2004 Cotes du Rhone Bouquet des Garrigues

A sleeper of the vintage is the 100% Grenache cuvee, the 2004 Cotes du Rhone Les Garrigues. Beautiful kirsch liqueur notes intermixed with licorice and the smell of a pine forest are followed by a wine that is sexy, silky-textured, opulent, and just delicious. Remarkably, yields were only 25 hectoliters per hectare in the vintage, and this is a Cotes du Rhone! Drink it over the next 3-4 years. Over the last decade Domaine de la Janasse has become one of the half dozen or so finest estates in Chateauneuf du Pape. However, they also produce an impressive range of Cotes du Rhones. This was also one of the few dozen or so estates that had exceptional success in 2003, a challenging vintage but, for those who did it right, some monumental wines. Proprietor Christophe Sabon compares 2004 with 1999, but with slightly more fruit and power. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565