December 17, 2011 - DAY 1: A lot less interesting than prior bottles. Distinct notes of raisin and a muddy VA aspect. Man this stuff is ripe. Pushing past my point of interest. It doesn't seem like a bad bottle. Pristine cork. Same source as others. I wonder if my tastes have just shifted to much less modernist juice?
DAY 2: Ahh, much better, this really unfolded after an evening. Still very ripe, but now this is showing massive structure and garrigue, tapenade, the essence of Southern Rhone. Dusty, drying, powerful, this punches way above its weight class.
July 20, 2011 - A very nice showing tonight in the Mountains. Should drink well for several more years a it has the stuffing. -repeated Eric's experiment with the glasses -see his original TN and I absolutely concur.
September 3, 2010 - Corked
January 27, 2010 - Yummy, this is a fantastically tasty Côtes du Rhône Villages, very cherry in profile, crunchy, yet loaded with garrigue and fantastic herbal notes. Finishing a little forced and bitter yet still unmistakably powerful and enjoyable.
May 8, 2009 - Bright red fruits on the bouquet; garnet color, graduating to light brown at the edges; good acid/tannin balance, but not harmonious --- this has started to fall apart; lots of raspberry, and a hint of leather. Drink up if you got 'em.
March 3, 2009 - maybe 91. Very good!
January 1, 2009 - This is not your grandfather's Cote du Rhone. Deep purple in color. Powerful nose of cherries and garrigue, with a little VA. Layer upon layer of black cherries and raspberries, a little smoke, some spice (possibly oak). Lush and dense, yet somehow not heavy, with a long finish. Atypical for a CdR, both in a positive and negative sense. A terrific wine for the money.
March 4, 2008 - I literally just opened this. The wine is amazing right out of the bottle. Lovely nose of berries and leather. The palate is full bodied with sweet ripe raspberries. Much riper and fuller than the '99. The finish is nice with a peppery feel. A stellar cotes du rhone. 92
Two and a half hours later, the nose has rich decandent berries with a whiff of smoke. The palate is seamless with well integrated tannins and well balanced acidity. A strong finish with black pepper. An amazing Cotes-du-Rhone that is better than many Chateauneuf-du-Pape bottlings. 93
January 12, 2008 - Very nice CdP. Would have been low 90's if not for the little bit of VA I was getting on the nose.
December 12, 2007 - Double decanted and poured, and then consumed over 5 hours. Medium to full-bodied wine that is dark ruby in color. On the nose, plums, garrigue, light funk/smoke, and light VA. On the palate, dark cherries, loads of licorice, and a dusting of white pepper on the extremely long 40+ second finish. Precisely structured and nicely balanced, this wine is still youthful and tight...it should continue to improve.