I asked Denise to smell this wine for me. I do that when I can't quite pinpoint what I'm smelling, or if I need help identifying a particular aroma. She has great olfactory senses, while mine leave a bit to be desired. In this case she sniffed it and said, "ugnhngh." I don't know if I spelled it right, but the unmistakable impression was not good.
I, however, found the aroma a bit more favorable. I rather liked it, even though my initial reaction was very much like Denise's. The nose is a bit funky - you might call it barnyard - but there is also a strawberry note that comes across rather forcefully and some raspberry a little further back. The palate was quite funky also, with the same fruit in Sweet Tart fashion - not sweet at all, but quite tart. The wine was open and refrigerated a couple of days when it took on a sort of tobacco leaf taste. This description may not fully convey that I actually liked this wine, and for that I am sorry. It is a dry rosé that I feel would not suit everyone's palate. It certainly suits mine, though.
I first sampled this wine unchilled - as is my custom - and found it a lot more agreeable chilled on its third day after opening. The color, by the way, is a little darker than I like my rosé, but it is a pretty shade of red.
Costières de Nimes is located between the Rhone and Languedoc regions. It seems to owe a lot more to the Languedoc than the Rhone.
Variety: Syrah, Grenache
Appellation: France > Rhone Valley > Costières de Nimes
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol Level: 13.5%
Price: $7
Acquisition disclaimer: Purchased by the author
