Coastal South African cities

Leydier “Domaine de Durban” Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages Beaumes de Venise (Rhône) – Corked. (10/11)

Durban engine

Leydier “Domaine de Durban” 2005 Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise (Rhône) – I keep waiting for someone to show me a better example of this wine, and year after year I come back to Leyder/Durban as the pinnacle. (I’m open to counter-suggestions, though.) The key, since my very first taste, remains a vibrant foundation of quartz-like minerality. Lots of wineries can do the perfumed sweetness, the orange blossom, the fun. The rocks are something special. And I can only guess that it’s terroir or some sort of particular cellar technique, because I find the same incredibly appealing quality in the winery’s Beaumes-de-Venise red. (9/10)

Fetch

Leydier “Cuvée Sélectionnée par Kermit Lynch” 2007 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (Rhône) – Corked. (12/09)

Leydier lay

Leydier “Cuvée Sélectionnée par Kermit Lynch” 2007 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (Rhône) – Purplish, sticky, and even a little goopy. This is seriously thick compared to the 2006 version, which I loved. I’m not at all sure about this vintage. (12/09)

Leydier lay

Leydier “Cuvée Sélectionnée par Kermit Lynch” 2006 Vin de Pays de Vaucluse (Rhône) – Black crystal infused with black pepper and churning purplish-black fruit. Yet there’s herbal complexity, as well. An absolutely delicious wine for the price. (7/09)