2007 Rhone Tasting at Local Wine Shop

A much anticipated tasting of 2007 Rhone wines was held at one of my favorite local shops. The shop owner always does an excellent job selecting wines that have very good QPR and a sense of place. Six wines were selected for the tasting, one of them white. I didn't get the name of the 2nd wine right now so may have to update. All together a great tasting that got me excited for the vintage. The wines were opened at the shop shortly before tasting. So these notes were likely taken within 2 hours of the corks being pulled. Due to the youth of the wines, it was a little tough to pull out a lot of details, so please keep that in mind when reading these notes.

• 2007 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Very good. Peach, waxy pear and minerality highlight the palate. Easy to drink and a good "everyday white" for the fall.

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• NV Paul Avril Le Petit Vin d'Avril

  France, Vin de Table Français

  Good. Nose of berries, plum and barnyardy smoke. A lot of big fruit upfront: blackberries, dark cherries and ripe raspberries. Almost juice like. Hollow midpalate and not much of a finish. If I were in a bistro in France and wanted a 6 euro bottle to go with my meal, I may bite. At this price point (per bottle), no way... there are far better and less expensive CdR in 2007 that blow this away.

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• 2007 Château de Saint Cosme Gigondas

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Outstanding. This is a great bottle of wine. Even the nose was well layered, alternating wafts of blackberries, flowers and light smoke. The palate was rich and complex with suprisingly smooth tannins. Obviously built for time, but I could see one drinking this with a piece of red meat after a nice decant. Blackberries, Dark cherries, anise, spice and brambly notes are detected on the palate.

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• 2007 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron

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

  Outstanding. Rich nose of blueberry pie and flowers. Ripe fruit on the palate, again blueberry pie, plum and blackberries. Initially the midpalate was rough, with almost harsh tannin. The finish showed bit of heat. After aeration, the midpalate was tamed and heat died off / blended in. Then the fruit was balanced by earthy, animal fat (and fur) and dried fruit notes. Seems like a more modern CDP, maybe due to the fruit upfront. The distributor did note that the fruit was 100% destemmed and cofermented. There may be options I find more preferable at this price point, but still an outstanding wine that will be very enjoyable with time.

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• 2007 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape

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

  Outstanding. This I really enjoy. I like a lot of the qualities of this wine. Ripe berry, fig and date fruit on the nose, highlighted by floral notes. The palate shows ripe and dried fruits, led by fig. An extremely pleasant iron / blood (garrigue) note runs through the midpalate, adding complexity. Notes of spice cake also detected. Tannins already seem smooth and integrated. The distributor noted that this was whole cluster and individually fermented (each component). A nice long finish brings back the date notes. You could almost bring this home and drink it. My favorite of the tasting.

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Again a great tasting. I was surprised at how open some of the wines are right now. Really excited to start tasting some of the big boys in the coming months.