The Wines of Domaine des Escaravailles – Part 3, Héritage 1924
This 100% old vine Grenache cuvee comes from a steep, south easterly facing vineyard in Rasteau that was planted in (or prior to) 1924. The plot features steep, rocky slopes and is at an altitude of 200 meters. As is common with this producer, everything is 100% destemmed and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The style of these wines is ripe, clean fruit paired with serious texture and balance and they offer a polished, elegant drinking experience. Both the 2006 and 2007 share the same silky, textural impact in the mouth but where the 2007 is perfumed and complex with mainly red fruits, the 2006 is slightly more closed and reticent with darker, earthier notes. These were consumed over a period of three days and they held up beautifully and are highly recommended!

2007 Domaine des Escaravailles Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Heritage 1924
Ripe, heady and beautifully perfumed, the 2007 Domaine des Escaravailles Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Heritage 1924 offers up pure and clean aromas of kirsch liqueur, raspberries and licorice intermixed with sweet spice and subtle garrigue notes. There’s nothing rustic or unrefined about this and the palate is pure silk with a suave, seamless texture, full body and perfect balance that carries into a long finish. This is a ripe, elegant and beautifully built wine.  The balance and fruit should have this drinking well over the next decade or more. (93+ pts.)

2006 Domaine des Escaravailles Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Heritage 1924
The fantastic 2006 Domaine des Escaravailles Côtes du Rhône Villages Rasteau Heritage 1924 is slightly more restrained than the ‘07, possessing deep, rich aromatics of licorice infused black cherry, hot stones, flowers, graphite and subtle meaty notes along with notable purity, finesse and subtlety. The palate is full bodied and possesses a drop dead gorgeous, silky, seamless texture that offers up a level of refinement that’s hard to come by from the south of France. Beautifully balanced and polished, this picks up fine grained tannins on the long, persistent finish and should drink well for some time. (92 pts.)

Part 1 and 2 can be found here:
The Wines of Domaine des Escaravailles – Part 1, Rasteau
The Wines of Domaine des Escaravailles – Part 2, Les Hautes Granges
The Wines of Domaine des Escaravailles – Part 4

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