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| Very good en primeur buy @£7 |
The 2010 was superb value, particularly en primeur at £7-8 per bottle.
The 2011, which has just arrived at my door after a long wait, is also excellent.
Few 2011 Côtes du Rhône wines are as good as 2010, but then 2010 was one of the best years ever.
In Bordeaux they are saying it will eventually surpass even 1982.
In the Rhone I am not sure, but I loved the 2010s I had.
This 2011 was also great value at around £7-8 per bottle, also en primeur, although I had to wait a LONG time for it.
Now it's about £130 a case, and that's decent value for what you get. It has an unexpected freshness and a fruitiness, with the complexity of the region that other wines in this price bracket lack.
It's not a "light" wine by any means, but the bottle I tasted was very quaffable indeed, which you don't always think fits with Côtes du Rhône wine. They are not Bourgogne or Fleurie wines, after all. I felt I could really taste the Grenache in it. I suppose you could say it's powerful but very well balanced and accessible.
I drank it at just below room temperature, at least as first, which may have affected the palate.
FromVineYardsDirect.com where I bought it, describes it rather differently. They say: "A rich and dark Grenache blend boasting lots of blackcurrant fruit, pepper and spice. Impressive power and balance with a lingering finish".
That's not really what I've had from my one bottle, but nonetheless it's worth investigating, despite the reviewer disagreements.
At £130 a case, or just under £11 per bottle, it's a decent bet, and you'll be supporting a small vineyard too, rather than supermarket buying practices.
