|
Home >
Caro's Wine Shop >
Recommended Wines >
Hot Picks >
French Reds
|
|
"A brilliant effort, the 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Cuvee Confiance possesses sweet tannin, a touch of toasty oak, and copious amounts of black cherry, black currant, chocolate, and espresso notes. Broad, expansive flavors, a beautiful texture, and a long finish suggest this offering will evolve over the next 12-15 years." 91-94/100 Parker
|
|
|
|
|
This has to be one of the best value Chateauneufs we have ever brought in and its from the classic 2007 vintage- it is already a drinking beautifully but will age gracefully. "This estate is well-worth following, especially for their top cuvee from the sandy soils of Pignan, near Rayas. Most consumers have not yet caught on to the quality of their wines (including their Cotes du Rhones), so prices remain reasonable. From proprietor Eric Bonnet, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape offers a classic loamy soil character, a hint of resiny pine forest, and copious quantities of kirsch liqueur. It possesses great fruit, superb opulence, and a juicy, crunchy style with terrific freshness as well as focus. Enjoy it over the next 10-15 years." 90-92/100 Parker
|
|
|
|
|
"The superstar of Rasteau is Andre Romero who produces five cuvees of drop-dead delicious red wine. He fashions full-throttle, concentrated, exuberant wines that mirror his over-the-top personality. Few vignerons are more interesting to visit than Domaine La Soumade. Rasteau is a village with some incredible terroirs as well as a high percentage of old vine Grenache. Romero makes a bevy of Vin de Pays offerings, but his finest cuvees are his Cotes du Rhone and Rasteau wines. St.-Emilion's guru, Stephane Derenoncourt is the consulting winemaker, which may help explain why these wines are so good." Robert Parker. A blend of Shiraz, Grenache and Mouvedre. Sublime
|
|
|
|
|
"The Hecht & Bannier 2006 Cotes du Roussillon Villages smells of cedar, coconut , cherry, marjoram, and smoke. Stimulating hints of cherry pit bitterness along with smoke, herbal pungency, and graphite and crushed stone add to the dynamic impression conveyed by unusually fresh fruit, leading to a long, lip-smacking finish.91/100"Parker
|
|
|
|
|
"Leaning heavily on Syrah from schist, the Hecht & Bannier 2006 Saint-Chinian was nearly two years in a combination of tank and barrels. Smoke and crushed stone seem to hover over the glass, and an adamant mineral tone persists throughout. This concentrated essence of an appellation (albeit one geologically heterogeneous) has just recently retreated into a shell, say Hecht and Bannier. It certainly looks likely to benefit from a couple of years in bottle and probably will be worth following for a comparably long period thereafter."89/100 Parker
|
|
|
|
|
"Gregory Hecht and Francois Bannier's negociant partnership - entering its seventh year - is singularly quality-oriented, and their connections with growers and tireless tasting trips throughout the Languedoc and Roussillon (350-400 visits each year) are rewarding wine lovers wherever their limited production is sold. Make no mistake: wines under the Hecht & Bannier label can compete with the very best being produced by individual estates in their respective appellations, making them among the world's finest red wine values. The aim in selection of lots, as well as in elevage (much of which takes place in foudres or demi-muid), is to capture ripe fruit and rich textures while conserving fresh fruit vivacity and setting a standard of lift and elegance such as is possessed by only the best wines being grown today in the Languedoc and Roussillon. The partners (who met as students in Burgundy) will remain focused on just a few outstanding locations where a sufficient number of growers (typically 8-12 per appellation) practice low yields, hand-harvest, press impeccably, and will honor a handshake "contract." At most, they suggest, a couple of additional appellations might one day be added to their line-up (which also includes a consistently delightful Syrah-based rose). As Hecht puts it, "for the protection of all parties, we intend to stay small," both in total production per appellation and volume per grower.
|
|
|
|
|
"Mint, marjoram, rosemary, roasted meats, and black fruit compote are liberally doled out to the nose and palate from Hecht and Bannier's 2006 Minervois, which favors overwhelmingly Syrah, plus some Grenache and scarcely any Carignan or Mourvedre. A welcome fresh, subtly tart juiciness (reflecting the vintage's relatively high acidity) builds in the finish, while vivid notes of charred meat and wood smoke add to the fascination and overall enticement of a wine that should be worth following for four or more years."90/100 parker
|
|
|
|
|
"A hint of coconut and lanolin (from a new demi-muid incorporated into the blend) mingles with smoke-tinged black cherry in the nose of Hecht & Bannier's 2006 Faugeres. With an impressive sense of grip and sheer density, yet of fine-grained tannins, too, this offers an invigorating combination of fruit skin and rhubarb-like (vintage typical) tartness and tactile crushed stone, as well as deep, bitter-sweet dark chocolate. I suspect this will respond impressively to a half dozen or more years in one's cellar."91/100 Parker
|
|
|
|
|
Aged Merlot/ Cab Franc from Bordeaux- drinking superbly. Brought by the current owners in 1985 and completely renovated, this small, quality- driven producer is now making some of the best value wines in Bordeaux. The vineyard practice and winemaking is state of the art. Grapes are picked at optimum ripeness followed by a pre-fermentation maceration to enchance colour and aromatics and the fermented wine is then aged in oak for 14 months. "A ripe, rich- fruited and modern wine, from the excellent 2005- a fantastic Bordeaux buy."
|
|
|
|
|
