October 30, 2023 - This is thin and dried out and over the hill. Nose of mushroom and "singed" as Michael Broadbent used to say. If you have any, drink now. 85
Edit: after reading so many glowing reviews within the last year, I'm changing this to "flawed", although there is no obvious flaw. Cork was pristine.
April 23, 2023 - Had this single bottle sitting in the cellar for years and thought perhaps the time was right before it got too old as I’m not the biggest fan of old Rhone wines. Good decision as this wine is right in the sweet spot. Pulled the cork, no decant and just an hour or so of air. Very dark colour in a large glass with good deep aroma of dark fruit. Really singing on the palate though. Quite big, rich and meaty wine but still keeping a good level of that dark blackberry fruit. Decent lingering finish and delicious with Colston Bassett cheese. Always been a big fan of Gigondas wines that often seem to outperform other Southern Rhone / CNDP wines and this is a great example especially when bought young and left to rest for a while…
March 12, 2023 - Alluring nose and in good drinking window. Lacking fruit which leaves the palate a bit bereft but very pleasing overall. Not up to usual standards for this bottling
March 8, 2023 - Showing quite a bit of bottle development, but still expressing game, red cherry and raspberry fruit, and tobacco and leather. In the mouth, this is very tannic, verging on furry. Structured and savoury - the ripeness of the fruit is more than balanced by the dryness of the tannins. At first I wondered if this wine had peaked, but I could detect no sign of the fruit fading. This is destined to always be a tannic expression of Gigondas, and I can see this wine morphing into something very interesting in the next 3 - 5 years. 91 points for me, although if one’s tolerance for tannins are beyond mine, o could see 92…
November 27, 2022 - Decanted for 2 hours. Medium ruby-garnet in colour. Nose of smoky red raspberries, touch of black peppers, and red currants. On the palate, a tannic blackberry streak is noted along with black peppers, hints of black cherries and bits of green herbs. Medium bodied with a medium+ finish. Had the 2012 a few days ago; both are different yet have some similarities to each other.
September 8, 2022 - On first opening I was a little underwhelmed but after a couple of hours in a decanter this opened out nicely to reveal its true character and fulfil its potential. There were complex of kirsch cherries, damsons and plums backed up with soft tannins, warmth and pepper.
A bit of a blockbuster yet there was still lift and freshness, developing a silky unctuous mouthfeel. From the mid-palate through to the finish further flavours sprang forth such as prunes, cocoa powder and milk chocolate. All in all in spite of the weight there was still vibrancy, brightness and almost a delicacy. Chp 91 pts
January 23, 2022 - Fantastic example of Gigondas. Big, peppery, balanced and lots of old smooth tannins. The color is getting slightly brown around the edges. It is ready now, not likely to improve.
December 28, 2021 - Nice aged nose on this Gigondas of barrel funk, brandied cherries and ripe camembert cheese (!) The tannins are underripe and drying though I fear (the vintage I guess) so I wouldn't cellar this too much longer. I always enjoy wines from this producer though.
December 6, 2021 - Much of the fruit has faded from this one but the tannins have not. It's still pretty bracing, even with a few hours in the decanter. Dominated by tertiary flavors it is not, however, unpleasant. Although not particularly elegant it still has a lot of enjoyable complexity.
August 3, 2021 - This is still surprisingly tannic and bracing to the palate at first go. But with time in carafe it shed and softened. Few traces of fruit added to the abruptness of the wine but over time and with food, it grew on me. Fine structure and weight without being over the top. Not a hot vintage may explain the lack of ripeness and fruit. I will hold my last bottle a few more years to see how secondary evolution unfolds