Browse Tag

roussillon

The trouble with Tribouley

Tribouley 2005 “Orchis” Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes “Vieilles Vignes” (Roussillon) – Extremely quaffable. Strawberry and a great deal of bubblegum, with a slightly darker blood orange component, presented in a simple, pure, and direct fashion. The effect is a wine full of the flavor of the rich hot-climate wine that it is, but with the spirit of a much lighter wine. A good value, as well. (6/08)

Rectorie ball

[glass]Parcé Frères “La Rectorie” 1998 Banyuls “Cuvée Léon Parcé” (Roussillon) – Long, opaque sheets of cocoa-dusted raspberry fruit paste baking in the Catalan sun. Only mildly sweet, with most of its structure faded, leaving an easygoing core of fruit-derived blackness bracketed by softness. Quite good, but needs to be consumed. (It must be noted that the provenance of this bottle was questionable; perfectly-stored bottles may be fresher.) (4/08)

Rivesaltes & pepper

[bottle]Mas Amiel 2004 Muscat de Rivesaltes (Roussillon) – White-flowered lightness done in by the spirituous finish. Yes, I know that’s the way the wine’s constructed, but it works to separate the components into two less-appealing parts, rather than a cohesive and symbiotic whole. Were the alcohol a little less aggressively present, I think I’d like this more. (12/07)

The trouble with Tribouley

Tribouley 2005 “Orchis” Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes “Vieilles Vignes” (Roussillon) – Yummy. Just lip-smackingly appealing, in an obvious way. I suppose people who actively dislike fruit can satisfactorily avoid this, but I just don’t understand what’s not to like. There’s big, chewy dark fruit, there’s just a hint of brightening redness, and there’s even a little bit of sun-dried herbality (though nothing one might call “green”). Pure fun. (12/07)

Mer, sea, mer, sea, me

[glass]Parcé Frères “La Rectorie” 2006 Collioure Rosé “Coté Mer” (Roussillon) – Comes on light, then explodes with dense cherry flavor…one that comes right up to the edge of candied over-concentration, but doesn’t cross that crucial line. This is a rosé that can function as a light red wine, but it’s also got lovely transparency around the perimeter. (12/07)

Varese

Bernstein “Sarabande” 2005 Côtes du Roussillon Villages (Roussillon) – Black pepper and a touch of ash dominate a reticent nose. The palate suggests more generosity, but identifying the largesse is almost impossible. Dark fruit? Tar? It’s very hard to say, because nothing actually presents itself. It’s a big wine with little to say. That aside, it’s pleasant enough, and would be fine as a countrified cheapie. At $15, however, it’s a little weak. (12/07)

Banyuls Brenner

Traginer 2005 Banyuls Blanc (Roussillon) – I’m rapidly getting to the point with Banyuls that if the red isn’t brilliantly-made (which, for me, means oxidative restraint), I prefer to drink the white. That’s somewhat true at Traginer, who I think is well-capable of great reds, but more consistent with their white. Here, there’s a pretty – not overly sweet, but nicely-balanced – glass of seaside sunshine, with fresh heirloom apricot (there’s some exotic aromatics in there) and a lot of concentrated sunlight. The finish is perhaps a little shorter than one might prefer. (12/07)

Go Est, young man

[vineyard]Lafage 2005 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes Blanc “Côté Est” (Roussillon) – The more wines I taste from this catch-all appellation, the more I like them. What’s surprising is how much I enjoy the whites, which by all rights should be heavy and dull-witted given the general sun-drenchedness of the region. Yet somehow they show fine, rocky undertones (understones?) to admittedly simplistic stone fruit, sun-baked and slightly dried, and always with just enough of a touch of acidity. So it is here. This is very, very uncomplicated, but it’s quite tasty nonetheless. (10/07)

TN: The Collioure of money

[vineyard]Parcé Frères “Domaine de La Rectorie” 2005 Collioure Rosé “La Goudie” (Roussillon) – This shows the sea-lashed force of the sun-baked hills in a rather incredibly elegant, dancing light…like the sun sparkling off a Mediterranean shore. Intense but flawlessly restrained strawberry, white pepper and crisp leaf notes show up, but this wine is all about its beautiful, seductive bipolarity. One of the best rosés I’ve ever tasted. (6/07)

TN: Puig-headed

Campadieu “Domaine La Tour Vieille” 1999 Collioure Puig Oriol (Roussillon) – Cooked and horridly nasty. A recent purchase, so it shouldn’t be considered representative of well-stored bottles. (6/07)