If you’re looking to expand your palate past the California wines but do not want to risk spending too much money, start simple. For instance, the 2005 Chateau du Trignon Cotes du Rhône, a red wine from the Rhône region of France.
Wines in this region have been grown since the pre-Roman days, if anyone can perfect a wine it’s the folks in France. However, we’re not saying the Chateau du Trignon has the best wine in the business, but for roughly USD $10.00, it will sure give you an appreciation for the European wine experience.
This red wine has the scent of a smokey corkboard with the hint of sour cherries and muddy earth. Initially, the wine had a bit of a earthy manure scent but as the oxygen hits the surface it changes to a slightly smokey bacon nose.
This wine is dark red, so red you can’t see light through it unless held directly up to a light source. The Rhône region is creating some very mineral tasting earth toned wines, this 2005 Chateau du Trignon is no different.
This wine offers a slightly sweet taste and offers a high tanic aftertaste with a potent acidity. You’ll taste the minarals the grapes were grown in, as if you were standing right on the banks of the Rhône river. This is definitely an aquired taste with a meaty afteraste of bacon and beef jerky.
The bottle offered very little in body and finish until a few hours of decant occured. If you plan to open a bottle of 2005 Côtes du Rhône for a dinner party, you may want to open the bottle well in advance and serve it as part of a heavy meat dinner or even with a grilled burger.
If you’re a dedicated California wine drinker, you’ll want to understand what you’re getting into. Although you’ll taste the grapes, a bit of plum and dark fruits, you’ll taste the earth and the lifeblood of the vine along with it. Try it, you never know what you’re going to love.
This Côtes du Rhône arrives at a 14% ABV.
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