Wine By Nine

Red Wine by Dom. de Beaurenard from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone. Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2006 - #19! Parcels of old vines 60-100 years in age, planted in soils of great character and complexity, provide the grapes for this wine. They are picked when fully mature and meticulously sorted by hand to further enhance concentration. These old parcels, in which different varieties are planted together, embody the symphony of 13 varieties, though Grenache predominates. Loaded with rich, dark layers of black currant, blackberry, truffle, tar, mocha and bittersweet cocoa, this pumps out both fruit and terroir on the gripping finish. Immense in scale and depth, this is hard to lay off now, but should be even more impressive when it drops its muscle to show more elegance (that will take a while though). Best from 2008 through 2030. 1,665 cases made. - Wine Spectator

Red Wine by St. Cosme from Gigondas, Rhone. The very limited cuvee which is essentially meant to be the best wine Chateau Saint-Cosme can produce is the 2004 Gigondas Hominis Fides, which is 100% Grenache from the oldest vines of the estate. There are about 250 cases of this in 2004, and the wine shows great intensity and wonderfully sweet blackberry fruit with an explosive aroma of spring flowers, licorice, crushed rocks, black currants, and blackberries. It is full-bodied, rich, and clearly the best Gigondas of the vintage. It should drink nicely for 10-15 years. -Wine Advocate

Red Wine by Dom. Brusset from Cotes du Rhone, Rhone. Reaching the level of the Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne, a more profound concentration and depth appears. The Cairanne Les Coteaux des Travers is planted to 60% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 15% Mourvedre, 5% Carignan, and 5% Cinsault. Seventy percent of the wine is aged in tank or large oak demi-muids, the remaining 30% seeing almost a year in small, old oak barrels. The wine is a deep, rich, inky purple-black, dense and almost chocolatey with a blackberry jam fruitiness.

Red Wine by Guigal from Cotes du Rhone, Rhone. What a delicious value! A blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Mourvedre, and 25% Syrah from 35 year old vines, aged for a year in oak casks. A deep purple color in the glass, with warm berry, plum and spice aromas. Full-bodied and elegant, with mellow tannins, warmth and aromatic intensity. You can age this wine successfully for up to 8 years. Delicoius with meat, game, spicy salami, and mature cheeses.