A beauty, the 2005 Vacqueyras possesses outstanding ripeness, plenty of tannin, good body, a dense ruby/purple color, and a mouth staining, chunky feel. P.S. A wine that is not to be missed is Laurence’s partner’s Costieres di Nimes. Mark Fincham produces a beautiful blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Grenache called Red Note. The 2006 may be the finest yet made. It is an exuberant, flamboyant, richly fruity wine with loads of Provencal character. 2006 looks to be a very strong vintage for this region, even superior to 2005. The 2005 Red Note is more restrained, tannic, and closed, but quite good. One further note, I do not know what Laurence Feraud’s intention is, but she insisted that I taste two wines from Crete that she may or may not represent in France. One was the 2006 Nostos, a 100% Syrah, and the other was a Syrah/Grenache blend, the 2005 Nostos Cuvee Alexandra. Both were outrageously good wines that merit plenty of attention from adventurous wine consumers. I would buy them in a nanosecond if they were available in America!Importers: Dan Kravitz, Hand Picked Selections, Warrenton, VA; tel. (540) 347-9400; Martine’s Wine, Novato, CA; tel. (415) 883-0400; and J and R Selections, Mt. Pleasant, MI; tel. (734) 662-3753The effervescent/dynamic Laurence Feraud continues to expand her family’s business, branching out into two negociant lines, one called Selection Laurence Feraud and the other Feraud-Brunel. The latter wines are made in conjunction with her friend (and proprietor of Les Cailloux), Andre Brunel. This is generally a very strong line-up of wines, with, ironically, the Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees perhaps weaker than the Cotes du Rhones, which is somewhat unusual. I think it is because there is much better fruit available in the Cotes du Rhone-Villages than in Chateauneuf du Pape, where the estates are holding back more and more of their best material for their own bottlings.
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