Wine Review of 2014 Domaine Cazes ‘Ego’ Rouge Côtes du Roussillon Villages, France
Score: 93/100
This Roussillon red wine by famous local producer Maison Cazes, is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre grown on clay-limestone soils with some schistose materials as well as siliceous pebble.
The grapes were totally destemmed before being transfered in vats. Alcoholic fermentation was run at around 28°C (82°Fahrenheit) with several pumping over a day for an optimum extraction. Maceration on skins lasted about 4 weeks in total.
Tasting Notes
This Languedoc-Roussillon red wine comes in a pretty dark red color, nearly black to the core, and with intense dark purple hues to the rim. It is looking deep and lively, full of youth for a 3 years-old wine, plenty of strength and concentration to its appearance.
Its nose is no less deep or intense.
Powerful aromas of ripe blackberry, prune and caramelized baked apple, and strawberry jam. There is a lot of generous fruit character to the smell.
More importantly, the spiciness is an outstanding feature to the nose. Black and white pepper, a chili-like spicy pungency comes through and makes the wine smells somewhat in-your-face and vibrant. Dark cocoa, and a hint of vanilla, as well as a meat stock tones, give the whole much depth and an intriguing darkness.
The palate is round and soft, delivering, straight away, an impression of composed power, layered complexity, and spicy fruitiness.
A big and opulent body, is matched by a juicy and salivating acidity. The wine has got some bite to it, which definitely makes you salivate through a distinctive salinity. The mark of interesting wines made with a genuine expression of the terroir.
This is a dry wine, but the ripeness of the ripe-to-jammy fruit character gives it a slightly sweet fruity feel. Tannins are soft and smooth overall, although featuring some a slightly granulous texture, and a delicate bite to the finish. This is a young wine, that tastes young and clearly says it is meant to be given another few years of ageing to reach full potential and further smoothness.
Overall
A complex, rich, and opulent red wine, very balanced between a wealth of fruity generosity, dense smooth tannins, and an outstanding juicy and spicy acidity.
Black pepper, clove, meat stock or yeast extract are some of the savory notes the wine features strongly and proudly. Yet, they are so generously matched by an abundance of ripe red berry flavors, that the whole simply feels gorgeous, complex, and layered.
Yet, as these tasting notes might expose, this wine still needs to come together fully and find its harmony with a few more years of ageing. I have no doubt it will find an incredible balance eventually, and a stunning level of complexity. This is a wine with outstanding potential and of great pedigree. Yet at the time of tasting, all its many different parts aren’t all going quite in the same direction.
When to Drink?
Cellar for 3 to 5 years and see from there. It should then have reached even more harmony. I wouldn’t be surprised if it aged superbly for another 10 years from there. So, from now, give it a good 10-15 years to reach full potential.
This will be… an outstanding Roussillon wine.
Enjoy 🙂
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