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Screen Shot 2014-11-20 at 3.18.50 PMIn most cases if you look at a wine list from a typical restaurant, the only French wine you will see is Bordeaux. The Rhone region does not get enough play. I was surprised when traveling Air France in their Business Class lounge they had both a red Rhone and a red Bordeaux to choose from. Now in most cases I prefer the Bordeaux because I like those varietals the best (i.e. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc…etc.).

Rhone is more know for the grapes that are slightly lesser known like Syrah, Grenache, Petit Sirah etc. The 2010 E. Guigal Crozes-Hermitage is a red Rhone from France that is 100% Syrah. I am pretty sure I got this wine from Underground Cellar.

It seems that you can get this bottle for $24.99 on Wine.com and that it received 91 points from the International Wine Cellar. Here are the tasting notes from the winery’s website:

Eye : Dark and deep colour.
Nose : Red fruits, cherry and strawberry with delicate oak aromas.
Palate : A structured tannic wine. Aromas of blackcurrant buds and vanilla.
Overall : Remarkable freshness with notable and refined tannins to due long oak ageing.
The website does offer more information and the 2011 is available as well. Robert Parker gave it an 81, what did I think?
Color – Deep dark red.
Nose – Earthy with almost dried leaves and dirt. I also got Red fruits with raspberries and pomegranate.
Taste – Cranberries with espresso, smoked meats and oak.
Finish – Medium to long with medium acid and medium to low rounded tannins.
Overall, this wine was moderately complex. It has some great notes with a really good mouth feel. I will be honest, this is one of the best Rhone wines I have had in a long time. When we were traveling I always picked the Bordeaux of the Rhone but this one was good. I couldn’t decide on a rating so it’s in between…
Rating: B+/A-
~Justin