The wine is a bright ruby color in the glass with nice clarity, as you'd expect from a southern Rhone style blend. The nose is a wonderful combination of fresh summer fruit, strawberry, black currant and raspberry, intermingled with some earthy notes of tar and gravel. The taste is remarkable, with a rush of sweet berry fruit enveloping your palate, before shifting to some warm spice notes midpalate. The finish is exceptionally smooth and dry, with a bit of reprise of the lovely earthy notes from the start.
I have to admit, there have been some vintages of this wine (mainly the early ones) that have definitely not been my favorite, but the last few vintages have stepped up, with this one, I think that Chuck and his team are finally hitting their stride, as this seems more like a classic Rhone than ever. Given that preface, I'd rate this wine a solid 9, my highest rating of any vintage yet. This wine would pair well with a lot of more game type meats that can be a challenge to pair with wine, dishes like duck, or pork tenderloin, but tonight since I'm tired, I paired this with a simple dinner of broccoli rabe and garlic scapes sauteed in olive oil and tossed with a bit of penne. Cheers!
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