2007 Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau Cuvee Prestige
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A fantastic value, the 2007 Domaine la Soumade Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Cuvée Prestige has awesome aromatics of mineral drenched blackberries, bakers chocolate, saddle leather, and a touch of underbrush. Savory, complex and with a good dose of dusty earth on the nose, the wine is medium to full bodied with a focused, precise texture, fresh acidity, superb balance and a solid, moderately tannic finish. Give these 2 to 4 years in the cellar and then drink over the following 6 to 8.
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Robert Parker
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
More reviews and scores
There are three cuvees of Rasteau, all of them outstanding. The dark ruby/purple-hued 2007 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Cuvee Prestige possesses a velvety personality crammed with kirsch liqueur, blackberry, charcoal, and chocolate characteristics. Spicy, full-bodied, pure, and remarkably supple and approachable for a young Rasteau, it should be drunk over the next 10-12 years. Few vignerons are more interesting to visit than Domaine La Soumade’s Andre Romero, whose wines are longtime reference points for the wines of Rasteau, a village with some incredible terroirs as well as a high percentage of old vine Grenache. Romero makes a bevy of Vin de Pays offerings, but his finest cuvees are his Cotes du Rhone and Rasteau wines. He also produces a small amount of Gigondas. Readers who don’t think Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon can do well in the Mistral winds and dry heat of the southern Rhone should check out Soumade’s offerings. St.-Emilion’s guru, Stephane Derenoncourt is the consulting winemaker, which may help explain why these wines are so good. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565
Chewy and firm in the mouth, with perhaps not quite enough concentration to match the structure. (RH)