Vacqueyras, located northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape and just south of Gigondas, can certainly be a sweet spot for bold full bodied reds- the '09 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras is no exception. From 70 year old estate vines grown in clay and limestone soils, the wine is a blend of Grenache with Syrah, Mourvedre & Cinsault. It is imported by Eric Solomon Imports.
My notes- Popped and poured. Dense purple garnet color. Impressive bouquet of crushed rock, violet, earth, peppercorn and blackberry- very expressive. Palate shows medium weight and vivid layered flavors, consistent with the nose, that start a little tight on the front palate but come alive through the middle and finish. Spicy grainy tannins are firm and the finish is deep with nice length. Showing very well, but could get bombastic if the fruit opens up more on the front palate. Good candidate for short to medium term cellaring and a fantastic value at $20.
I'll rate it an "I really like!"
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In other news- here's a link to a recent blog post from Steve Heimoff commenting on the wine media and intelligentsia artificially trumping up a lower alcohol wine trend in California wines. Working on the sales end of the wine business at the street level- it seems to me like the reverse is true. Wine buyers and sommeliers, as well as consumers that I've run across, have been at the forefront of this alleged false trend for some time now. If anything the reverse is true and the broader wine media is just catching up.
It's an interesting read though, and the comments are entertaining as well. I've enjoyed Mr. Heimoff's books, reviews, articles and blogs over the years- sometimes for totally different reasons. He runs the spectrum from insightful to insane and from outsider to insider... you never really know where he's going to land.
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