Winemaker Notes
Lou Courcardié is the champion bull of the Course Camarguaise, the ancient sport of man against bull practiced in the Costières de Nîmes and the Languedoc. Unlike bull fighting in Spain, the bull is never harmed although those who face him frequently are! Michel Gassier has elected to use this name as an homage to not only these magnificent beasts but his finest efforts in the vineyard and cellar. Lou Coucardié Rouge is about 50% Mourvedre, a variety that Michel Gassier is championing in the Costières de Nîmes for its ability to produce elegant wines in even the ripest of vintages, with the remainder Grenache and Syrah.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Going back to a single year of élevage, the 2014 Costières de Nîmes Lou Coucardié has a slightly lighter ruby/purple hue as well as a beautifully upfront perfume of sweet red and black fruits, flowers, peppery garrigue, and spice. It's not massive but shows the charming, rounded, supple, incredibly seductive style of the vintage.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
More fresh, tight and backwards than the Nostre Païs, the 2014 Costières de Nîmes Lou Coucardié is a beautiful wine that’s made from 45% Mourvèdre, 35% Grenache and 20% Syrah that was aged in neutral barrels. It offers abundant notes of ripe black raspberries, toasted spice and crushed flowers, with a hint of classy oak, full-bodied richness and fine, polished tannin. The tannin quality is first rate, the oak is nicely balanced and integrated, and it has a great finish. Bravo to this team for getting this level of quality in the vintage! Give bottles a year or two and enjoy through 2024.
Rating: 92+ -
Wine Enthusiast
Brooding and brawny yet elegantly balanced, this voluptuous blend of 45% Mourvèdre, 35% Grenache and 20% Syrah offers concentrated black-cherry and cassis flavors accented by cinnamon and black pepper. It's a big wine but structured by upright, velvet tannins and a touch of freshness that lightens the finish. Enjoy now–2022.
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Wine Spectator
This has good ripeness for a 2014, with warm blueberry, plum and blackberry preserve flavors. Light sage and tobacco accents give this the telltale cool, herbaceous character of the vintage. Smoky finish. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2020.
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.
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.