French red wine values tasted in 2005

The selected French bottlings have given me much pleasure for the price. I have purchased them again for personal consumption. Featured values include Navarre and nine Languedocs.
 

The below wines were tasted in France, in 2005 (between April and December).The tasting notes are listed by increasing prices, with the following format:

Appellation - producer - plot or brand - variety
Vintage - approximate price - general impression - on nose - on palate - after swallowing
 

 Vin-de-pays-d'oc - les Chais Beaucairois - [image de soleil sur l'étiquette] - Cabernet sauvignon
2004 - 1.5 € - basic CS, no trace of oak barrel - green pepper dominates the scent - green pepper, blackcurrant, balanced acidity - notice that the wine tastes the same on Day 2
Ed, filiale de Carrefour
 

 Coteaux-du-languedoc-saint-saturnin - Cave des vignerons de Saint-Saturnin - Lucian
2001 - 3.5 € - a scent of blackberry - onctuous, slightly sweet, blackberry, seems plump on account of weak acidity, the taste is very short
Auchan
 

 Vin-de-table-de-france - Jean-Marie Rimbert - Cousin Oscar on se l'arrache
[2004] - 4.4 € - a scent of strawberry - in the palate the wine shows red fruit, fat, an eager body which reminds of Corbières next door, balanced acidity, alcohol is very well integrated, much better supported than by Domaine du Vieux Colombier 2001 - notice that the wine stays cheerful if kept in the fridge for a few days, you will only lose little cohesiveness

Where to purchase Rimbert wines
 

 Vin-de-pays-des-Coteaux-de-l'Ardèche - Vignerons Ardéchois - Syrah
2004 - 5 € - red fruit on the nose and on the palate, easy-going
 

 Vin-de-table - Domaine Coste Longue - Pierrette et Claude Navarre - Cuvée Mimosa
[2004] - 5 € - red fruit, a smoky note, the flavour is typical of low-temperature fermentation - a vivid texture, red fruit, a smoked note, the flavour is typical of low-temperature fermentation, balanced acidity
rte Olargues 34460 Roquebrun, tél : +33 (0)4 67 89 52 31
 

 Minervois - Château Sainte Eulalie - Tradition
2001 - 5.2 € - clear and clean - scents of black fruit, a burnt hint - silky, black fruit, less fresh than Le Lazouzil 2002 - notice that the wine loses some verve between Day 1 and Day 2
Château Sainte Eulalie
 

 Vin-de-table-de-France - Domaine Navarre - Vin d'Oeillades (schistes bruns) - (oeillade, une variété de cinsault aux grains plus allongés)
[2004] - 5.5 € - fruit taste - aromas of red fruit, with a minerally hint - savoury, blackcurrant, a note of moss, no overripeness, firm, quiet tannins

Where to purchase Domaine Navarre wines
 

 Côtes-du-rhône - Domaine du Vieux Colombier
2001 - 5.8 € - no fuss, the ideal Côtes-du-rhône - fruit - (juicy but not smashing) fruit, solid, broad, balanced acidity, alcohol dominates fruit
Barrière, ham Colombiers, 485 chemin du Pigeonnier, 30200 Sabran, tél : +33 (0) 4 66 89 98 94
 

 Saint-chinian - Jean-Marie Rimbert - Les Travers de Marceau - (cinsault, syrah, mourvèdre, carignan)
2004 - 7 € - it's all about fruit flavour, this wine is clearly more intense than Cousin Oscar - the nose is intense with a red fruit specific to a low-temperature fermentation (it makes me think of blackberry sorbet), garrigue - concentrated, red fruit, garrigue, silky from entry to exit, less fat than Cousin Oscar, balanced acidity, no bitterness - long, with nougat and blackcurrant

Where to purchase Rimbert wines
 

 Saint-chinian - Domaine Navarre - Le Laouzil
2002 - 8 € - harmonious, with a stone note - the nose shows red fruit typical of the Languedoc (blackberry) - red fruit, balanced acidity, does not burden the mouth in any way (unlike the Sainte Eulalie 2001), no tanins left

Where to purchase Domaine Navarre wines
 

 Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes - La Préceptorie - La Chapelle de Centernach
2002 - 8 € - a nose of oak and blackberry - onctuous, silky, with a sensation of very little grains on the tongue, fresh, concentrated but less so than other bottlings by the same estate
 

 Vin-de-pays-de-l'Ardèche - Le Mazel - Briand - (grenache)
2001 - 8.5 € - intensity of flavour, red fruit (blackcurrent, blackberry), roastbeef - intensity of flavour, red fruit (blackberry), onctuous from entry to exit, no smoked note, balanced acidity.
Note: some bottles may show a fizzy whisper or an acrid (acetic) hint -- serious airing (with a decanter or by waiting 24 hours) should dissolve these drawbacks.

Where to purchase Le Mazel wines
 

 Fleurie - Alain Coudert - Clos de la Roilette
2002 - 10 € - blackcurrant - raspberry, a cardboard undertone (which comes with the freshness), structured but not particularly dense, dries the tongue, bright: intense and fresh
 
 

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