2007 Calendal (Philippe Cambie et Gilles Ferran) Côtes du Rhône – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône (1/14/2009)
Black coffee, exotic spices and dark berries with a slightly, but pleasant burned aroma on the nose. Masses of ripe dark and red fruit, espresso coffee, refreshing cherry-like acidity, exotic spices and a hint of minerals on the very expressive palate. The label states 15,5% alcohol, which I almost can’t believe because this tastes so fresh. A real mouthful of a wine! More Châteauneuf du Pape than Côtes du Rhône quality here, therefore at about 13 euros this has a (very) good quality to price ratio. Probably will be even better with some bottle rest. (92 pts.)
On the back label there is an extract of a poem by Provençal poet Fréderic Mistral called Calendal:
“Calendal n’était qu’un pêcheur;
l’amour en a fait un héros”