Cotes de Roussillon

90 Points! Lovely peachy richness, light floral white blossom on the nose, white peach fruit, and gentle creamy oak, a fresh palate with a nice acid lift on finish. - Decanter Magazine

One of the greatest bottles of Mourvedre on the planet! Actually 70% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 10% Carignan from schist and clays soils harvested at an incredibly low 25 hl/ha then aged in bigger barrels. Not made since 2013, when they do make it it's one of the Roussillon's greatest wines.

94 Points! Coming from higher elevation granite soils and just about all Syrah, the 2018 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Lesquerde L'Esquerda offers stunning granite character with its cassis and black raspberry fruit intermixed with lots of wet stone, ground pepper, white flowers, and hints of truffle. Deep, medium to full-bodied, beautifully pure and elegant on the palate, with light tannins, it's going to keep for upwards of a decade. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Roughly one-third each Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, the 2019 Côtes du Roussillon Villages Latour de France Entrée du Royaume boasts knockout aromas of garrigue, licorice and purple raspberries. Medium to full-bodied, it's generous without being soft, structured without being hard and is just a beautifully balanced, concentrated wine with a long, elegant finish and at least a decade ahead of it. - Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com

92-94 Points! Also terrific, with lots of cassis, jammy blackberries, crushed rocks, and pepper notes, the 2018 Côtes Du Roussillon Villages Latour De France Occultum Lapidem is medium to full-bodied, has wonderful purity of fruit, no hard edges, and a great finish. - Jeb Dunnuck

From the winery: 100% Grenache. This soil profile, combined with whole-cluster grenache, is a special mix that brings a singular expression to the wine. Unic is not about power and concentration, it is about elegance and restraint. It has this charming, less-is-more style, with great tension, freshness, refinement and nuances.

80% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, 10% Carignan, schist hillside soils...

By all accounts this is a unique plot of Carignan with some vines that reach well over 100 years of age. The yields here are even lower than the Episcata at a paltry 20 hl/ha. The harvest/fermentation regimen is the same. Grapes are hand harvested and sorted in the cellar, fermentation is done under temperature-controlled conditions with natural yeasts, and the same sojourn in concrete for 12 months. Some of you may have had experience with Carignan but this varietal from old vines is a different bird entirely. It speaks of its origins with accents of garrigue and schisty minerality to the core of dark fruit, Priorat-esque. One thing vine age does is round out and plump up this intensely flavorful grape.

This is 100% Grenache from 50-year-old vines planted in black schist and marl soils. The grapes are harvested by hand, the yield is a very low 23 hl/ha, and the wines are fermented under temperature-controlled conditions. Think about what you’d pay for some California vintner’s ‘limited’ Grenache (probably $30-40) and realize that this refined little gem sells for less than $20. Aged for 12 months in concrete, there’s a rich mouthfeel but sense of precision and purity to the mineral-laced cherry fruit, rose petal and earth tones. Round texture, loads of personality and complexity for this kind of price, the 2020 was a Wine Advocate 93 (this 2021 just arrived and is as yet unreviewed) so you know we are talking serious juice at a not so serious price.