2001 Domaine de la Grange des Pères Vin de Pays de l'Hérault

Community Tasting Notes (40) Avg Score: 92.6 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Benoit Hardy's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/19/2024 - Benoit Hardy Likes this wine: 94 Points

  This is not a wine that I come across often because I had never considered it to be to my taste.
  
  Nose of crushed olive, smoke, licorice and spices.
  
  The palate retains its vigor, but very soft with an ample attack due to the concentration of the juice. This unfolds all its vigor with aromas of leather, stewed red fruits and pepper. Once the first sensation of intensity has passed, the wine becomes more serene in the second half of the palate. It is always grained, which adds to the pleasure of complexity. The wine then becomes silky and textured on the palate. The balance is excellent with a nice acidity which carries the juice without any feeling of heaviness despite the intensity felt. Large peppery finish, with a seductive length reminiscent of leather aromas.
  
  Excellent!

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View finewinebuff57's profile
  • Report Issue

  4/3/2024 - finewinebuff57 wrote: 92 Points

  A blend of Syrah (40%), Mourvèdre (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Counoise (10%). 14,5% alcohol. Forceberry's note from May 23 sums this up beautifully. A cult wine now of course but the quality and longevity are undeniable. A point. Needs air and time to express itself.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View MC2 Wines's profile
  • Report Issue

  1/6/2024 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

  Wine Bros: A Study of Syrah (Cowford Chophouse): I wish I’d gotten into this wine when it was a bit more reasonably priced but alas no and while the pricing is quite crazy I can understand it. It’s a great wine. Bright and beautiful and classy and a bit more herbal and spice and still the fruits and I quite enjoyed it.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Decanting Queen's profile
  • Report Issue

  8/12/2023 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 94 Points

  Consumed over 2 days. On opening this was very tertiary and thin, and I worried I had missed it entirely. But with a few hours of air the Syrah began to dominate, both in terms of fruit and tertiary savory elements (like Worcester sauce). By day 2 this had opened up even further and the blend seemed more balanced and fruity, with the added complexity of leather, spices, savory and of course a splash of Worcester! Definitely time to drink up. I fully enjoyed but would not buy this vintage again.
  
  Edit: especially nice on days 2 and 4, lots of big juicy fruit and the Worcester sauce toned down somewhat. Stored in 3 oz glass bottles in fridge

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  5/18/2023 - forceberry wrote: 95 Points

  A blend of Syrah (40%), Mourvèdre (40%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%), Counoise (10%). 14,5% alcohol.
  
  Rather translucent pomegranate color with an evolved maroon hue. The nose feels fragrant, characterful and quite fascinating with quite singular aromas of wizened cranberries and heather honey, some evolved meaty tones, light briny notes of kombu kelp, light woody nuances of savory wood spice, sweet hints of wizened cherries and ripe red fruits, a perfumed touch of dried flowers and a lifted whiff of ethery VA. Really tons of things going on here. The wine feels evolved, harmonious and wonderfully airy on the palate with a medium body and ripe, characterful and subtly sweetly-fruited flavors of arctic brambles and wizened cranberries, some savory notes of meaty umami, light ferrous notes of blood, light nuances of acacia honey and saffron, a hint of dank herby spices and a touch of rustic funk. The overall feel is silky yet balanced and firm enough, thanks to the moderately high acidity and ripe medium tannins. The finish is long, characterful and moderately evolved with some tannic grip and a savory, complex aftertaste of beef jerky and meaty umami, some distinctive honeyed tones, a little bit of ferrous blood, light juicy notes of arctic bramble and wild strawberry, sweetly-spiced hints of saffron and anise and a touch of hoisin.
  
  A tasty, harmonious and - above all - very characterful red with lots of everything both in the nose and on the palate. The wine doesn't feel so big, impactful or "impressive" on the palate, just so very balanced, fragrant and surprisingly airy. Not really Burgundian, but in sort of that direction. Furthermore, the distinctive honeyed notes and nuances of saffron, combined with those savory, meaty flavors contributed to the exceptional and quite distinctive complexity of the wine. A fascinating wine and probably the best vintage of Grange des Pères I've tasted thus far. Furthermore, I wasn't the only one to think this wine was terrific: it got 10 points from the ten participants in our tasting, making it finish on first place.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 40 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.