Chateau De Campuget La Sommeliere 2002 - Tasted on 17/Mar/06

Tasting Date: 17th Mar, 2006.
Venue: Home
Name of Wine: Chateau De Campuget
Vintage: 2002
Region: Costiere de Nimes
Country: France
Alcohol level: 12.5%
Price: Unknown, from James

The wine is clear, deep ruby coloured. Showing a brick-red rim, a few legs & viscous. A clean, medium-intensity youthful nose. Fruity aromas, mainly blackcherries & plums, with some oak & smoke, & a touch of honey. On palate it's dry, medium acidity. The wine has a medium level of ripe tannins. Black fruit flavours, prunes, vanilla & cedarwood, probably because of substantial oak barrel ageing. Medium level of alcohol, & a medium length. Grape variety: Grenache, Syrah. Malolactic fermentation gives the wine a creamy & vanilla texture. It is at peak now, drink soon. It's a good quality French red. A mid-priced product, say around HK$230.

Remarks:
About Costiere de Nimes... ~ Used to be called Costieres du Gard before 1989. This AOC is the easternmost of the Languedoc appellations. Climate is one of the hottest in France. The land low-lying & covered with large pebble stones (galets roules), like those in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, that radiates heat at night, which encourages ripening. Wine style is fleshy, powerful reds, similar to those of the Southern Rhone.