2015 Cotes du Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues

The same blend as the 2016, the 2015 Côtes du Rhône Le Bouquet des Garrigues was brought up all in wood (foudre and wooded tanks) and offers a downright pretty, perfumed style that just begs to be drunk. Black raspberries, spice, garrigue and licorice aromatics all give way to a medium to full-bodied, elegant and balanced 2015 that has plenty of fruit as well as surprising elegance. Drink it over the coming 4-6 years. Clos du Caillou, under the helm of the Vacheron family, with Bruno Gaspard as winemaker and Philippe Cambie as consultant, continues to release a bevy of brilliant Côtes du Rhônes and Châteauneuf du Papes. As I wrote last year, the style has shifted slightly towards the more elegant side of the spectrum and apparent with the 2015s, which at times had me wishing for slightly more density and breadth, especially with the top cuvees. Nevertheless, the wines are brilliant and the 2015 vintage as a whole is a more streamlined, elegant vintage. The 2016s appear to be a return to wines with more oomph, density, and depth, and I think are a clear step up.