TN: 1995 Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône Cuvée A Pascal S. - Now Served Blind!

[k s h i n]

• 1995 Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône Cuvée A Pascal S. - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (12/6/2018)
  Still quite saturated but slightly brown tinted color. Beautiful mature nose displaying ripe red fruit, cherry syrup, cherry liqueur, a hint of dry cherry, fruitcake, caramel, strong tobacco, black pepper, soy, cinnamon, a hint of sous bois and mineral. Excellent concentration, concentrated sweet cherry, good density, quite fluid, bright acidity, strong irony mineral, still a hint of tannins and a long sweet cherry fruit driven finish with a hint cinnamon coming from the high alcohol content. The sweet ripe cherry fruit and tobacco reminds me Chateau Rayas. Excellent showing and a major surprise. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

[Corey N.]

Thanks for the great note. Probably not my cuppa, but I know a lawyer in Orlando who would be all over this wine.

[Gerhard P.]

• 1995 Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône Cuvée A Pascal S. - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (12/6/2018)
  Still quite saturated but slightly brown tinted color. Beautiful mature nose displaying ripe red fruit, cherry syrup, cherry liqueur, a hint of dry cherry, fruitcake, caramel, strong tobacco, black pepper, soy, cinnamon, a hint of sous bois and mineral. Excellent concentration, concentrated sweet cherry, good density, quite fluid, bright acidity, strong irony mineral, still a hint of tannins and a long sweet cherry fruit driven finish with a hint cinnamon coming from the high alcohol content. The sweet ripe cherry fruit and tobacco reminds me Chateau Rayas. Excellent showing and a major surprise. (94 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

I don´t know this vintage, but the older Gramenons were wonderful wines ... I remember dearly a 1990 Ceps Centenaire ... great wine.

[Torstein H a v f l a k]

Do you have any experience with recent vintages of Domaine Gramenon, Gerhard and Kevin?

[Laurent Gibet]

I had an excellent "Gramenon à Pascal S 1995" in march 2013 (16,5/17).

"La mémé ceps centenaires 1990" was still very good in march 2004 (it needed time for some harmony). Not retasted.

September 2018, a very good Ceps Centenaires 2005.
Côtes-du-Rhône Gramenon La Mémé Ceps Centenaires 2005 : 16,5/20
Pensé à une syrah de Marlène Soria mais, comme c’est souvent le cas chez Gramenon, c’est le grenache qui prend cette apparence de syrah (tapenade d’olives noires, encre, subtiles inflexions fumées). Sucrosité mais tenue, pour un vin qui se boit avec plaisir (ce qui compte).

Summer 2017 :
Good Vinsobres Papesse 2014 (15/20)

Very good Sagesse 2015 :
Côtes-du-Rhône Gramenon Sagesse 2015 : 16,5/20
Dense, ouvert, net, plein fruit. Rien d’approximatif sur cette bouteille.

[Mike Evans]

I drank my last 1995 Laurentides a few years ago and it was very good. I still have a little 1997 Sierra del Sud and 1998 Sagesse and Laurentides that I probably ought to drink.

[k s h i n]

I have a very little experience with the producer. I was really surprised.

[Arv R]

I'd saved some Laurentides from the 90's for a decade plus, and there was something wrong when we opened them. Not sure what it was. I don't see this estate's bottling around much.

Glad someone got to see what the fuss was all about.

[Gerhard P.]

Do you have any experience with recent vintages of Domaine Gramenon, Gerhard and Kevin?

Sorry, nothing after 2000 (when Phillippe died 1999)

[Laurent Gibet]

Do you have any experience with recent vintages of Domaine Gramenon, Gerhard and Kevin?

Sorry, nothing after 2000 (when Phillippe died 1999)

I tasted interesting 2006 a few years ago.
Sagesse 2006 (88/100, three times, same ranking)
Mémé Ceps Centenaires 2006 (90/100)
A Pascal S 2006 (92/100).

They must me ready now.

[Stephen Williams]

I still have a few of the 1990 Ceps Centenaire in the cellar. It was drinking wonderfully last year. Most people thought it was a Rayas !

[Laurent Gibet]

I still have a few of the 1990 Ceps Centenaire in the cellar. It was drinking wonderfully last year. Most people thought it was a Rayas !

Stephen,

Côtes-du-Rhône Gramenon A Pascal S 1995 : 16,5/17 – 2/3/2013
L’antithèse du vin précédent avec son profil « nature », aromatiquement ouvert, glissant/libéré (mais concentré et jeune pour son âge). Goûts de grenache : confiture de fraise, rose fanée, poivre, savon d’Alep, grenadine. Evocations ensorcelantes : Bonneau (2002) ?, Reynaud ?, Gramenon ?, Prieuré-Roch ?, …

[Markus S]

Now that's a rare note! Don't think I've had a Gramenon wine since the late 90's.

[k s h i n]

Since I thought the style closely resembled Rayas. I asked this to be served blind along with the 98 Rayas and everyone guessed it as the Rayas. Since I knew the style, I was able to guess correctly based on process of elimination, i.e. the Rayas was so delicate that it didn't taste like the Gramenon. Blind tasting is the great equalizer

• 1995 Domaine Gramenon Côtes du Rhône Cuvée A Pascal S. - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône
  I drank a bottle earlier this month and the sweet ripe cherry fruit and tobacco reminded me Chateau Rayas. I asked John to serve this and the 98 Rayas blind. Perfectly mature expressive nose displaying ripe red fruit, cherry liqueur, cherry pie, dry cherry, caramel, tobacco, anise, white pepper, cinnamon and limestone. Excellent concentration, nicely layered decadent red fruit, remains dense and unctuous, bright acidity, strong mineral and a long concentrated decadent red fruit driven finish with white pepper at the end. Initially, I am guessing this is the Rayas. After tasting the second wine which was rather light, i.e. it can’t be this wine, I guess correctly by a process of elimination. Everyone guesses as the Rayas. (94 pts.)
• 1998 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  John serves blind along the Gramenon. Very delicate slightly diluted nose displaying subtle shy cherry fruit, also strawberry jam, a hint of green pepper, tobacco, black pepper, garrigue and cinnamon. Fully mature palate, subtle shy red fruit, silky and airy, good acidity and mineral, and a medium long subtle red fruit driven finish with black pepper and tobacco at the end. Everyone guesses as the ringer. Being a label whore that I am, I revisit a few times throughout the evening. It is deceptively light but there are telltale signs of Rayas. It reminds me a bit of the 08, i.e. deceptively light and feels diluted yet the nose can open up displaying subtle yet decadent cherry fruit, tobacco, garrigue and etc. Everyone is disappointed and moves on. Absolutely need to revisit soon. (93 pts.)

[Mel Hill]

I drank my last 1995 Laurentides a few years ago and it was very good. I still have a little 1997 Sierra del Sud and 1998 Sagesse and Laurentides that I probably ought to drink.

just checked and i’ve got a sierra del sud 1997 too! time
to try it

[Laurent Gibet]

Kevin,

I often tasted Rayas 1998 which is definitly not a sucessfull vintage for Reynaud (worse, his Vacqueyras 1998 is really unbalanced).
Rayas 2008, for me, is much more interesting.

Rayas 2002 is light but much more complex, pure and sapid than the disappointing 1998 (aging to quickly).

PS : you can imagine that I am still waiting for the massive/promising Rayas 1995 (it would have been another challenge for Gramenon) ...

[k s h i n]

Kevin,

I often tasted Rayas 1998 which is definitly not a sucessfull vintage for Reynaud (worse, his Vacqueyras 1998 is really unbalanced).
Rayas 2008, for me, is much more interesting.

Rayas 2002 is light but much more complex, pure and sapid than the disappointing 1998 (aging to quickly).

PS : you can imagine that I am still waiting for the massive/promising Rayas 1995 (it would have been another challenge for Gramenon) ...

Laurent,
For me, the 95 and the 05 are two of the top Rayas starting 1991. I agree that the 08 is better but they are both deceptively light.

[Laurent Gibet]

Kevin

Never tasted the 2005 but I bought a bottle at the domain last month.
Rayas 2001 is great too, perfecty shaped ...

http://www.invinoveritastoulouse.fr/att ... epas_1.pdf

[k s h i n]

Kevin

Never tasted the 2005 but I bought a bottle at the domain last month.
Rayas 2001 is great too, perfecty shaped ...

http://www.invinoveritastoulouse.fr/att ... epas_1.pdf

Unfortunately ours was madeirized but I agree.

[Thomas De Waen]

Opened a magnum of this (the 1995 Pascal S) at a social dinner with a couple of MW friends. Wowser. Amazing wine. VERY reminiscent of Rayas.

Do all of Gramenon's top cuvees show this well with age? The winemaker died in 1999 - are the wines still the same without him?

[k s h i n]

Opened a magnum of this (the 1995 Pascal S) at a social dinner with a couple of MW friends. Wowser. Amazing wine. VERY reminiscent of Rayas.

Do all of Gramenon's top cuvees show this well with age? The winemaker died in 1999 - are the wines still the same without him?

My experience with the domaine is very limited, a few bottles. It is an excellent wine.

[jbray23]

Question because I can't find the answer, do they still make the Ceps Centennaires? I bought a bottle of '00 in Paris years ago and really loved it but haven't been able to find another bottle state side since....

[Stephen Williams]

Question because I can't find the answer, do they still make the Ceps Centennaires? I bought a bottle of '00 in Paris years ago and really loved it but haven't been able to find another bottle state side since....

Yes they do. Difficult to track down though