2006 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes
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Tasting notes
Ruby-red. Dark berry and cherry aromas complicated by white pepper and lavender. Firm, delineated red and dark berry flavors pick up sweetness and flesh with air while gaining a tannic quality. Fresher than it showed last year, finishing with good tangy lift and sweet persistence. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
In an appellation that is often frustratingly disappointing, Tardieu-Laurent has turned out a brilliant 2006 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes. Eighty-five percent Grenache and the rest Mourvedre and Syrah, this wine is better than those of many of the best growers. Dark ruby/purple with notes of crushed rock and some hints of blueberry and raspberry, the wine has a cooler-climate feel, but medium to full-bodied flavors and a long, heady finish. This high-quality negociant operation, started by Burgundian Dominique Laurent and his southern sidekick, the charismatic Michel Tardieu, continues to turn out high-class wines from purchased wine. Front man Michel Tardieu seems to know some of the finest growers in the Rhone, and he is willing to pay top dollar in order to get the stuff he wants. Importers: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808 and Stacole Fine Wines, Boca Raton, FL; tel. (561) 998-0029
About the producer
Product details
Grenache/ Garnacha , Mourvedre/Monastrell/Mataro, Syrah / Shiraz
Red
Dry