Presenting Legends of Southern Rhone - Vaqueyras, Gigondas, And (Premium Pour) Chateauneauf-Du- Pape! Wine Tasting June 16th!
Legends of Southern Rhone Wine Tasting
Thursday, June 16th 4-6pm
*Our original wine bar location- 103 Northside Square*
$35 Per Person (Includes Personal Charcuterie Pairing)
Or
$20 Per Person (Wine Tasting Only)
Reservations Requested. Call 256-964-7980
Presented by special guest, Robert Gunn of Pinnacle Imports
The Line-Up
2018 Domaine Gassier "Nostre Pais" White, Costières de Nîmes, France $18.99
Nostre Païs White is more about freshness, purity and balance that about exuberance. It offers fabulous notes of fresh citrus, white flowers and flint. Medium-bodied and focused, its soft finish evinces a great deal of minerality. In 2020, the whites and rosés were tense, particularly the Grenache. Roussanne and Viognier are very sprightly and don’t have the usual opulence. Lots of elegance and balance! 2020 is a vintage focused on freshness with almost Burgundian accents.
2021 Lafage Miraflors Rose, Languedoc Roussillon , France $19.99
Named after an old estate located in the heart of Domaine Lafage, Mas Miraflors, the Miraflors Rose´ is sourced from old vines of Grenache Gris and Noir. This a direct press rose´ with the color coming from the skins of the pink Grenache Gris berries, and naturally, from the much darker Mourvedre and Grenache Noir. It is aged in tank for 4 months before bottling.
2020 Lafage "La Rétro" Red , Côtes Catalanes, France $21.99 1L
Carignan, Lledoner Pelut, Grenache Noir and Grenache Gris. Bright light red in colour, with perfumed fresh fruit. The nose is slightly spicy with red fruit aromas. Round on the palate, the wine is fresh, fruity and well balanced. A touch of acidity and tannin with good fruit and a fresh finish. Quite light in the mouth and indeed a modest 12.5°. Served slightly chilled, it could be termed Roussillon’s answer to Beaujolais.
2019 Mas de Gourgonnier Rouge Les Baux, Les Baux de Provence, France $26.99
Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence is a gorgeous Provençal red blend from a lively cast of characters: Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Cinsault, Monastrell, and Mourvèdre. It is redolent of blackberry, plum, black pepper, dried rosemary, heather, rose, and olive. While the nose is lushly fragrant, the palate is leaner, with refreshing acid and respectable tannic structure.
2019 Domaine La Garrigue Vacqueyras, Rhone Valley, France $30.99
Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache Blanc and Clairette.
The very essence of Vacqueyras. The appellation itself is rather firmly in the shadow of Gigondas to the north and Châteauneuf to the west. Raised to cru status in 1990 its just old enough to have fairly decent name recognition but not quite young enough for hipster street cred. There are three terroirs in Vacqueyras: the red-clay under galets plateau of la Garrigue (incidentally where Domaine la Garrigue is located), the sand soils around the village of
Vacqueyras and the rocky limestone slopes at the foot of the Dentelles de Montmirail. Each terroir contributes to the final blends at la Garrigue: power from the plateau, finesse from the sand and structure from the limestone slopes. Fermentations are conducted on the stems and macerations are long and gentle, followed by reductive aging in concrete. As a result the natural ferocity of the terroirs of Vacqueyras are captured and preserved in each bottle.
2019 Domaine St. Damien Gigondas, Rhone Valley, France $35.99
Critical Acclaim
93 Jeb Dunnuck
Moving to the three Gigondas I was able to taste, the 2019 Gigondas Vieilles Vignes comes from a mix of terroirs on the lower plain, around the estate, and is mostly Grenache brought up in larger, very old foudre and concrete tanks. Deep purple/ruby hued, with a beautiful perfume of black raspberries, candied flowers, and sweet garrigue, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a silky texture, great tannins, and plenty of length on the finish. This is a more finesse-driven, silky, elegant wine than past vintages and it's going to drink nicely for over a decade.
2019 Domaine de la Janasse Chateauneuf-Du-Papes "Tradition", Rhone Valley, France $63.99
Winemaker Notes
With an ample and structured substance, this cuvée is well-balanced, whose notes of black fruits (blackberry, blackcurrant), combined with aromas of violets, cover a long and silky mouth, all in nerve.
Pair this wine alongside dishes based on grilled and simmered meat, leg of lamb with herbs, or stewed beef
Critical Acclaim
WE95 Wine Enthusiast
Thrilling in fruit purity and delicately mineral, the standard label or “tradition” bottling of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from La Janasse is a consistent out performer of its peer class. A blend of 65% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Cinsault matured with a minimal amount of new oak, its throbbing black cherry and plum flavors are powerful yet pristine. Flecked with hints of crushed salt and smoke, it's a silken, delicately tannic sip at peak now–2027 but likely to hold further.
D93Decanter
Full but not heavy, all very well integrated and well balanced. A powerful wine, that has everything in quantity: fruit, freshness, tannin, focus, alcohol and length. A muscle car of a Châteauneuf.
JD93Jeb Dunnuck
I loved the 2019 Châteauneuf Du Pape, a classic Southern Rhône readers will love to have in their cellars. Medium to full-bodied, incredibly elegant, and even pretty, it has textbook red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, violets, and spice-like aromas and flavors. It’s always interesting when tasting through the wines from this estate to see the change in the tannins and just overall level of elegance when you move from their Côtes du Rhône to their Châteauneuf du Papes, and this is unquestionably worth seeking out and cellaring. It can be drunk any time over the coming 20 years.
JS91James Suckling
Very typical Chateauneauf with plenty of ripe red cherries, plus subtle spicy and smoky aromas. Ripe and weighty with a solid base of tannins and minty freshness, this has a lot going for it.
