This bottle (the last) was in good condition with a high fill. Marked
"Les Baux" AOC Coteaux d'Aix en
Provence. 12% alcohol, surely a rarity now. The label says Imported by
Ideal Wine Medford Ma
(printed on the label, don't know if they were the only importer then)
and as I recall it was quite
expensive, perhaps $15 US in '89. IIRC I bought this from Marty's
Liquor in Newton (was living
in Watertown at the time).

An excellent cork, good dark color but getting a little brickish. The
nose is huge, with black
fruits, garrigue, spice. In mouth a great balance, fully mature with
plums and black cherry, tar
and tons of liquorish, saddle leather. Strangely Bordeaux-like. Very
good length. If any fault
could be found, perhaps a little too low acid for my tastes.

As the meal, simple rare roast beef with mashed potatoes and fresh
picked string beans, went
on, the wine fell apart a little: shortened up, started showing a little
bell pepper on the front etc.
Still pleasurable but clearly showing age.

We didn't decant or let breath. A delicious bottle, but if you're lucky
enough to have some,
drink up.

In article >,
Emery Davis > wrote:

> This bottle (the last) was in good condition with a high fill. Marked
> "Les Baux" AOC Coteaux d'Aix en
> Provence. 12% alcohol, surely a rarity now. The label says Imported by
> Ideal Wine Medford Ma
> (printed on the label, don't know if they were the only importer then)
> and as I recall it was quite
> expensive, perhaps $15 US in '89. IIRC I bought this from Marty's
> Liquor in Newton (was living
> in Watertown at the time).
>
> An excellent cork, good dark color but getting a little brickish. The
> nose is huge, with black
> fruits, garrigue, spice. In mouth a great balance, fully mature with
> plums and black cherry, tar
> and tons of liquorish, saddle leather. Strangely Bordeaux-like. Very
> good length. If any fault
> could be found, perhaps a little too low acid for my tastes.
>
> As the meal, simple rare roast beef with mashed potatoes and fresh
> picked string beans, went
> on, the wine fell apart a little: shortened up, started showing a little
> bell pepper on the front etc.
> Still pleasurable but clearly showing age.
>
> We didn't decant or let breath. A delicious bottle, but if you're lucky
> enough to have some,
> drink up.

Thanks for the notes. Just one question, what does garrigue smell like?
Isn't it a bush?

Lawrence Leichtman wrote:

>
> Thanks for the notes. Just one question, what does garrigue smell like?
> Isn't it a bush?

Garrigue is a term for the herbs that grow wild in coastal Provence.
Lavendar, sage, wild thyme and rosemary are the principal components.
If you walk along the Mediterranean coast of France, you'll encounter
these plants growing in the arid limestone soils and on hot summer days
their scent is quite evident.

Mark Lipton


--
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Mike Tommasi wrote:
> Mark Lipton wrote:
>> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for the notes. Just one question, what does garrigue smell
>>> like? Isn't it a bush?
>>
>> Garrigue is a term for the herbs that grow wild in coastal Provence.
>> Lavendar, sage, wild thyme and rosemary are the principal components.
>> If you walk along the Mediterranean coast of France, you'll encounter
>> these plants growing in the arid limestone soils and on hot summer days
>> their scent is quite evident.
>
> You are quite right. The limestone soil is the key differentiating
> factor between "garrigue" (Languedoc, Provence) and the slightly
> different flora found in the "maquis" (Corsica) with its characteristic
> acid silica soils.
>
>

It really is a very evocative scent. You can practically feel the sun
on your
neck...

For the record, and as Mike no doubt knows, "maquis" refers to any backwoods
that is wild. Further, les maquis (or maquisards) is used to refer to a
guerrilla group
(e.g. the farc) living in the backwoods. (I've never heard maquis as a
scent descriptive,
but there's lots I haven't heard...)

Here there is some justified pride in WWII resistance, notably by the
renowned
Maquis de Tanville (next village over) or the Maquis du Bois de
l'Eveque, the very
forest that surrounds our house.

Some interesting information about these maquis can be found at
http://beaucoudray.free.fr/gestapo.htm, in French but easily translatable by
google etc.

I often think of the Maire of Tanville, shot for his silence and
loyalty, when
some ignorant idiot starts on about surrender monkeys.

-E

On Jul 6, 6:20�pm, Emery Davis > wrote:
> This bottle (the last) was in good condition with a high fill. �Marked
> "Les Baux" AOC Coteaux d'Aix en
> Provence. �12% alcohol, surely a rarity now. �The label says Imported by
> Ideal Wine Medford Ma
> (printed on the label, don't know if they were the only importer then)
> and as I recall it was quite
> expensive, perhaps $15 US in '89. �IIRC I bought this from Marty's
> Liquor in Newton (was living
> in Watertown at the time).
>
> An excellent cork, good dark color but getting a little brickish. �The
> nose is huge, with black
> fruits, garrigue, spice. �In mouth a great balance, fully mature with
> plums and black cherry, tar
> and tons of liquorish, saddle leather. �Strangely Bordeaux-like. �Very
> good length. �If any fault
> could be found, perhaps a little too low acid for my tastes.
>
> As the meal, simple rare roast beef with mashed potatoes and fresh
> picked string beans, went
> on, the wine fell apart a little: shortened up, started showing a little
> bell pepper on the front etc.
> Still pleasurable but clearly showing age.
>
> We didn't decant or let breath. �A delicious bottle, but if you're lucky
> enough to have some,
> drink up.

Emery,
Is this the Cab/Syrah blend? I haven't had a wine that old from
Aix but I remember drinking a few bottles of Cabernet from AOC Var
made by Americans no less that were quite good.

"Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
...
> Lawrence Leichtman wrote:
>
>>
>> Thanks for the notes. Just one question, what does garrigue smell like?
>> Isn't it a bush?
>
> Garrigue is a term for the herbs that grow wild in coastal Provence.
> Lavendar, sage, wild thyme and rosemary are the principal components.
> If you walk along the Mediterranean coast of France, you'll encounter
> these plants growing in the arid limestone soils and on hot summer days
> their scent is quite evident.
>
More or less a bouquet garni.
Graham

Mike Tommasi wrote:
> Bi!! wrote:
>
>> Emery,
>> Is this the Cab/Syrah blend? I haven't had a wine that old from
>> Aix but I remember drinking a few bottles of Cabernet from AOC Var
>> made by Americans no less that were quite good.
>
> It is a wine with a large Cab component, which disqualifies it from the
> appellation Les Baux (not Aix...) despite Trevallon having more or less
> created the reputation of Les Baux...
>

It is cabernet/syrah. As Mike says certainly a large cabernet part, I'm
guessing at least 1/2, but I don't know the actual blend.

Another provencale wine rumored to live forever is Richaume. (I think
Parker said it would go 30 years). I had an '85 in 2001, it was well
past peak, more so than the Trevallon.

So they make wine in the Var?

-E

Mike Tommasi wrote:
> Emery Davis wrote:
>
>> Another provencale wine rumored to live forever is Richaume. (I think
>> Parker said it would go 30 years). I had an '85 in 2001, it was well
>> past peak, more so than the Trevallon.
>>
>> So they make wine in the Var?
>
> Trevallon and Richaume are not in the Var, they are in the Bouches du
> Rhône. You get much longer lasting wines in the Var: Bandol.

But not the part of the Bouches du Rhône that was renamed Costières de
Nîmes?

Mark Lipton

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