Thursday, December 9, 2010

Altitude 500 Parcelles Saint Nicolas Ventoux, 2007

This is my second bottle of this Ventoux, and I am more impressed than ever. Produced by the Vignerons du Mont Ventoux at Bedoin, a growers' cooperative, it has beautifully focused Grenache (75%) and Syrah (25%) fruit exhibiting all of the benefits of a 500 meter elevation.

The color is deep, dark crimson with good saturation, and you can probably smell the fragrance from across the room--blueberries, violets, Provencal herbs and spices. High class stuff. And I get the same on the palate. A very strong fruit presence--perfect ripeness countered by racy acidity and structure from the peels. Medium bodied and silky smooth. Fantastic. What more can one expect from an under-$10 Ventoux?

I've yet to try Les Trois Messes Basses, a Ventoux made by the same coop and selling for $1 a bottle less. It's next on my list.

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