Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Two from the Rhone

Among the recent bottles have been a pair from the Rhone - one old, one younger. The older wine was the 2000 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas. I will admit that this wine seemed to be fading. It wasn't bad, but the fruit seemed a bit muted, with hints of soy starting to creep in on the palate, a sign that the wine's age was a factor. There was still some underlying flavor of dark fruit, but I certainly believe that the wine was probably better a year or so ago. Santa Duc is regarded as one of the best producers in Gigondas, so it was a bit disappointing that I had held this bottle a little too long.

Up next was one of my regular choices, the 2006 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes du Rhone. Though I've had the hyped 2007, I've really enjoyed bottles of the 2006 vintage more. This bottle continued that consistency, with some good cherry flavors and a some of the typical Southern Rhone terroir. I've been reading of some issues of bottle variation on the 2007, so for now I'll stick with the 2006 vintage as long as I can, as it is a great value.

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