Gismondi in the Sun gave this a glowing review, recommending it as a cellar pick. Picked up a bottle based on that recommendation as well as to decide whether I should tuck a few away. The best thing about this wine is that it isn’t a typical 90 point type wine, or however many points he gave it. Rather, it has all the character and nuance you want in a blend and it reminded me of so many wonderful reds we’ve had in bistros and restaurants in France. It doesn’t clobber you over the head with any one flavour; it’s layered with gorgeous subtle notes that are revealed slowly, with air, glass to glass. Really a wonderful sipper, light like cru Beaujolais but with much more demonstrative varietals. Gismondi recommended it with rich meat dishes although we tried it with a hearty vegetarian root vegetable stew and it paired a treat. Nice label to plop on the table too, when guests are around. If you see it in the US, where it sells at about $16.50 a bottle, geddit.
Price: $26.74 at Burrard Liquor ($23.25 shelf price, plus 5% GST plus 10% liquor tax; a “tax in addition to price” practice not common in liquor stores in BC).
Market Liquidity: Rhone rules.