I tried this for the first time last night. It was an excellent match for pork loin roasted with herbs de provence & garlic.
The color was a medium red with just the slightest hint of oxidation at the edge of the glass. This wine was a great example of a well balanced food friendly wine. The nose offered up some spice, herbs, fruit. The palate was silky smooth. The palate was less fruit forward and more earthy. It had some forest floor and mineral and spice. It reminded me of an aged pinot noir at times. Body was medium and tannins were soft. I think I got this as a gift a few years ago so I can’t comment on it’s storage prior to my acquiring it. I’d drink it up not expecting it to get too much better with further age. Plus, it’s so good now…enjoy
Great note, thanks - sounds right up my alley, and the food pairing looks spot on.
I cracked an 04 Bosquet last night, it was a nice bottle of wine. I was guessing it would be best in 3-5 years, sounds about in line with your bottle.
Rich, I went through a case or more of these, making the mistake of continuing to check in every year or less. Just now the wine is blossoming into something really nice. For the majority of the years since its release its been extremely tight. I’ve one bottle left, but the last couple really shined nicely - as you say, very well balanced with everything coming through. I had similar experiences with the '00, but it never seemed as tight as that '99. Thanks for the note!
Funny, I was just tasting at the domaine yesterday and the '07s are, to put it mildly, glorious. The 2006s and '05s weren’t bad either.
This might be a function of the vintage. I’ve had a few other producers’ '99’s that seemed really closed too. I have minimal experience with this producer but I’ll be keeping an eye on them in the future, especially if pricing stays reasonable.
Nice note. The ‘tradition’ cuvee is normally an early drinker and gives much pleasure. I managed to pick up, last month, a couple of cases of their top wine the ‘Chante Le Merle’ Vieilles Vignes 2001 for just £12.50//$20 per bottle in bond. That’s roughly half the cost I paid 5 years ago and an awesome wine!