More from the Southern Rhône

The second month of the season went much better for the Red Wings than did the first, and by the first week of December, the boys were in first place in the division, with a stretch of solid games that included impressive victories over the St. Louis Blues and Sergei Fedorov and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. The latter game was particularly enjoyable, since Fedorov had jumped ship to join the team that had stunned the Wings in the first round of last year's playoffs, sweeping them in four games. 

By Bastardo

It was also satisfying to see that Duck's goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere is only human after all, but it would have been nice if Detroit could have found some of the seven goals they scored in this game last April instead. 

Here at Gang Central, we kept that red Rhône mojo coming.

1998 Domaine Raspail-Ay Gigondas Reserve, $22.99, 14% alc.: Ruby garnet in color, showing just a tint of rust, this grudgingly gives up subdued aromatics of earth, underbrush, leather, prune and plum, with pretty little hints of red fruit lurking in the background. The red fruit really comes to the fore in the flavors, with red currant, red plum and even some black cherry and raspberry blending in with the deeper, darker elements described above.  It has the structure to go another five years, no sweat, a fairly long finish that emphasizes the earthy underbrush at this point and it opens nicely, gaining notes of smoke and cola. This is a refreshing change from too many "international" styled Rhônes we've had lately (read, any one of those in this report that mention "chocolate"). My kind of Gigondas! 

Imported by World Shippers and Importers Co., Philadelphia, PA 

1995 Domaine du Cayron Gigondas, $17.99, 14% alc.: I pulled this "old favorite" out knowing full well that it may not be ready yet, but figuring we needed to jack up the mojo, and besides, there was more in the cellar. Well, it's a good thing that there was more in the cellar, because the first bottle was corked! The second bottle was in good shape though, with some bricking to the ever so slightly cloudy dark garnet color. The aromas don't exactly leap out of the glass, though they do show prune and plum shaded with smoke and cola, but the echoing flavors explode on the palate with concentration and intensity, and some nice secondary leathery nuances are just starting to emerge, boding well for future development. And future development is the operative term here, as this is still quite tannic, with good acidity, a fairly long finish and also, a little bit of heat. Another five years in the cellar are required here, but if you have to crack one now, give it at least a few hours in a decanter.

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA

2000 Domaine de la Charbonnierre Vacqueyras, $17.99, 14% alc.: This deep dark garnet shows bright plum berry cherry flavors and aromas, made more interesting with accents of smoke, chocolate and a little underbrush. There's a fair amount of tannins here, and even more acidity; the wine is not as rustic and chewy as last year's model, as it shows more oak than the earlier effort. A leathery note comes out with air, as it smoothes out nicely. 

Imported by Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA 

1999 Domaine de l'Espigouette Vacqueyras, $16.99, 14% alc.: Notes of root beer and cola dominate the prune and plum fruit on the nose of this deep, dark garnet, and these follow through on the palate with some added leathery qualities that become accentuated with air. It's not too tannic to drink tonight, but it's somewhat lacking in depth, and comes up a bit short on the finish. Not a bad wine at all, but one I'd like better for four or five fewer dollars.

Imported by J et R Selections LTD., Mount Pleasant, MI

2001 Cave de Cairanne Grande Reserve Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 5% Mourvèdre, 10% Old Carignan, 13.5% alc: This dark garnet was gifted to me, and I wonder if my benefactor knew just how good it is. Sleek, refined and elegant, it shows flavors and aromas of black cherry, blackberry, licorice and a little smoke, with silky tannins, low acidity and a very nice finish. Scott "the Geek" Tobias was most impressed with it as well, as he enthused, "This is like drinking a cigar, very posh. It's almost like a rich coffee with cream. This is a wine with some dignity, I love it! I get a ton of tobacco off of it." And while I didn't get as much tobacco in it as "the Geek" did, it was there, and I too was most impressed. Pretty much everything about this is nice, and all of its elements mesh seamlessly. In fact, it's one of the more memorable wines of the year for this taster, and its best days are still ahead of it. It should only improve for at least two or three years. Very fine indeed!


2000 Domaine Santa Duc Côtes du Rhône "Les Quatre Terres", $14.99, 14% alc.: Ruby dark garnet; fragrant deep, dark and rich smoke, leather, black currant, blackberry and black cherry nose. These follow through emphatically on the palate, on a medium full to full bodied frame, with almost silky tannins, good acidity and a nice long finish. This wine is drinking very well right now, making for not only some excellent Red Wings-Red Rhones fare, but one of the nicest Côtes du Rhônes we've had in quite a while.

2000 Domaine Santa Duc Côtes du Rhône "Les Vieilles Vignes", $14.99, 14% alc.: Ruby dark garnet; earthier on the nose than the "Les Quatre Terres", with enticing dusty plum, blackberry and black cherry aromas that follow through on the palate with a bigger, full bodied mouthfeel, a few years worth of tannins, good acidity and more earth on the finish. This has a smoky quality to it that's not quite as pronounced as the previous wine, and a note of something like decaying forest vegetation, both of which add complexity and interest, and while it should improve with a few years in the cellar, there's more than enough nice fruit to enjoy one tonight. 

Domaine Santa Duc Wines Imported by Robert Kacher Selections, Washington, DC

2000 Domaine Charvin Côtes du Rhône "Le Poutet", $17.99, 14% alc.: Dark garnet, and not all that inky, this one shows a slightly dusty blackberry, plum bouquet shaded with notes of cola and root beer; flavors echo and expand to include some smoke, underbrush and a hint of coffee. Not a big bruiser by any means, this is almost lean in comparison to the Santa Ducs, with dusty tannins that don't get in the way of the nice fruit. Smooth and sleek, with some nice complexities, this turns a little stemmy on the finish, and it gets smokier as it opens. My only complaint is that it could have a bit more depth and body, and a fairer price might be around $15. Still, it's a nice glass of wine for food and/or Red Wings hockey. 

A Peter Weygandt Selection; Imported by Weygandt-Metzler, Unionville, PA

2002 Domaine de la Mordorée Côtes du Rhône, $13.99, 13% alc.: Ruby dark garnet, with a pretty chocolate cherry bouquet that follows through on the palate with a deeper, darker core of black currant and black plum, nice notes of briar and bramble, a smooth mouth feel that's more like velour than velvet and a few years worth of tannins. If it loses a little depth from the mid-palate on back, and it's not as good as last year's model, it's still a solid effort, considering the vintage.

Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd., Winchester, VA

2002 Chateau de Segries Côtes du Rhône, $10.99, 13.5% alc.: Lighter in color than the '02 Domaine de la Mordorée, with plum, black cherry and red berries all accented with a little chocolate and earth, and just a hint of bell pepper on the nose. Flavors echo on a medium bodied, moderately tannic frame, making this seem like a lightweight after the Mordorée. A decent pizza and burger wine, but not much more.

Imported by Kysela Pere et Fils, Ltd., Winchester, VA

2001 Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche, $11.99, 14% alc.: An immediate hit of chocolate cherries on the nose, with deeper earthy dark plum underneath; add some leather and underbrush to the chunky flavors. Not too tannic to drink tonight, and smooth on the palate, the oak is obvious here. It might be too "international" in style for some, but it has enough dirt and leather to hold my interest. 

Imported by Paterno Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL

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