This week we look at an everyday drinking wine, and two wines that are good enough you wish you could.
Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas 1998
Gigondas has gone from strength to strength in recent years, and prices have risen to match as consumers seek out the best wine value in the Rhone. Fortunately I still have some older bottles from when prices made it more of an everyday wine, and this one from Santa Duc and the1998 vintage is drinking at its peak now. The once ripe fruit is now giving way to garrigue, meaty and earthy characters, resulting in a complex, well balanced and pleasingly rustic wine. Rustic, like in their photos...
Le Cantine di Indie Langhe Rosso Vino Rosso del Popolo 2010
Made by Eugenio Bocchino, this is a wine that rises above its everyday drinking pretensions by a good margin, but only in quality terms, not price. A Piemonte blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, it combines the fruity frivolity of the Barbera and Dolcetto, while the Nebbiolo brings a structured complexity that makes it an adult party. Probably not a wine for the long haul, but that's Ok, you'll want to drink it everyday - it is a wine of the people (popolo).
Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Clos du Bourg Sec 2008
Strictly speaking, this should have been in last week's edition, but I wanted to keep that to the Rhone red theme. However, we had this wine prior to cassoulet and the reds, and it was too good to let slip without mention. This is a wine I always love, but I particularly liked this vintage with its higher than usual residual sugar giving it extra weight. High levels of acidity effortlessly balanced out the acidity, leaving a very pure, concentrated Vouvray with a long, clean finish.
Previous week.
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