Don’t let its humble classification fool you. This is as close to a Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rose as you will get, made entirely from grapes which have been de-classified from that appellation. Plenty of spicy blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with a dry herby finish.  

This up-and-coming estate has holdings in the appellations of the Cotes du Rhone, Cairanne, Rasteau, and Roaix. The renowned southern Rhone oenologist Philippe Cambie is doing some special work with the estate’s old vine Grenache, Carignan, Cinsault, and Syrah. All four grapes go into this intense rosé with its kaleidoscope of flavours; from the ripest of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry, through delicate lavender and white peach, to blackcurrant and spicy liquorice; all wound together with thyme and wild rosemary in a sustained lengthy finish. 

In France the 2004 vintage can be overshadowed by the headlines from the ‘03 and ‘05 vintages. However recent tastings prove it is a year which produced some great wines. Rhone reds are juicy with fresh fruit, attractive but not dominant acidity and a supple mouthfeel. The Chaussy family run one of the top properties in Chateauneuf and their Cotes du Rhone Villages is sourced from vineyards just outside that appellation and represents particularly good value. “the 2004 is a real steal. A blend of Grenache, Carignan, and Syrah… it shows dark ruby color and a big, sweet nose of blackberries, cherries, licorice, and spice box. Attractive texture, good acidity, and excellent ripe tannins make for a plump, fleshy wine to drink over the next 4 years” Robert Parker, 88 Points.

Domaine des Amphores, St Joseph, 2005

Husband and wife team Phillipe and Veronique Grenier have run this small estate together since 1994. It was registered biodynamic in 2002. They have just 4 hectares of Syrah planted near Chavannay, a town in the north of the Saint Joseph appellation, near to the legendary slopes of Cote Rotie. Their vineyards are typical of the great sites of the area, steep and terraced with an ideal southern aspect for capturing maximum heat from the sun. This cuvee is 100% Syrah, the ripe fruit making it unnecessary to take advantage of blending in either Marsanne or Rousanne as the appellation rules allow. The saying "aout fait le mout " (August makes the vintage) was truer in the Rhone than even in Bordeaux or Burgundy and produced, in 2005, wines of great intensity with a balancing freshness of acidity. There is a lovely perfume of spicy dark fruits and a hint of herby green character. The palate shows open supple red fruits with spicier, savoury dark fruit behind. Good acidity and controlled tannins make this a great food wine; it will match most meats when young, particularly lamb; with age it will compliment most game dishes.

Dense and purple coloured with a beautiful nose of licorice, black olives, blackberry and raspberry, with some sweet cherry, smoke, and earth, and displays fresh acidity, and a long, heady finish. Still with some tannin to resolve but showing real potential, this wine should drink beautifully for 7-8 years from 2009.

Santa Duc, Gigondas, 2004

“The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Roc Epine has a dense ruby/purple color and a nose of white flowers intermixed with creme de cassis, black cherry, and blackberry. It’s not complex, but it is seriously endowed, impressively rich, expansive, and pure, with loads of pure fruit and a dense ruby/purple color. The wines here are very Provencal, but lush in fruit and accessible, clearly meant to be drunk in their exuberant youthfulness. Drink it over the next 10-12 years. Robert Parker, 89-91 Points

“Blueberry and black berry notes intermixed with licorice, a touch of incense and spice along with some tapenade, characterize the 2005 St.-Joseph l’Olivaie. This wine is opaque bluish purple to the rim, full-bodied, with terrific acidity and wonderful precision and length. The young Coursodon has become one of the top producers of St.-Joseph over the last four or five years, and qualitatively, his 2005s are the equivalent of his freakishly ripe, concentrated, and opulent 2003s. However, this is a differently styled vintage with more tannin, structure, and acidity, and for that reason the winemakers tend to see it as a classic year. All of these wines merit serious attention, and should age beautifully for at least a decade or more” Robert Parker, 90-92 Points

Saddle leather, roasted meats, dried Provencal herbs, and plenty of kirsch and black currant billow out of this big and fleshy Chateauneuf, with a hint of balsamic vinegar, and oodles of complexity and richness.  Drinking like a dream at the moment, but with plenty more to give.

“The 1998 is unquestionably one of the great modern day Beaucastels, but because of its high Grenache content, it is different from some of the other classics” Drink 2004 -2031, Robert Parker, 96 Points