2016 Domaine des Escaravailles Cairanne Le Ventabren

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 89.5 points

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  9/19/2021 - mjwstickings Likes this wine: 89 Points

  I find myself increasingly gravitating to oak-free wines, and this Grenache-based blend (with 20% Syrah and 10% Carignan) from Cairanne, a source of some of the best values from any of the southern Rhône villages (this is decent value at $26 in Ontario), nicely (if more powerfully than elegantly) shows off both region and varietals. Aged in concrete, it's certainly still on the heavy side, with deep extraction (expressed in both colour and flavour) and high alcohol (14.5% ABV). The power dominates, and comes through in notes of ripe cherry and dark berries, baked plum, and caramel (even without oak aging), but there's also just enough tartness (pomegranate and cherry) to keep the whole thing from turning overly gloopy, and indeed it's the sweet-sour combination that really stands out here, along with garrigue and a strong note of blood-like iron minerality, with additional complexity coming from notes of pepper spice, all what one would expect from a really good wine from the region, just with that extra oomph. It's in the 89-90 range, now an 89 with a bit of room for improvement with another year or two.

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  8/23/2021 - Jzizzle Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Luscious red and dark fruit with both high acidity and smooth mouthfeel. Some herb and spice add complexity for a pleasurable mouthful of wine.
  Did not hold up well the next day, so maybe one to drink sooner than later.

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  4/15/2021 - Tpairing wrote: 89 Points

  Red fruit and spices. Enjoyable wine. Tonight with grilled shoulder of lamb and linguini olio side.

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  9/6/2020 - rjsmall Likes this wine:

  Clear, bright red colour. Cherry on the nose with a bit of alcohol. Soft, rounded and smooth in mouth. Cherry and strawberry flavours. Medium length. Nice drinking.

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