Domaine Brusset Rasteau La Bastide 2018
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Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
A very deep crimson color. A very complex nose of small blackberries with spice notes. Very powerful in mouth with an excellent lingering, tannins are there but they are rounded,harmoniously woody, good aromatic persistence of sloe and licorice.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From a three-hectare parcel Brusset purchased in 2012, the 2018 Rasteau La Bastide is a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre. A fifth of the blend is aged in oak but in three-year-old barrels. Leather and garrigue notes accent raspberry fruit on the nose, while the palate is medium to full-bodied, velvety and expansive. I find it a bit less complex than the Cairanne Vieilles Vignes, but it's still outstanding juice.
Range: 91-93 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Darker notes of blackberries, black raspberries, candied violets, chocolate, and earth all emerge from the 2018 Rasteau La Bastide, which is a blend of Grenache and Mourvèdre brought up in tank and older barrels. With medium to full-bodied richness, outstanding purity of fruit, and fine tannins, it’s another elegant 2018 from this terrific estate.
Range: 90-92 -
Decanter
Lifted aromatic nose of blueberry and spiced blackberry, while the palate is restrained by soft, sweet tannins.
Other Vintages
2021-
Wine
Spectator
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James
Suckling - Decanter
- Decanter
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Robert
Parker
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James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck - Decanter
Vinification is utterly modern. Yields are kept very low (between 25 and 30 hectoliters per hectare for Cairanne and Gigondas) by close pruning and a vendange verte in abundant vintages. The grapes are all hand-picked, completely destemmed, and vinified parcel by parcel, varietals separated. During harvest Laurent may have almost 100 different microvinifications in the cellar, representing different grape varietals of some 60 distinct parcels. All are fermented in enameled steel vats with temperatures controlled at 28C with a day or two at 34C for maximum extraction. Following the initial fermentation and malolactic in tank, the separate varietals and parcels are blended for each wine, with inferior tanks being sold off to negociants.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
The Southern Rhône region of Gigondas extends northwest from the notably jagged wall of mountains called the Dentelles di Montmirail, whose highest point climbs to about 2,600 feet. The region and its wines have much in common with the neighboring Chateauneuf-du-Pape except that the vineyards of Gigondas exist at higher elevation and its soils, comprised mainly of crumbled limestone from the Dentelles, often produce a more dense and robust Grenache-based red wine.
The region has a history of fine winemaking, extending back to Roman times. But by the 20th century, Gigondas was merely lumped into the less distinct zone of Côtes du Rhône Villages. However, it was first among these satellite villages to earn its own appellation, which occurred in 1971.
Gigondas reds must be between 50 to 100% Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre comprising the bulk of the remainder of the blend. They tend express rustic flavors and aromas of wild blackberry, raspberry, fig, plum, as well as juniper, dried herbs, anise, smoke and river rock. The best are bold but balanced, and finish with impressively sexy and velvety tannins.
The Gigondas appellation also produces rosé but no white wines.