Short notes from the International Wine and Food Society tasting of Cotes du Rhone Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade and Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud at the Alliance Francais last August 6. All the wines were decanted about an hour before the tasting.
First set Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade
Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade Cuvee Prestige 1998 – Quite dark, reddish. Attractive nose of ripe fruit. Dry, surprisingly closed. Acidic finish with coarse tannins. Needs more time.
Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade Cuvee Confiance 2002 – Deep violet. Similar nose to the ’98 Cuvee Prestige. Slightly hot. Young and tannic but with obvious, concentrated fruit. Tarry. Fine tannins.
Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade Cuvee Confiance 1998 – Ripe fruit and caramel on the nose. Weighty, meaty. Full-bodied but very fine and well balanced. Grippy tannins in the finish. Still a baby, seems to me this could age a lot more.
Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade Les Violettes 1999 – We were told only 300 cases of this wine was produced. Very young looking, deep, almost black. Quite subdued on the nose. Savory, plums. Plenty of tannins. Not much going on here. Maybe needs more time.
Rasteau Domaine de la Soumade Fleur de Confiance 1999 – Slightly less deep in color than the Violettes. Very attractive nose of ripe fruit, flowers and strawberry quite prominent. Lots of stuffing in this wine. Crammed with fruit. Perfect balance of all components. Still young and tannic with a long life ahead. Outstanding wine. Group and my personal favorite.
Second set Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud
Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud 2004 – Very dark. Strawberry. A little hot. Slightly leafy. Soft and sweet. Very juicy. Simple, pleasant, easy, uncomplicated wine. Short finish.
Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud 1998 – Not much on the nose. Soft and sweet. A faded version of the 2004. Short. Not showing well.
Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud Cuvee L’Estrambords 1999 – Very dark. Mint and preserved Chinese plums on the nose. Soft and lacking in fruit. Lacks stuffing and I know it’s a cliché but this does have a hole in the mid-palate. Unimpressive.
Cairanne Domaine Marcel Richaud Cuvee L’Ebrescades 1998 – Smells like a stable. Poopy. Some coffee notes emerged after some vigorous swirling but the stink never really went away. Flawed bottle probably.
The Richaud wines definitely suffered in comparison to the Soumade wines. Where the Soumades were young, vigorous and lively, the Richauds seemed simple and tired. Perhaps it would have been better to serve the Richauds first.