2017 Gramercy Cellars L'idiot du Village
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Tasting notes
18 months in neutral French oak puncheons and barrels. Smells like strawberry and sour-plum yogurt. Quite edgy on the nose. Chewy tannins. Very sweet. Vanilla-candied fruit. Also very fragrant in a musky-flowers way, but under that, a dense, bloody tang and the thick, meaty muscle of Mourvèdre. Unmistakeably Mourvèdre. (TC)
Critic scores
Average Score
Tamlyn Currin, jancisrobinson.com
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Aromas of wild strawberry with dusty cherry and black pepper emanate from the 2017 L'Idiot du Village along with subtle hints of smoked lavender, worn leather and dried herbs. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is expressive, displaying distinct layers of subtle oak spices with a soft stemminess and flavors of black pepper. It lingers in the mouth on the dusty, red-fruited finish with a rustic kiss of ground black pepper. This is one of the best American bottlings of Mourvèdre on the market.
Moderately saturated medium red. Aromas of strawberry, spices, tree bark and peppery herbs along with a whiff of Band-Aid that dissipated with aeration. Sweeter and suppler than the nose suggests, combining Bandol-like flavors of red cherry, strawberry, pepper and herbs with an unexpected creaminess and pliancy of texture. Finishes with dusty tannins, classic savory dryness and decent length. Still, this wine does not have quite the grip or energy of the 2016 version, and I wanted a bit more ripeness and nuance.