More 2007 CdR with dinner at my parents’ place, planning to sample more soon.
Domaine Alary Cairanne Côtes-du-Rhône Villages La Font d’Estévenas 2007
Thanks to Oliver. A blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, from vines planted in 1961. Deep, almost opaque purple-ruby, nicely luminescent. Oliver finds this “firmer, more robust, fuller-bodied” (I am paraphrasing here) than Ferrand’s CdR Cuvée Antique from the same vintage. The meaty-tannic and youthfully rustic Syrah component is currently dominating. A concentrated and tannic young wine with grip. Fascinating iron, nice earth. Strong green pepper. Roasted lavender and other Provençal herbs. Juicy licorice stick. Tapenade/olive paste with airing. Lightly inky-hard tannin with a youthfully green touch. The 14.5% alcohol is well integrated, but this is an altogether headier wine than the La Brunote (that liqueur-like quality underneath seems all that is currently showing of the Grenache component). My parents’ favourite of the two (do not know about Oli, and remained undecided myself – the two wines are so similar in overall quality, yet too different to be mutually exclusive). Should profit from one to three years’ worth of cellaring, and keep for a number of years thereafter. Rating: 90+/91?
Domaine Alary Cairanne Côtes-du-Rhône Villages La Brunote 2007
Thanks to Oliver. A blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre and 10% Carignan. Less opaque and slightly less shiny, but otherwise similar colour. Nice elements of sweat, saddle leather and animal fur (the Mourvèdre, not brett). Quite multi-layered violety fruit, integrated, rounder, “meatier” (in a soft, gravy-like way) herbs. More finesseful, subtly meaty-spicy, impressive early harmony despite good structure (and the noticeable Mourvèdre content), longer on a finish of exceptional finesse and subtlety for a wine in this price category, nicely round and juicy. Very well integrated yet lively acids. The (labelled) 14.5% alcohol is so well integrated as to be unnoticeable – very easy to drink in quantity. There is no reason why a wine like this should not age well, though, apart from the fact that it gives so much pleasure and is so utterly free from rough edges that one may wonder what to defer one’s appreciation for. Currently prefer the La Brunote to the La Font d’Estévenas – but that may be because I tend to be more concerned with harmony, subtlety and finesse, even though I do not mind a healthy dose of rusticity (especially in Rhône wine) at all. Both are best buys, and please note: I am being cautious and may be underrating this. Drink or hold. Rating: 90(+?)
Greetings from Switzerland, David.
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„J'ai gâché vingt ans de mes plus belles années au billard. Si c'était à refaire, je recommencerais.“ – Roger Conti