Thursday, September 17, 2009

2007 Chateaumar Cuvee Bastien Cotes du Rhone

A pleasant surprise, a fine spicy, piney red fruit nose (plum, cherry, strawberry) with considerable acid, soft tannin, and a bit of heat to carry a moderate finish. This one costs I think about $15. I'd guess it's nearly equal syrah and grenache. Initially the grenache was more prominent, with time the syrah emerged more with its tangy spice (which i'm not crazy about). Another 2007 CDR which of course is supposedly at an all-time high in quality. This one is good but doesn't approach the Terre d'Argile from Janasse. Maybe 88 points. No reviews in Parker or WS. Actually better 24 hours later on 9/18. Hey it's 9/18/9, that's almost as good as 9/9/9 which I neglected to celebrate. It's not a 90 but the nose is really forward and grenachey and the taste is more strawberry grenachey too, with a long finish. This bottle was gassed and put in regular refrigerator. I'm not sure how good it'll be tomorrow. 89.

Well! A google search shows it's 100% grenache after all. No syrah so above is wrong. Here is what vineyard says online:


The Wine:

Cotes du Rhone "Cuvee Bastien"

A custom cuvee for Bourgeois Family Selections. The wine is a deep, nearly opaque purple,

bringing confident aromas of raspberry, strawberry and blackberry to the nose, with eucalyptus,

black pepper, licorice and floral notes. Touches of cinnamon and spice follow onto the medium to

full-bodied juicy palate. The tannins are firm, ripe, and well integrated. It all makes for delicious

fun. A true declassified Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 100% single vineyard Old Vine Grenache aged for

8 months in concrete tank before bottling with minimum filtration.

Flavor Profile of the grape: Spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high

alcohol content.


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