2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”La Marca di San Michele
Italy | Le Marche
$27
Producers
One of the things I love about this bottling is that while we get to choose our blend every year after tasting samples from roughly twenty different tanks, we still allow the conditions of the vintage to guide us, giving us a fresh, honest, and pure entry point to the Rhône’s great reds. This 2019 reflects a relatively warm year in the southern Rhône Valley, rendering this cuvée a little more solaire than its 2018 counterpart. Still, it bears all of the trademark qualities that we look for in a weeknight rouge from this slice of France: the dark fruit, wild herbs, stony spirit, and, most important, deliciousness that you want to savor again and again.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | 62% Grenache, 18% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre, 9% Carignan |
Appellation: | Côtes du Rhône |
Country: | France |
Region: | Southern Rhône |
Producer: | Selected by Kermit Lynch |
Vineyard: | 40 years average, 36 ha |
Soil: | Marl, Limestone |
Aging: | Wine is aged in cement tank before bottling |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône
Selected by Kermit Lynch France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Domaine Catherine Le Gœuil France | Southern Rhône | Cairanne
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
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 Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
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
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Gallety France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Vivarais
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Beaumes-de-Venise
Domaine de Durban France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
If you're looking for value, look where no one else is looking.
Inspiring Thirst, page 211
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