Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Domaine de Font-Sane Cotes du Ventoux, 2003

This is one of my favorite Ventoux wines but one of my least favorite vintages. I've had up and down experiences with it over the past year or so [January 13 and May 29, 2008], and this bottle ranks somewhere in the middle.

It's still a brilliant crimson color, medium deep with no signs of aging. The nose is very ripe, forward and typical of the warm '03 vintage. The alcohol level is only 13.5%, and there is no heat on the palate or finish. But if you sniff closely, you can smell the raisins, and the flavors are jammy like an Australian Grenache. The wine has a cherry/berry fruitiness with a charming ripe feel on the palate that many wine drinkers would love. But I miss the characteristic peppery/spicy backbone of Ventoux. I hope this is my last bottle of 2003 because I'm hungry for the beautiful flavors and smells of the 2005 Font-Sane [July 24, 2008].

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