Côtes du Rhône - Espirit Barville 2017 - Brotte

Espirit Barville

• 2017 - A.O.C. Côtes du Rhône

• Brotte

• Rating: 3.5/5

This wine is an interesting pick from Aldi, fruity but with young and intense tannins, and with a good ageing capacity (2 to 7 years). A characteristic Wine from the Côtes du Rhône region, specifically from Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. However, the Wine has the Appellation D’Origine Contrôlée from Côtes du Rhône and not Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, maybe because the grapes weren’t from the designated plots of the latter (article about wine regions incoming!).

Nose before swirling

The main aromas you can smell before swirling are an intense sour cherry aroma with currant and green paprika dashes. It’s also hot to the nose, which is to be expected with its high alcoholic content (14,5%).

Nose after swirling

After swirling the Wine, more refined aromas of red fruits can be smelled, reminiscent of plumb and cherry, this is, in fact, a really fruity-smelling Wine.

Taste in the mouth

Its intense acidity is evident during the attack on the mouth, it has a really solid acidic structure like most wines from Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Despite its high acidity, it’s creamy to the tongue. The Wine feels dry to the mouth due to its low residual sugar. After swallowing it, it has an intense but brief aftertaste.

After Smell in the glass

On the empty glass, the nose is still hot, and slight animal notes can be felt due to it having experienced a malolactic fermentation. Another thing that can be noticed is the faint presence of volatile acids, maybe due to overexposure to oxygen.

Conclusions:

I like this Wine very much, it is a good Budget example of a Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, though it doesn’t have the specific A.O.C. It’s well done, it has a nice ageing capacity due to its high alcohol, tannins, and acid contents (if you have a cellar - or any dark, temperature-stable place - you can store it for 2 to 7 years). I wouldn’t say it’s a must-buy, but it's definitively worth considering for 4.99€ buying some bottles to fill up those cellar spaces. I know I have some already there! 

This wine is a nice 3.5/5

(1 = poor; 2 = acceptable; 3 = good; 4 = very good; 5 = outstanding)