Rhône Roundup: 2007-2016 Clos des Papes, Domaine Gripa 2015 - 2021 and Much More!
9/27/24 -
Wines from Clos des Papes, Domaine Gripa, Domaine Rousset, Barou, Charvin, and Pierre Andre!
Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
We're happy to again offer a selection of mature (or almost mature) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from Vincent Avril at Clos des Papes! These wines offer a sensational tasting experience and are superb pairings with full-flavored cuisines - be creative! We loved the 2008 when tasted last year, the 2012 should be just beginning to really sing - all four wines are highly recommended!
2016 and 2014 Clos des Papes Rouge, two vintages that belong in your cellar - in Magnums.
2016, a truly great vintage in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with Rayas, Marcoux VV and Clos des Papes all receiving a rare 6-star review from drinkrhone. The 2016 is a gorgeous combination of power and elegance, a wine to enjoy over the next 30 years! 2014 is a different story, showing the floral, silky, sensuous side of Chateauneuf, all in finesse - "It's very Burgundian" says Vincent Avril, enjoy until 2035...
2021 Domaine Pierre André and Domaine Charvin
Speaking of finesse, here are two of our favorite CDPs from estates that always seek finesse and balance in their wines. "2021 is a vintage that really should sing if well handled, a fresher version of the most recent harmonious year of 2014, with a purity of fruit and fineness of tannin bringing a natural balance. If you choose well, you are in for a treat. 2021 is a vintage whose best wines can be safely cellared, with the certain knowledge that they will be drinking with appealing harmony from the age of 10 to 12 onwards, their lucid qualities reminding drinkers of the finesse inherent across this mighty appellation, with wines that sparkle with freshness and variety, appealing to the true enthusiasts." drinkrhone
House Wines from the Southern Rhone (with Northern Rhone style!)
Last year we came across two beautiful wines from the talented Adrien Fabre, made from Biodynamic grapes grown at 1200 ft in altitude in the CDR Villages St. Maurice appellation. The 2021 "Guillaume de Rouville" Blanc is made with Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Clairette and Bourboulenc. This is a Rhone white of great elegance that really impressed at our recent tasting with subtle herbal and white fruit aromas and a silky mineral palate with fabulous balance and length. $17.99! The 2020 "Guillaume de Rouville" Rouge is a Southern Rhone Syrah with Northern Rhone style and superb elegance and length. Mostly old vine Syrah in Biodynamic farming on clay/limestone and galets roulés soils. $19.99!
Saint-Joseph Blanc and Saint-Peray from Domaine Bernard and Fabrice Gripa, Mauves
"An extremely good domaine for very classy white wines that combine Marsanne and Roussanne. The special whites - Le Berceau Saint-Joseph and Figuiers Saint-Péray - demand some ageing to integrate their oak. They are fine and well-structured. The Figuiers stands out thanks to its mature Roussanne content [vines from 1960-62, around 65% of the wine], all top grade wines, very much on grace and finesse. This is a top domaine at Saint-Joseph and Saint-Péray, and the wines can be followed with confidence." - drinkrhone. We're very happy to offer the 2015Saint-Joseph Blanc "Le Berceau" and the 2016 and 2021 Saint-Peray "Les Figuiers." Enjoy the 2015 over the next few years, drink the 2016 and 2021 until 2034.
A House Wine and other whites from the Northern Rhone!
Since the 2009 vintage we have been enjoying the unique and delicious Vin de Pays Marsanne "Rendez-Vous" from Domaine Barou in Saint-Joseph. From organic grapes on granite soils, it's a fresh, complex and full-bodied Marsanne house-wine that offers sensational quality and value! Make it a Marsanne festival with two superb wines from Thomas Finot, who is making fascinating wines in the Coteaux Grésivaudan in the Isère. He also makes a tiny quantity of superb Crôzes-Hermitage Blanc from 100% Marsanne grown on the family's 1.8 hectare parcel of old vines in Larnage on a hillside with granite and limestone subsoils under interesting soils of white clay (kaolin).
THE Best Value for Cellaring from the Northern Rhone
Just a reminder that the fabulous 2022 Domaine Rousset Crozes-Hermitage "Les Picaudières is in stock and ready for your cellar. Give this wine ten to fifteen years of aging and it will rival a certain Saint-Joseph from the Rousset's friends in Mauves, across the river...
