivers more minerality and spice than most other Southern Rhones I've tried. Bit more dark fruited flavours on the palate, bit of cassis and plum flavour. Acidity feels high for Grenache. I don't mind it though.
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2/15/2019 - gwilliams68 Likes this wine: 90 Points
This still has plenty of body a few more years ahead. Dark fruit and a hint of sweetness. Saw a note a while back suggesting amarone similarities and I would not disagree. Dusty tanins complete the picture. Good mature southern rhone.
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8/11/2017 - nstow wrote: 90 Points
5th of 12. Mature. Powerful and rich with good body and herby animal flavour. An excellent example of a mature Cote du Rhone. 4/5
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10/22/2016 - plhew Likes this wine:
Good wine, balanced and mature now. Very enjoyable. Fuller and richer than I expected
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1/10/2016 - pbaek wrote:
This is not as Amarone-like as the 1998, in fact there's good structure and balance here overall a mark from the cooler 1999 vintage. The oak is still prominent though, and it doesn't add anything to the wine aside from detracting from the local feel. And it dries out the fruit. Happy this was the last vintage I bought this wine.
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10/17/2015 - nstow Likes this wine: 90 Points
4th of 12, Brick red. Quite closed on nose but powerful rich, meaty, spicy animal flavours on palate. Noticeable acidity and tannins on finish. 4/5
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7/1/2013 - davnik Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very rich and tasty. Fully mature with deep fruit flavors and a nose to match.
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12/29/2012 - nstow Likes this wine: 90 Points
Dark red/black. Powerful spicy and herby black berry fruit and wild cherry on finish. 4/5 (90-92)
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7/28/2011 - dcwino wrote: 82 Points
Noticeable alcohol masking fruits, no focus, not showing well at all.
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4/10/2011 - nstow Likes this wine: 86 Points
Not decanted. Deep red brown. Powerful nose of cooked blackberries, treacle and tar. Very high alcohol upsets balance. Palate more spicy with dry tannins on the finish. Paired with a spicy “Tunisian” pizza and went well. A wine for strong food. Very good (86-89) for a relatively inexpensive wine, would be more highly rated if it were not for the excessive alcohol.
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11/7/2010 - Butty wrote: 94 Points
Drinking very well now. Typical mature grenache flavours spicy, peppery, dark forest fruits, nice body and structure with soft tannins. A great example of Gigondas
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9/26/2010 - FastTrack Likes this wine: 92 Points
nose of chocolate, mocca, thyme, herbs de provence. on the palate strong but ripe tannins. full-bodied. long finish.
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2/20/2010 - tcfishler wrote:
Dark garnet. Rather unformed nose just hints at some nuances of ripe blueberry and high-toned herbs. Potential is evidenced by the buildup of flavor intensity most marked by pruniness, although the finishing warmth is cause for concern from my perspective. A good example of a wine that is big, concentrated, and yet not confidence-inspiring.
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5/24/2009 - pbaek wrote:
15% alcohol it says on the label. You've been warned! There is no compromise here. Full-blown, full speed ahead Gigondas from Yves Gras. There is a lot of mocha, chocholate, tobacco and baked/cooked black fruit flavors here. Unfortunately there is also the mark of new wood which, in my view, is not necessary. The oak treatment doesn't bother me so much the first hour, but after 2-3 hours the fruit dries out and the oak is too overt. The wine is a decent match for grilled red meat, but ultimately I find it tiresome to drink these heavy, heady, full bodied wines.
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4/3/2009 - jbrekke wrote:
Very enjoyable. Classic rhone flavors. Ready to go.
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9/7/2008 - pnuszen wrote: 92 Points
decantered for 1 hour before drinking...could have used a little longer....opened up as we drank....complex...provincial in style...lots of fruit...long finish...has plenty of life left in it...
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4/13/2008 - winemaker wrote: 93 Points
This is a kick-ass wine. Real depth and complexity, provencal herbs, garrigue, sweet fruit counterbalanced by a lovely earthy, dry aspect. Lovely.
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12/24/2007 - gbauer wrote:
#7 -- A little heat with blueberries and raisins on the nose. In the mouth, nicely balanced acid, tannin, and fruit -- with [pleasant] stewed fruit flavors -- raisins, prunes, predominant. A nice complex finish. My WOTN (and consensus WOTN). The one wine I brought that didn't come out of my cellar. It showed better on this night than a few weeks ago when I tried my "test" bottle. This got an hour in the decanter and then back into the bottle. I think it helped.
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12/23/2007 - Mlermontov wrote: 93 Points
Lesser-Known Rhone Appl.: perfect day for this wine - it was the best wine on that day. A few others got to this level with time but thats unfair - no clue how this wine would have done given more time or less time - this one went FAST.
floral, mushroomy, spicy, ripe but not jammy, lifting kick of acid... RHONE at its best. Complex and food friendly - what more can one ask for? QPR - hunt this down!
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12/15/2007 - gbauer wrote:
A little hot on the nose, showing the 15% (+?) alcohol -- along with some raisin and dark stewed fruit. In the mouth, more balanced as it opened -- again with raisin, plum, stewed fruit and some spice. Good structure with tannins mostly resolved.
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3/31/2007 - Big Dog wrote: 92 Points
Drank this bottle at Corduroy in DC for my brother's 30th birthday. The wine was decanted for approximately 2 hrs. The wine smelled of game, dark fruits, and smoke. On the palate, the wine displayed a strong notes of black fruits and pepper with a long finish. The wine was still tight and continued to open up until the bottle was finished. This wine can be drank now with decanting or cellared for 3+ years.
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1/30/2007 - Patrick wrote: 91 Points
Clear ruby brown; powerful nose of chocolate and/or cocoa powder, tobacco smoke, raspberry and some meaty notes; medium bodied with noticible acidity and smooth but mouth coating tannin; long finish; good and could sit a while longer
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11/19/2006 - JScott wrote: 89 Points
Has some years left.
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7/20/2006 - Doug House wrote:
Very, very, closed right now. Almost no nose. Good body and structure with some hints of ripe fruit and smoke, but everything is very muted and muddy right now. Needs 5 years.
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12/31/2004 - Spencer wrote: 91 Points
Much tighter and more closed than my last experience with this wine. I decanted it about an hour before serving - perhaps I should have just popped and poured. Still deep and powerful, with a beautiful silky texture, but lacking the complexity and exuberance that I remembered. Give this another 5 years of sleep.
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6/30/2004 - Spencer wrote: 93 Points
At the Park Hotel in Bremen, Germany. Dark, almost opaque, purple. Extremely well balanced. Beautiful, complex nose full of chocolate, dark fruit and sweet oak. Beautifully rounded mouthfeel with tons of fresh blueberry and blackberry flavors, along with milk chocolate, espresso, and just a hint of well-integrated oak. Long, complex finish. Much more open than I expected, this wine is drinking great right now, although it certainly has the stuffing to age quite a while.
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