Oratoire St Martin Reserve des Seigneurs Cairanne 2005

sorry for the long delay between posts, blog fans, but sometimes the liver can use a break. who am i kidding, it was actually due to the poor economy, as it hit the baldwinegeek household. we are currently looking for work for the comely brunette in the flavor industry, preferably in the cincinnati area, but we are willing to move. if you can send us a lead, please do so. now on with the tasting. this cotes du rhone is a blend of 60% grenache, 30% mourvedre, and 10% syrah. the nose is plum, black cherry and spice. i also detected a little something that reminded me of leather or maybe shoe polish. very big nose. the palate was full, with lots of blueberries and earthy flavors of leather and spice. the wine was a bit tannic when it was first opened, but softened considerably as it got more air. this also changed the nose, as it became more earthy. grenache is one of my favorites, and it showed well here. this wine could easily lay for a few years. sells for about $15, so well worth the price.