You may have noticed that I haven’t updated this site in a couple weeks. A cold had me down—and not tasting wine—for a while, then with the holiday I just took a couple extra days to recuperate. I’m back, but I’m a little behind on my planned tasting schedule. I have a couple more bottles of Sauvignon Blanc that I plan to taste and post reviews for in the next few days. Until I can get to those, I have a random tasting to share with you, and it’s another French red blend—something I just can’t seem to get enough of lately.
I’ve tasted a lot of wines recently from the Rhone Valley, but this wine is from a region further south in Languedoc Roussillon, and more specifically Corbières. Domaine Sainte Eugénie is located in the foothills of the Pyrénées along the Mediterranean coast. As you might expect along the southern coast of France, the weather is sunny, warm and dry here, creating a good grape growing environment—especially for Syrah, the dominant variety in this blend. The make up of the blend is 40% Syrah, 30% Carnigan and 30% Grenache.
The wine comes together well and with characteristics typical of a wine from the region. Cedar, cherry, blackberry and earthy straw aromas make up the nose. The palate is bursting with berry flavors. Big blackberry flavors, but not at all jammy. It’s very good. There is a very soft aspect, well-rounded nature to the fruit. Oak flavors come through on the finish, along with a subtle apple flavor—something I’ve not found in red wine that I can recall. This is a very enjoyable and interesting wine.
Wine: Domaine Sainte-Eugénie – La Réserve
Variety: Red Blend
Vintage: 2004
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $14.99