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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.3 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 107 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by flwinos on 4/12/2024 & rated 90 points: Pnp. Just ok as compared to previous bottles - to me this is at peak or just past its peak. No better on day 2. Drink up. (488 views) | | | Tasted by gjv115 on 12/15/2023 & rated 93 points: Pnp. Lovely and in a good place. It may improve but I'm pretty happy with IT now. Complex spices and herbs. Long finish. It went up against an older Plump Jack cab and completely outshone it. Insane QPR. (765 views) | | | Tasted by SF Angela on 11/30/2023 & rated 91 points: Drinking perfectly right now! Black tea, pipe tobacco, cassis, boysenberry, with hints of vanilla & nutmeg. Soft tannins nicely balanced with acid & fruit. (828 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 5/17/2023 & rated 93 points: low acid, silky and viscous, gobs of fruit. great qpr. (1307 views) | | | Tasted by Goodwine4ever on 2/5/2023 & rated 92 points: Ici nous avons droit a une Syrah complètement gorgé de chaleur et de soleil ! Fruits compotés, liqueur de cassis, balsam, le vin nous en met plein la bouche sans être trop lourd ou mal équilibré. L'acidité est certe faible mais il y en a juste assez pour soutenir l'ensemble. Un superbe vin des Cotes Catalanes à boire maintenant ou dans les 2-3 prochaines années. (1650 views) | | | Tasted by Mr. Montrachet on 12/3/2022 & rated 92 points: Full bodied, rich, jammy. Still strong dark fruits, no tertiary flavors yet. Could also be kept longer. (1761 views) | | | Tasted by bobadopolis on 11/17/2022 & rated 92 points: Ridiculous QPR here. This is in a fantastic place right now, but no hurry. (1391 views) | | | Tasted by ogres3 on 10/22/2022 & rated 92 points: Drinking well, full-bodied, fruit complex, dark purple, nice finish. Quite good. (1511 views) | | | Tasted by Stufts on 4/13/2022 & rated 90 points: I had higher hopes for this to be spectacular, and feared I was drinking it too early. However, much of the primary fruit had receded, leaving savory notes of tobacco, cedar, baking spice, violets, and pepper. Lovely, but showing its age already, and I think the drinking window may be shorter than anticipated. Full bodied, medium plus tannins, medium acid, deep ruby with a hint of garnet at the edges. (1931 views) | | | Tasted by gjv115 on 1/29/2022 & rated 93 points: Upon opening it was big and tight but showing BBQ brisqet for days. As it breathed in decanter, about 3 hours, it softened a lot and more fruit came through. It developed into a very elegant wine.
Very enjoyable at every stage and quite excited to see where this goes as I have more. But enjoy now or let it age for years to come.
A special Syrah (1878 views) | | | Tasted by Tpmess on 1/2/2022 & rated 93 points: berry with licorice and tobacco, smooth and long lasting on the tongue (1898 views) | | | Tasted by MicklethePickle on 12/16/2021 & rated 94 points: PnP. Incredible appearance, just absolutely opaque dark purple that almost looks more black than purple, with big purple tears on the glass. One of the most saturated wines I have ever seen. Syrah fruit in this is super-concentrated, rich, thick, bold. Hard to believe where this comes from--it could rival many a good Northern Rhone. The huge fruit continues right on into the palate, where this is a bruising, tannic monster that still manages to show off rich, ripe black fruit and oak. The only thing this lacks is charm and finesse, and I think there is plenty of stuffing here that those elements will come in time, as the structure is sufficient for long aging. Don't miss this if you have a chance to try it--it's tremendous. 5-13-17-9: 94/100. (2157 views) | | | Tasted by Crunge on 8/6/2021 & rated 92 points: Nose is dark fruits and alcohol. Flavors are black cherries and blackberries. Fairly clean with no real minerality, dirt, or other earthy characteristics. My wife finds it a touch jammy but this is not a criticism. We both enjoyed this wine and would definitely buy again. (2661 views) | | | Tasted by Kayentacellars on 11/20/2020 & rated 92 points: Cant add anything to the descriptions already written, agree with most. Good Syrah, and very good price. (3047 views) | | | Tasted by daveyk39 on 11/7/2020 & rated 92 points: Based on CT notes have bought this every year since 2015, but have yet to crack one open and see what I think, but tonight warranted some celebration, so the time was right to give it a shot, and it does not disappoint.
Deep purple color. Aromas of plum, black cherry, black olive, tar, green peppercorn and cigar box. This Côtes Catalanes Syrah is dense and potent, with a lot of life left in it. Full-bodied, silky and opulent texture pillowing flavors of black cherry and olive, with a backbone of muscular tannins that still need some years to fully resolve.
Drank with no regret, but going to give the rest 5 more years at least. (2633 views) | | | Tasted by Scottwhipp on 10/30/2020 & rated 93 points: Medium to full bodied. Soft and supple mouthfeel, rich taste of red and black fruit (raspberry and blackberry) and subtle herbs and spice (lavender and pepper). Really loved this wine. Paired really well with braised rosemary, garlic lamb shanks. (2591 views) | | | Tasted by aatherton on 10/24/2020 & rated 93 points: Smooth, dark, deep, rich black fruit and pepper spice Delicious. (2563 views) | | | Tasted by bonedoc on 10/5/2020 & rated 93 points: Nicely done, blind I would have guessed California... silky, concentrated, chewy, no real funk/garrique/barnyard as one might expect from a French wine. (2429 views) | | | Tasted by Erichlau on 9/18/2020 & rated 85 points: It’s enjoyable, nose first a alcoholic but it mellows out a bit. Short on finish but for the price it’s enjoyable ! Drink now. Don’t wait. (1796 views) | | | Tasted by srh on 9/8/2020: Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
≈70 min decant into a plastic, cylindrical pitcher which was then closed; Notable, VERY fine sediment in the bottle's neck; Private Preserve after Day 1
N: Plums, choc, some blk pepper, hints of pyrazines, the pepper coming on
P: Med, poss MF, body; Rndish entry with nice, almost swtish frt met by a puckerish astringency which does pretty much work itself out by the LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with an intriguing, peppery, bitter/swtness to the quite unoffensively firming, dusty tannins. Acceptable by itself, it was even better with the Smkd BBQ Pk Ribs & Smkd BBQ Bf Shrt Ribs. My EXC-, & we'll see how it holds.
// Day 3: ≈Aromas to Day 1's, & still holding nicely; P is down a bit to Med body, as is the init astringency, + it showed well with the night's revisited Chx (SP) with Rice, the wine's peppery-leaning flavors providing a counterpoint to the Chx's green olive brininess. Drink now & into '23, + because of how well it did @ the table both nights, my EXC-/EXC (90-93/100 using that metric), & trending towards the higher? [As of mid Sept '20, wine-searcher still shows 1 bottle @ $35].
Note: Also tasted on 2/17, 3/17, & 5/25/18 + 7/1/20, today's being one of its best showings. (2317 views) | | | Tasted by gjv115 on 8/16/2020: Drank over two days. Seemed a little closed. Better on day two. (2217 views) | | | Tasted by uve on 7/17/2020 & rated 93 points: This delivers in spades - an immediate, roaring hit of ripe black fruit, roasted herbs and espresso. The finish is long and gives further notes of stones, there’s maybe a rough edge right at the finish but doesn’t diminish its charm. A rock star! (2086 views) | | | Tasted by srh on 7/1/2020: Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
≈75 min decant into a plastic, cylindrical pitcher which was then capped; Notable, VERY fine sediment in the bottle's neck; Private Preserve after Day 1
N: RIPE plums with a distinct minerality & hints of choc, but seeming to lack endurance?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, almost swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with, ult, a reasonably pleasant (at least for a while) bitter/swt aspect to the very, VERY fine tannins. Went passably with the night's takeout Lasagna in Marinara Sauce. Drink NOW, &/or give this < init air than I did. 15.5% ABV; My VG/VG+, an overall disappointment from previous tastings. :(
// Day 2: Aromas ≈ Day 1's, though slightly muted; P init @ least as good, though it seemed to fall off quickly once poured? On the other hand, it did work well with the night's Chx Burrito, Refried Beans, & Spanish Rice. Drink NOW & probably through '21 before this falls apart. :( [As of early Jul '20, wine-searcher shows no available sources for this vintage].
Note: Also tasted on 2/17, 3/17, & 5/25/18, only the middle one being substantially > impressive than the rest (including today’s). (2560 views) | | | Tasted by mpsocal on 6/6/2020 & rated 92 points: Big bold but easy drinking. This is delicious and a great value. (2289 views) | | | Tasted by Sanlucar on 5/23/2020 & rated 92 points: A very good example of 100% Syrah from southern France but it's not what I expected given the hyperbolic 96-point score from Parker, Inc. I found this wine to be a bit hollow (very limited mid-palate) and deficient in its expression of terrior. Also, this wine's profile is entirely "new world" with exceedingly ripe fruit and very high alcohol (15.5%), but it can stand on its own as a big, brawny, muscular beast with flavors of road tar, roasted herbs, sweet-tasting glycerin, and dripping with beef blood. I give it 2 - 3 more years before it fades away quickly. (2459 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château de l'Ou Producer website2015 Château de l'Ou Syrah Secret de Schistes100% Syrah from "Brown Schists situated to 325m - Haute Vallée de l’Agly."
96 pts ea WA (4/'17) & Jeb Dunnuck (8/'17), though Dunnuck was the reviewer in ea case, + 16.5/20 Jancis Robinson (3/19/18).
Syrah Varietal article (Wikipedia) | (Wines Northwest)
Note that some producers in the Northern Rhone distinguish between simply Syrah and "Serine", the latter described as ‘an ancient clone of Syrah, the berries of which are more oval-shaped and less deeply pigmented than Syrah’ by producer Tardieu-Laurent. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comLanguedoc Roussillon Inter Sud de France | Vins Languedoc-Roussillon
Wine-Searcher.com: http://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-languedoc-roussillon
Financial Times Article (June 19th 2010 Andrew Jefford):http://bit.ly/bLDytg
Financial Times Article (June 5 2010 Jancis Robinson): http://bit.ly/8ZerX2
David Schildknecht (7th June 2010) Languedoc-Roussillon Best Producers:http://bit.ly/do0LQa Roussillon Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon |
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