Pierre Aiguille Gigondas Red Rhone Blend

While this doesn’t make an impression like Saint Cosme or charm quite like Gour de Chaulé, this is noteworthy for its accuracy and QPR. Let’s try not to overthink this wine. It’s quaffable and tastes like Gigondas from 2017 i.e. abundant red and dark fruit with good structure and silky texture. Continuing the trend towards higher quality, this is yet another example of Caroline Frey’s philosophy taking over at PJA.

2017 vintage. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Rustic finish.

Blind Dinner, Open Theme; 12 Nov 2018 at Prairie Whale, Great Barrington, MA

Paul Jaboulet Aine Dinner; 10 March 2018 at Chez Nous Bistro, Lee, MA

Dried flowers, roasted plums and herbs, lighter on than expected with a more elegant touch. Still all these seems like Rhône light.

Popped and poured. This bottle followed a rather stunning Teroldego so this bottle stood very much in its shadow. While the Teroldego was fresh and vibrant, this initially came across quite advanced but I think that had more to do with my palate adjusting to the contrast. Anyway, I settled into this wine after a while and found it to be pretty pleasant overall. Dark cherry and some other red and dark fruits accompanied by a touch of leather and spice. Low-ish tannin and acid but enough to keep things playful. Finish was a touch short. Based off my last several experiences with PJA wine, I think they are seeing a return to form. Drink now.

Leather, spice and stewed fruit. Lots of brown in the rim. Probably past prime, but I was still kind of into it.

Graphite, cured meat, wild red fruit, orange peel. Classic.

This time around was not as good as previous two times. Found it acidic and tannic. Over the hill?

Nice, mellowed tannins, went nice with bison medallions