WineLovers Discussion Group

I suppose "lovely" and Cairanne may seem like a bit of a contradiction, but not so in this case. I had originally planned to hang onto this one a little while longer, but a note Tim York posted in January suggested that it might be in danger of decline, and having tasted it, I agree that it probably hasn't got much of its prime left, but I think I liked it a bit more than Tim did.

Domaine de L'Oratoire St. Martin, Haut-Coustias, Cairanne - Cotes-du-Rhone-Villages 2003
Medium garnet. Initially, showing blackberry, blueberry, currant, sage, citrus rind, and tarry earth; pleasant, but monolithic and a little hot. As it opens however, a remarkable transformation occurs: hints of cherry, damson, and flowers emerge, with chocolate, smoke, and a hint of baryardish earth toward the finish, all with a wonderful, gamey tone. Medium-full in body with lovely aromatics; this has achieved a wonderful, Burgundian maturity. Fully mature now, and probably won't hold at this level much longer. 3.5 Stars [7/23/13]

Also, here's quite a nice NZ Chard. I don't have a lot of experience with NZ Chard, but based on this one, I need to seek out more from Hawkes Bay.

Esk Valley, Chardonnay, Hawkes Bay 2010
Stone fruits, pear / green apple, pineapple, lemongrass, a bit of cream, and a touch of mineral. Has the fresh, ripe fruit of a NZ Sauv Blanc, but with a fatter texture; if given to me blind, I might actually have guessed a white Bordeaux. Very nice. 2.5 Stars [7/19/13]

Ryan,
I always found Cairanne and Rasteau to be the country cousins of CdP, and Gigondas and Vacqueyras gets more attention than Cairanne or Rasteau. I have enjoyed the rusticity of their wines quite a bit. '03 was a rather hot year in S. Rhone. But its good to hear that they still have some good personality. Thank you for the notes.
-Shaji

Shaji M wrote:Ryan,
I always found Cairanne and Rasteau to be the country cousins of CdP, and Gigondas and Vacqueyras gets more attention than Cairanne or Rasteau. I have enjoyed the rusticity of their wines quite a bit. '03 was a rather hot year in S. Rhone. But its good to hear that they still have some good personality. Thank you for the notes.
-Shaji

Hey Shaji. My experience has been that the more structured 2003s, not just from the Rhone but also Bordeaux, and even Tuscany, are all capable of achieving a more classical balance when mature. But yeah, the less structured, overripe 2003s will probably end up like Baby Jane.