Purple with a thin ruby rim. The nose is dusty with black cherries. On the palate, this is nice, but not a great vintage. In great vintages, this can really punch above its weight class. Black cherry fruit. Easy drinking. I would drink these up in the next year or two.
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This is always one of the better values in Rhone wines. They make two cuvees, this being the better of the two. This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 30% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is great with black raspberries, black cherries, plums, spice and smoked herbs. On the palate, this is medium bodied. Complex. The fruits carry thru. Light tannins. Good acidity. Long finish. This drinks well on its own but also works well with a wide variety of foods. Works with casseroles, pizza or grilled foods. It will continue to mature for a couple more year
Possibly my favorite Cotes du Rhone wine. I bought a case of this back on release and this was the last bottle. No regrets, but it would be fine if I still had more. It is drinking just fine. It might be a good idea to try and track some down from the 2016 vintage. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is nice with black cherries, black pepper, slight earthiness, garrique and still some floral notes. On the palate, this has some complexity. Slight layering. Still some sour cherry and black cherry fruit. Tannins are integrated. Good acidity and balance. At around $15 per bottle on relea
This is always one of the best Cotes du Rhone and in good vintages it is worth stocking up on. It cellars well for five to ten years. Drinking great right now. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is very nice with black cherries, violets, spice and slight cedar. On the palate, juicy black cherries, spice and gravel notes. Not quite layered but more of a mosaic. Good acidity. Food friendly. This retails for close to $20 which makes it a great value. Better than a lot of Chateauneuf du Papes!
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.
Really a tremendous value. The annual production for this wine is four million bottles. To make that much wine and be so consistent and of such quality is an amazing thing. This is certainly a wine where vintage does matter and 2015 is a very good vintage. For around $15 or less, it is hard to find a better red wine. Purple in color. The nose is nice with black cherries, some black olive and a bit of black pepper. On the palate, this has nice black raspberry and black cherry fruit. Some depth. Medium bodied. Good acidity. Works well with food. I would drink these right away. Th
