The blog was on a break while I went to Italy again, but I'm back and have plenty to catch up on with reports from the trip. First though, a few wines from before/after. First up was a selection from the cellar, the 2001 Eric et Joel Durand St. Joseph. St. Joseph is an appelation in the northern Rhone that sometimes gets a poor reputation because it is quite large and not all of the area is great terroir. It also means some of the wines age well, others not so much. This wine seemed to have done well though, and had mellowed but aged nicely, becoming a nice easy-drinking Syrah.
Next was another taste of a wine from the 2007 vintage, the Domaine de la Soleiade Vacqueyras from Vignerons de Caractere. This wasn't as rustic as many wines from this appelation, but instead a little more refined. Still, it offered a good amount of fruit and terroir and was quite enjoyable, especially for the price of about $17.
Finally, I tried the 2006 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Meysonniers. Like St Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage can be a hit-or-miss appelation, but Chapoutier is of course a great producer. This wine is their lower-end label from Crozes-Hermitage, but is still pretty good. However, the wine is still young and didn't show much until the second night. Even then, I sensed there is more to come from the wine. It's not overly tannic, so it probably won't have a long life span, but I think a year or so will allow the fruit to really step forward.
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