2007 Domaine Gauby, Cotes du Roussillon, Vieilles Vignes

OK, I promise this is my last posting on the Languedoc/Rhone Valley wines from the 2007 vintage, but this is such a superior vintage and the tanked economy makes these wines even better values.

This wine is a blend of syrah, grenache and carignan, with a bit of mourvedre thrown in. The intense fruit and spice aromas that leap from the glass tells you this is something special. Full-bodied with high extract, ripe tannins, mouth-filling flavors and a long finish, there is a lot going on here. You could drink this wine now with roasted T-Rex, but this one will definitely improve in the bottle for another five to ten years, maybe more.

I bought several bottles of this wine from the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA (1-800-76-WINEX). The price tag of $40 each may seem steep for a wine from the Roussillon appellation, but it really is a treat. Parker gave it 93-94 and I think it easily merits that.

If they are out of stock, see if they have any of the following exemplary 2007 Languedocs:
Leon Barral Faugeres; Chateau de la Negly (La Falaise) Coteaux du Languedoc; and Domaine de Fondreche (Persia) Cotes du Ventoux. They are not as knock-your-hat-in-the-creek as the Domaine Gauby, but they are about half the price.