My thirst for grenache (be it varietal or blended) returned. I’m just more careful when ordering, I check the alcohol level even before the price… I look for an ABV of 14% or preferably less. That Cochon Volant was a nice discovery last time, and here is another lovely Languedoc red that fits the bill, Cent pour Cent by Domaine du Peyra. Continue reading
Quite a reliable wine, the 2023 vintage of Tesco’s Campo de Borja Garnacha is just as solid as the 2021 was. A good quaffer if you are looking for something cheap.
From the three Cotes du Rhone wines reviewed below, two have an ABV of 15% – hardly a surprise yet I’m still not prepared for it. As the years pass, I tolerate high alcohol less and less, and I crave balance more and more. Check out that Yannick Alléno & Michel Chapoutier bottling, it gets things right – still ripe at 14% yet not heavy or clumsy!
After my recent rant on the ageability of Southern Rhone reds, this came as a reminder that I was probably too harsh. Here we have a humble supermarket villages wine – a so called “named” village, Seguret – which I bought many years ago for 6 Euros and which was hardly made to age this long (it’s over 6 years old now). Yet this is not declining at all, to my biggest surprise. I think it’s even better than after release!
A frequent topic about Southern Rhone reds is ageability. I’m with those who say do not age them. At all. There are exceptions, of course, but the majority is at their best when released. Ripe, round and seductive, they don’t need years to soften; they only lose freshness. Continue reading