Compared to the Saint Esprit, this is a more typical blend for a Cotes du Rhone: 70% Grenache, 20 Syrah and 10% Carignane. The color is deep and bluish, could be mistaken for a 2005 or 2006 Grand Prieur. Aromas are already well developed with scents of pepper and spice as well as black fruits. Heady and inviting. In the mouth, the wine comes across as warm and full bodied. A check of the alcoholic content reveals that it is indeed 15%. This is almost as fiery as a Spanish Grenache such as Garnacha del Fuego, but it's still in the tradition of Cotes du Rhone. Mas de Bouquet also produces a Vacqueyras that I plan to try soon.
As for the 2007 vintage, I'm becoming slightly skeptical of the early hype. Robert Parker calls it the best Southern Rhone vintage of his lifetime and urges readers to snap up wines at all levels. So far, I have no reason to question the high quality of the vintage. I have tasted only a few lower level wines, but these wines, at this early stage, have not impressed me as much as did the young CDRs and CDR Villages from 1978, 1998 or 2001.
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Fred, I had the opportunity to taste a sample from a distributor who was selling to a wine shop I frequently shop at. He had a 2007 Alary brothers CdR with a really remarkable mouthfeel and astonishingly well incorporated tannins, but *no* flavor! I wondered, is this a stage in some wines? Is it common?
ReplyDelete~Eric
From the Alary brothers and 2007, I would have no question at all, Eric. I don't understand why flavors can seemn so closed in or backward or whatever, but it happens. Many 2001s were closed early, and the 2004 Chaume Arnaud Vinsobres is still a bit backward. When these wines bloom, they are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAnother Cairanne I tried was a Charavin Villages. Definitely an older "garrique" style, but plenty of complexity, smoky fruit, and grip.
ReplyDeleteVery hearty. Impressive with food. Probably $20-22.
http://www.vosselections.com/Domains/1088.html
~Eric
The Charavin was a 2005, BTW. I'm getting spoiled by 2007 fruit!
ReplyDelete~Eric
Rabasse-Charavin? Oh yeah, great source. This was the No. 1 Cairanne brought in by Village Corner during the early to mid 1980s--before l'Oratoire Saint Martin appeared on the scene. I haven't seen it recently, and that price is a little out of my range--although I'm sure it's well worth it.
ReplyDeleteI think they make a Rasteau too, but, as I remember it, the estate is in Cairanne and that is their flagship wine.
Sigh.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what I think I've discovered, Fred, you were there first! ;>
Interesting discussion over at vinography...
http://www.vinography.com/archives/2009/05/the_beginning_of_an_entirely_n.html
~Eric
I'm at a different stage in my wine quest, Eric. If you discovered something fantastic for me, I would have to take it as a mixed blessing since my cellar is already challenged. Also, my view is that the best "discoveries"--like Rabasse Charavin--have been around for decades quietly producing great wines that were often overlooked and under-priced.
ReplyDeleteVinfolio has an interesting approach to buying and selling wine. Do they require that you store your wine in their facility in order to sell through them?
You are probably right about the best discoveries, Fred....no new thing and all that. Its really interesting to read your take on some wines that have "marketing exposure", though.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about the Vinfolio question. I'm trying to find out, though.
Had my first Monte Antico, a 2004 a couple days ago. Very nice fruit, acidity on opening, not huge grip or balance, pleasant sour cherries after two days. Not bad, but for $11, not a bargain I think. Might be provenance.
Monte Antico is a very strange wine, Eric. I went through a whole case of the 1982 regular Monte Antico between 1984 and about 1992 and never had a bottle I thought was at its best. But the 1980 reserve, at nearly 30 years of age, was very good. I don't buy the wine today even when the price is good. The Dessilani Gattinara is another matter. It's a special wine that has always been overlooked. I don't buy it today because it's not available in my market and I probably couldn't afford it if it was. But the 1974 Gattinara was better than any Barolo I've ever had. And I've had some very good ones.
ReplyDeleteDick Scheer of Village Corner has posted his tasting notes on a Great Vintages Tasting--2008 New Zealand Sauvignon, 2007 California Cabs, unwooded Chardonnays and 2007 Southern Rhones. He likes the Delas even more than I did; glad I bought a case. There are several wines on the list you might be interested in--such as the Mordoree Lirac. That's always a fine wine and apparently is top notch in 2007.
Not trying to sell ya anything, Fred, but I gotta go with Flemington stuff for the moment. Half off a 2004 Barolo, with free shipping. Seems like a pretty good deal, what do you think?
ReplyDeletePicked up a Vac, 2 CdR's, and a white Bordeaux at a local store. Probably overpaid, but I didn't want to ship anything in summer.
~Eric
Free shipping is great--especially when prices are already discounted. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how it is in New Jersey, but in Michigan there are laws forbidding a retailer to discount a wine too much, unless it's a closeout. Free shipping, in this case, would allow a retailer to lower the price a bit more in order to clear out old stock.
In Michigan, of course, it's not summer yet. We've had temps in the 60s and 50s all week. So it's hard for me to be wary of shipping, even though I know that most shipments would probably pass through warmer states.