2018 Domaine Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray Ardèche
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Tasting notes
Saturated ruby. Powerful aromas of blackberry, cherry compote, succulent flowers, olive and exotic spices pick up a hint of smoky bacon with air. Smooth and expansive in the mouth, offering intense, spice- and mineral-accented black and blue fruit and violet pastille flavors and a spicy touch of cracked pepper. Finishes on a resonating floral note, with impressive energy, harmonious tannins and lingering florality.
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James Suckling
Josh Raynolds
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The 2018 VdP de l'Ardeche Les Iles Feray Syrah comes mostly from the base of the slopes that form Saint-Joseph, but it also includes some young vines from within that appellation's boundaries. Yields are a bit higher, and a portion was destemmed. It's still remarkable, featuring mixed berries and olives in a medium to full-bodied swirl of mind-bending complexity that just misses the extra intensity, structure and length of the Saint Josephs at this address.
This wine is always a barometer of the vintage with less mineral and terroir character and more weather-influenced. This has a very attractive, dark-berry, chocolate and spice nose with such rich and detailed fruit, smoked meat and graphite. The palate has a supple, vinous feel with dark cherries and lacy, attractively loose-knit tannins. Drink on release.
Brilliant violet color. Vibrant cherry and blackcurrant scents show excellent clarity and pick up a smoky mineral nuance and a hint of potpourri with air. Juicy and tightly focused, showing very good depth and intense black/blue fruit and violet pastille flavors that become more lively on the back half. Shows solid finishing cut, an echo of sweet dark berries and fine-grained tannins that add gentle grip.