Saturday, August 13, 2011

Domaine Sainte Anne Cotes du Rhone Villages, 1999

When it's young, Domaine Sainte Anne's CDR Villages is like crushed berries and cream. I love it. With a decade and more of bottle age, it takes on another dimension.

Medium deep ruby with good saturation./ The bouquet has developed nicely. Not as ripe and fruity as it once was but has taken on nuances of black raspberries, cassis and spice. / Same on the palate. The Syrah has reached a good stage of maturity, and the Grenache and Mourvedre are adding their voices. Has some similarity to a good Crozes Hermitage such as Domaine Thalabert but may be even better. Just the right degree of warmth (13% alcohol) to bring out the subtle fruit flavors. There is nothing flashy about the finish, but it keeps bringing me back for sip after sip, and the memory lingers. I paid about $10 for this wine; the pleasure it's giving me right now is worth several times that much.

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