Wines
17 Items Found
- Dom La Bastide Viognier 2011 Product #26618 (In Stock)
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Here's an unexpected Viognier value from a small Cotes du Rhone grower located near Corbieres. All the aromatics and flavor you'd expect from fine Viognier - honeysuckle, fresh flowers, peaches, apricots and tropical fruits - in a clean, dry, package. A note of fresh cream and spice shows up in the middle and juicy acidity keeps things fresh on the pretty finish. There's good minerality here with the fine ripeness, but - at 12.5% ABV - no heaviness at all.
- Dom Philippe Plantevin Cotes Du Rhone Rouge 2010 Product #27135 (In Stock)
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We’ve said it before, and it still applies here: If you don’t love this robust, poised, and oh-so-flavorful red, then perhaps Cotes du Rhone just isn’t for you. Philippe makes a few different tanks of this blend of Grenache, Carignon, Syrah, Counoise and Cinsault, and then importer Olivier Daubresse chooses the very best for us.
This year’s release shows off all the character and quality of the outstanding 2010 Rhone vintage. The aromas and flavors show off pure, zesty, notes of cassis, blackberry, and blueberry with hints of lavender, rosemary and violet. Very focused and compact in the midpalate, the flavors expand with more blue/black fruit, fresh herb, and cracked black pepper in the back, lingering over fine mineral and sweet tannin on the finish. This will age beautifully for 5+ years, but I don’t know you’d resist drinking it tonight. - Dom Philippe Plantevin Cotes Du Rhone Rose 2012 Product #27136 (In Stock)
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Just in time for warmer weather, here’s the first release of Philippe’s pink wine we’ve ever managed to get our hands on. Unusually for a rosé from this part of the Rhone valley, it’s 90% Mourvedre (made famous by Domaine Tempier and other Bandol estates) and just 10% Grenache. Lovely dark pink in color, the generous aromas feature bright cherry, passion fruit, and wild herb scents. Bright and zesty in the mouth, the flavors include wild strawberry, more passion fruit, ripe citrus, fresh herb and just a touch of earthy Mourvedre character. Pure and clean throughout, it finishes with mouthwatering flavors of watermelon, berry, and a dash of pink grapefruit and mineral. A great solo sipper and even better with fresh salads, smoked salmon, or anything with plenty of savory herb and garlic.
- Dom Berthet-Rayne Cotes Du Rhone 2011 Product #26037 (In Stock)
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Here's an absolutely delicious Cotes du Rhone from the tricky 2011 vintage. Classic aromas of red fruit, spice and garrigue (the resinous herbs growing in the Rhone) lead to a wide open, juicy, palate of ripe red raspberry and cherry fruit plus more spice. About half Grenache (for fruit) with the rest Syrah and Carignan (for structure). Just the right touch of tannin and mineral at the end makes this a great burger bottle!
- Ch Campagne Bacchus Matinas Ventoux 2010 Product #26797 (In Stock)
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From a very old wine estate in Ventoux that's being revitalized by a new generation. After converting to organic farming, this is their first commercial vintage - and what a winner! Very perfumed and pure aromas lead to flavors of ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit and a dash of earth that are nicely intense but also graceful - almost Pinot-like. Stays fresh and easy on the bright finish where a note of black pepper emerges. Rhone wine you can see (and taste) all the way through - who knew?
- Dom Philippe Plantevin Cotes Du Rhone Blanc 2010 Product #25236 (In Stock)
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Another fine vintage for the Southern Rhone and Philippe Plantevin. His 2010 CdR Blanc is a cool fermented blend of 40% Viognier, 30% Grenache Blanc, and 30% Marsanne delivers a wonderful interplay between richness and brightness. Give a swirl and watch it explode with aromas of peaches, Clementine, and honeysuckle. Then, take a sip and feel it fill your mouth with those flavors plus tangy apricot and refreshing crushed mint. A tad zingier than the rich 2009, but still wonderfully ripe and rich. If you’ve enjoyed Philippe’s 2006 Blanc, you know that this will age beautifully, gaining more herbal and dried honey notes even as the fruit keeps shining through.
- Guigal Cotes-du-rhone 2009 Product #26231 (In Stock)
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A solid value for those who like their Cotes du Rhone full-bodied and full-throttle! While most Cotes du Rhone are predominantly Grenache, famed Northern Rhone producer Guigal uses 50% Syrah in their entry-level red. Remarkable quality and aging ability at this price, and begging for a big, juicy piece of grilled lamb.
"There are 3.5 million bottles of the 2009 Cotes du Rhone red, which represents an amazing value. A blend of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre, it comes primarily from the Plan de Dieu (Plain of God), which is situated northeast of Chateauneuf du Pape. This tank-aged, deep ruby/purple-colored, concentrated, fleshy, medium to full-bodied, supple offering reveals plenty of pepper, kirsch and black currant fruit intermixed with a notion of flowers. It is meant to be consumed during its first 2-3 years of life although I have tasted 10-year-old bottles that are still holding together." Wine Advocate 89 points
- Martinelle Ventoux 2010 Product #26621 (In Stock)
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Need a house wine? Look no further. A perfect blend of Rhone grapes grown just a stone's throw from Gigondas, this flavorful powerhouse delivers spice, fresh fruit and a whiplash of vinous energy. Aromas of licorice, garrige and fresh red berries; a mouthful of juicy, black-fruited power and baking spices. Very good. A blend of Grenache and Syrah with touches of Mourvedre and Cincault.
- Ch de Segries Lirac Cuvee Reservee 2010 Product #26967 (In Stock)
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A classic Cotes du Rhone from the village of Lirac, this is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah and the balance Cinsault, Mourvedre and Carignan, all from 40+ year-old vines. In the outstanding 2010 vintage, this is even more gusty and robust than usual, with aromas of wild blueberry and dusky earth and rich flavors of black cherry, raspberry, lavender, spice, and black pepper. Long and firm on the finish, this will be great with grilled/roasted meats or earthy cheeses.
- Dom Roger Perrin Cotes Du Rhone 2011 Product #26972 (In Stock)
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Roger Perrin is one of our favorite Chateaneauf-du-Pape producers, always turning out distinctive wines marked with a little more black fruit and Syrah character than is found at most of his neighbors. His 2011 Cotes-du-Rhone is a beauty - ripe, but crisp and refreshing as well. A blend of 60% Grenache with additions of Syrah and Cinsault, this ripe beauty delivers a big mouthful of meaty red fruit in the middle and then a whip of wet slate minerality and fresh herb on the finish. Great with any lean meat!
- Dom Philippe Plantevin Cotes du Rhone Villages La Daurelle 2007 Product #24539 (In Stock)
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The only wine Philippe makes that ages in barrels, this gets more than a year in small wood (but only a few new ones) – necessary because of the high Syrah content. Here Grenache (50%), Syrah (30%), Carignan (10%) and Mourvedre (10%) do a beautiful job of expressing Philippe’s rocky vineyards and the vintage’s warmth and ripeness. The aromas show great freshness for 2007, with the raspberry/blackberry fruit taking on a juicy edge and the Mourvedre adding just the right earthy touch. In the mouth this is surprisingly light on its feet for a 2007, with big, concentrated berry fruit and earthy flavors getting great lift from the bright acidity. Everything wraps up with a long, juicy, lightly tannic finish just perferct for grilled or roasted meats or most anything featuring black olives!
- Dom Philippe Plantevin Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne 2006 Product #26857 (In Stock)
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Philippe Plantevin grows this wine in the stony, wind-swept, vineyards on the barren flats outside the village of Cairanne, due west of Rasteau and north of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. It’s a blend of concentrated, intense, Grenache (75%) and muscular, meaty, Syrah (25%) harvested together in late September. After sorting, the grapes are 100% de-stemmed and then given a long, slow, fermentation in concrete vats and stainless steel tank.
Philippe considers the Cairanne to be his top wine, and it’s usually the most muscular, powerful, wine in the cellar. Here, the combination of a softer vintage (2006) and a half-dozen years of aging in perfect conditions delivers a big wine, but one that’s wonderfully supple and ready to enjoy. Opens with generous aromas of dark black raspberries and cherries, fresh turned earth, warm stones and a touch of spice. In the mouth, it bursts with black and red berry fruit, cracked black pepper, licorice root, mineral, and savory spice flavors. Ripe and extracted enough to fill up your mouth, the bright acidity and still firm, but perfectly balanced, tannins provide structure and freshness. Fruit, mineral, and black pepper flavors linger nicely, and make this a fantastic match with grilled lamb, roast pork, or any robust dish. In the drinking window now and ready to enjoy over the next half-decade or more. - Les Vins De Vienne Cotes-du-Rhone "Les Cranilles" 2010 Product #27075 (In Stock)
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Northern Rhone masters Villard, Gaillard, and Cuilleron are working together to re-establish the reputation of far northern Cotes du Rhone region of Vienne - and this bottle helps! Grenache, Syrah and a little Mourverdre aged in tank and barrel create a juicy, fresh, red with lush blackberry and cherry fruit, spice, and cracked black pepper. Bright, cool-climate, acidity and a dusting of fine tannin make this Pinot-weight CdR refreshing and very useful at table.
- Dom Philippe Plantevin CdR Visan 2009 Product #27137 (In Stock)
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From the slightly cooler, more limestone-laced, northern part of the Cotes du Rhone region, Philippe’s 2009 Visan marries fantastic ripeness with a cool, juicy, texture and oodles of inky black fruit. About half Grenache with doses of Syrah and Mourvedre, the 2009 Vissan is all about “inky.” The color is opaque, inky, blue/black with violet highlights. More inky notes show in the aromas under blackberry, black raspberry, and black plum fruit scents and whiff of garrigue and earth. Palate-staining plum, raspberry, bitter chocolate, and black cherry flavors take center stage in the mouth with hints of more herb and lavender hiding underneath. Juicy and full of fruit to be sure, but with bright, juicy, acids and a silky texture before fine grained tannins come up to frame things nicely. Outstanding Vissan.
- Dom La Bouissiere Vacqueyras 2010 Product #26540 (In Stock)
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A powerhouse, but in perfect balance. Drinking well already.
“Opaque purple. Spicy dark berry and cherry aromas are complicated by candied licorice, tobacco and musky herbs. Fleshy but nicely focused cherry and blackberry flavors provide impressive palate coverage, picking up notes of vanilla and cola with air. Finishes with very good cling and power, the licorice note repeating.”International Wine Cellar 90 points
“From this tiny 7.2-acre estate, the 2010 Vacqueyras (60% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre aged in neutral wood and tank) is a sexy, opaque purple-colored offering with low acidity, lots of succulent red and black fruits intermixed with notes of licorice, incense and underbrush. Its opulence, fleshiness and naked expression of exuberant fruit gives it a flamboyant, consumer-friendly personality. It’s a big wine, but the fruit is so delicious and ripe, it is impossible to resist. Drink it over the next 5-6 years.”Wine Advocate 90 points
- Dom Berthet-Rayne Cairanne Castel Mireio Rouge 2009 Product #26036 (In Stock)
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Here's a big boy of a 2009 Rhone, already delicious but built to develop for a decade or more. It's a blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre all from the village of Cairanne that gets a 60 day cuvaison and then aged in used oak barrels. Powerful, spicy, red raspberry and black cherry fruit with swirling notes of smoked meat and warm stones over firm, dusty, tannins. An old-school wine with just enough polish and sophistication to make it attractive for modern palates. A winner.
- Ch Husson Chateauneuf Du Pape Les Saumades 2009 Product #25033 (In Stock)
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A hand-crafted, small-production Chateauneuf-du-Pape selected by Olivier Daubresse from an up-and-coming estate. Anne and Jean-Pierre Hugues purchased this neglected estate before the 2008 harvest and are rapidly moving to make it a first-rate producer worthy of its excellent terroir. The 2009 Les Saumades – a blend of 95% old vine Grenache and 5% Syrah – is the first wine crafted entirely by the new regime.
Definitely a young wine still, but already delivering loads of pleasure and even more promise. Opens with a relaxed, sweet nose of crushed ripe raspberries, cherry liqueur, and lemon thyme and warm galets (the rounded stones littering the Chateauneuf-du-Pape vineyard). Wonderfully pure and focused in the mouth with sweet Grenache raspberry/strawberry fruit, thyme and lavender herb, and a touch of fresh earth (from the Syrah). Then expanding rapidly on the back to a sweet, pure fruit finish supported by fine minerality and sweet, ripe, tannins.
This expresses everything I love about the most successful Rhone reds of the excellent 2009 vintage. More than enough sweet, ripe, generous fruit to enjoy now – even by itself! – but with the focus and structure to shine with rich foods and grilled meats and to develop well for a decade or so. A very fine example of Chateauneuf-du-Pape at a price not much higher than prestige Cotes-du-Rhone!
