Tardieu-Laurent Guy Louis Cotes du Rhone 2011
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Blend: 60% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre
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Wine Enthusiast
This is strongly marked by toasty, cedary oak, but enough fruit comes through on the midpalate and finish to suggest this is more than just another oaky red. It’s rich and creamy through the midpalate, then finishes long, with mixed berry notes emerging at the end.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Cotes du Rhone Guy Louis, which spends two years in old oak casks, is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah, and always seems to possess an extra dimension. Dark fruit, damp earth, pepper, roasted herb and meaty notes are found in this mouth-filling, medium to full-bodied Cotes du Rhone.
Range: 88-90 Points
Other Vintages
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Tardieu-Laurent is very much an "artisan" producer, making between half a dozen and 20 or so barrels of each wine. The majority of the wines are from the southern Rhône although superb cuvees of Cote Rôtie and Hermitage are also produced. The wines are all aged in small oak casks (often 100% new) and bottled with no fining nor filtration. Michel Tardieu proclaims himself as a confirmed terroirist, insisting that his aim with each appellation is to express powerfully the fruit and sense of place, never masking these factors with wood.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.