Winemaker Notes
Dark ruby. A focused nose, with aromas of red berry, licorice, and garrigue. Inky, layered palate with loads of luscious black fruit alongside notes of cracked pepper and leather. Finishes long, smooth, and spicy, with fine tannins. A perfect example of how the estate's wines toe the line between power and delicacy.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Cairanne L'Estevenas is a 60-40 Syrah-Grenache blend that utilizes some of the oldest Syrah vines in Southern Rhône (planted in 1961). Incorporating 50% whole clusters and made only in concrete, the wine offers up intoxicating aromas of cracked pepper, ripe cherries, violets and wild blueberries. It's medium to full-bodied, wonderfully silky in feel, with a long, lingering finish. It's a real showstopper, regardless of the vintage's travails.
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Decanter
Lovely fragrant nose, with spiced dark chocolate notes, cardamon, cumin and cocoa nibs. Medium-bodied, with gentle tannins and restrained alcohol. Good terroir expression and drinkability. The Syrah was planted in 1960, making it some of the oldest in the southern Rhône.
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.
A long and narrow valley producing flavorful red, white, and rosé wines, the Rhône is bisected by the river of the same name and split into two distinct sub-regions—north and south. While a handful of grape varieties span the entire length of the Rhône valley, there are significant differences between the two zones in climate and geography as well as the style and quantity of Rhône wines produced. The Northern Rhône, with its continental climate and steep hillside vineyards, is responsible for a mere 5% or less of the greater region’s total output. The Southern Rhône has a much more Mediterranean climate, the aggressive, chilly Mistral wind and plentiful fragrant wild herbs known collectively as ‘garrigue.’
In the Northern Rhône, the only permitted red variety is Syrah, which in the appellations of St.-Joseph, Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie, it produces velvety black-fruit driven, savory, peppery red wines often with telltale notes of olive, game and smoke. Full-bodied, perfumed whites are made from Viognier in Condrieu and Château-Grillet, while elsewhere only Marsanne and Roussanne are used, with the former providing body and texture and the latter lending nervy acidity. The wines of the Southern Rhône are typically blends, with the reds often based on Grenache and balanced by Syrah, Mourvèdre, and an assortment of other varieties. All three northern white varieties are used here, as well as Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbelenc and more. The best known sub-regions of the Southern Rhône are the reliable, wallet-friendly Côtes du Rhône and the esteemed Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Others include Gigondas, Vacqueyras and the rosé-only appellation Tavel.