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SOUTHERN
RHÔNE
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April
8, 2002 • WestAmerica Bank
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We decided to subdue
our provincial tendency to taste West Coast and instead sample some
Southern Rhône and Languedoc wines. France's
Rhône appellation has two different climates.The Northern Rhône
is generally warmer, being farther inland, and wetter, with higher
average annual rainfall. Syrah is the only AOC
- approved grape allowed there. The Southern Rhône, with its
cooler, somewhat drier Mediterranean-influenced climate, grows many
other red varieties, although the principal grape is Grenache. Several
of the wines from the lesser-known appellations were purchased at
Canned Foods Warehouse, a small grocery chain that specializes in
closeouts, which in this case came from the auctioned-off assets of
bankrupt Wines.Com. A couple were spoiled, a couple were interesting,
one was an amazing value (In fact, should you locate more than you
care to buy, contact us!).
Brand
Varietal /
"Type"
Vintage, Appellation,
Vineyard
TASTING
NOTES:
Color; aroma; flavor; body;
balance; finish. Alcohol. Varietal
composition
(if known). Summary. ($
paid)
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Wines are considered
Equal Quality
Within Categories of Recommendation
(Listed
Alphabetically by Brand)
consensus
terms appear in bold
(possible flaws? are in brackets)
* indicates a second or third party
WEBSITE
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HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
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 Domaine
L'Ameillaud
1999
Côtes
du Rhone AC
Very dark plum
purple; honey, woodruff and wood aromas
with slightly earthy, leathery, musty, pruney
tones; plummy, grapey, raisiny, juicy,
extracted, concentrated flavors
with hints of rose petal, eucalyptus, green
olive, earth, smoke, pepper and spice; fat,
fleshy, round, soft; good
balance, slightly acidic; fairly long and
pleasant finish. 13.5% alc. This is a great
example of the appellation at its best ... if
you find any, buy it, even at three times the
price! ($3) INCREDIBLE
BUY
(as
auctioned off from Wines.com) WEBSITE
n/a
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 E.
Guigal
1998
Gigondas
AC
Deep,
dark burgundy-purple with a garnet edge;
ripe fruit, floral, anise
and some light oak in the light,
delicate, but clean aromas;
appealing, young, herbal, grapey, jammy,
roasted fruit flavors with hints of pepper,
coffee, licorice, cedar, mint or perfume; full,
fat body; very good balance, very
slightly high acid; medium-long, pleasant
finish is barely tannic. 13.5% alc. This
delicious wine demonstrates why the house
of Guigal is considered to be one of the best
and most consistent Rhône producers. ($20)
WEBSITE
n/a
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RECOMMENDED
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 Chateau
La Nerthe
2000
Chateauneuf
du Pape AC
Dark plum
purple; plum fruit with pepper, hints of
earth, yeast, butter, rubber (ethyl acetate?);
clean, complex, jammy, black fruit and brown
spice flavors; medium body with a
rich, fleshy mouthfeel (flabby?); good
balance with nice acidity; mild, soft
tannins in the long, pleasant
finish. 13.5% alc. Except for the color,
this wine did not seem youthful; it drinks well
with texture and balance as its standout
features, rather than flavors. ($36)
WEBSITE
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 Joel
Dupont
1999
"Val de la
Pierre"
Chateauneuf du Pape AC
Medium-dark
garnet-edged purple; complex aroma has
low fruit, caramelized sugar,
green olive, some spicy oak and
menthol with older, aged,
earthy, slightly leesy, meaty, barnyard
smells (Brettanomyces?); brown sugar, spice,
grain and cedar flavors; medium body; good
balance, soft; finishes short, but
with sturdy tannins. 13.5% alc. Although the
wine seems prematurely aged and the nose
somewhat faded, this wine's flavors beg for beef
roast.. ($10) WEBSITE
n/a
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 Louis
Bernard
2000
Côtes
du Rhône-Villages AC
Very
dark-inky, violet, plum purple; clean, ripe,
grapey, orange-citrussy, fruity with touches of
fresh beet, green olive, spice, barnyard,
earth and oak in the aroma; clean, ripe,
grapey, black cherry, spicy (chemical?), coffee,
mild pepper, bacon fat, flavors; slightly
acidic balance; soft tannin with a
medium-length finish. 13.5% alc. Very drinkable,
although controversial, being too soft and
simple for some tasters. ($9)
WEBSITE
n/a
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TASTED
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 Le
Sec
1998
"Aurore"
Chateauneuf du Pape AC
Medium
dark brown; woody, brown sugar, beet,
anise, menthol, clove, dill and nutty,
Burgundy-like aromas; well-aged meaty, earthy
flavors have herbs, cinnamon, pepper, eucalyptus
and wood and but seem to lack fruit,
comes off a bit thin and dried-out (rubber hose?
Brettanomyces?); soft tannin; long, but flabby
finish. 13.5% alc. Light, developed flavors are
pleasant enough; this wine would be quite
enjoyable paired with food and away from the
flashier, competing bottles. ($20)
WEBSITE
n/a
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 Schlumberger
1998
"Montirius"
Gigondas AC
Medium-dark
red with browning, brick edge;
muted, low aroma, first impression is of
wet cardboard, mildew, barnyard, slightly
perfumey, touch of melon, celery, minerals;
clean, earthy, spicy,
faintly licorice or pepper, tight,
austere, stingy, generally weak flavors;
medium to full body, balance is
acidic; somewhat tannic finish.
13.5% alc. This wine's style begs for food
accompaniment. ($20)
WEBSITE
n/a
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NOT
RECOMMENDED
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 Chateau
Bellefontaine
1999
Costières
de Nîmes AC
Ruby
brown; clean, young, stemmy, vinous aroma
with touches of new oak, green herbs and butter;
clean, weak, thin, simple, hollow,
watered down, unripe flavors; somewhat
tart, sour balance; hard, but not
particularly tannic; short finish. 12.5% alc.
Some panelist comments include: "Boring", "Lacks
charm", "Hopeless". ($3) WEBSITE
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 Chateau
Lamargue
1999
Costières
de Nîmes AC
Medium-dark
red with brown edges; Concord grape jam,
candy, butter, wood, coffee, herb and
mint aromas (oxidation?, rubber?); plum,
Viognier, mint, spice, overripe melon,
earth and coffee flavors (shellac?,
glue?); light to medium body; soft tannins;
light finish. 12.5% alc. Overall, a rather odd
wine that tasters didn't know what to make of;
on balance "Uninspiring", as one panelist put
it. ($3) WEBSITE
n/a
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 Domaine
Saint-Remy
1999
Coteaux du
Tricastin AC
CORKED
bottle.
($3) WEBSITE
n/a
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BONUS:
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 Domaine
de Coyeux
2000 Muscat
Beaumes de Venise AC
Deanna brought this as an appropriate
aprés tasting treat. It was, on
all counts! Absolutely bursting with
ripe apricot and floral perfume and
balanced with crisp acidity to cap off
the sweet, ripe flavors. We have to put
this into the HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
category. ($28)
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This
Panel
included Regulars Deanna, Glenn,
Bob, Steve, Ray, Tammy, and Jim
Rhône
Primer
• About
Grenache
•
About
Muscat
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