Vintage 2010 — Paroles de vignerons - Vinparleur

A good glass of ... Santa Duc Rasteau “Les Blovac” 2010

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The area of Rasteau produces some of the most impressive Grenache wines of the Rhône Valley. This cuvée from Santa Duc from the excellent vintage 2010 is an excellent example. Six years of bottle ripening have not affected its strength and intensity. On the contrary, his bouquet seems to have gained even more expression and complexity, while the palate is seduced by soft tannins.

Plums and other dry fruits, honey cake and tobacco, hazelnuts, black pepper and exotic spices in the finish. The richness of its bouquet is extraordinary! With its lemon flavours and freshness on the final, this Rasteau shows a harmonious and full-bodied taste which will embellish your autumn and winter evenings.

FOOD MATCHES FOR CARNIVORES: This wine provokes dreams of rabbits and black olives in the oven, of duck breast with figs and grilled T-bone steak.

FOOD MATCHES FOR HERBIVORES: Mushrooms with quinoa stuffing, vegetable couscous, porcini ravioli with red onion sauce... Don’t be afraid of food with intense flavours.
Greetings from the #Minervois to #Burgundy! #PinotNoir

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Burgundy is widely recognized as the wine region, that made Pinot Noir to what it is today: The probably most noble grape variety in the world! Worshipping its taste and flavors has driven winemakers to spread the grape variety around the globe, and to mainly grow it in cool, Burgundy-like areas: New Zealand, Victoria and Tasmania in Australia, Oregon in the United States ...Therefore, probably not any reasonable person would get the idea planting Pinot noir in the Minervois with its Mediterranean climate. And yet it grows there...  

Pierre has planted his Pinot noir vineyard many years ago. Just for the love of the grape variety and the wine. And ... it grows, making shoots, leaves and pretty grapes every year! I admit that the first years were not easy. Due to the rocky, dry terroir, he had to wait five years to pick the very first grapes, instead of the usually three years. But it was worthwhile to wait. Now, the vines seem to have found balance under the Mediterranean sun for some years, producing delicate, fine wines.

Last night I opened a bottle from the vintage 2010. A pure Pinot Noir, fermented in open vats and matured in oak barrels. A touch of old leather on the nose, mixed with fragrants of sweet cherries and some spices. Soft and round on the palate, with fresh acidity and a hint of sweetness. Pleasant length, beautiful perfume, the taste buds really enjoy!

As a side dish for CARNIVORES & HERBIVORES, I recommend to have look at all sorts of medium-mature soft cheese. Or why not try a simple chocolate cake with cherry-liquor flavoured whipped cream?
Domaine Santa Duc, Cotes du Rhone 2010 Quatre Terres tasted by Josh Farrel from @WineExpress

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

"You know, this is a wine that I am obviously liking right now, but I could see laying a few bottles of this down for 2 or 4 years, and see some interesting development on it. Good stuff!
Rank 49 for Le Cèdre 2010 at #Wine Enthusiasts Top 100 Cellar Selections

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

The years best collectable wines

Pascal Verhaeghe Château du Cèdre Cahors

In 2014, just over 17000 wines were reviewed by our editors and, from that total, a mere six percent merited the Cellar Selection designation – a marker for highly rated wines that exhibit the potential to evolve and improve for many years. From this already choice sampling, we colled our Top 100 Cellar Selections of 2014 list – all the must-haves of the year that deserve a spot in your cellar.

Pascal Verhaeghe Château du Cèdre Cahors

Château du Cèdre 2010 Le Cèdre Cahors (N° 49)

This is a great vintage of Le Cèdre. With dark tannins and impressive structure, it is big and fruity while never overwhelming. Dense black fruits, bitter cherries and dark chocolate combine with mineral, juicy acidity. It’s a wine to age for many years, don’t drink before 2018.
A good glass of… Domaine Santa Duc #Vacqueyras 2010 #rhone #wine

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

I love Rhône wines from this vintage! Those who regularly read my blog will know.

I thus opened this bottle coming from Yves Gras vineyards in Vacqueyras with a certain thrill and expectations. The majority of Grenache, assisted by some Syrah, create an intense bouquet of prunes, ginger bread and chocolate, in a style as wild and intractable as the Dentelles de Montmirail, a stunning rock formation that overlooks the village. Very expressive on the palate, the wine shows a certain generosity, as well as lively acidity and doesn’t hide the typical fleshiness of Rhône wines.

As required by great vintages, the wine is young but harmonious, but it should receive some attention when serving now: A temperature of 16°C will be perfect and it will appreciate the space of a decanter to fully develop. The constitution of the wine promises an interesting evolution towards finesse and complexity after a couple of years of cellaring. In any cases it should be faced by savoury food: beef, lamb chops, Mediterranean spices, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese or Cantal entre-deux…
Let me put this straight! By no means, all wines from south-western France are BIG…

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

I admit being a real fan of wines from south-western France since many years. It all started with the discovery of some ENORMEOUS Malbec from Cahors, some COSMIC wines from Jurançon and some fine wines from Madiran, full of character. All of them were complex, juicy and atypical, showing astonishing ageing capacity, as well as wonderful “drinkability” in their youth. Just great wines. Since then, I often thought that wines and tastes might be divided into “France” and “South-West”.

Cèdre Héritage Gros Manseng

A couple of days ago, I stumbled over a bottle from Pascal Verhaeghe of Château du Cèdre in Cahors, that I never tasted before: Le Cèdre Héritage 2010, a sweet Côtes de Gascogne made from 100% of Gros Manseng. And, does the wine taste as curious as the label? I’d rather say, yes. The dark shiny, straw coloured wine promises a lot of power, and its nose is indeed very intense, but far from being overloaded: dried flower and hay, walnuts, vanilla and honey. Promising. But the wine is surprisingly light on the palate, with comfortable mouth feel, slight mellowness and moderate acidity. Fresh apples and pears dominate the flavours, but leaving enough space for (fresh) flowers and honey to express. A very pleasant wine, you would open without hesitating for an aperitif, or serve on warm apple pie and pancakes with caramelized apples and hazelnuts.

You see, light, pleasant, easy-drinking wines… they also exist in south-western France.
Talking about #Argentina #Malbec? #Cahors Malbec tasting by VINUM

Chapter 2

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

Vinum December 2013 : 45 wines tasted, 40 wines selected, only 1 wine with 18 points, 6 wines with 17 points…

Château du Cèdre 2010 - drink from 2016 till 2024 (16/20)
Still a little reserved, but with great style, fine-grained tannins and without dominance of alcohol our oak. A classy wine that has good capacity to age, even if its harmony allows appreciating it already now, after decanting.

Cèdre Heritage 2011 – drink 2013 or 2014 (16/20)
Shows spiciness, zest and drinkability: An amusing wine for every table, perfectly matching to everything that calls for red wine. Drink young.
Château du Cèdre #Cahors - Frequently copied, but never equalled…

Revue Art de Vivre November 2013, by Olivier Cao

Permalink, by Sebastian Nickel

“The Château du Cèdre is the most emblematic wine estate of the Cahors region and the proudest defender of the Malbec grape in France and abroad. There is a reason for this. The estate always gave a good example to the entire appellation, even more in recent history, as it has become a mecca for modern wine culture, using the latest techniques in both vineyard and cellar. Frequently copied, but never equalled.”

Château du Cèdre 2010 - a competitor that honours every table
Cassis, pepper, anise. This wine gives the experience to your taste buds to swim in an ocean of prunes and cacao, breathing fresh air full of perfectly balanced smells of mint and pimentos.

Le Cèdre 2010 - sovereign, emancipated, free
Sour cherries and pimentos from Espelette caper on the palate, while black berries and Criste marine occupy the nose. Well-structured final, slightly woody, with smells of leather, roast aromas and sultanas.

GC 2010 - a wine that yearns for high gastronomy
The first impression is about power and concentration. Sensational tannins, wrapped in wild, dark berries, govern every single taste bud with balsamico and roast aromas, while the nose appreciates hints of leather and coffee. Though a little intimidating the finale surely does not lack elegance. A gigantic perfume of spices, blueberries, star anise and wild pepper is kept together by feminine fragrances of red currant and tobacco.