JLL is worth attending to. I will try them when I am next at the Caveau, in the next week or so.
Those Saint Damien wines are bruisers. I think they’re very well made, but probably not what the OP is looking for.
Do you mean the OP is only looking for wines associated with conspicuous consumption?
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Subject to vintage and your cellaring commitment:
Bosquet des Papes
Cabrieres
Pontifical
Monpertuis
Cayron '15 last week was pretty liqueured and super-ripe in style, with nothing that could be described as garrigue. I drank cases of the 1998 as a student, and that was wild and Provencal, but this '15 was a different beast, pace JLL’s tasting note. Obviously there’s a clientele for that but it doesn’t sound like what the OP is looking for.
I have an orphan 1998 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras Cuvée Spéciale lurking around somewhere that I need to go ahead and drink (something I probably should have done at least 10 years ago). I’ll try to remember to check the importer strip to see who used to import them.
I’ve always liked the style of Vieux Donjon, but I haven’t bought it (or any CdP) in recent years, so I’m not sure if it’s still the same. The bottles I occasionally open from the mid 2000s have developed very nicely.
One piece of advice would be to consider buying from the cooler vintages there and avoid the ripe vintages. Plus, you’ll probably get better pricing.
All
Thank you for your inputs. This is what I was hoping for - get a few ideas on what to try.
Thing that stands out is that there are no clear favorites for the kind of style I like. But i do want to give the region a serious try before I give up.
From the feedback above, it feels like following producers will be a good place to start from:
Beaucastel
Vieux Donjon
Charvin
Vieux Telegraphe
Dinesh -
Beaucastel is one of the few that I still buy. If you are also looking for daily drinkers, their Cotes du Rhône is excellent. Recent vintages of 2015 and 2016 are cases purchases.
Two of my faves,also.
Beau is number one with me, though.
+1 for Bois deBoursan. very traditional producer, 1/3 price of Beaucastel. Clos des Brusquieres is also good.
The Domaine les Garrigues Vacqueyrases, like their Gigondases, are long lasting. That 98 should be in fine shape. The Vacqueyras is still being imported, as it has been for some time. It’s the Gigondas that has never been imported. They make very little of it and sell it all either at the domaine or at their own family restaurant, Les Florets.
Yes, the note surprised me too, but I will check for myself in the near future.
BTW Le Clos De Caillou hasn’t been mentioned. I don’t know them but they seem to have good reviews on CT. What’s their style like?
Well made wines, but not in the style you are looking for.
Yep, well made but riper in style and some have more new oak. But my experience with these is a bit dated.
Oak mostly on the whites. But, like the Cambia wines they are, very ripe with tannins polished until they shine.
Clos des Caillou is a vg producer, but quite modern style.
La Reserve is usually outstanding
I’d focus on vintage vs. producer. Find cooler years and go with better producers, off top of my head, 99, 01, 04, 08, 11 all had more restrained wines. People will bash Clos St. Jean or others, but I enjoy the wines in cool years.
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I like Bois de Boursan, Pegau, Beaucastel and Vieux Donjon, especially in cooler vintages.