2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
If the king of the southern Rhône—Grenache—married the queen of the northern Rhône—Syrah—and had a beautiful child that bore the best features of each, that prince would be Domaine Gallety’s red Côtes du Vivarais. Here, in the small commune of Saint-Montan, halfway between Cornas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Alain Gallety and his son David-Alexandre grow Syrah and Grenache and craft this rouge with equal parts of each. Syrah’s savoriness and notes of pepper, together with Grenache’s stoniness, are balanced by an open-knit structure and ripe juiciness that make this wine ready to drink today. Because Côtes du Vivarais is less well known than the storied appellations of the North and the South, this red stands among France’s best values. Pair it with a pork chop, roasted eggplant, or Chris Lee’s Tomato and Cantal Cheese Galette for a sublime match.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 50% Syrah, 50% Grenache |
Appellation: | Côtes du Vivarais |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Domaine Gallety |
Winemaker: | Alain Gallety |
Vineyard: | 40 years average, 13.8 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine is aged in neutral oak barrels for about 15 months |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern 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.
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Famille Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Ventoux
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
I want you to realize once and for all: Even the winemaker does not know what aging is going to do to a new vintage; Robert Parker does not know; I do not know. We all make educated (hopefully) guesses about what the future will bring, but guesses they are. And one of the pleasures of a wine cellar is the opportunity it provides for you to witness the evolution of your various selections. Living wines have ups and downs just as people do, periods of glory and dog days, too. If wine did not remind me of real life, I would not care about it so much.
Inspiring Thirst, page 171
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