Domaine les Yeuses Vermentino 2001, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Colour pale straw; nose, fresh, good fruit (white peaches), vinous; palate fruit, vinous, white peach (peach stone) – juicy, vinous, floral, alcohol, acid, balance – firm, structured, fruit (alcohol) finish; aftertaste ripe fruit, good acidity, alcohol, quite rich with some concentration and ripe peach flavours. A very attractive vinous wine with positive fruit character.

Domaine les Yeuses Syrah 2000, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Colour fullish purple/ruby; nose attractive spicy fruit with a touch of ink and game; palate nice juicy accessible fruit with good acidity and some tannin behind – nice juicy finish with typical Syrah dry/inky/fresh balance; aftertaste nice juicy ripe inky dry Syrah with some weight. Surprisingly serious and varietal Syrah wine at this level.

Domaine de Valensac Chardonnay 2001, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Colour paleish straw; nose delicate, nice ripe fruit, typical autumnal unoaked Chardonnay (windfall apples); palate nice fruit, autumnal, juicy – juicy, nice, fresh – ripe fruit, pleasant touch of bitterness on finish; aftertaste nice, juicy/fruity/bitter/fresh, alcohol with lots of lovely juicy fruit and balance. A nice fresh, balanced, ripe Chardonnay with lots of ripe fruit

Domaine de Valensac Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, Vin de Pays d’Oc
Colour full ruby/mid red; nose ripe berry fruit, fresh, touch of chocolate, ripe; palate ripe (berry) fruit, ripe tannins, chocolate – fruit, acid, alcohol, balanced, ripe finish; aftertaste nice, dry, chocolate, with lots of ripe fruit. Attractive dry rich (berry) fruit style.

Domaine des Romarins Côtes du Rhône 2000
Colour: deep purple; nose nice ripe fruit, peppery spicy with a touch of raspberry; palate nice ripe fruit, firm ripe tannins, good acidity – nice fruit, dry, quite rich, fairly alcoholic finish with good acidity and balance; aftertaste nice firm dry rich but above fruity style.
“Youthful, purple, with superb density of black fruits, real tannic structure and a dense savoury core” Wine Magazine, 87 points.
“A ripe, very smooth palate. Very sophisticated with good tannins” Charles Metcalfe

Domaine des Romarins Côtes du Rhône Villages 2000
Colour very deep purple; nose ripe (black cherry) fruit, a touch raisiny, fresh; palate lots of ripe fruit, ripe plum, morello, rich, tannin, good acidity – lovely fruit/dry/fresh balance with plummy Grenache fruit giving way to inky spicy Syrah complex, complete finish, with a touch sweet fruit and chocolate; aftertaste lovely rich fruity dry inky complete wine with concentration, balance and excellent.
“Ripe blackcherry fruit, savoury – yum! Savoury, ripe, complex, lovely, rich and full-bodied with some oak and firm tannins” Charles Metcalfe.
“Good depth with nice weight of fruit on the nose and rich fruit on the mid-palate with fruit berry flavours at the back” Wine Magazine.

Château d’Exindre Coteaux du Languedoc 2001, Cuvée Magdalia
Colour full ruby; nose lovely fruit, rich, plum, fresh; palate lovely ripe rich berry/plum fruit, ripe tannins, rich – lovely ripe rich berry fruit, dry, fresh concentrated finish; aftertaste lovely juicy ripe rich fruit with good length and concentration. Beautiful example of old vine, low-yield Carignan delivering concentrated but accessible wine.

Château d’Exindre Coteaux du Languedoc 2000, Cuvée Amélius
Colour deep purple/mid red; nose quite full with ripe spicy fruit, sweet vanilla oak, fresh, lovely; palate lovely ripe fruit, rich concentrated with well balanced toasty oak – lovely concentrated ripe rich Syrah spicy finish; aftertaste very attractive with nice sweet ripe fruit, sweet vanilla oak, and excellent length. A very stylish and complete wine. Gold medal, Paris.

Domaine de Saint Estève Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2000 Rouge
Colour fullish ruby to mid red; nose nice ripe fruit with a touch of black cherry, plum and raspberry; palate lovely ripe juicy (cherry) fruit attack with some tannin – dry rich sweet concentrated middle with ripe (berry, cherry) fruit – fairly tannic finish with lots of ripe dry sweet fruit; aftertaste nice ripe savoury sweet (cherry, berry) fruit with lots of ripe tannin and concentration. Nice generous concentrated wine with lots of fruit and a dry style. Needs time.