Domaine de Nizas, Coteaux de Languedoc, 2004
So here I am at Fred Meyer (a Kroger's grocery store for those living outside of the Northwest), and here's this big sign:
I glance down at the bottle, then over to the price: $16.99!? There was another sign quoting Harvey Steiman (Wine Spectator):
"An intriguing aroma of pine and spice leads into fresh flavors of cherry, garrigue, and mineral. Distinctive, with a rich finish".
Goodness. Okay, grabbing that bottle.
Here's what we found. The nose was dusty, red cherry, maybe some strawberry, and honey. Denise took one whiff and exclaimed that it smelled like baked bread. And it did sort of smell like a honey bread. The body was light. The taste was predominantly red cherry, and a little oak/vanilla. Denise got some rose in the finish and it was floral to me too -- but the finish wasn't very long.
What was striking to me was how smooth this wine was. Super smooth. The taste was a tad sweet for my tastes. It had a lot of honey taste. Denise kept going on about how it was like an active kitchen being use by a cooking mama with a lot of cleavage; baking and baking. Denise obsessed about how this was a bread wine. Anyway ... the best way I can describe it is that it's like a good Syrah (flavors) meeting a good Beaujolais (sweeter and thinner).
Overall, we thought it was a good wine for the money. However, I wouldn't (and didn't) give it a 90. That seems a bit gushing and effusive to us. Still a very good deal.
Cost:
Rating:
7.5