Domaine Bosquet des Papes
Domaine Nicolas Boiron
Côtes du Rhône
Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault?
Vaucluse, France
2007
14%
$12.99 -- Costco, Austin, TX
Color: Deep purpley red
Nose: Cassis, raspberry jam, heat
Body: Medium
Front: Cherry, white pepper
Middle: Licorice, stewed plum, a tiny bit of game
Back: A little heat, soft tannins
Burns clean?: Yes
Cap: Cork
The Rhone tour continues: tonight it was a trio of two Cotes du Rhone-Villages and this Cotes-du-Rhone, some manchego, almonds, and garlic toast. Having tasted several of the top-of-the-line southern Rhones, it was time to get into real life everyday drinking territory.
This was a favorite with the crowd--"this could be a conversation piece," one said, poetically--and I like it a lot, too. It's intense, but not overbearing; nicely balanced, with plenty of acid and a smidgen of oak, and reasonably complex.
