2003 Saint-Cosme COTES DU RHONE (France)

This schizophrenic wine was both over-the-hill and youthful at the same time. Clearly displaying the weirdness of the historically hot 2003 vintage.

Deep ruby garnet with some browning. Interesting nose of brown sugar, pepperoni, and lemon peel, with peachy-plummy fruit buried down under those initial notes. Tangy in the mouth, with bizarre flavors of earth, raw meat, and, in the mid- and end-palate, nutty (pecan) and rancid butter notes. Very high acidity. Not unpleasant, but quite bizarre. 78. I bought this at Spec's over a year ago and it's been in the wine closet since. Was around $10 if I remember correctly.