Dark garnet colour to a violet/rose rim. Aromas of bing cherry, violets, alcohol, and bramble. Medium-bodied, dry, with blackberries, and cherries. Softens with a bit of air, showing more pronounced cherries and red fruit. Slightly drying on the ~ 30s finish with red fruits and hints of pepper. 86 points (06/18/2004).

Good call. Montirius does not get much buzz but they make good to very good Vacqueyras and Gigondas that are reasonably priced. We had the 2000 Gigondas at our Southern Rhone tasting last year and it was #1 of the non-CdP wines (out of 4). I think it sold for about $18.

The Vacqueyras was the WOTF of 5 Vacqueyras' at a tasting group meeting last month. With it was the Vacqueyras Des Tours, which is generally considered the best of the region.

Steve

We had the 2001 in a restaurant in Paso Robles last week at $35 a bottle. The mark up on the local wines was crazy so we opted for this. Fruity, modern in style, and relatively simple. Medium bodied.