A l'Ombre des Fontaine Rouge 2006

Sitting down on this warm Friday afternoon in my shop really gets to you..the laziness, boredom and basking in the heat of the afternoon...luckily for me, I'm completely surrounded by wines and i've given in to my temptation and decided to open a half bottle of a wine that I have not tasted for nearly 1 year since it's landing in my warehouse. Coming from my favorite region of the Rhone valley, this Cote du Rhone wine is a typical blend of Grenache (60%), Syrah (35%) and Mourvedre (5%), and emphasizes more on the freshness of the fruit characters more than expressing the terroir. From the looks of it, it'll be a easy wine to drink and appreciate.

APPEARANCE

A dark ruby core with cherry red transparent rims. Good clarity with surprisingly flowing tears. This should be a very expressive wine but might not have the alcohol backing for aging.

NOSE

Aged Strawberries and fresh figs are the primary impression i get from the nose. If i didn't know better, I could have sworn that I was smelling a Grenache Rose. After some airing, there's still not much other flavors coming out except for a fine backbone of blackberry jam. Overall its a lovely pleasing aroma

PALATE

Medium bodied wine with nice rounded tannins. Lovely balance with some spicy overtones. The finish is superb with fresh redberry skins.

CONCLUSION

A very pleasing uncomplicated and balanced wine. Perfect for a warm afternoon companion or a addition for pizza dinner.