Browse Tag

féraud

Oil of Soleil

Costières & Soleil “Sélection Laurence Féraud” 2005 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret (Rhône) – Turning a little sludgy and strewed, but showing better than other bottles have, of late. Dark, soy-based earth-fruit and leather, the blackened memory of blueberry dust, some dried-herb aromatics. Heavy. (7/09)

Not a man, not a Plan

Costières & Soleil “Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud” 2005 “Plan Pégau” Vin de Table (Rhône) – Muted at opening, then delivering a slow, slow, so slow process of cabernet-ization; by the end of the bottle, it would be the sheerest luck to identify the wine’s Rhônish origins. That’s not a bad thing – it’s a vin de table for a reason, after all – but what isn’t quite so good is the way the wine never rises above tediousness, albeit a tedium delivered via sledgehammer. Every single bottle of this wine has been worse than the last one. (3/09)

Plan B

Costières & Soleil “Sélectionné par Laurence Féraud” 2005 “Plan Pégau” (Rhône) – Decrepit when first opened. It never really gets much better. Could be a bad bottle, but there’s just something about its malaise that makes me doubt it. Spirty-porty in a stale blueberry sort of way, with gravelly tannin and pointless density. Finishes with indifference. I’m no Pégau-hater, but this is a very poor performance for this wine. (1/09)

Moon Frye

Costières & Soleil “Sélection Laurence Féraud” 2005 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret (Rhône) – Is this closing, or drying out? It’s certainly not as tasty as it was this summer. The dark fruit, chewy and brush-infused, has receded a bit, leaving bare a intrusive bubblegum and candy that don’t work to the wine’s benefit, plus a bit of soy on the finish. There’s still a certain muscularity, and the balance hasn’t suffered, but I have no idea if this wine was designed to age like a proper top-line Séguret or was always intended for youthful swilling. It’s worth keeping an eye (or nose) on, either way. (12/08)

Welk

Féraud “Domaine du Pégau” 1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvée Laurence” (Rhône) – Gorgeous, if shockingly young, with thickly-layered tannin. Needs to return to its rest for a while. (6/08)

I’d like to Réservée table

[vine]Féraud “Domaine du Pégau” 1995 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Cuvée Réservée” (Rhône) – The entire meat case (everything’s quite fresh, though), served thick, long, and complex. Wait, maybe I’d better walk back that comparison. It’s, uh, tumescent with Southern Rhônishness? Is that better? (2/08)

For the St-Tropez tan

Costières & Soleil “Sélection Laurence Féraud” 2005 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret (Rhône) – Less aromatically vivid than previous bottles. Closing? It can’t be falling apart already. It’s smooth and supple, showing darkness on the edge of berries, a thin strap of leather, perhaps even a touch of tar. Quite drinkable, but not as appealing as usual. (6/08)

Costières & Soleil “Sélection Laurence Féraud” 2005 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Séguret (Rhône) – Fearless and sun-drenched, as a Séguret should be, showing brawny, slightly roasted dark berries and vine smoke with a rich black leather interior. There’s a polished fullness to it that, for me, connects it to Féraud’s other wines, but while it’s certainly on the lush side, it is by no means overdone or overly modern. Nicely done, and a pretty decent value as well. (11/07)

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