I always love this wine. Brusset really "sticks to its guns." The wine is so consistent from vintage to vintage. There is natural winemaking at Brusset and the breakdown commonly offers a 50%/25%/25% split of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. It’s usually rather big but it’s always very clean and pure. Brusset makes a Côtes du Rhône and one or two Carianne, as well as their Gigondas Tradition. Parker’s Wine Buyer’s Guide rates the domaine, Les Hautes de Montmirail by Daniel Brusset, among only four "Outstanding" producers. I’ve never seen a rated vintage score lower than 89 points from either Parker or Tanzer.
A fairly subtle nose that continues to develop. Black cherry and some sautéed cherry mix with a more playful gumdrop flavor. There is a slight citrus note while the wine opens up with late developing flavors of chocolate and menthol. There is just a trace of tarmac -- along with darker cherry elements-- that you can expect to develop in this wine over the next ten to twelve years or so. To drink now, leave open in the glass or decant for an hour.
2005 Brusset - Gigondas Les Hauts du Montmirail ($40)
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