Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2003 Monday, Mar 26 2007
Tasting Notes and France and Rhone Valley and Variety and Red and grenache et al
This is a wine that is made in very large quantites, and though the blend varies from year to year, it generally includes approximately 50% Syrah, 30-40% Grenache, and the rest Mourvedre et al. It currently retails for about $20, and at that price is a cheap Rhone. Very cheap. An interesting nose: red cherries with a minerality that goes almost to the point of being metallic, pepper and dried herbs, a dry leafiness, animal hide and after some time in the glass it also showed blackberries. The palate offered rich red fruits, sour cherries and black fruits, all matched by graphite, animale and a drying bitumen character: a fruit sweet wine with a certain savouriness and a steely length. Not a wine to be judged out of context, and I reckon it will look better with a couple more years bottle age.
Rated : 88 Points
Tasted : Mar07
Alcohol : 13%
Price : $20
Closure : Cork
Drink : 2009 - 2013+
Source : Boccaccio Cellars
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March 26th, 2007 at 3:42 pm| Quote |
Lincoln,
I bought 3 cases of the 2000 vintage, which has really started to drink well during the last 18 months. The 2000 was not up to the excellent 95 & 98 vintages, and I got the impression that the wine showed a fair bit of oak & tannin, something that i had not seen on previous vintages. I’m not sure if the change in style was deliberate or vintage specific. But anyway you look at it, this is one of the great wines, given its vast production.
Another great CdR worth keeping an eye out for is Xavier, distributed by Vintage and Vine - lovely sweet peppery fruit.
Cheers,
Kent