Drinking in Avignon, wine #7. I bought the bottle at the cellar door, at the end of my visit. There were so many wines available, and I love the producer so I wanted all them, but sadly, I could only carry one bottle with myself. And because the topic that I was most interested on this trip was how Southern Rhone reds age, I chose what the lady recommended: a Lirac at 6.5 years of age, presumably at its prime.

This is at full maturity. After talking to many local producers (including Beaucastel), I’m now convinced that the French palate prefers this really developed state when it comes to readyness of a wine, and this is a huge cultural gap between them and let’s say Hungarian consumers. The majority of drinkers here would mark this wine as dead, or at least well past its peak. I can still appreciate it, but actually I would also prefer it with a bit less of age – so my suggested drinking window is in five years after vintage.

An open nose, lovely intensity, and quite good complexity. Besides the mushroomy bottle-age aromas and some blackcurrants, there is that pomace brandy note which distinguishes mature Rhones from other mature reds for me. Mellowed on the palate, with good balance – it has calmed down at this point, yet still has power. Creamy, lush, full bodied with ample tannic structure. Far from being dead, but only for those who appreciate mature wines.