2005 Collioure Puig Oriole a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The wine is produced in the town of Collioure, a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southwestern France.
Domaine La Tour Vieille was established in 1982 , when two family estates merged, one situated in Collioure and the other in Banyuls. The Collioure estate is run by Vincent Cantié which covers 12 hectares of steep, Mediterranean hills, exposing the fruit to the influences of heat, altitude and wind.
Deep violet, ruby in color. Black raspberry, kirsch with a bit of licorice and earthiness on the nose. On the palate, spiced plum and dark cherry with some pepper, dark chocolate and garrigued, herbal notes. Medium body, but meaty with great depth and structure — and a solid mineral/tannic backbone that supports and balances the fruit.
This wine has gotten a lot of great press — and it is certainly well deserved. As a result, it is now not the easiest wine to find. I bought this at the Wine Exchange (now out of stock) for about $20 a bottle. It is an extremely good bottle of wine and very good value.
You really hit the nail on the head with this one. I had 6 bottles of this and they are all gone. My wife, who loves the structure and earthiness of this wine, is after me to try to find more for just general drinking. I checked the Winex system and they are out – if you know where I could find a case of this wine, would really appreciate it. Unless, that is, they have moved the price point up too much. thx! rgds, jes
I am a retailer in the state of Oregon, we have this wine in stock. Also, just returned home from a visit to the property in Collioure, what a place. Repond if you are still looking for the 2005 Puig Oriol as a bit of this wine remains. We have other bottlings from la Tour Vieille that will become available in the coming weeks. Cheers~ Winestock Wine Shop
I am interested in buying some of this wine. Can you contact me and let me know if you have any left or know where I can find it.
Thanks
Bryan Goodman
I would be interested in some of the wines from la Tour….
Your wine bar sounds great — and lots of solid reviews!
Gentlemen,
the good people of Catalunya Nord (French Catalonia) may be rather surprised to find they’ve moved some 350 miles west to the Basque country.
But with wine this good, they’ll find a warm reception.
The top-end reds from Clos Paulilles (located between Port-Vendres and Banyuls, both close to Cotlliure on the Côte Vermeille) will also please you.
The 2006s are good drinking now but should mellow and unfold well over the next 3-6 years.
Jim
PS: I’m not a merchant, just an Ex-Pensive Wino
My apologies to the good people of French Catalonia, I have updated the post to address my error. Thanks for keeping me honest.