Winemaker Notes
Ruby red in color. A nose dominated by notes of cocoa, cherries, and spice. On the palate, the wine is bold with blackcurrant, cherry, and roasted nut flavors.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
While plump in fruit, this spicy blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvédre and Cinsault balances flavors of preserved black plum and cocoa against savory, animal nuances. Full bodied and velveteen in texture, it's a pleasantly rustic, concentrated red shaded by earth, leather and smoked meat. Soft tannins are welcoming young but the wine should maintain peak through 2024.
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.
Typically thought of as a baby Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, the term Côtes du Rhône actually doesn’t merely apply to the flatter outskirts of the major southern Rhône appellations, it also includes the fringes of well-respected northern Rhône appellations. White wines can be produced under the appellation name, but very little is actually made.
The region offers some of the best values in France and even some first-rate and age-worthy reds. Red wine varieties include most of the Chateâuneuf-du-Pape varieties like Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise, as well as Carignan. White grapes grown include Grenache blanc, Roussanne and Viognier, among others.