Winemaker Notes
Chock full of violet, spiced red fruits, bacon, and hints of flowers, its soft, lush palate marries a wide range of food, from barbecue to spicy international fare. Delicious and hard to put down.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2021 Costières De Nîmes Fleur De Syrah (there’s 5% Grenache, as well as some stem inclusion) is up-front and perfumed with vibrant plum and wild strawberry-like fruit as well as classic, almost Northern Rhône-like, violets, bouquet garni, and gamey nuances. This complex, medium-bodied, incredibly satisfying effort should be snatched up by Northern Rhône lovers.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Gently rolling hills covered by large, round stones on south-facing slopes, Costieres de Nimes is a substantial IGP zone that was formerly considered part of the Languedoc. Today it is included as a section of the southern Rhone; its climate, topography and wines put it more in line with that appellation. Grenache is its most important red variety, along with Mourvedre, Syrah and Carignan. Half of the production here is rosé.