Olivier et Lafond
Five-year-old negociant business, a partnership between two winemaking consultants. Pale in colour. Very much pear in aroma, touch of pear drop, fairly straightforward nose. Fairly full-bodied, broad and flowing, with adequate acidity and a phenolic aspect. Dry, voluptuous on the mid-palate, really came into its own with food. Nicely done - good concentration, slightly warming alcohol. Fairly long, quite textural style - soft and silky.
Château des Tours
Slightly cloudy ruby. Sandalwood, cedar, red cherry and strawberry. Touch of raspberry and raspberry leaf. Full-bodied, but only just, with lovely Provençale herbs and bright acidity on the finish. Not long, touch of pepper on the finish. The Rayas winemaking touch is clearly there. Touch of fine tannin, but not much. Lovely harmonious, fairly well-balanced style, with some complexity of expression.
Domaine des Tours
Still deep in colour, though turning towards a foxy colour. Plum and strawberry, a touch of sweet decay. Touch of tobacco, a little wet bonfire and date. There's a definite sweetness to the strawberry fruit, some sweet alcohol, a touch of liquorice on the finish. Remarkably good acidity, and still very drinkable, good fruit. Not the most complex or harmonious, it doesn't blow you away, but my god it's fascinating for a 15-year-old IGP Merlot from the Rhône.
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Domaine des Tours
Remarkably pale, not far off a rosé. Pure red cherry fragrance, English strawberry, sage. Light- to medium-bodied, good acidity, dry finish, very dry in fact, savoury and slightly herbal. Gentle sucrosité to the fruit, not terribly intense, quite short, but at least authentic and true to the region and producer. Basic stuff, but enough interest to make it worthwhile.
Jean-Luc Colombo
Medium gold colour, quite deeply coloured. Vanilla, peach, apricot and cashew aromas, the fruit is ripe and the oak gives interest and spice. Full-bodied, rich, flowing, but with balanced acidity and good depth of fruit. Touch of flat peach and cream soda on the finish. The acidity is the thing that keeps it vital and drinkable. ‘Naughty but nice’ as the cream cake adverts used to say.
La Roche Buissière
Organic since 1980, 300 to 450m altitude. No sulphur except at bottling, and even then, very low. So unsurprisingly it’s lightly reductive, but not so much to detract from the wine. Juicy blackberry and loganberry, with juicy acidity and blackberry-hide tannins. A vibrant blast of juicy, authentic berry fruits, and plenty of structure. Not the most refined, but deliciously drinkable. Just super-fresh, lively and grippy berry fruits, really satisfying.
Mount Langi Ghiran
Very dense and closed at the time of tasting, but already starting to show some lifted floral notes among the ripe blueberry. Medium to full bodied, exceptionally smooth on the palate, with very ripe, smooth, velvet tannins. Long, but still closed on the palate. A wine of great purity, than reminds me somehow of a Syrah version of Secret de Sabon. Exceptionally pure and polished, but needs time to prove itself.
Mas de Cynanque
Honeyed and nutty on the nose but with bright freshness. Cheeky touch of toasted hazelnut. Full bodied, low acidity but balanced with minerality and bitterness. Medium length, very well balanced, which is quite a feat. Dry, grippy finish.