Rhone (Rhône)

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape
• Cornas
• Crozes-Hermitage
• Gigondas
• Hermitage
• Lirac
• Saint Joseph

Crozes is an excellent source for great values in Syrah.  This is another example.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has black raspberries, slight bacon fat and roasted meats and black olives.  Full bodied.  On the palate, the black raspberries are upfront with underlying minerality and char.  This is drinking deliciously now, but it seems to have the stuffing to improve a bit.  it certainly has ten years left, or more, of great drinking.  A nice match for charcuterie or roasted meats and veggies.   

This is in a beautiful place right now.  Pop and poour and consumed over three hours, it was gorgeous all the way thru.  Deep ruby in color, a bit lighter at the rim.  The nose is intoxicating with cherries, black cherries, just a slight bit of funk, roasted meats, dried floral notes and light spice.  On the palate, the texture is lovely.  Rich, but just barely with lots of energy.  Bright with plenty of depth.  Fresh cherries with underlying earthiness.  Tight layering that unwinds in the glass.  Nice finish.  This is not a blockbuster but it has all the parts in the right proportions.  It

This is a new estate for me.  2010 was a great vintage which helped just about everyone.  This is ruby in color.  The nose has cherries with spice.  On the palate, this is nice.  Mild tannins.  Cherry fruit with underlying earthiness.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is at peak and probably should be consumed in the next three to five years.  it will work well with burgers and stews.  

Vacqueyras can be an excellent source of value in the southern Rhone.  The best wines are as good as many Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape wines, often at a lesser price.  This is one of the better ones.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose has cherries, black cherries, slight cherry lozenge, and smoke.  On the palate, this is clean with cherry fruit and a nice minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This is drinking well.  It should be consumed in the next five to seven years.  A nice match with pizza or burgers as well as bean dishes.  

This is a reasonably priced base level Chateauneuf that is consistently a good value.  In the better vintages such as 2015, it can be outstanding.  Ruby/purple in color.  The nose has black raspberries, raspberries, garrique, char and spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, this has bold cherry fruit, a bit of spice and slight char.  It is drinking well now and will continue to over the next seven to ten years.  It is a great match for casseroles or on its own.  

What a great showing for this wine.  Yes, it is still a bit young, but really one of the best showings from this house I have seen.  Time to get a few more bottles.  It is 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, and 5% Cinsault.  Purple in color, ruby at the core.  The nose is great with black raspberries, baking spices, garrique and slight lavender.  Full bodied.  Luxurious texture.  Rich and full bodied.  Medium tannins.  Lots of concentrated black raspberry fruit over a bed of char and gravel.  Long finish.  Delicious.  One of those wine when each sip makes one want another.  It drinks g

i don't often drink Chateauneuf's with this much age on them.  This one has held up well.  Deep ruby in color.  The nose is earthy with black cherries, slight sandalwood, some dried cherries and a bit of chocolate.  The fruit on the palate is still fresh and lively with some depth.  Underlying earthiness.  Good balance. Some but not a lot of depth or complexity.  This won't get better and probably needs to be consumed sooner than later.  It is food friendly and will work well with stews, roasts and chili.  

A very impressive showing.  This is a blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre.  It took some time to open and then drank beautifully.

This is a producer who first got recognition for their fantastic Gigondas wines.  They have since expanded their releases all over the southern and northern Rhone.  Their Chateauneuf is also stellar.  It is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 10% each of Syrah and Cinsault.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose is tight upon opening.  With air, raspberries, black raspberries and mineral/gravel emerge.  On the palate, this is delicious.  Lots of black cherry fruit with some raspberries.  Medium tannins.  Bright acidity.  This will work well with roasts and casseroles.  I

This was tasted from a magnum that had been opened for a couple of hours.  Delicious and drinking great.  2009 has been an open and for the most part, accessible vintage since release, yet also an excellent vintage.  Made from 90% Grenache.  Deep ruby in color, purple at the core.  The nose has raspberries, spice, dust and a bit of an interesting pine note.  What a great texture it has.  On the palate, there are raspberries over a charred wood with just a hint of the pine.  It has some complexity as it unwinds in the glass.  A long finish.  This is not a brute wine and indeed, more elegant