Domaine La Soumade, Rasteau, Cuvee Prestige 2005

Domaine La Soumade produced tannic, backward wines in 2005, which can be seen in the 2005 Cotes du Rhone-Villages Rasteau Cuvee Prestige. It reveals a dark purple color, huge tannin, a muscular, masculine style, and black fruits galore, but one has to fight through the tannins and higher than normal acidity to access the fruit. This is among the most tannic wines Romero has produced, but the top cuvees possess enough concentration to balance out the structural components. Give it 3-4 years of cellaring, keep your fingers crossed, and drink it over the following 15 years. Andre Romero continues to turn out an impressive portfolio of wines. Several of his vin de pays fly under most consumer’s radar as one does not generally associate Bordeaux varietals with the southern Rhone. 2006 was a very good vintage for Romero, a notoriously late harvester. Importer: Eric Solomon, European Cellars, Charlotte, NC; tel. (704) 358-1565.

• Drinking Window: 2011 - 2023
• Reviewer Name: Robert Parker
• Review Date: February 2008