My favourites this month

Esprit 1909 Reserve Corbieres 2006 by Dr. Tom (9.3/10)

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:11:09 -0500

Fantastic! Mineral and dark fruit on the nose, huge fruit on the palate alond with spice (do I taste lavender?) and minerals extracted from the rolling mountains that define the area and it’s wines. The finish is clean, the tannins perfect. It gives the impression of tartness when really it is cleansing your palate for the next rush. The experience was made sad only when I realized that I would probably not taste this wine again until I come back to France.
Esprit 1909 Reserve Corbieres 2006 Vignerons des Lézignan-Corbieres Corbières dark berries dark magenta fantastic fruit lavender more please spice. minerals

Ancien Comté de Pouzols Minervois 2005 by Dr. Tom (9.2/10)

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 14:03:50 -0500

Delicious, dark and fruit filled. Lots of minerals and dark fruit (blackberries, cassis) on the tongue with mild, cleansing tannins. Just the right acidity and a big finish. This was another in the line of fantastic wines consumed on our France trip. Great with pasta and a green salad (and of course crusty french bread!).
Ancien Comté de Pouzols Minervois 2005 Vignerons de Pouzols Minervois-Pouzols blackberry cassis dark fruit deep purple fine tannins minerals pasta super value

Les Coteaux des Hautes Garrigues Pic Saint Loup 2006 by Dr. Tom (9.1/10)

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:24:08 -0500

Dark purple wine with the smell of the yellow broom flowers springing up everywhere. Deep dark fruit but a hint of softness. Blackberries and currants without a hint of oak. We bought this in St. Martin de Londres, almost in the shadow of Pic St. Loup itself, and enjoyed it that evening at our rented home with a piece of fresh ham and veggies from that day’s market.
Les Coteaux des Hautes Garrigues Pic Saint Loup 2006 Les Coteaux des Hautes Garrigues Coteaux du Languedoc Pic-Saint-Loup blackberries currant dark fruit dark purple fresh ham oak powerful wildflowers

Domaine de Plaisance 2005 by Dr. Tom (9.1/10)

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:54:37 -0500

Deep ruby wine, almost violet, with a nose that confirms its storage in oak casks. There is the unmistakable oak, smoke and vanilla, but also anise, rosemary and minerals. The taste is rich and ever so slightly tart with hints of the garrigue that grows near all of the vines. It holds up well to a strong red pasta sauce, but is equally good consumed alone
Domaine de Plaisance Corbieres 2005 Vignerons des Lézignan-Corbieres Corbières-Lézignan anise dark fruit delicious minerals oak red sauce and pasta rosemary pasta ruby red smoke tart vanilla

Florilège Minervois Rosé 2007 by Dr. Tom (9.1/10)

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:09:11 -0500

A delicious and light syrah-grenache based rosé. Chilled it was fantastic with a sandwich of smoked turkey and cornichons. It was so good the entire bottle was gone before you knew it! Some crisp fruit on the nose and a much bigger presence on the palate than most rosé – a great value.
Florilège Minervois Rosé 2007 Vignerons de Pouzols Minervois Pouzols-Minervos bright fruit clean deep rosé no tannins refreshing smoked turkey super value