Tonight I tasted the 2007 Cave de Roquebrun Saint-Chinian-Roquebrun "Terrasses de Maynard," an inky purple wine smelling of violets and vanilla creme. Gradually the nose shifted in the direction of oranges and cream, but the scent of violets was there from start to finish. At first the wine seemed harshly tannic, a bit sharp, and excessively alcoholic, but that was mostly because I was drinking it far too warm (it had warmed to a warm room temperature)--hardly fair to the wine or its maker. After cooling the bottle to a more reasonable temperature, it began to seem much more tame. The wine retained a certain rustic brashness, but suddenly acquired the balance it had lacked. The alcohol no longer bit with every sip and the tannins seemed to melt away. Not an especially smooth or sophisticated sort of wine, but attractive nevertheless, with tasty plum and coffee flavors and crisp acidity suggesting it would benefit from another two to three years in bottle. A good value at only €6.5 (a little more than $7).
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I came across this (the 2008 actually) at dinner with friends and was most impressed. Typical Saint Chinion/Faugeres schist wine - lovely acidity and bits of mineral and as you say a bit of a bargain and quite extraordinary for a cooperative wine.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it. Wish I had been able to spend even longer in the area--so many interesting wines to explore.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
Colin