Les Garrigues 1998

[Scoop]

Clavel's "Les Garrigues" bottling (Coteaux du Languedoc), a 50/50 mix of Syrah and Grenache, is a favorite year-in and year-out. Very fruit forward usually, along with that great, slightly barnyard tang. And the 1997 was one of the best values I can remember -- simply delicious, with great balance.

Of course, 1998 in southern France was a blockbuster year. And the 1998 Les Garrigues reflects the BIG quality of the vintage -- it's got significant, chewy tannins and a lot less upfront fruit. In other words, this is a pretty dense, serious wine with rough edges, as opposed to the typical early-quaffing style. It's more like Clavel's La Copa Santa bottling, and it needs some time in the bottle.

The price remains the same, however: $8.99 retail.

Cheers,

Scoop