TN: '90 Gigondas, '03 Chilean, '05 rosado

This has always puzzled me - how is it that wine connoisseurs can leave a bottle in the cellar for so long? I tend to drink mine too young, perhaps, but it's because these bottles are constantly saying "drink me" (else I wouldn't have bought them in the first place :)

Jose

The answer is critical mass. If your cellar has enough bottles, and you continue buying every year -- some for early drinking, some to lay down for short term (5 years say) some for long term -- you will always have an age range of wines to choose from.

To my tastes the good '90 Gigondas is at just about perfect age...

-E

Cayron is one of my favorite Gigondas - along with Montmirail and La Garrigue. But I'm still not convinced of the aging character of Grenache dominated wines. Don;t know what the experts say, but I suspect that 5 to 10 years is the optimum for most cuvees. Sounds like this one you had held up pretty well.

Friday Betsy made BBQ chicken, I was opening an Edmunds St John wine when I realized it was Bastille Day. Oops, has to be French, so grabbed the 1990 Domaine des Espiers Gigondas. OK, this is really pushing it, as I opened I realized fairly good chance it was gone, but a good '90 Cayron that Arv had brought to Django last year gave me hope. This Gigondas was warm and round, with sweet red berry fruit, a little bit of herbs, and a hint of sun-baked earth. No maderization or pruniness, but not exactly complex either. I'm not sure the years have added much to the totality of this wine, but while not great it was reasonably lively. Good showing for 16 year old Gigondas. B