Sélection Laurence Féraud: 2005 Séguret, Cotes-du-Rhone Village
~$14US Seguret, Rhone, France
A delicious Seguret, selected by the grand dame of the Rhone, Ms. Feraud. This young but ready-to-drink CdR gives off a rich nose of distinctly ripe raspberries, some cherries and a bit of savory herbs and spices (sage and thyme). Broad and velvetly in the mouth, showing a good balance right out of the bottle. Ripe tannins make this easy to drink, but have enough presence to keep everything together, along with some good acidity. The overall feel shows the fruit as the centerpiece, and brings in the French country funkiness as secondary and supporting flavors. The finish is slightly marred by a slight bitterness and a strange iron note, holding this effort back from the WOW range… Not complex, but delicious, a strong value, and an auspicious peek into what the ‘05 Pegau could look like…
A great food companion and a terrific weeknight pop-and-pour. This wine would be a great ‘transition wine’ for someone used to drinking ~$10 Shirazes, looking to move upto the next tier of complexity and flavor. If only these great entry-level-French wines had critters on the label… well….maybe not.