2006 Domaine de Coste Chaude Cuvee Coste Chaude

My First Taste of Rhone

I’d never had a Cotes-du-Rhone wine before. I’ll be having many, many more.

This was another of my wife’s BevMo finds—she’s really good at this—and can be had for under $20.

The color is a bright, sharp ruby red. Lots of light gets through, but the wine never looks weak or thin, but rather full and rich.

On the nose, I was taken aback at first by a sharp alcohol smell—at 14.5% abv, the alcohol’s in there—but it gives way to notes of red fruit on the bush, complete with wood and earth and greenery that reminded me of juniper.

After the sharp alcohol on the nose, I was a little cynical about the wine, but of course, I dove right in, as is my duty as a wine blogger. And I was pleasantly surprised.

Lots and lots of sour cherries and raspberry on the palate. The wine has a medium-bodied and silky mouthfeel, with a nicely moderate finish—not too short, not too long. The wine feels complex, like it’s hiding something from me, but I can’t tell what. Incredibly enjoyable, I’m going to have to get another bottle just to taste it with some extra-dark chocolate.

Verdict: 88/100


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