2015 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Chalumaux”Comtesse de Chérisey
France | Burgundy
$120
Producers
by Dustin Soiseth
Wine Club Exclusive Sampler
Rhône For The Holidays
France | Southern Rhône
Normally $224.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $157.00 (a 30% discount) |
This item does not take further discounts
James Beard wrote that Rhône Valley wines have a “rare quality about them which is always pleasant, usually satisfying, and sometimes great.” I agree that Rhône wines are pleasant. There is a comforting warmth to them. They seem to smile up at you as all the solar energy soaked up during the growing season radiates out of the glass. I also agree that they are usually satisfying. They slake my thirst while at the same time are more substantial and filling than any liquid has a right to be. Greatness is subjective, but I’d argue that you’ll find it here, in this holiday sampler selected exclusively for our wine club members.
Featuring a barrel-finished rosé, a satiny Châteauneuf-du-Pape blanc, and a quartet of robust reds – from the chewy, rough-hewn Sang des Cailloux Vacqueyras to a polished Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Vieux Telegraphe – this six pack is ready with a blast of Rhône sunshine to brighten up your holidays, whatever form they take this year.
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2019 Vin de France Rosé “Au Petit Bonheur” • Domaine Les Pallières $27.00
2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc “Clos la Roquète” • Clos La Roquète $58.00
2018 Vacqueyras Rouge “Cuvée Azalaïs” • Domaine Le Sang des Cailloux $38.00
2019 Beaumes-de-Venise Rouge • Domaine de Durban $20.00
2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Télégramme” • Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe $56.00
2019 Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah • Lionel Faury $25.00
Normally $224.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $157.00 (a 30% discount) |
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 Le Sang des Cailloux France | Southern Rhône | Vacqueyras
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Southern Rhône
Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Gigondas
Maxime-François Laurent France | Southern Rhône | Côtes du Rhône
Les Pallières France | Southern Rhône | Vin de France
Maxime François Laurent France | Southern Rhône
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Gaël Petit France | Southern Rhône | Tavel
Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe France | Southern Rhône | Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Frédéric & Daniel Brunier France | Southern Rhône | Ventoux
Domaine Gramenon France | Southern Rhône | Côtes-du-Rhône
A good doctor prescribed the wine of Nuits-Saint-Georges to the Sun King, Louis XIV, when he suffered an unknown maladie. When the king’s health was restored the tasty remedy enjoyed a vogue at court. Lord, send me a doctor like that!
Inspiring Thirst, page 117
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