Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Grand Prieur Cotes du Rhone, 2006

This old favorite is showing much better tonight than it did last August. Cellar temperature (and room temperature) is much cooler in December, of course, and I think the flavors and aromas show their best at around 65 to 70 degrees.

The color is a deep crimson; the wine has lost the bluish tints it had a year or so ago. Garrigue--the smell of Provencal herbs and countryside--dominates the aromas at this stage of development along with spicy red and black fruits. All the aromas are blending together nicely, almost to the point that you could call it a bouquet. All those same elements are confirmed in the flavors, and the wine goes down very smoothly. Good ripeness front to back with the 14% alcohol providing body rather than warmth on the palate.

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