French red wine values tasted in 2003

The selected French bottlings have given me much pleasure for the price. I have purchased them again for personal consumption. Featured values include 5 bottlings from the Midi and 4 Rhônes, and Domaine de Pierredon.

This page skips the tasting notes of the wines that are not imported into the USA. The complete page of french wine values can be found here.
 

The below wines were tasted in France, in 2003 (between April and December).
 

 Vin-de-pays du Pont du Gard - SCA les Vignerons d'Estézargues - Cuvée des galets - Non filtré

2002 - USD 8.9 - serve it cool - easy-going, not much onctuosity, cherry, dense, out of focus, pleasant but with a stiff hint

 Vin-de-pays-du-Jardin-de-la-France - A.Michel Brégeon - Cabernet - (cuve)

1994 - USD 9.2 - a nose of cherry, red pepper and mushroom - red pepper on the palate, firm but light

 Vin de pays du Var - Domaine L'Estagnol

2002 - USD 9.6 - cherry dominates the nose - dense, cherry, dries the palate, more tannic than the Bordeaux S.F.V. A F 69220

 Côtes-du-rhône - SCA les Vignerons d'Estézargues - Domaine de Pierredon

2001 - USD 10 - the easy-going mouth shows much fruit and a mineral or dry note, lacks focus

 Madiran - Denis Capmartin - Château Barréjat - Tradition

2000 - USD 11 - coffee and roasting dominate the nose - the palate is fruity (blackcurrant), roasted, and balanced: the wine is less open than Estézargues but more tannic and fresher, tightens the taste buds (healthy effect) - to be also compared to the 1999 vintage tasted at the same age)

 Côtes-du-rhône - Domaine du Vieux Colombier

1999 - USD 11 - conforms to the Rhône standard - smells of garrigue - fruit, balance

Barrière, ham Colombiers, 485 chemin du Pigeonnier, 30200 Sabran, tél: +33 (0) 4 66 89 98 94

 Coteaux-varois - Domaine Les Maurels

2001 - USD 11 - character - the nose is dominated by chicken shit, or at least farmyard (Brettanomyces?): not disagreeable to me and the other guests - nice if a bit hollow and thin

 Côtes-du-rhône - André Brunel - Cuvée Sommelongue

2001 - USD 12 - on the nose: lead pencil, liquorice, garrigue - on the palate: lead pencil, liquorice, little black fruit

 Côtes-d'auvergne - Domaine de Peyra - Vieilles vignes [clay-basalt] - non filtrée (sans soufre) - [gamay]

2001 - USD 13 - on the nose: spice, orange, and liquorice - onctuous, the fruit typical of a low-temperature winemaking (coulis of red fruit, sorbet, smokiness), fresh, pure - the persistance shows spice, orange, and smokiness

 Saint-chinian - Jean-Marie Rimbert - Les Travers de Marceau

2002 - USD 15 - a nose with cherry and blackberry - big impact on entry, cherry and blackberry, silky with a mineral note, clean and balanced (to be compared to the 2001 vintage tasted at the same age)

 Ajaccio - Clos d'Alzeto - (Tradition)

1997 - USD 15 - wood varnish (but agreeable), blackcurrant, evolved fruit - evolved fruit, old casks, juicy - dries the taste buds

Clos d'Alzeto, 20151 Sari d'Orcino, tél. +33 (0) 4 95 52 24 67

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