Tessellae Louis Roche Old Vines 2012, Ap
Gsm (Grenache+Syrah+Mourvèdre)
Languedoc, France
$17.00 (343517)
Critic Reviews (3)
A firm, juicy-grapey, generously alcoholic (14.5% declared) and wood-inflected example, with decent if not...
This is old vine carignan from the southernmost enclave of Mediterranean France, where the fruit gets very ripe and...
Feels very authentic, natural with well balanced alcohol and a palate abundant in ripe forest fruit. Medium intensity...
Community Reviews (2)
Juicy, smooth & easy drinking wine with lots of flavours
Description: Deep ruby in colour with a medium+ intense nose. This wine features medium Cherry, mulberry, blueberry, lavender, black and white peppers, Kirsch liqueur and mesquite. Medium to medium+ body, light tannins with good acidity, a fairly long length and the alcohol is well integrated.
Negatives: None
Interesting Points: The Grenache grapes were sourced from 60 year old vines while the Syrah and Mourvedre came from 20 year old vines.
Drink now or in the next 2 year on its own or pair it with beef tenderloin with cherry black pepper sauce.
Tasted: 23 Aug 2014
Score: 8.5+/10, Value: 8.5+/10 Total: 17.5/20
Out of 5 stars, I rated this wine: 3.5+
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There's good depth of flavour to this Côtes du Roussillon (40% old vines Grenache), but there just isn't much definition to that flavour. It's sort of a jammy puddle, with thick blackberry, blueberry, and other dark fruit supported by black pepper, roasted meat, vanilla, and bitter herbs, along with some cranberry tartness. There's a hint of leanness lurking underneath it all, a sense of the rugged place peaking out from beneath the ripeness/sweetness, notably in the chalky tannins, but it's not enough to break through, and the fruit doesn't really hold up. Decent, but rough and muddled.