rhone – Page 2

WHAT’S IN A NAME?: REMARKABLE 2016 RHONE

What’s in a name? Well, with wine, a couple of words on the label can make an enormous difference in one’s expectations of the bottle, and the price. Sometimes those ‘words’ can work against you. Take the term ‘Cotes du Rhone’. Thanks to years of history, a Cotes de Rhone is considered to suggest a wine is an ‘entry level’ offering, and a lot of people do not have great expectations of something with such a title. Exceptions to that thinking abound in the Rhone, however, where a few feet and an invisible line drawn can totally change what the wine from a particular place is allowed to call itself, but not what is in the bottle.

We don’t mid working a little harder to get our point across. Things like Chateau Rayas’ Fonsalette or Vieille Julienne’s Clavin are notable exceptions that don’t fit neatly into the standard definition of Cotes du Rhone. They are exceptional wines that come from exceptional parcels that happen to be just outside the line. A few feet over and they could be called Chateauneuf, and the price would be substantially higher. Today’s offer, the Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Les Garrigues 2016 is another of those that is exceptional ‘Chateauneuf’ in everything but name.

Les Garrigues is a 2.5 hectare plot of 100 year old Grenache vines located in the village of Courthézon and just outside the boundary of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The soils here are a fine, pebbly, red clay covered with gnarled, mistral-blown vines. In terms of terroir, this is more classically Châteauneuf than Côtes-du-Rhône and the Garrigues is made in a similar fashion as the estate’s Châteauneufs – 25% whole cluster fermentation in oak vats, a 21 day maceration and daily, manual pigeage followed by aging in foudre.

This is a powerful mouthful showing deep kirsch and even rolling into blue fruits which gave us the impression there was Syrah in it (there isn’t). Absolutely packed, flecked with notes of anise, spice, and a little garrigue, this is a muscular version that conforms to this once-in-a-lifetime vintage’s profile with layered fruit that is at once plush and lifted, supple tannins and well tucked in acidity. It definitely ‘scored’ as well as a lot of ‘real’ Chateauneufs, and one has to even give it a little upward room as it was tasted alongside two ‘wine-of-the-vintage’ candidates in Jansse’s Chaupin and Vieille Vignes offerings and their best regular cuvee ever in 2016.

This was as high a number as Jeb Dunnuck has thrown Garrigue going back to his Advocate days, “Bottled in February (slightly earlier than the Terre d’Argile), the 100% Grenache 2016 Côtes du Rhône Les Garrigues boasts awesome notes of kirsch liqueur, crushed rocks, framboise, pepper, and graphite. This sexy, full-bodied, yet incredibly elegant red has building tannin, a seamless, silky texture, and no hard edges. Pure, elegant and seamless, it’s a thrillingly satisfying wine…94 Points.”

From Joe Czerwinski, robertparker.com, “There was only one 32-hectoliter foudre (now bottled) of the 2016 Cotes du Rhone Les Garrigues, an all-Grenache cuvée vinified with 50% whole clusters. It’s floral and herbal on the nose, with bold flavors of blackberries and licorice. Full-bodied and richly concentrated, it boasts supple tannins balanced by hints of brine and fresh acids. It’s easily the equal of many Châteauneufs… 93 Points.”

That last line is exactly our point. It is the equal of many Chateauneufs (better than a lot of them, too) and a spectacular effort even within the context of this historic vintage. At $39.98 it is priced like a lot of Chateauneufs, granted. But what a wine! In our minds it is Chateauneuf in the glass even if it doesn’t say it on the label. Just another superb effort from Janasse and a bargain in their lineup. Good hunting.

CUILLERON: VIOGNIER AND FRIENDS

We are huge fans of Viognier, and consider Condrieu (and Ch. Grillet, the small monopole, of course) to be the unrivaled source for great examples of the varietal. We have also told the story many times about how difficult this grape can be. There is a narrow band of success where all of the components work in harmony. Harvest too early and the wines are lean and lack varietal definition, the aromatics that are an important part of the Viognier experience aren’t there, and neither is the required midpalate. Harvest too late and the acids fall back and the wine is dull and flabby. Harvest at the perfect time and you’ll be dealing with voracious birds and hornets that also have a deep love of this enticing, aromatic varietal.

So if it’s that hard, if the margin of error is so slim, why does anyone bother? Because when it hits the mark Condrieu is a singular experience. Of course for most of us it can be cost prohibitive too, which merely piles on to an already difficult success rate. Yet, with few exceptions, there’s no place like Condrieu. What is a lover of Viognier to do? Our solution has been to pay close attention to the ‘smaller’ efforts from some of the top vignerons in the region. One of our favorite sources over the years has been Yves Cuilleron.

He makes great Condrieus on a consistent basis (no small feat) and excellent examples from other villages in the northern Rhone with Marsanne and Roussane. But what has been a repeat performer in our minds is his Viognier Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018. Yeah, tough name for the non-French but we’ll boil the words down so you get a feel. By Vin de Pays, the bottle is telling you that some or all of the juice comes from vines not in official designated appellations. In the upper reaches of the hills in the northern Rhone they give it those ‘outside the boundary’ efforts the catchy name Collines Rhodannienes (there are both white and red versions from various ‘no man’s land’ parcel all about the north).

The Viognier for this cuvée is sourced from vineyards planted in granite-infused soil in the village of Chavanay. The grapes are fermented with their natural yeasts and done in stainless steel to protect the wine’s freshness. It then sees 6 months in a combination of steel and neutral oak barrels to round out. The result is usually pretty engaging, but in 2018 they absolutely nailed it. Perfectly proportioned, this 14% alcohol white sits comfortably atop the right touch of uplifting acidity. Everything is fresh and expressive, with the subtly meshed peach, honeysuckle and mineral nose a perfect invitation to the peach, pear, spice and faintly honeyed palate.

Rich, yet at the same time light on its feet, it achieves just the right balance. This one could probably pass for Condrieu in most circles yet it can be had for a touch over $20, well under the usual $50-80 that most Condrieus, both great and small, command. How does it compare to the domestic versions one sees for this kind of price? It’s not even close. The harmony and expressiveness puts is in a league of its own. If you like Condrieu, buy this. If you like Viognier, buy this. If you want to know what Viognier is supposed to taste like, this will show you. A supremely pleasing effort.

It seems Yves had a fine season in 2018 overall, for the whites anyway. Everything we were presented showed uniformly tender up front, with bright, lifted fruit and freshness. While the Viognier is our go-to, his Collines Rhodannienes (‘outside the lines’) efforts with Marsanne and Roussanne were extremely successful as well.

So often, Roussanne can be kind of clumsy and oxidative. But the Cuilleron Roussanne Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018 is none of that. To be honest, it was such a fresh, tender effort, we didn’t necessarily think Roussanne at first. What a pleasing effort this was, a mélange of citrus, pear and stone fruit with a wisp of earth and mineral to speak of its origins.

Their delightful Cuilleron Marsanne Vin de Pays Collines Rhodannienes Les Vignes d’a Coté 2018 presents yellow melon, pear, and yellow apple flavors punctuated with a bit of dusty minerality that plays only as a nuance to the fruit component. It’s rare to find Marsanne with this much personality and lift

If you want to step up to a ‘real’ Condrieu, Cuilleron’s Condrieu La Petite Cote 2018 is an ‘A-game’ performance for a rather modest buy-in for the genre, and demonstrates the expressive floral and honey notes admirably. Saint-Peray is an insiders’ appellation and not widely known but Cuilleron has a deft touch and his Les Potier 2018 is a blend of Marsanne and Roussanne that flashes layered pear fruit with a lot of nuance underneath. A charmer.

White northern Rhones aren’t necessarily the first whites people think of. But this lineup is so expressive it could do a lot to change all of that.

TARDIEU LAURENT CDP AT NEARLY HALF OFF? BON!

Things can happen for any number of reasons. We have to presume this curious opportunity is one of those that is simply a function of a variety of events. We could likely figure out the scenarios that led to this striking value, but in the end doesn’t really matter. It all starts with Tardieu-Laurent, the Rhone focused partnership between former patissier/ Burgundy virtuoso Dominique Laurent and Rhone native/insider Michel Tardieu. We have been following Laurent since the mid-90s when he became a sensation in Burgundy and were all-over this Rhone project from the get go.

It has been a remarkable source of exciting wines, Laurent’s talent in the cellar matched with Tardieu’s savvy and intimate knowledge of the Rhone teroirs. The only issue early on is that the prices were a bit above the market for the various appellation bottlings. Given the performance, the higher fares were more than justified. But also, for no doubt several reasons, they didn’t necessarily always have distribution in this market. They changed horses a time or two, and sometimes weren’t available at all. It took a little extra effort to sell the wines because of the elevated pricing, but we were always on board because the wines always performed at very high levels. Great old vine fruit, careful, polished winemaking, they never disappointed in the glass.

After one fairly long period of absence, the wines reappeared. The match of importer and vigneron was not, however, ‘made in heaven’. Not sure how it came together, but a producer that was never shy about pricing hooking up with an importer that took predictably high margins didn’t seem like the best fit. Not surprisingly, it didn’t work. The house now has a new, more ‘down-to-earth’ distribution scenario who, besides reintroducing the wines to the market in earnest, is in the process of cleaning up a few ‘odds and ends’. The Tardieu Laurent Chateau-du-Pape Vielles Vignes 2012 was quite the surprise in that process.

At face value, the vintage itself was not any kind of indicator. While a ripe and warm vintage that the critics seemed to like a little more than we did, there were a number of notable releases that were the best following 2010 until 2015. They were generally ripe, jammy and broad on the palate, but all too often bordered on too ripe. On the plus side they had weight and plenty of fruit, but lacked the kind of freshness a truly grand vintage possessed to give the wines drive. Based on our extensive tasting, we had kind of the same expectations for this wine. That turned out to be completely wrong.

This might well be the best effort we have tasted from the 2012 vintage, with the rich, expressive dark red fruit in abundance but also a purity to the flavors and a great tension and freshness on the palate. Now under the control of the Tardieu family, from Grenache vines that were 80 years old, it is broad, lifted and gregarious across the palate, with the kind of energy atypical for the 2012 vintage. Intense dark red fruits, layered elements to the flavors, this wine plays above even its exalted station for a 2012.

We loved the wine ‘straight up’ but weren’t surprised to find some nice words about it when we went looking. Josh Raynolds of Vinous Media offered, “Dark ruby. Deeply pitched cherry, black raspberry and Indian spice aromas are lifted by a sexy floral oil quality. Juicy and densely packed, showing excellent depth to its red and dark berry liqueur, cherry-cola and spicecake flavors. Stains the palate while coming across as energetic and precise. Closes with very good vivacity and length, with silky tannins adding structure and grip…93 Points.”

Even more from Wine Advocate, “Superb and with loads of potential, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes (90% Grenache and 10% Syrah, with the Grenache aged in older barrel and the Syrah in new barrels) is more deep and layered than the Cuvee Speciale. Offering up impressive notes of mineral, new leather and smoky black fruits, this full-bodied, layered and textured 2012 has superb mid-palate depth, fine tannin and an all-around concentrated, backwards feel. It will require 3-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or more…93-95+ (barrel score).”

The most recent of the two reviews was nearly five years ago, and clearly this Chateauneuf has gotten its 3-4 years of bottle age and has evolved marvelously. Given our negotiated ‘closeout’ price is substantially less than the lower of the only two prices we saw online, all is as it should be. This is a spectacular performer, particularly for the vintage, that is in peak form for current ‘applications’. A rare treat.

WHITE TABLECLOTH COSTIERES?

We have been following Michel Gassier’s work for over two decades, and he along with Grenache virtuoso Philippe Cambie, have established an enviable track record going back to the days when the wines were under the Chateau de Nages label (Michel’s home estate). Since 2006, the Nostre Pais reds have garnered 90-and-above scores all but twice, and on every vintage both great and small since 2010. As we have said many times about this wine that, at its normal ‘upper teens’ pricing, selling this kind of juice at this kind of price never gets old.

When it comes to wine, Michel Gassier ‘gets it’. When we visited his estate in 2000, he was already experimenting with micro-oxygenation, pretty advanced for the times and the region. Most folks don’t really have a feel for where Costieres de Nimes even is, but this guy has been A-game for a long time and, because he is working with a less than famous appellation, there is somewhat of a limit to what he can charge. That makes it an ideal scenario for consumers.

The Nostre Pais program has been like clockwork getting Wine Advocate scores predominantly between 91 and 93 points, even in difficult vintages. The exercise here is about introducing his newest red which we believe is among his best ever. We’ll also submit that Nostre Pais 2016 represents another level of refinement in his winemaking. White tablecloth Costieres des Nimes? Why not? Yet the wine is still at very palatable prices given the performance.

We are very pleased with this newest Nostre Pais wines overall, and with this red we see an even more notable step up. Typically in this part of the world, whether deliberately or not, size does matter for the critics. The region’s wines can sometimes be a bit direct and one dimensional and strictly rely on ‘punch’ to impress. This Nostre Pais is a notch better than their very fine efforts from past vintages, but here expect more balance, seamlessness and elegance. It plays well above its appellation and is more akin stylistically to a Chateauneuf from the cooler northern area. Very classy and complex, this is not your father’s Costieres.

One again, ‘the critics agree’. The Wine Advocate’s notes are, “A Grenache-led blend (55% Grenache Noir,25% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre, 5% Carignan, and 5% Cinsault to be exact), the 2016 Costieres de Nimes Nostre Pais features compelling aromas of crushed stone, black olive and blueberry. It’s medium to full-bodied, with crunchy, fresh fruit and silky but firm tannins. It should drink well through 2025.”

Once again, the comments were quite consistent, with Jeb Dunnuck offering, “…Orange peel, black raspberries, exotic flowers, spice, and a limestone-like minerality all flow from this elegant, seamless, medium to full-bodied 2016 that has both freshness and richness. It’s a no-brainer purchase and will drink nicely for 5-6 years.”

Both pundits gave the Michel Gassier Costieres De Nimes Rouge Nostre Pais 2016 91-point reviews, but we actually think this one deserves better. Balance and refinement might have even put it the Nostre Pais at a little bit of a disadvantage in an arena that favors chunkier wines. We like this one even better than the critics for its polished presentation. It reaches another level stylistically and plays above its price point even more than its predecessors. This is a ‘wine for all seasons’ and a definite must for value and versatility. Like the man said…a no brainer.

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 NEW CHATEAUNEUF STAR IS BORN

The wine business might seem ‘cool’ and even somewhat glamorous to some. But ultimately it is a business with all of the politics, broken promises, and disappointments that can be a part of any business. There were a lot of reasons we could have passed on this wine. The purveyor had presented us the hugely reviewed 2016 vintage but somehow it all disappeared before we got any.

The 2017s, while very good, followed a vintage-of-a-lifetime in the southern Rhone in 2016 where we had sold (and continue to sell) huge quantities. There was no hurry to get engaged in 2017s for a number of adjunct reasons. Their time will come but the marketplace still contains a fair bit of available wines that had superb reviews from a highly touted vintage.

Given all of that, and the fact that the quantities were not sufficient to support a full blown email offer, it would have been very easy to pass this one by. It’s not like we needed another Chateauneuf. But we couldn’t say no. The Clos St. Antonin Chateauneuf 2017 was, very simply, too good! The nose of cured cherries and spice soared from the glass and pretty much announced the wine the way a herald would announce royalty entering a room. In the mouth, the wine was vigorous, persistent, engaging, and complete presenting a broad swath of vibrant red fruits with all of the inlaid nuance one could ask for.

You may not know the name. The Clos St. Antonin as it exists today only started with the 2015 vintage. Put together by Aime Sabon and his daughter Isabelle, from a contiguous parcel of old vines purchased in the Cotes du Rhone, plus some property from Domaine de la Janasse’s Chateauneuf holdings where this wine originated, this is a new and clearly estimable player to hit the market.

There hasn’t been much said about this wine other than an enthusiastic piece from Jeb Dunnuck, “The same mix of La Crau, Font de Loup, and Saint Georges lieux-dits brought up in a foudre, the 2017 Châteauneuf Du Pape has a Rayas-like bouquet of kirsch liqueur, candied rose petal, orange zest, and spice. It’s incredibly polished, elegant and layered on the palate, with fine tannins, terrific balance, and a great finish. This is a brilliant wine I’d be thrilled to have in the cellar…94+”

He went on to say, “I continue to love these wines from Clos St Antonin… Along with Chapelle Saint Theodoric, they’re the closest thing to Rayas out there.” The ‘plus’ after the 94 suggests that the wine could well merit a higher review later. The comparison to Rayas is ‘next level’.

Isabelle has quite the touch and her wines deliver a mouthful of fruit while still retaining poise and elegance. Back in the old days we’d probably say it was a ‘woman’s touch’, but it is unclear if one can make that kind of statement any more. Clearly her Janasse pedigree is evident, but the wines have a personality all their own. This is a brilliant effort and an important new label (her 94 point 2016 Cotes du Rhone Plan de Dieu is ‘aces’ as well). Too bad there isn’t more.

RHONE 2016: AN IMPORTANT NEW/OLD FACE

At this point we’ll presume that you have heard us wax poetic about the 2016 vintage in the southern Rhone on multiple occasions, so we’ll cut right to the main story. Even in a place with the long history of the Rhone, there are new stories and exciting new things to discover. The land, of course, has always been here, and farmhouse from which the property takes its name, St. Antonin, has been in references back to the time of Napoleon and was built in the 17^th Century. What made the big change at this property, and likely the reason you re hearing about it today is the new ownership circa 2014.

A number of serious Rhone domaines have looked to this area, called Plan de Dieu, as a place that provided terroir that is not unlike Chateauneuf itself and offers the opportunity for expansion. But here estates with contiguous holdings of clay, galet, and sand soils, don’t come up very often. When this one did, the Sabon family was on it. Now there are a few Sabons in the Rhone. But this particular family of Sabons are the folks that own the iconic Domaine de la Janasse in Chateauneuf.

This new domaine of 15 hectares, plus a couple of hectares of Chateauneuf transferred from Janasse to the Clos St. Antonin estate, are under the control of daughter Isabelle along with her father Aime. Certainly the succession of vineyard land (Napoleonic law and all of that) had a part in the creation of this project, but we are only focused on the juice itself. On that score, Clos St. Antonin is off to a whale of a start. These are only their second releases and, while the timing couldn’t have been better with respect to vintages, it is clear that Isabelle Sabon has quite the touch.

As we tasted through the lineup, we mused that her wines showed a deft hand and a certain refinement yet still delivered a substantial mouthful of rich, savory fruit. Brother beware, the lady has skills. The Clos St. Antonin Cotes du Rhone 2016 is a polished bargain at its price point and, as we have said on a few occasions with specialty Cotes du Rhone in 2016, her Clos St. Antonin Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu 2016 could hang with the ‘bigger fish’ and outscored a number of Chateauneufs. The proof is in the glass.

Made from 80% Grenache, the balance Mourvedre and Syrah, all from 30-50 year old vines, it is raised in concrete tanks, foudres and neutral French oak demi-muids. We’ll let Jeb Dunnuck do the play-by-play, “…the 2016 Côtes du Rhône should be sought out by savvy buyers. Ripe, rounded, and incredibly sexy, with lots of kirsch and blackberry fruits, garrigue, and mineral notes, it has impeccable balance as well as purity of fruit. It’s a knockout Côtes du Rhône to drink over the coming 3-4 years.

This up and coming superstar of an estate was created by Isabelle and Christophe Sabon (of Domaine de Janasse) in 2015. The estate is located in the Plan de Dieu, northeast of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, yet they have access to some prime terroirs in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the La Crau and Font du Loup lieux-dits. These are legit, awesome wines, and savvy readers need to get on board!... 91 Points “

Of the Plan de Dieu, “Even better, the 2016 Côtes du Rhône Villages Plan de Dieu has to be one of the great wines from this appellation, which comes from an ocean of vines located on the valley floor between Vacqueyras and Cairanne. Made from 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, and 20% Syrah brought up in foudre and demi-muids, it offers awesome notes of cassis, blackberries, spice box, and licorice. Ripe, full-bodied, and powerful, yet also balanced and pure, do your best to latch onto a few bottles…94 Points.”

Yes the field is crowded right now. But even in this current (though diminishing) sea of glorious southern Rhones, these are significant efforts. They are lush, engaging, pure and hedonistic, yet at the same time are beautifully aligned and somehow more precise than most. Like the man said, “savvy readers need to get on board.”

ALT WHITES: PART 1

Back in the day when Chardonnay was king (and it still is in a lot of households), there was the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) movement. Ultimately no universal truths came out of it, only the fact that more people realize that other white wines, some even with funny names, can be very pleasing beverages and, as a bonus, more versatile with food.

White Rhones can be something of an enigma to some folks. North and south feature different varietals, blends can be quirky, and how one utilizes oak can be a make or break proposition. There is also a history of wines that were a bit oxidative and rather expensive that gave the category a rather checkered history in decades past.

Even though white wine production is considerably smaller than red in this part of the world, vintners have made great strides in producing whites that are both compelling and bright. In this case, Francois Villard is probably more known for his whites and the Francois Villard Saint Peray Version 2017 presents the kind of clarity and lift that few wines from this lesser-known region achieve.

Pear and citrus fruit punctuated by subtle floral and mineral aspects, this got our attention from first sip. Wine Advocate’s Joe Czerwinski was spot on with his notes here, “Villard’s 2017 Saint Peray Version is simultaneously rich and opulent yet bright and refreshing. This medium to full-bodied blend of 65% Marsanne and 35% Roussanne was barrel fermented and aged in older barrels, giving it plenty of weight and a silky texture, but the flavors of anise and flamed citrus zest keep the wine fresh, lingering elegantly on the finish…93 points.” The expressive, gregarious nature of this white makes it a surprisingly engaging choice in both aperitif or food applications.

ROCKIN’ RASTEAU FROM AN OLD FRIEND

Every so often we stop and think about just how many wines have come through these doors in the last 37 years. Many labels are gone, many new ones are popping up all the time here, and new (or maybe just unfamiliar) names are making their way here from distant shores because the world is far more accessible these days. Every day it seems there’s a lot more information to digest, so much so that we forget some of the grand labels we used to sell. Sometimes we catch a break.

As we were going through some open market offers in Europe, we ran across an offer for a Winex favorite from years past, Domaine de la Soumade in Rasteau. “Hey, we know those folks,” we said, “they used to make pretty impressive juice. Wonder what they are up to these days, and why no one is bringing them in.” Our research showed us two things. The wines were supposedly imported by someone in New York, but there was no New York outlet offering the wine for sale. Even now, wine searcher only shows four people that have the wine in the U.S., again none in New York.

We also noted that Domaine de la Soumade’s 2016s received the highest reviews that they ever had, and this is an accomplished producer. Our course was clear. We were big fans of Rasteau long before they received the official A.O.C. upgrade (with the 2010 vintage), and Soumade was among the crème of the appellation.

Domaine la Soumade was established by André Roméro in 1979. Since 1990 the whole production has been bottled at the domain. In 1996 when his son Frédéric Roméro had earned his BEPA Diploma in viticulture and oenology, he returned to the domain to join his father. These days André is dialing it back, essentially semi-retired, and the reins are now in Frédéric’s capable hands. The domain covers 27 hectares, one of which is Gigondas and the rest is situated in Rasteau. They make nine different wines including four selections of Rasteau. The trend here is to use larger foudres (really big barrels) with the idea of keeping the star of the show, the super ripe Grenache, as fresh and bright as possible.

This domaine has always played above their appellation, but the 2016s are another level. The reviews are more akin to top Chateauneufs, but the prices certainly are not. The star of today’s offer is the Domaine la Soumade Rasteau Cuvee Prestige 2016 made from 70% Grenache Noir, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre harvested from 30-50 year-old vines. It is done 50% in 4000-liter wooden barrels (those are the foudres) and 50% in concrete for 18 months. They do get a little help from a friend, the talented Stephane Derenencourt who is mostly associated with Bordeaux but is clearly comfortable letting the Rhone be the Rhone.

The results speak for themselves and we could enlarge on our ‘stop and smell the Grenache’ but the scribes provided more than enough print for the quantities we have. Joe Czerwinski of Wine Advocate offers, “…it starts with aromas of crushed stone and ripe black fruits. Full-bodied and richly concentrated, it picks up hints of cocoa and garrigue on the long, dusty finish…94 points.”

That is the highest Wine Advocate score ever for this illustrious bottling.

Jeb Dunnuck raises the bar a little more, “A rock star in the vintage, the 2016 Rasteau Cuvée Prestige offers more cedary garrigue, graphite, earth, and chocolate-laced dark fruits. It’s big, rich, beautifully concentrated, with a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and will have 10-15 years of prime drinking…95 points.”

That is the highest Jeb Dunnuck score ever for this illustrious bottling.

Getting the picture?

Rasteau as an appellation offers some of the prettiest reds in the region, with plenty of weight but a bit more elegance and tenderness, and a little less rusticity. We have ours and you can rest assured we are going to enjoy getting reacquainted with these wines (We have the 2016 Confiance as well). You need to get yours. Brilliant stuff!