2018 Domaine Belle Crozes-Hermitage Cuvée Louis Belle

Community Tasting Notes (7) Avg Score: 90.6 points

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  1/8/2023 - Ryan8008 wrote:

  Popped while my wife was cooking to use in the sauce. Took a whiff and got hit with sweet oak. Complained to my wife, who sagely advised that it would blow off. Palate was tannic with acids out of joint, alcohol sticking out.
  
  Opened for 3 hours, decanted for 1, chilled for 20 mins, which greatly improved the wine! The oak blew off for awhile, leaving the savoury bacon-wood chip-barbecue sauce I was looking for. Fruit shows eventually with ripe (but not quite jammy) blackberry and back cherry. Oaky butterscotch pokes its head back but it's better integrated.
  
  Palate balanced and somewhat rich but not super notable. Acids are healthy, tannins a little chalky, the high alcohol stays in balance. Finish is pretty short, and a little sickly despite the low RS.
  
  This is too modern for my taste. Don't know why you would cover up the beautiful meatiness with oak, and the two clash a bit. More interesting than some in this style, but not a re-buy from me.

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  9/20/2022 - ocassiuso wrote:

  Bottle 1320g. Moderately intense, bright aromas of red fruit, red bell pepper (almost cab franc), garrigue, muskmelon, wintergreen. Given the freshness, I suspect a fair amount of stems were involved. Dry, with elevated zippy acidity, and some heat with it. Moderate tannins, and now the alcohol is interfering with the assessment. 15°. It's an icy hot. White pepper, a little smoke. Out of balance.

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  4/22/2022 - Vintuition Likes this wine: 87 Points

  Très bon vin. Il peut se bonifier. J’attendrais 3024 pour le boire à son apogée. Malgré tout je vais aller me racheter une bouteille.
  
  Et étonnamment je préférais sa petite sœur les Pierrelles que j’ai bu len mai 2021 et qui est prêt à boire si vous pouvez encore en trouver. Donc la barre était haute pour la version plus onéreuse de 10$ Cuvée Louis

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  2/22/2022 - Clark W Griswold Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Double decent. Blackberry. Meaty. Peppery. Full bodied. Extracted new world style. Shorter finish. Simple and enjoyable.

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  1/23/2022 - daveyk39 wrote: 91 Points

  Medium/Deep purple color. Offers dusty notes of blackberry jam, plum, hints of blueberry, white pepper, dark chocolate. Full-bodied, a little hot. Creamy and lush on the palate, dark fruit and a pepper mid-palate, spicy finish, supported by fine-grained tannins. This is a properly beefy Syrah.

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