Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Pleasant initially on the nose and palate. Not too sweet or hot.

Was 2010 a good year in the southern Rhone?

Fantastic, like 2007 CdP in concentration but with more balancing acidity. Kind of like 2010 vs 2009 in Bordeaux.

Stole the words out of my mouth, David, that's my observation of this wine.
Just nice balance. High 14.5% alcohol but in no way intrusive.
Very in check acidity but nice structure.
Very much indeed like 2010 Bordeaux versus 2009 Bordeaux.
Delicious. Pricey though at $40+.
93 points.

I had a 2007 recently which was just starting to come into prime time. Excellent wine and fairly priced for the quality.

I liked the 2007 as well, although this vintage seems very different.
This was not big hot and rich, it had a nice balance to it.

The 2007s got mixed reviews at our Friday dinner at the BWE convention not long after their release. Was that at Capital Grille in Chicago?

I was the eternal optimist, believing they'd all be fantastic with time. Others were skeptical. We were all at least part right. Some of those 2007s are starting to drink well while others remain super-ripe and hot. The 2007 Autard Cote Ronde was one that stayed ripe and a bit too alcoholic to my palate. A nice cocktail wine, but its 2010 little brother is a better wine. The 2007 Beaucastel, Charvin and Vieux Telegraphe are developing into very nice CdPs. The Janasse cuvees are all very ripe but seem to cover their alcohol OK. Great wines if you like that style.

come on folks-admit it, Rhones get little love here. I bought mid range 07 CNDPs and overall have little to complain about. Good to excellent wine for the money at this point. Works on its own or with food.

I agree Jay, there's not a lot of interest here in Rhones, but I don't see people ragging on them. I like them a lot, and they provide a pleasure profile that is distinctively different from Bordeaux or California or Australia or... In my cellar, Rhones rank number 3 in number of bottles, way behind Bordeaux and a little behind California. Since I tend to drink most of them at 7-20 years of age, younger than my Bordeaux, I don't need as many bottles. CellarTracker could probably tell me how the regions rank in terms of consumption - I bet it would be closer. I can get a report since I started keeping track, but I drank a lot more California wine in the early years so it's not representative of what I'm drinking now.

OK, figured out how to look at it by year and by quarter. Some quarters I drink more Rhone than Bordeaux...