cotes du rhone

JUICY, ‘HOUSE RED’ COTES DU RHONE FROM DOMAINE MANARINE

An important part of being a wine merchant is to provide wines for any situation and budget. It’s easy enough to cut and paste scores for hot items. We do that kind of thing as well as anyone. But finding that compelling, angst-free, tasty well priced go to is equally exciting to us. We are always on the hunt for ‘the deal’ be that catching a price reduction or timing a purchase just right. But there are also wines out there that simply overdeliver all the time. Cotes du Rhone is one of those categories. Find a good guy in a good vintage and you can get compelling wines for a song.

This piece is about Domaine la Manarine, a delicious Cote du Rhone that presents of mouthful of delightful, spicy Grenache fruit for a song. It’s been a while but that had more to do with timing with the wholesaler. We’ve known the wine for a long time as a prior incarnation was a wine-of-the-month on the front page of one of our old printed newsletters back at the old location.

Domaine la Manarine was created by Gilles Gasq in April 2001. The winery and majority of his vineyards are located within the commune of Travaillan, on a splendid plateau northeast of Orange in the southern Rhone. Gilles is a talented vigneron who has honed his skills working as an assistant to Paul Jeune, the proprietor of the highly respected Domaine Monpertuis in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Expanding his holdings each year, Domaine La Manarine now encompasses 33 hectares of vineyards situated largely on what is known as the “Le Plan de Dieu”.

This area, covered in large, round stones called galets is a happy place for Grenache. The standard bearer of the domaine is the Côtes du Rhône Rouge produced from the younger (but not young) vines (average 35 years old) of the estate. This wine is 100% Grenache and produces a classically spicy, full-bodied wine that speaks clearly of the “garrigue” of the region. The grapes are destemmed before the fermentation and the cuvaison is on the order of three weeks duration. The wine is bottled without filtration after twenty to twenty-four months of “élevage”.

The Manarine Côtes du Rhône 2020 is an essential wine in this category. The 2020 is a punchier, juicier version of this wine. The Grenache follows the path of a lot of the 2020s with a big, spicy, slightly garrigue-y (scents of fresh wild herbs) mouthful of kirsch and red currant fruit. Ample, bright, flavorful, this is a display of bright, unfettered, character-filled fruit that tastes of its origins. It’s a steal at $13.98!

We don’t have any scores and highlights on Manarine simply because writers rarely talk about little wines like this. But this wine’s boisterous fruit and versatility make it a great choice with a wide variety of dishes and everyone needs a delicious and economic choice to open without too much thinking. Here you go.

SERIOUSLY GOOD, SEXY 2019 COTE DU RHONE

It has been a great run for the southern Rhone again over the last five vintages (2015-2019). But on a hedonistic level, the 2019 vintage is perhaps the most striking. The wines have opulent, tender, round, engaging fruit and a sleek, supple palate feel right out of the gate. This surprising effort from Domaine de la Solitude is a pretty accurate poster child for what we are talking about.

There’s a lot of history here as the family are direct descendants of the Berberini family of Rome circa the 12^th Century, and have a Pope (Urban VIII) and a couple of Cardinals in their family tree. That probably doesn’t make a lot of difference with respect to what is in the glass. The estate was formed in the 17^th Century and has been in the hands of the Lancon family ever since. It was brothers Michel and Jean that took control of the estate in the 80s and raised the bar and now the estate is under the control of Michel’s son, Florent, who has maintained the traditional styling of the house but kicked up the farming aspects to improve the fruit. The 2019 vintage played nicely into Florent’s hands.

The Domiane de Solitude Cotes du Rhone 2019 is comprised of a selection portion of the traditional varietals of the southern Rhone. It is made up of 50% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 15% Mourvèdre, 10% Cinsault, and the last 5% of Counoise, Terret, Muscardin, and Vaccarèse, all from sustainably farmed grapes. The varietals and vineyard parcels are fermented separately and then blended after an eight-month stay in vats.

The nose is an inviting mélanges of ripe red cherries and berries, with earthy spice and subtle garrigue woven throughout. In the mouth, the wine has a wave of plush, layered, shamelessly outgoing red cherry fruits with flecks of spice, cocoa, and a hint of anise. Tender yet lifted, lush and smooth from front to back, it’s hard to imagine something more likable. It’s a versatile and pretty darned handy choice for a variety of scenarios, particularly at under $14.

JAMET: NO ORDINARY COTES DU RHONE

First off, yes it’s that Jamet, one of the elite producers of Cote Rotie whose bottlings sell for $200 and up if you are lucky enough to come across it at all. It was a revered house favorite back at the old location but has become more scarce as time has passed. As to the Cotes du Rhone, we never got a sniff of this from the U.S. importer but consistently ran across it when we were traveling n France. We kept our eyes open for an opportunity and jumped when a small lot popped up on an offer sheet.

Since we hadn’t worked with this before, we suspect a lot of you haven’t seen it either. We thought a little explanation was in order because, even with an iconic name on the label, people might want to know why something labeled Cotes du Rhone would sell for $40. Our response is that this Cotes du Rhone tastes like a great Cote Rotie from the perspective of terroir.

Stick your nose in the glass and there are abundant elements of the classic Cote Rotie profile…blackberry, red plum, granite like minerality, sausage and uncooked meat. You get that same glorious matrix across the palate. The big difference? Size and price. In the glass, this is Cote Rotie in every way except the name.

Sure the ‘big dog’ is a denser, more layered mouthful. But it should be for five times the price! This is a beautiful demonstration of the appellation and the refined, elegant style of the house. It comes from schist filled soils around the town of Ampuis, specifically from the following plots: Lézardes, Cognet, Plomb, Champrond, and Tartaras. The 100% Syrah grapes are destemmed and given a long maceration then put in neutral barrels for 12 months.

Joe Czerwinski, the current and somewhat more conservative scoring editor for Wine Advocate for Rhones, had this to say, “Slightly bigger, richer and riper than the IGP Syrah, the 2017 Cotes du Rhone is medium to full-bodied, creamy and supple, with similar notes of crushed stone, a fumé-like character. But it also has blackberries, black olives and hints of espresso. It finishes silky and long. Jean-Paul Jamet points out that it comes from schist soils identical to Côte Rôtie but from younger vines. Like the IGP, it’s destemmed and aged in old barrels…For folks looking for lower prices and more immediate gratification, don’t overlook Jamet’s…Côte du Rhône offering, which offer a taste of Côte Rôtie without the same outlay of time or money…91 points.”

BONPAS COTES DU RHONE: ANOTHER FINE 2019

It has been pretty sensational times for the Rhone Valley. A string of successful vintages since 2015 including epic harvests in the North (2015) and South (2016), with plenty of goodies to be had (be it more selectively) in the other vintages. The word on 2019 in the North is very positive, perhaps on par 2015, though three haven’t been a lot of wines to look at just yet. As to the South, while we aren’t going to tell that 2019 is quite at the supreme level of 2016, it is outstanding and certainly one of the sexiest vintages out of the gate we can recall.

We spoke of the vintage a little bit in the piece we did on longtime favorite Chateau St. Cosme a while ago. That luscious mouthful however is Syrah-centric. This Bonpas Cotes du Rhone Reserve de Bonpas 2019 makes an elegant statement about the quality, substance, and unbridled juiciness we can expect from Grenache in this engaging vintage.

Part of the expansive collection of J.C. Boisset that includes several Californi and French properties as well as one in England and India as well as the iconoc Oakville Grocery, Bonpas is the ‘gateway to the southern Rhone’, a fortress built in 1318 on the road between Avignon (the Papal seat at the time) and Rome. The soils on the state are covered with galets, the round stones associated with the vineyard lands in the region.

As you might have guessed, the lead character here is Grenache from 40-year-old vines, with dollops of Syrah and Mourvedre rounding out the blend. The wine only sees large oak vats to mere aid on the aeration of the wine but not impart any oak notes that might interfere with the purity and authenticity of the fruit.

The Bonpas Cotes du Rhone Reserve de Bonpas 2019 is a crowd-pleaser in every way. Tender and supple for its young age, it’s a plush, forward display of ripe cherry and plum with a subtle underpinning of spice and light-handed minerality and earth notes. The fruit wins the day and the texture will have broad appeal. This is a juicy, versatile red that performs admirably for its modest fare ($12.98) and is another sensational ‘teaser’ for what we expect to be a very hedonistic vintage.

A LOOK DOWN THE RHONE ROAD: ST. COSME CDR 2019

We’ll try an keep it simple. We could launch a rather extensive rant on our long history with Domaine Saint Cosme. We have been selling it for going on three decades and have watched passionate owner Louis Barruol go through ups and downs, style changes, and the expansion of his program to other projects. He is one of the dependable labels we always look forward to checking up on, and have made some sensational finds over the years among his value offerings in particular.

Our purpose here is twofold. First, we want to talk about his beautifully textured, pure, ample, imminently tasty Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone 2019. Now his Cotes du Rhone, as we have mentioned the many other times we have featured it, is a little bit of a different bird. Unlike the majority of wines that bear this appellation, which are mostly Grenache, Louis’ Cotes du Rhone is all or nearly all old vine Syrah (Barruol states the average age of the vines on the property are 60 years old).

The 2019 is gorgeous and already an attractive drink. Lots of layered, plush fruit, spice and pepper, and, as Louis himself describes, “Blackberry, smoked bacon, charcoal, blueberry, rose.” We expected a lot given what we had heard about 2019, but the wine exceeded our expectations.

Besides the example this wine itself sets for expectations of 2019 from the southern Rhone, there are the outgoing Barruol’s own words. Of the vintage, within the context of his notes on the 2019 Cotes du Rhone, he said, “Be warned – this is a stellar vintage, the greatest since the extraordinary 2010. Of course, 2016 is great too, and even 2015, which in Saint Cosme was memorable. But there is a freshness, an intensity, an evanescence, something undefinable that is charming and vibrant in the 2019s.

“…The 2019 Côtes du Rhône Saint Cosme is the best since 2010. A wine with a substantial structure, it is also brimming with fruit and shows great concentra-tion, counterbalanced by the finest freshness. In a dry vintage, concentration affects all the component parts of the fruit: not just the sugars, but the acids, water (which does not concentrate but disappears…), tannins, color, aromas… etc… This natural phenomenon produces something we all love: intensity.

“Character and identity are subsequently multiplied tenfold. The fact that nature should be able to offer us these gifts is an absolute joy. These wines are suitable for either drinking or keeping. They will bring us joy and surprises. They will become advocates for what I would call ‘the red wine cause’. We live in an era of white wines, rosés and sometimes even unripe grapes – which is an aberration… 2019 is a gentle reminder from nature and a timely opportunity to set the record straight.”

This Cotes du Rhone, at $14.98, is a delicious wine and an exciting value. And in the bigger picture, it looks like there are more good times down the road in the southern Rhone in 2019. While we didn’t find any scores on this wine, but it’s early in the game for the 2019s. The gigantic barrel scores on their single-vineyard Gigondas bottlings affirms that 2019 should be on people’s radar.

2017 SOUTHERN RHONES: MORE GOOD VALUE STUFF

We’ll take this opportunity to make a couple of points. First is the vintage, 2017. In short, it’s a really smart vintage with plenty of bright fruit and great freshness. If it had come in the middle of the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it would have been hailed as special. These days, with global warming and following one of the best vintages of modern times in 2016, 2017 likely won’t ever get the respect it is due. That will likely have a greater impact on the higher end as collectors tend to focus on ‘the best’, but there will be a consistent source of tasty opportunities in the more moderate price ranges on things like Cotes du Rhones, Rasteaus, et. al..

Moving forward, that discussion is a preface to us talking about a wine that has been something of a staple here since Eric Solomon hooked up with Jean-Francois Nicq at Les Vignerons d’Estézargues to create the Domaine de Andezon label back in 1995. This is one of those rare cooperatives that is dialed into the growers and has the resources, and the flexibility to create some very interesting juice. Ten growers in this network vinify their best lots from which the coop creates the d’Andezon blend using no cultured yeasts, no filtering, no fining and no enzymes during vinification or aging and only add a small amount of SO2 at bottling.

The track record for this wine is pretty remarkable, garnering 90 points or greater many times since its inception, no easy feat for a wine that has never exceeded $12 on our shelves. What is perhaps somewhat kitschy about Andezon is that, even though the cooperative is near Avignon in the south, and sources grapes from the surrounding area, the majority of the wine is Syrah (writers says 100% Syrah, importer notes say there is a small amount of Grenache). Ripe, substantial and character-filled, as always, the 2017 Domaine d’Andezon Cotes du Rhone also has a lift and brightness befitting the vintage. As always, it’s the consummate value at $10.98.

Jeb Dunnuck, former Wine Advocate ‘Rhone guy’ now with his own service, confirms, “Deeply colored, the 100% Syrah 2017 Côtes du Rhône Domaine D’Andézon (brought up all in concrete) reminds me of a Côtes du Rhône from Pierre-Marie Clape with its iron, violets, plums, white pepper, and sappy aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, and elegant on the palate, it’s a fleshy, delicious Syrah well worth seeking out. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years… 91 Points.”

‘HOUSE RED’ CANIDATE

We’ll take the opportunity to make a couple of points. First is the vintage, 2017. In short, it’s a really smart vintage with plenty of bright fruit and great freshness. If it had come in the middle of the 70s, 80s, or 90s, it would have been hailed as a special vintage. These days, with global warming and following one of the best vintages of modern times in 2016, it likely won’t ever get the respect it is due. That will likely have a greater impact on the higher end, but there will be a consistent source of opportunities in the more moderate price ranges on things like Cotes du Rhones, Rasteaus, et. al..

Moving forward, that discussion is a preface to us talking about a wine that has been something of a staple here since Eric Solomon hooked up with Jean-Francois Nicq at Les Vignerons d’Estézargues to create the Domaine de Andezon label back in 1995. This is one of those rare cooperatives that is dialed into the growers and has the resources and the flexibility to create some very interesting juice. Ten growers in this network vinify their best lots from which the coop creates the d’Andezon blend using no cultured yeasts, no filtering, no fining and no enzymes during vinification or aging and only add a small amount of SO2 at bottling.

The track record for this wine is pretty remarkable, garnering 90 points or greater many times since its inception, no easy feat for a wine that has never exceeded $12 on our shelves. What is perhaps somewhat kitchy about Andezon is that, even though the cooperative is near Avignon in the south, and sources grapes from the surrounding areas, the majority of the wine is Syrah (writers says 100% Syrah, importer notes say there is a m=small amount of Grenache). Ripe, substantial and character-filled, as always, the 2017 Domaine d’Andezon Cotes du Rhone 2017 also has a lift and brightness befitting the vintage. As always, it’s the consummate value at $10.98.

Jeb Dunnuck, former Wine Advocate ‘Rhone guy’ now on his own, confirms, “Deeply colored, the 100% Syrah 2017 Côtes du Rhône Domaine D’Andézon (brought up all in concrete) reminds me of a Côtes du Rhône from Pierre-Marie Clape with its iron, violets, plums, white pepper, and sappy aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied, supple, and elegant on the palate, it’s a fleshy, delicious Syrah well worth seeking out. Drink it over the coming 4-5 years… 91 Points.”

A COTES DU RHONE TO LIVE WITH

‘Every picture tells a story’ they say. We would suggest you could say the same thing about a wine. For each glassful of finished juice there are lands, grapes, and people that contribute to that end result. If the site, or the winemakers have their own unique history, all the better. We have been telling those stories for a long time, but every so often one comes along that is truly one of a kind.

As we started to do the research for this piece about the remarkable Chateau Maucoil Cotes du Rhone ‘1895’ 2017, we looked to see if the property had a website. While such endeavors can be frustrating for technical, language and content reasons to name a few, we feel the best place to get relevant information is from the source. It started, “The history of Château Maucoil began several centuries ago. Ancient documents state that its first occupants were Romans and that they set up a base there for Caesar’s legions…”

“Later, Joseph de La Pise, Lord of Maucoil and archivist of the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family, inherited the estate and the castle which was built in 1624. From then on, winegrowing became an intrinsic part of the history of Château Maucoil.” It’s all good stuff, to be sure, establishing a long history for this particular property. But even the story of this particular wine, from one specific piece of dirt, stretches across three centuries.

The first reported case of the dreaded root louse phylloxera in France was in 1865, and it hit hard in Chateaueuf in 1866. Two thirds of the Châteauneuf du Pape vineyards were destroyed over the next ten years. Fortunately, with the introduction of what was at the time phylloxera-resistant American rootstock, the vineyards were replanted and ‘the bug’ gradually disappeared over the following years. This vineyard of 100% Grenache was planted in 1895!

We have spoken time and again about the special character of old vines. Deep root stocks that reach down several meters and the naturally low yields of such ancient vines produce fruit of surprising harmony and layered complexity. The current owners of the property have taken the vines and worked it organically, receiving certification in 2014. They also recognize this plot as something special and treat it as such even though it is a ‘mere’ Cote du Rhone. Of course we see it as a Cotes du Rhone more like Fonsalette for Chateau Rayas or Clavin for Vieille Jullienne, which means not ‘mere’ at all. Destemming, sorting, native yeasts, and 18 months in barrel, the result in an excellent and decidedly outgoing vintage like 2017 is clearly an enviably juicy, seamless, engaging bottle of Grenache.

Of course now many of you are waiting for us to regale you with scores. Again, as we have said often, wines like this are tasted generally alongside wines with higher pedigrees (Maucoil, for example, makes three Chateauneufs including two ‘special cuvees’). Two reports we read didn’t mention this wine at all. This one isn’t jammy and over the top. It isn’t going to stick out at some megatasting by virtue of its balance and harmony. We tasted it one on one and the impression was immediate, love at first sip.

There are wines to win tastings, there are wines with stories to impress the table, and there are wines to live with. While this one could conceivably be one of the first two, it is definitely the third and most important…a wine whose elegance, complexity, harmony and versatility never get old. In a barrel review from last year, Jeb Dunnuck did give it some deserved love, “Not yet bottled, the 2017 Côtes du Rhône Villages 1895 is a beauty! Deeply colored, concentrated, full-bodied and layered, it has a modern style but terrific purity and depth of fruit.” It is all of that, and we think a little more, and it’s a rare find to get something with this kind of polish and presence for under $20. We suggest a case. It’s only going to get better.

A GENTLEMEN’S COTES DU RHONE

You can’t stop Bernard Magrez, you can only hope to contain him. The guy built a formidable business, sold it and started buying Bordeaux chateaux. He owns four Grand Cru classes in Bordeaux including the jewel, Pape Clement, as well as several other properties in the region. But that wasn’t enough, so he now has a world-wide enterprise that includes efforts from Napa Valley, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Morocco, as well as other areas of France.

His enterprises have been very successful because he has a good eye for terroirs and has Michel Rolland on his speed dial. Perhaps the most significant aspect that ‘all things Magrez’ seem to have is a well measured, supple, engaging profile that one can count on in everything they produce. Bernard realized a long time ago that people liked to drink smooth, fruit driven, supple wines and that style has been the common theme through all of his wines no matter where in his far flung portfolio they come from.

He also had the vision to market his wines under one important branding umbrella. He goes about marketing his juice more like Louis Vuitton sells designer goods than the typical corporate alcohol purveyor. He made sure that his name on the bottle meant something and the Magrez has come to be synonymous polished, integrated, elegant wines emphasizing sleek, tender fruit and well integrated, ripe structure. We have even kind of coined the verb ‘to Magrez’, meaning to take something vinous and refine it to an exceptional degree.

Apparently in need of a new conquest, Bernard took his talents to the Rhone Valley and ‘Magrezzed’ a couple of parcels of Grenache and Syrah into a Cotes du Rhone Villages that can play to a crowd of folks wearing Ferragamo shoes and Hermes ties. We’re pretty sure there has to be some credit given to the marvelous 2016 vintage. The quality of the fruit matters even to a magician like Magrez and, as we and others have said repeatedly, 2016 is something special in that regard. But the level of integration and harmony to this wine, particularly given the sometimes more rustic origins of the Cotes du Rhone, are definitely a consistent and significant part of the ‘house style’ of Magrez.

The Bernard Magrez Mon Cotes du Rhone Villages 2016 is the first go-round we have seen in the Rhone for them, and we have been dealing directly with the company for some years now (which also helps us save on the price as we direct import it). The Magrez stamp here is unmistakable. Plush, sleek, fresh and smooth, Magrez even puts ‘mon’ (French for ‘my’) in the name, further putting his personal touch on it. This is the ‘Magrez experience’ and, believe us, it works as well in this part of the world as everywhere else.

The nose billows subtly integrated notes of plum, violet, mulberry, and an insistent minerality. As it enters the palate, it is sweet, supple, expansive, harmonious, and beautifully proportioned. The descriptors and texture are curiously closer to a weighty, mid-range Burgundy than your typical, chewy “Cotes du Rhone”, but that is the Magrez way. As such, it is also a consummate value at a mere $14, definitely a wine that plays above its station.

Magrez is pretty tight-lipped about sourcing or winemaking, preferring that the results speak for themselves. That it does that eloquently now, and likely will five years from now. There were few scraps of commentary, though this piece from James Suckling makes the point quite well. “Attractive aromas of plums and dark berries with hints of violets and burnt orange. Medium body, lightly dusty tannins and a juicy, flavorful finish. A satisfying and delicious Rhone red. Drink now. 92 Points!”

“Satisfying and delicious”, indeed. This is a classic example of why one of our chief operating philosophies is to seek out ‘little wines’ from top flight producers. Such folks simply have higher standards and work at an elite level on everything they do. They don’t know any other way, and the results show. Bernard Magrez is certainly one of those people. Supplies are finite so make your move early.

TASTY ‘HOUSE’ RHONES FROM FERRATION

We sell all manner of wines great and small, and everything we present here we believe has a good reason to be here. We can launch a treatise on virtually any vinous subject, but don’t think we always should. A quiet word or two should be sufficient for some wines, and just because we didn’t generate a tome doesn’t mean we didn’t like it. If we didn’t like it, we wouldn’t buy it at all. With that in mind here are a few words on the newly released Cotes du Rhones from Ferraton.

There are two key things to know. First, Ferraton is an accomplished house with a long history dating back to 1946. Second is Michel Chapoutier, who started working with the property to convert to organic and ultimately biodynamic viticulture starting in 1998, and buying the place outright in 2004. With Chapoutier at the helm, things are definitely on the upswing. These are both outstanding value performers at their modest fares and both come from excellent vintages for their respective hues.

The Ferraton Cotes du Rhone Samorens Rouge 2016, a half and half blend of Grenache and Syrah that is brought up in concrete, shows an ample, supple core of berry fruit laced with spice and floral notes. Jeb Dunnuck calls it “… Rounded, sexy and even voluptuous, with terrific purity in its black raspberry, violet and incense aromatics, this medium to full-bodied beauty has no hard edges, silky tannin and a great finish…90-92 points’

Perhaps even more of a surprise, because the southern Rhone isn’t necessarily known for crisp, engaging whites, is the Ferraton Cotes du Rhone Samorens Blanc 2017. A blend of Roussanne, Viognier and Clairette, all done in stainless steel to retain the freshness, it shows lovely, subtle tones of citrus and yellow stone fruits. Again from Dunnuck, “…It’s fresh, vibrant, and crisp, yet has plenty of heft in its peach, tangerine, and citrus aromas and flavors. With bright acidity, outstanding balance, and a great finish, drink it over the coming 2-3 years…91 points.” Both play well for their $10.98 tabs and are in a likeable, easy drinking style for the category.