Community Tasting Notes 8

• lake.vino Likes this wine: 88 points

  December 16, 2013 - Ripe black raspberry, lower in acid than I would like, but still not over hot or a fruit bomb. some herbal-garrigue notes, and there must be syrah, because there were black pepper, bacon, and even violet notes. Clearly from a warm vintage and a warm site -- and maybe a bit more than my palate would idealize -- but it "was what it should be" so to speak. Clean, good winemaking and probably as balanced as the vintage and site would allow.

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• french16 wrote:

  February 23, 2011 - Languedoc Blind Tasting (My Home): A lot of balckberry and herbs on the nose. Then more plum and hint of ripe strawberry. Overall, it shows a dark profile, low acidity and smooth tannins. It was a little more balanced than the Baulery but still too ripe, flabby and boring.
  A shocker when the wine was revealed. We loved the 06 which was all about red fruits, balance and an underlying acidity. The warmth of '07 completely, in my opinion, ruined this wine.

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• Vinacull wrote: 87 points

  February 6, 2011 - Aerate to decanter, wait 15 min. Color ruddy ruby with some dark hues, medium body. Initial bouquet was strawberries, some of them roasted, a mild green note like a vine, earth, coffee, and a shading of parma. Rather light on the palate with a pleasant mix of red seed fruits, herbs, earth, and mineral. After about 90 min. the aromas and flavors darken and pick up some weight, showing some blackberry and plum, earth and a touch of licorice to accompany the herbs and minerals. Medium acid, mild tannins, fairly short finish. Overall enjoyable and more on the food-friendly side, but not quite the "Stunning Value!!!" advertised by the store manager's shelf shouter. Drink in the next couple years.

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• unrelenting wrote:

  October 15, 2010 - permanwine.com
  One of the highlights of my trip this past June to the Languedoc in the south of France was visiting the estate of Leon Barral in the region of Faugères.
  Winemaker Didier Barral is one of the influential figures in the biodynamic movement of France, and I have met very few winemakers more passionate than Didier about his tractors, cows, and vineyard practices. To call the wines of Barral, earth driven is kind of an understatement.
  The Barral estate comprises of about 30 hectares of vineyards. Didier's first vintage was in 1993. His father previously sold the family's grapes to the cooperative, although his grandfather made wine from some of the vineyards.
  Barral is a somewhat controversial figure in the region when it comes to his approach to farming, but I found his practices to be respective of the terroir and a breath of fresh air in what is sometime a too technical wine world.
  Faugères, as an overgeneralization, is a very hot area, and the schist soil that Barral farms from produces wines of incredible concentration of fruit. The 2007 is certainly no exception.
  A blend of primarily Grenache and Carignan, this wine exudes the classic kirsch notes from the Grenache, with accompanying aromatics and flavors of cocoa, coffee, spice, and notes of smoked meat. No one will ever confuse this with a wine meant as an aperitif, rather this should be enjoyed with some sort of dead animal, from beef to squab to lamb. It really is an exceptional wine for the price.

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• hutch wrote: 87 points

  November 13, 2009 - Robert Kacher Tasting (Taj, Boston MA): 11/13/09: This wine was showing very odd today. Had a sour tart thing going on at the finish. Tried twice, and while the 2nd bottle was not as bad, it was still there. Not sure what to make of this. Did have a nice mouth feel, but not really that close to the quality of the bottle I tried in Boston... 85-87
  
  10/14/09: I was pretty enamored with this wine. Hedonistic. Raspberry liquor. Some garrigue, herbs. Killer stuff. This might be one of those '07 buy by the case wines that the critics are all talking about. 88-89

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Pro Reviews 1

Wine Definition

• Vintage 2007
• Type Red
• Producer Château Grande Cassagne
• Varietal Red Rhone Blend
• Designation "G.S."
• Vineyard n/a
• Country France
• Region Rhône
• SubRegion Southern Rhône
• Appellation Costières-de-Nîmes

Community Holdings

• Pending Delivery 0 (0%)
• In Cellars 12 (27%)
• Consumed 33 (73%)

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