Had this single bottle sitting in the cellar for years and thought perhaps the time was right before it got too old as I’m not the biggest fan of old Rhone wines. Good decision as this wine is right in the sweet spot. Pulled the cork, no decant and just an hour or so of air. Very dark colour in a large glass with good deep aroma of dark fruit. Really singing on the palate though. Quite big, rich and meaty wine but still keeping a good level of that dark blackberry fruit. Decent lingering finish and delicious with Colston Bassett cheese. Always been a big fan of Gigondas wines that often seem to outperform other Southern Rhone / CNDP wines and this is a great example especially when bought young and left to rest for a while…
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Alluring nose and in good drinking window. Lacking fruit which leaves the palate a bit bereft but very pleasing overall. Not up to usual standards for this bottling
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Showing quite a bit of bottle development, but still expressing game, red cherry and raspberry fruit, and tobacco and leather. In the mouth, this is very tannic, verging on furry. Structured and savoury - the ripeness of the fruit is more than balanced by the dryness of the tannins. At first I wondered if this wine had peaked, but I could detect no sign of the fruit fading. This is destined to always be a tannic expression of Gigondas, and I can see this wine morphing into something very interesting in the next 3 - 5 years. 91 points for me, although if one’s tolerance for tannins are beyond mine, o could see 92…
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Decanted for 2 hours. Medium ruby-garnet in colour. Nose of smoky red raspberries, touch of black peppers, and red currants. On the palate, a tannic blackberry streak is noted along with black peppers, hints of black cherries and bits of green herbs. Medium bodied with a medium+ finish. Had the 2012 a few days ago; both are different yet have some similarities to each other.
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10/30/2023 - WineGuyX wrote: flawed
This is thin and dried out and over the hill. Nose of mushroom and "singed" as Michael Broadbent used to say. If you have any, drink now. 85
Edit: after reading so many glowing reviews within the last year, I'm changing this to "flawed", although there is no obvious flaw. Cork was pristine.
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4/23/2023 - DFBW wrote: 93 Points
Had this single bottle sitting in the cellar for years and thought perhaps the time was right before it got too old as I’m not the biggest fan of old Rhone wines. Good decision as this wine is right in the sweet spot. Pulled the cork, no decant and just an hour or so of air. Very dark colour in a large glass with good deep aroma of dark fruit. Really singing on the palate though. Quite big, rich and meaty wine but still keeping a good level of that dark blackberry fruit. Decent lingering finish and delicious with Colston Bassett cheese. Always been a big fan of Gigondas wines that often seem to outperform other Southern Rhone / CNDP wines and this is a great example especially when bought young and left to rest for a while…
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3/12/2023 - 2caveman Likes this wine: 91 Points
Alluring nose and in good drinking window. Lacking fruit which leaves the palate a bit bereft but very pleasing overall. Not up to usual standards for this bottling
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3/8/2023 - Marc wrote: 91 Points
Showing quite a bit of bottle development, but still expressing game, red cherry and raspberry fruit, and tobacco and leather. In the mouth, this is very tannic, verging on furry. Structured and savoury - the ripeness of the fruit is more than balanced by the dryness of the tannins. At first I wondered if this wine had peaked, but I could detect no sign of the fruit fading. This is destined to always be a tannic expression of Gigondas, and I can see this wine morphing into something very interesting in the next 3 - 5 years. 91 points for me, although if one’s tolerance for tannins are beyond mine, o could see 92…
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11/27/2022 - AMC Eagle wrote: 93 Points
Decanted for 2 hours. Medium ruby-garnet in colour. Nose of smoky red raspberries, touch of black peppers, and red currants. On the palate, a tannic blackberry streak is noted along with black peppers, hints of black cherries and bits of green herbs. Medium bodied with a medium+ finish. Had the 2012 a few days ago; both are different yet have some similarities to each other.
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