Winery: Domaine de l’Oratoire St. Martin
Wine: 2007 Cairanne Rouge Reserve des Seigneurs
Location: Côtes du Rhône Villages Cairanne, Southern Rhône
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $24.00

Jonathan and I first sampled this wine at the Rhône wine dinner hosted by The Corkscrew back in October. At that time, we noticed earthiness, slight barnyard, crushed cherries and raspberries on the nose. The palate featured cherries, barnyard and a medium finish. We thought this was a nice wine for the price. For this event, all the wines had been decanted at least two hours in advance so we were curious to see how the wine showed when it was first opened.

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Jonathan and I attended our first wine dinner last Thursday. Our local wine store hosted several of these in the past, but we either had other plans or weren’t interested in the topic. However, this dinner focused on the Rhône region in France, and many of the wines were from 2007, a spectacular vintage. Todd Hess from H2Vino shared his wines and knowledge for the evening. Jonathan and I loved it!

 

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Winery: Domaine de Beaurenard
Wine: Red Rhône Blend 2005
Location: Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau, France
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $17.99

Domaine de Beaurenard’s red Rhône blend is a wine Jonathan and I drank in the past and really enjoyed. I failed to write about it the first time or note the vintage. Although, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a 2005. We were eager to sample this wine again, but I was a little disappointed I didn’t have notes from the first time to compare our tastings.

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Winery: Prieuréde Montézargues
Wine: Gernache Rosé 2006
Location: Tavel, Southerm Rhône, France
Purchased: The Corkscrew
Price: $10.00

Finding a bargain on a good wine makes me feel like a I just robbed the bank. It’s kind of like when I get a pair of designer shoes for half off. At the same time, I’m glad I had the patience to wait and not buy the first time I saw the wine and do a little comparison shopping. I’ve been wanting to try a Rosé from Taval for a while after getting a couple of recommendations from a fellow wine lover. Instead of running out to the store and buying the first one I could find like I normally do, I checked the store and had a little luck on my side. My wine store discounted the 2006 Prieuréde Montézargues by nearly 50% compared to other places I saw online. Now, was the time to buy.

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Winery: Jean Pierre Boisson

Wine: La Mirande 2003

Location: France: Southern Rhone: Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Purchased: The Corkscrew

Price: $29.99

 

For several months, Jonathan and I have eyed wines from the Chateauneuf-du-Pape appellation. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to spend the money that these wines go for, although their reputation is impeccable. This bottle was the cheapest by far. Our local wine store has a frequent buyer program and after a certain number of purchases you receive $15 off your next purchase. When we reached the milestone, we knew exactly which wine we were taking home.

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