Community Tasting Note

• mjwstickings Likes this wine: 90 points

  January 27, 2022 - Despite being over six years old, upon opening this blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Syrah seems dusty, stale, and off-kilter, somehow both too young and too old, pretty good but nothing special. But with time everything comes together, and it reveals itself as top-notch Vacqueyras, the sort of regionally (and sub-regionally) authentic wine that Amadieu, one of the best of the southern Rhône, does so well. It's a fairly dense and powerful red, with 14.5% ABV, led by ripe, baked, and dried fruit, mostly blackberry and cherry, and yet there's a certain freshness brought in by the acidity, which at this point, like the tannins, is nicely integrated and balanced. To this are added notes of butterscotch, vanilla, and garrigue, with minerals (iron especially) and black pepper taking hold on the palate and leading the way through the long finish. This all highlights the balanced softness that the wine has achieved (far from off-kilter it really is in its unified prime, though some excess bitterness on the finish suggests it could still use a year or two more) and reflects the careful aging process (the blend is "aged in our Gigondas cellar: one third is aged 6 months in barrels, while the rest is kept in foudres to soften the tannins," says the website) that this great producer used to allow the wine to express the terroir. And all for just $23 -- it's yet another great value from a great, if overshadowed, appellation. 90-91.

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