Excellent Value Young Rhones

SF Wine Trading Company
Tasted Sunday, October 27, 2013 by drwine2001 with 327 views

Flight 1 - Whites (2 Notes)

  • 2012 Famille Brunier Vaucluse Le Pigeoulet Blanc

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vaucluse

    Medium yellow. Ripe, round pear with a bit of pineapple too. Excellent feel without being over the top, good acidity and soil. For me, a good example of "less is more" in a white Rhone blend. Very well done for the price point.

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  • 2012 Domaine de Durban Vaucluse Blanc

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vaucluse

    Light yellow. Much more high toned than the Pigeoulet with more exotic notes as well. Light, quite citric flavors. Thinner feel than the Pigeoulet. Zingy finish. The lesser of the 2 whites, but still objectively good value.

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Flight 2 - Reds (4 Notes)

  • 2011 Domaine des Coteaux des Travers Cairanne

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Cairanne

    Medium red. Briary red fruit and very forward herbal scents. It features more lavender, licorice and herbs in a light weight package than fruit. Good acidity, shorter finish. This is the less complete of the 2 wines from this producer tasted today.

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  • 2011 Domaine des Coteaux des Travers Rasteau Reserve

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Rasteau

    Darker and deeper looking than the Cairanne. Rounder, richer, less herbaceous than that wine with berry-like black and red fruit. Attractive violet note in the mouth. Soft tannins, excellent texture. This is a very attractive, impressive $17 bottle!

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  • 2011 La Bastide Saint-Dominique Côtes du Rhône Villages

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages

    Medium core, paler rim. Lighter weight, dry, savory wine with garrigue, spice and anise. Good basic blend which showcases surprising complexity rather than big fruit.

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  • 2010 Domaine Monpertuis (Paul Jeune) Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    Medium center. Some perfume but pretty restrained nose. Not a heavyweight. Serious, backward flavors of graphite, blueberry and black fruit with prominent but not tooth-rattling tannins. Traditional wine with blessedly little wood imprint. Excellent and set for a long evolution.

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Closing

I must say that all of these wines outperformed. The "minor" 2012 whites had unusual structure to give them shape, and the 2011 reds were open, balanced, and overall very appealing. A special shout out goes to the Coteaux des Travers Rasteau, an excellent wine and an even better value.

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