Search results for: 'romagna rhone'

97 Points! Opaque violet color. A highly perfumed and finely detailed bouquet evokes fresh red and blue fruits, exotic spices, vanilla, smoked meat and candied flowers, along with smoky mineral and botanical herb notes that build steadily with air. Stains the palate with vibrant black raspberry, cherry preserve, boysenberry, licorice and violet pastille flavors that convey a suave blend of depth and elegance. Fine-grained, polished tannins frame a strikingly long, finely detailed finish that strongly echoes the floral and mineral notes. All de-stemmed fruit; fermented in large, new oak casks and then raised in used barriques. - Vinous Media

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Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf, a French native grew up in Auvergne; the land of Volcanoes and fabulous cheeses. Inspired by the power of a Mouton Rothschild, she earned a wine degree in Chile and then embarked for France to work harvest in St Emilion and the Côte du Rhône. While working in South America, she met Paul Hobbs and got a job first at Viña Cobos in Mendoza then in California. Her Claire de Lune Consulting focuses on helping fantastic producers including Matthiasson Wines, Anomaly Vineyards, Morlet Family Estate, Cowhorn Winery and more to grow their businesses. Claire lives in Calistoga with husband Aron Weinkauf-Winemaker at Spottswoode Winery and their two children.

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30% Cinsault, 30% Grenache noir, 30% Syrah, 10% Rolle

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90 Points! The entry-level 2023 Laya, produced with 70% Garnacha Tintorera and 30% Monastrell from dry-farmed 30-year-old vines on limestone and stony soils fermented in open-top stainless steel vats. It fermented with neutral yeasts and matured for four months in used French oak barrels, where it also underwent malolactic fermentation. It is fruit-driven and easy to drink, juicy, with 14% alcohol, a pH of 3.79 and 5.6 grams of acidity. It has a very dark color and an expressive nose redolent of black olives and tomato vine, notes descriptive of the variety, with a Northern Rhône whiff. It's juicy and round on the palate, with polished tannins. It delivers way above its price point. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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This wine literally tastes like summer, bright, sunny, quenching. A blend of Vermentino (Rolle), Clairette and Sauvignon.

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Composed of Grenache Noir, Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan, delightful stuff and one of our 'house' pinks!

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Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah. Blending and ageing in stainless steel vats on fine lees. Organic wine made from Demeter-certified grapes Learn More

Wine-growing Burgundy occupies a continental, northerly position in France. This geographical location gives nature a great deal of power, imposing its law on mankind! Such was the case in 2021, when many parts of Burgundy were hit by spring frosts, considerably reducing the number of grapes harvested in September. Cellars and barrels were virtually empty over the winter. Normally, it would have been easy to buy Chardonnay juice in southern Burgundy to fill the empty barrels and sell the resulting wines in bulk the following spring. The integrity of the barrels was thus preserved.

Unfortunately, spring frosts made this impossible.  So another solution had to be found! One of the producer's partners referred him to a winegrower friend in the Alpilles vineyards. The ancient vineyards of the Alpilles are a block of limestone located between the Rhône Valley and Provence. Les Opies is the massif's highest point at 496 meters altitude. Summers are dry, with little rain and regular sunshine. The vineyards are under the continental influence of the Rhône Valley and the protective influence of the Mediterranean. 

This wine is a sort of “introduction” to the Côte de Beaune appellations produced by the domaine.  The meeting between the two winemakers is fruitful. The Burgundian is won over by this beautiful limestone terroir situated at an altitude of 400 meters. The Provencal hands over his Chardonnay grapes, which are cultivated and harvested according to the Burgundian's instructions, particularly with regard to fine management of the harvest date, in order to preserve a balance between freshness and ripeness. Vinification and ageing are carried out in Burgundy, in the same spirit as the domaine's other wines. 

The results of this technical and human adventure have far surpassed the simple objectives set at the outset in 2021. Today, this Chardonnay, produced in the Alpilles but vinified and matured in Burgundy, has a very singular character, much more akin to a white wine typical of Burgundy than a white wine typical of Provence. It's a singular Chardonnay wine!

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92+ Points! The 2019 Terroir Históric is charming, approachable, round, open and expressive, with good ripeness and 14% alcohol, a juicy palate with a soft mouthfeel and round tannins. - Luis Gutierrez, robertparker.com

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From the winery:

Sourced from a steep ridge in the Alisos Canyon of Santa Ynez with an incredibly diverse terroir that's loaded with limestone and fossils. Planted to original budwood from Château de Beaucastel, we got advice from other producer friends of ours in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Bandol who insisted that "Counoise is the grape of the future" for their Mediterranean climates. 

We fermented in whole bunches and were super happy with the results. The floral aromatics of Counoise were a perfect marriage with the mineral-rich terroir of Alisos Canyon. After aging it for ten months in neutral French oak barriques, we bottled it without fining or filtration.

This juicy red has the joy and freshness we love in Cru Beaujolais, the structure and chewiness we look for in old-styled producers of the Southern Rhône, and the tightrope elegance that brought us to Santa Ynez.

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70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre. The Grenache grapes are aged in stainless steel vats for 18 months, while the Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes are aged in 500L oak barrels for the same period. The wine is blended just before bottling.

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93 Points! Fresh and focused, offering currant and steeped black cherry notes mixed with hints of alder, bay leaf and rosemary. This has everything knitting nicely through the finish, with a mineral edge lingering. - Wine Spectator

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