Winemaker Notes
The color is a brilliant ruby. The intense nose is dominated by spicy and red fruit, strawberry, aromas. The mouth presents silky and fine tannins underlining the fruity freshness of this wine.
Serve with a rack of lamb, game birds or mature cheeses. This fleshy, harmonious wine with an elegant structure, can be drunk now and portends a most promising future.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This poised red blend alternates between black cherry and blackberry on the nose with smoky undertones of sage brush, rosehip and red currant peppered throughout. Concentrated red fruit takes center stage on the palate of this gorgeous wine that is dripping with finesse and is supported by savory notes of dried rosemary and garigue.
Cellar Selection -
James Suckling
Dark berries, licorice, dried thyme and baking spices on the nose. It’s full-bodied with fine, firm tannins. Velvety texture at the center with loads of cherries and berries mingling throughout. Well-balanced with a flavorful finish. Syrah, grenache noir and mourvedre. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Drink or hold.
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Decanter
Ripe and rich and appealing fruit on the nose - blackberry, bramble, black cherry. A sweet and pretty profile, almost strawberry-like. It's juicy, succulent, the fruit is ripe and sweet and yummy. Yes there's some sweet vanilla oak but it's well done, integrated, and it adds complexity. Toasty and vanilla. Tannins are still a little tight. But it's a well-balanced wine. Should age well in the medium term due to it's fresh acidity. Dense, silky and sweet, classy.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Essentially a mountain on France’s Mediterranean coast, La Clape's vineyards vary in elevation by as much as nearly 1,000 feet. This tiny region also boasts some of France’s highest total hours of sunshine and produces aromatic whites from the Bourboulenc variety as well as full-bodied red blends from the usual Rhône suspects.