The current thread about Gigondas has got me thinking about Vacqueyras. I have tried a few. The only wine that I have found palatable is Couroulu. What else is available in the USA that would be worth seeking?
Chateau des Tours, but it’s expensive.
Lots of good wines. Sang du Caillou, Charbonierre, Montvac, and Des Tours come to mind.
Sorry for the slight thread drift but I have a bottle of the 2011 vintage which I believe to be the most recent one. Any idea when this might be drinking well? I have had very variable experiences with young vintages of the producer’s cheaper wines and even the 2003 Merlot was drinking very young still in last December.
Des Tours doesn’t make Merlot, it is the family from Rayas.
I’d guess 11 is drinking well as they hold back release til they are ready for consumption.
I still have a 1989 I need to dig out of cellar.
Of course they make a Merlot!
They do indeed make a Merlot, and it can be very good! For Francophone readers, there was a very good article by Antoine Pétrus in “Vigneron” magazine not too long ago about Rayas and the Reynaud family, including quite a few pieces of information that have never made it into print before to my knowledge.
The 2011 is showing well, better balanced than the 2010. But I would recommend following the ‘Reynaud protocol’ of opening it the day before, pouring off a small glass to taste, closing the bottle and leaving it in the cellar until you drink it 24 hrs later. That is what Emmanuel Reynaud recommends and it typically does the wines a lot of good.
Several people have recommended doing this and indeed I will adopt it moving forward. Good to know that I may open the Vacqueyras sooner rather than later! Would you recommend doing this with the white CdR as well?
Certainly no urgency to open it but certainly not a crime to check in! Emmanuel thinks that 2011 is one of his best vintages to date. And yes, it works pretty well for the whites.
I haven’t had the 11 Vacqueyras, but the 11 Cotes du Rhône has drunk very well since it was released several years ago. These wines are really attractive in lighter vintages.
Oh, and I have been very impressed by d’Ouréa, both the Vacqueyras and the Gigondas. I wish one could find it easily here. I’m surprised it has not been picked up by a major importer.
Emmanuel Reynaud would say: in 10 years … better in 15 … (and open one day before drinking)
We had a small vertical of the Tours Vacqueyras last year and the 2001 was one of the favorites. 1998 was a bit tired but I’m not convinced it was ever as good as some of the more recent ones. 05, 06, 09 seem like they could age well for a long time, but in my experience you can enjoy these wines at any age.
I wish I had followed the day before advice for the 2012 Pialade I opened about a month ago. For the first few hours it was not showing much. Mostly red fruit and orange peel. The one glass I saved till the next day was so much more wild and complex. Full of olives, brine, herbs, spices.
I agree with des Tours. At a much more reasonable price I just picked up 6 of these
2016 La Ferme du Mont “Le Rif”, Vacqueyras, for $20 per.
This wine is not at all heavy and all too easy to drink right now.
I still have 1 1989 CdT Vacqueyras. Need to dig it out.
They still make one? AFAIK, they hadn’t made a VDP Merlot since 2001 or 2003. What is the current release.
I guess what I meant was they no longer make a Merlot. Which I may be wrong about.
Where did you purchase this wine?
What foods did you find pairs very nicely with these?