January 14, 2024 - Gifted
January 14, 2024 - Give to Jessica
December 25, 2023 - Very much old world profile, cedar/pencil shavings, a hint of barnyard, old leather baseball glove, and DARK fruit on the nose. Smooth on the palate with a surprisingly long finish for a "basic" Rhone. Glad to have one more cellared, but wish that I had more from Garagiste at $24/Magnum delivered to FL 7 years ago.
March 24, 2023 - The color is dark and opaque as squid ink, extending to the thin brick red at the rim. Just up from the 50 degree Fahrenheit natural basement cellar, the wine will require a ten to twelve degree decompression of sorts prior to further evaluation, yet initially the nose shows aromas of old cigar box dried tobacco, pencil box graphite, and deeply extracted plum, blackberry and blueberry fruit, along with a smoked meat bouquet profile.
The mouthfeel, sans food, is framed by still sturdily present tannin and buoyant acidity, that supports a medium viscosity of sweet velvety fruit flavors, mimicking those previously sensed in the nose, that begin fading mid-palate and recede to the finish where they are appreciated more tactically than tasted.
I only have had the luscious 2020 version of this wine as a comparison, and any youthful attributes and singularity this wine may have possessed at release has now given way to a more sophisticated and elegant version of, as the 2020 now exhibits, it’s once broad stroke deep density of Syrah. The wine is a very pleasing, yet more unidimensional than the 2020 example, that almost tastes as if were a simplistic yet silky Barossa Valley Shiraz.
With a grilled beef hamburger the fruit in the wine fleshes out and takes on a spicy, peppery quality with an additive flavor of vanilla. This wine is certainly at the apex of its development, and its descension is in evidence.
October 31, 2022 - Gone. Horrid
May 2, 2022 - Second night from magnum. Very nice, has aged well, very good for the price. Lovely with pizza!
April 18, 2022 - Better than any wine at this price point has any right to be. Everything nicely in balance, although clearly the product of a vintage which had plenty of sun.
Burnt orange, violets and plums. Some leathery tones just starting to come through, but nowhere near knackered. Sufficient acidity and tannins certainly in check now, if they were ever intimidating before. No need to wait but can't see it falling over any time soon, either.
I bought these as cellar defenders for when dinner parties get boozy, but they will be a temptation on weekdays.
April 17, 2022 - Has aged so well. Deep rich color and well rounded fruit
March 5, 2022 - This basic Cotes Du Rhone is good year in and year out. This one still drinking well after 7 years. My last bottle. Will have to get whatever is current.
January 22, 2022 - Still drinking well. Have one left and will finish it up. I wouldn't wait any longer on this 2015.