2007 Domaine Palon Vacqueyras

Mission: Vacqueyras

This March, we started our wine-buying mission to the Southern Rhone by tasting in Tavel, followed by three days of extensive tastings at the Palais des Papes in beautiful Avignon. Tuesday it was Chateauneuf du Pape and Cote du Rhone; Wednesday was Cote du Ventoux and more Cote du Rhone, and Thursday was Vacqueyras and Gigondas (which happened to be St Patrick's Day as well.)

Our French wine buying team had a game plan on that lucky holiday, and it wasn't to find the Irish bar in Avignon. (Though we did pass O'Neills on the way.) Instead, it was to find the best Vacqueyras under $20. We got to the tasting right at 9am, just as it began, and started our search. How tough could it be? Well, there were 99 stands in the tasting with about 60% of them pouring at least one Vacqueyras. We buckled down and did our homework. In the end, we had a list of about 20 producers that Robert Parker had reviewed anywhere from 88-94 points.

The verdict? Domaine Palon Vacqueyras at Stand 51. Deep purple color. Very typical of the 07 vintage. Rich dark fruits, earth, minerality, and amazing structure. A wine that benfits from 20-30 minutes of decanting. A truly outstanding find! Mission accomplished!

Reviews

Robert Parker 90-93 points

The 2007 Vacqueyras (a blend of 75% Grenache, 16% Mourvedre, and 9% Syrah) is excellent. Its deep ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of black currants, black cherries, licorice, smoky roasted herbs, and meat. This full-bodied, plump, succulent effort is a hedonistic Provencal wine that should provide enormous pleasure over the next 5-6 years. Domaine Palon owns 45 acres of vines in the southern Cotes du Rhone, with 12.5 in Vacqueyras.