Ch. de Rouanne Vinsobres 2019

I admit I’m a bit Rhône-centric and have been on a bit of a run for the last few days. This is a recent acquisition by Louis Barruol of Saint Cosme and is a Vinsobres made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. A not-so-recent acquisition for me, I bought them from Majestic for £13 a couple of years ago. This was the third bottle to be drunk out of six, and my notes on the first two said ‘a little tough – wait six months.’ This time it seemed a lot less so, and had taken on a deal of the Saint Cosme house style. It was quite reminiscent of their Gigondas, at half the price. Very nice indeed – result, I thought.

The next day however, the second half of the bottle seemed to have retreated again and become harsher and less interesting. Was that the result of air, or the fact I was in a foul temper after trying to deal with Vodafone and receiving the usual obfuscatory responses? The latter, I suspect. I’ve always felt this wine tasting mallarkey has far more to do with psychology and transient feelings than anyone is prepared to admit, lest the whole edifice comes tumbling down.