 And since we're in the neighborhood... 1991 Domaine La Garrigue Cotes-du-Rhone The ’95 Jaboulet Vacqueyras is available these days, and it’s also quite nice, but it needs a few years in the cellar to be at its best. It more than lived up to expectations, with typical inky garnet color, and rich aromas of plums and chocolate, with overtones of cherries, berries, and smoke. The full-bodied flavors showed the same, along with leather, and the slightest hint of the barnyard. Again, like so many Rhones, it continued to open for hours. Very good now, this’ll be better in two to five years. $13/750ml. We’ve also enjoyed two other offerings from Dom. La Garrigue over the past year, their ’92 Gigondas, and their ’91 Cotes-du-Rhone.
The Gigondas confirmed a "house style," when we tasted it recently. Dark garnet, dense, and pungent, this showed lots of chunky earth and barnyard black cherry nutmeg flavors and aromas. Though this could be described as the "prettiest" of the three, it showed the same "murky" quality as the Vacqueyras (and the CdR, for that matter), and doesn’t have the same bright beam of fruit that runs through the ’93 Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas, for instance. Still, it’s a very nice glass of wine, especially for $11.99. Two to five years in the cellar wouldn’t hurt this one, either. Sixty percent of the ’91 Cotes-du-Rhone is made up of juice intended for their Gigondas, but declassified because of a problematic vintage. This is a big heavyweight bruiser of a CdR, almost as big as the other two from this producer, with even more earth, murk, and barnyard. A bottle sampled recently (Oct. 12; Wings tied the Flames 4-4) showed the benefit of six months in the cellar since the last taste. Good black cherry plum dark red berry elements emerge with air (give it an hour), and it's gained a nice leathery touch as it matured. I've been told there's an extra helping of mourvedre in its makeup. It is probably best to drink this winter, with a hearty stew and a good hockey game. BUT WAIT! THERE'S ONE MORE!
1995 Domaine Des Amouriers Vacqueyras It's not hard to see why my buddy Guido likes this so well; it’s an excellent QPR Vacqueyras. (My cost, $9.50 w/case discount, wasn't quite as good as his, but I'd have been paying the difference in gas money to Ann Arbor.) Dark garnet in color, with a somewhat dense mouthfeel, this shows nice, if not abundant, aromas of earthy blackfruit, with a bit of nutmeg. (A second bottle, tasted a month later showed a good deal of green mint, which seemed to dominate, but not overwhelm.) The flavors fanned out to show big, rich prune, black cherry, nutmeg and cinnamon, leather, earth, and a hint of chocolate. There may also be a slight bit of the barnyard, but this is part of the wine's charm. The tannins are still ample, and though drinkable now, this is still a little green, and will reward patience. What do you think, Guido? Two to five years? Imported by J et R Selections, Ltd.; |
Underground Index A Chat with J.C. Mathes of J et R Selections More Red Wings & Red Wings & Red
Playoff Diary '02
A Dandy Rhône and a
Night at the Joe
|
