Great vintage, respected producer, highly regarded area. But the wine is very disappointing.
A bit of raspberry and a faint hint of vanilla on the nose, on the palate a bit of spice and earth, but nothing special. And the finish fades in about 5 seconds. This would be a decent Cotes du Rhone at around $10 or less, but as a declared village and a >$15 pricetag, it's just not up to it. And it certainly doesn't seem to have the body that would be indicated by the 14.0% abv. listed on the label.
I've wondered at times why Rasteau was promoted to AOC status but Cairanne was not, as I've always felt the two villages were of comparable quality. Perhaps wines like this from Cairanne are the reason.
Even though I feel that Rhone wines represent some of the best values, this wine simply does not live up to it. Unless you find it on sale for a deep discount, not recommended.
I got to try this wine again at a large tasting that I attended. In this case, the wine had been decanted through an aerator, then poured back into the bottle, about 4 hours before I actually tasted it.
ReplyDeleteIt was much more enjoyable than my first tasting, although still not something that impressed me as a great wine. Perhaps it is one of those wines, like some Bordeaux, that doesn't really present itself well when young.
While I still don't recommend this, the difference was enough that I want to try it again in a year or so, and see how it has changed. I have the feeling that I may form a different opinion of it.