2022 ChevernyDomaine du Salvard
France | Loire
$22
Producers
You would be forgiven for not being able to place Cairanne on a map. Twenty miles north of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, this village is among the underrated of the southern Rhône, and it didn’t receive AOC status until the 2016 vintage! And what a vintage to commemorate: 2016 is widely regarded as an incredible year in the Rhône Valley. Daniel Brunier of Vieux Télégraphe told us, “I would never use this word lightly, but 2016 is the absolute best vintage I’ve ever seen here since 1978.”
Now, even though it was only validated recently by the authorities, that doesn’t mean Cairanne hadn’t been producing excellent wines for years before that. Kermit began to import the reds of Catherine Le Gœuil in 2005. Ever since, they have represented his ethos: “If you are looking for great values, look where no one else is looking.” Made from impeccable Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, and Counoise grapes—organically farmed and kept dry by the mistral—grown in sandy molasse, clay, and limestone, this Cairanne bears all of the southern Rhône notes we love: black cherries, garrigue, olives, and stones. It will pair magically with braised oxtails or grilled lamb chops.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 51% Grenache, 17.5% Syrah, 17.5% Mourvèdre, 7% Carignan, 7% Counoise |
Appellation: | Cairanne |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Catherine Le Goeuil |
Winemaker: | Catherine Le Gœuil |
Vineyard: | About 50 years old, 6 ha |
Soil: | Sandy Molasse, Limestone, Clay |
Aging: | Vinification lasts for 2-3 weeks in temperature-controlled cement tanks |
Farming: | Organic (certified) |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Gaël Petit France | Southern Rhône | Tavel
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
The southern Rhône valley is Grenache country. It’s also known for its stones. With a viticulture history dating back well before the Popes arrived in the 12th century and one of France’s oldest appellations d'origine contrôlée, Châteauneuf-du-Pâpe, the southern Rhône is unquestionably one of France’s best known and premier winegrowing regions. The wines have the pedigree and age-worthiness of Burgundy and Bordeaux, but with a rustic, Mediterranean character. Like most wines from southern France, the reds, whites, and rosés are blends. Filling out the Grenache for the reds and rosés, you’ll often find Syrah, Carignan, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault. The common white grape varieties are Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Viognier, Roussane, and Marsanne among others. From the alluvial riverbed stones found in Lirac, Tavel, and Châteauneuf to the limestone cliffs of the Dentelles de Montmirail that influence Beaumes-de-Venise (where you’ll find excellent Muscat), Vacqueyras, and Gigondas, great terroir abounds.
Kermit’s entrance in the region came in the mid 1970s on his first trip with Richard Olney, an American ex-pat and friend of Alice Waters. On that trip, Richard introduced Kermit to the Brunier family of Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Soon after, Kermit began importing the Brunier’s wines—their Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” bottling remains a staple of our portfolio today. In the late 1990s Kermit teamed up with the Brunier family to purchase the famed Gigondas estate, Domaine Les Pallières. More than 40 years later, we now import wines from fifteen southern Rhône domaines spanning the entire area of the region.
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Vin de Pays de Vaucluse
Domaine Gallety France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Vivarais
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Château de Trinquevedel France | Southern Rhône | Tavel
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Beaumes-de-Venise
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch
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