Domaine Barge Domaine Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune, France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

A pretty wine, but I would have hoped for a bit more from Barge (though the vintage is a mediocre one too). Pleasant reddish fruit with a lot of olive notes and decent density. Had a touch of tomato on the palate. Drank more to me like a Cornas than a Cote Rotie, but in fairness was also up against some stellar reds, whuch likely colored our assessment.

2001 Bordeaux plus Rhones, Burgs and More : Red fruit, smoke, and herbs, drinking very well now.

Tasted like olive, blackberry and dirty carpet at first. Hoped it would improve in the decanter, but it just got worse. Slightly spoiled, slightly oxidised or a little of both. A shame.

Medium/deep ruby/garnet. Decent intensity, open nose showing blackberry fruit, black pepper, notes of blood and meat but quite perfumed too. Medium bodied on the palate, blackberry fruit to the fore, notes of black pepper, blood and soil, tannins now quite fine if showing a bit at the tail end of the medium/good length finish. Perhaps lacking a touch of depth on the mid-palate but overall a good Cote-Rotie, and drinking well.

Drunk at the NCWS annual dinner. This has rather a ripe, cheesy nose; on the palate, it has medium weight and is now tasting quite mature. Perhaps a little short on the finish.

Mature, slightly dried out fruit. Syrah with all its faults. There was a flatness to this and a slightly sludgy taste. We did not find it appealing.

Youthful appearance, with medium/deep ruby core, even a touch of purple, narrow pale ruby rim. Attractively deep nose, showing decent development with meat fat, blackberry and spice. More fruity on the initial attack with good, deep, juicy blackberry fruit, some meaty complexity here too though plus lovely acidity but some firm, even slightly unripe tannins make for a slightly bitter finish and detract a little.

Excellent wine if not quite up to the standard of the superb 1998. Classic Rotie nose of cherries with a sauvage bacony quality, game and also a touch of fennel. Opening up well, still some chalky tannins and youthful cherry red fruits but a good sauvage edge and a hint of game on the finish. Given time, I think Barge's wines can be excellent.

Raspberry/cherry fruit on the nose. This is showing some maturity on the palate, with a slight gamey element, but it is still a little tight and may soften further. Reasonably intense with positive finish.

This was fresh and lively at first, with attractive raspberry and cherry fruit; over the next hour or so it developed some complex, vegetal aromas with a touch of the farmyard: not entirely to our liking.