2018 Domaine Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray Ardèche
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
Saturated ruby. Powerful aromas of blackberry, cherry compote, succulent flowers, olive and exotic spices pick up a hint of smoky bacon with air. Smooth and expansive in the mouth, offering intense, spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit and violet pastille flavors and a spicy touch of cracked pepper. Finishes on a resonating floral note, with impressive energy, harmonious tannins and lingering florality.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Josh Raynolds
More reviews and scores
The 2018 VdP de l'Ardeche Les Iles Feray Syrah comes mostly from the base of the slopes that form Saint-Joseph, but it also includes some young vines from within that appellation's boundaries. Yields are a bit higher, and a portion was destemmed. It's still remarkable, featuring mixed berries and olives in a medium to full-bodied swirl of mind-bending complexity that just misses the extra intensity, structure and length of the Saint Josephs at this address.
This wine is always a barometer of the vintage with less mineral and terroir character and more weather-influenced. This has a very attractive, dark-berry, chocolate and spice nose with such rich and detailed fruit, smoked meat and graphite. The palate has a supple, vinous feel with dark cherries and lacy, attractively loose-knit tannins. Drink on release.
Brilliant violet color. Vibrant cherry and blackcurrant scents show excellent clarity and pick up a smoky mineral nuance and a hint of potpourri with air. Juicy and tightly focused, showing very good depth and intense black/blue fruit and violet pastille flavors that become more lively on the back half. Shows solid finishing cut, an echo of sweet dark berries and fine-grained tannins that add gentle grip.