Score: 91/100
The Domaine Grand Romane is a vineyard located on the highest part of Pierre Amadieu estate (about 400 meters above sea level).
Here the pebbly limestone terroir features a poor soil forcing vines to put down deep roots and crop concentrated grapes.
This Gigondas wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre from old vines.
Winemaking facts: traditional fermentation is used for Grenache and Syrah, while whole-bunch fermentation brings out roundness and power from the Mourvèdre grape variety.
After blending, the wine was aged for 18 months in French oak barrels from the Allier forest and in large 100 hl oak casks. The wine was eventually bottled without filtration (unfiltered).
Tasting Notes
This Rhone red comes in a dark red color, quite dense though not overly so: Black to the core, bright red to the rim.
The nose feels generous, filed with ripe red berry notes and a wealth of herbs!
Fruity like a mixed-berries jam, it feels warm and with solid alcohol. More importantly, thyme, rosemary and white pepper notes lift the aromatic profile.
While the nose is not so telling at this point (this is a very young wine after all, so we’ll forgive it obviously), the palate tells the true story and reveals how much personality it holds in the bottle.
The first impression is dominated by a solid acidity, and by tannins that are a little grippy still!
But as the wine develops on your palate, a velvety smoothness kicks in, together with the rich body of this ripe and sun-filled wine. The juiciness and generosity of the wine comes quite late in the experience, but when it does, it fills your senses with bursts of juicy blackberry and a wealth of sweet spices and vanilla.
Plenty of dark cocoa nearly coffee liqueur too. The herbal spices are here too to lift things up almost in a mint-effect way.
The whole feels generous, powerfully-flavored, balanced, with a solid acidity dominating, and keeping things on the relatively fresh side of things.
Overall
A Gigondas wine filled with all the fruity goodness we love from the Rhône, smooth tannins, ripe berry notes, and well-integrated oak.
It features a wealth of personality, great balance, and solid acidity.
Wine & Food Pairing?
Add generous herbal characters and a salivating juicy feel, and you have here a wine that will make an ideal partner for tasty foods like grilled or stewed meats, also powerful cheeses.
Enjoy 🙂
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