August 20, 2020 - Showing some maturity, but still lots of primary fruit left. Happy wine with good depth, ripe fruit, good balance, good acidity. A food wine with some finesse.
#ÅretRet#Generalforsamling
June 19, 2020 - Coravin fun - new arrivals (My place, Kent Street): Another day, another bottle...actually this one has come at the end of a long day of work followed by some considerable time tasting some rather splendid wines, followed by the uncorking of an older bottle that showed a marked recalcitrance to open (the cork started slipping in to the bottle - thank you durand) but succumbed and was shared over lamb lollipops then this...Previous experiences have been unenjoyable and this is the last of my bottles so I decided to splash decant this rather aggressively - change is as good as a rest. I love the Fontanilles but the Ciaude has always played second fiddle. And, sadly, this conforms to my previous experience. Plummy, earthy, baked fruits, aniseed, tiny touch of black cherry...On the palate it's quite baked, dense in fact but without massive tannins, obviously warm climate though the alcohol is impressively handled, don't get me wrong, this is a good wine but it's not just as good as the Fontanilles. A lesson learnt.
May 14, 2020 - Delicious, lots of depth, fruit but not too fruity, strong stuff.
April 9, 2020 - Slightly porty, meaty, savoury with herbaceous notes and stewed meat over a little plum and black cherry. A little black peppercorn on the nose as well. In the mouth the alcohol is a little high for the rest of the flavours making the wine make a bit disjointed for me. Similar, though more subdued, flavours and silky tannic burr on the mid-palate. This bottle probably a bit past its best...Boo...big disappointment after the showing of the 2008 Fontanilles
December 8, 2019 - At least I am consistant! I tasted it last in 2015. Once again I really enjoyed this wine. It is beautifully made, but if tasted blind I would have no idea where it was from. I never would have picked it as Minervois. No hint of southern rustic character, all about Burgundian finesse. Oh well, it was delicious.
August 12, 2019 - Nearly there. Colour still not showing much age. Needs some air. Very pleasing flavour, good balance. Sufficient acid for nice mouth feel. Still a trifle tannic, but the tannin is much smoother than a typical tannic Rhone Village.
December 9, 2018 - A bit further down the track. Has improved. Still some tannin that I found crept up on me, so a bit more age is needed although can be drunk with pleasure now. Everything is in balance. Very enjoyable flavour.
June 21, 2018 - Upon first opening lovely sweet black cherry, a little tarragon, dusty spice and earth on the nose. Fresh, warm though, a little broad but quite elegant in a rustic way (if you can imagine such a thing). Generous and, well, quite lovely.
June 17, 2018 - Assez tannique avec une amertume en finale.
Pas mal de structure et le fruit est en retrait...c`est surtout cette masse tannique qui assèche car pas mauvais ...et surtout avec une peu de cave, pourrait surprendre.
June 4, 2018 - Toujours aussi bon !