Domaine de l'Horizon, Esprit Rouge, Languedoc

Same score (FWIW) but different wine experience this time. Virtually no barnyard notes, red fruit and very bright acidity with a mellow undertone of salinity. Nice and pretty darn good with a homemade pizza.

Drinking very well right now as is white from the same vintage. Nose is meaty, near-rotty with bright red fruit. Very nice funk if that's your thing (it is mine!) Mouth feel of good mineral water, slick and quenching in the mouth but drying tannins on the finish. Bright and persistent minerality, generous red fruit, beautifully integrated. A superb wine. Deeply satisfying yet highly "digestible."

Outstanding wine. Easily the hit of the party. Funky barnyardy thing over fruit, spice, and a graphite texture. Excellent.

Funky, earthy, barnyardy nose that flirts with being too far towards that barnyardy thing. Palate is silky with a powerful black tea note and that gorgeous funkiness. I’m thinking of a not-sweet English Christmas pudding too...muted and dried fruits with baked spices. Solidly medium finish. In case it needs saying...this is mostly copied from my previous note. Same notes this time. This is a fantastic wine IMHO.

Drank after Alban Patrina and it was not a great comparison. Very French in style, but fruit was less pronounced and wood was more forward. A good wine for the right price.

Drinking beautifully with some legs still on it. Notes from 5 days (!) in vac 'n fridge. A fascinating wine if you are looking for terroir over fruit. I can't imagine that the next tier bottling from this domaine is not super... Nose: creme de mure, very grenache cherry, white flower and green herbs Bouche: Fresh under-ripe red cherry, way deep minerality--tasting graphite and iron, saline. Med weight. Finish: meat, deep saline note, med length, though the mineral note is …

So, I assume that “dis da bomb” wouldn’t be specific enough! Funky, earthy, barnyardy nose that flirts with being too far towards that barnyardy thing. Palate is silky with a powerful black tea note and that gorgeous funkiness. I’m thinking of a not-sweet English Christmas pudding too...muted and dried fruits with baked spices. Solidly medium finish.

Opens with a slightly offputting nose of barnyard and wet earth. Palate takes a while to deveop into some sweet fruit and strong herbal notes. Seems disjointed and out of focus. will wait for tastng another bottle a whle longer. Note: Second day the wine has less barnyard notes, more minerality, fruit still reticent with continued bracing acidity. Good with rich food.

Very aromatic nose of red fruits and earth. Burgundian mouthfeel with clean fruits, sharp acidity bringing a lot if freshness

Very muted when opened from the cellar. Poured into a carafe to let it warm up quicker. It developed after an hour the typical smoky and fruity notes that I like in this wine

Paired well with a chorizo pizza

Rutz * (Rutz, Berlin, Germany) : 9th course: Holzkohle gegarter Kohlrabi Rehrücken & Saitling, Wacholderduft.