Category Archives: Rhone

Clos du Caillou

4-18-2019

If you don’t have a case of Clos du Caillou in your cellar, you are seriously missing out on the best values in Chateauneuf and Cotes du Rhone in the shop. Sure, there’s plenty of highly lauded 2016 CDPs in the $100+++ range. But isn’t it more fun to find an epic estate that doesn’t command those prices?

Enter Clos du Caillou.

They’ve flown unnoticed by buyers (though certainly not by the reviewers!) while the big names just got pricier. Perhaps because the terroir-driven estate is so hard to find in the national market. The estate is one of the favorites of reviewers for the region, yet can be had for under $50 a bottle. What’s not to love?

Shop now or… Read the rest

Saint Cosme – Beloved by All, Best Prices Here!

Saint Cosme

Beloved by All / Best Prices All Here

Are you a fan of historic – and we mean Greco-Roman historic – estates crafting their region’s best (and best value) wines? You’re a newsletter subscriber, so we know the answer is yes. Turns out, you don’t have to hunt through the back roads of who-knows-where to drink who-knows-what to find such a gem. It’s Saint Cosme!

Yes, St Cosme. We’ve mentioned them a time or two before, sure. But have you checked in with the wines lately? They are a joy to drink. And our prices are ridiculously below average, with most wines clocking in at $10 or more below the next best price out there.

But really, are they good?… Read the rest

Chapoutier Pavillon

May 17th, 2018

M. Chapoutier Pavillon

“the endless finish shows superb clarity and power”

“Star of the Show”

M. Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon, Rhone 2013 750ML ($249.95) $219 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 98+ points “The star of the show in 2013 is the 2013 Ermitage le Pavillon. Coming from the west and eastern edges of the Bessards lieu-dit and aged in 30% new French oak, its sensational black/blue color is followed by the awesome bouquet of cassis, smoked earth, graphite and caramelized meats that could come from no other terroir in the world. Full-bodied, massive, dense, sexy and with a liquid rock-like character that comes out with time in the glass, it has sweet tannin and a blockbuster finish that keeps you coming back to the glass.… Read the rest

Guigal Condrieu

Great Guigal

Classic Condrieu

May 2017

From the three lieux-dits of Cote Chatillon, Colombier and Coteau de Chery:
E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane, Rhone 2015 750ML ($119.95) Buy Now: $89 pre-arrival special, ETA September 2017
Wine Advocate 99 points “Easily one of the greatest Condrieu I’ve ever tasted is the 2015 Condrieu La Doriane. A wine that needs to be tasted to be believed, it possesses a huge nose of toasted brioche, liquid rocks, apricot, flower oil and salty minerality. Unctuous, full-bodied, massively rich, yet also elegant and graceful, with beautiful freshness, enjoy this tour de force over the coming 5-6 years.” – Jeb Dunnuck

This is the lowest listed price on the West Coast today!

E. Guigal Condrieu, Rhone 2015 750ML ($59.95) Buy Now: $49 pre-arrival special, ETA May 2017
Wine Advocate 95 points “Guigal’s 2015 Condrieu is a blockbuster that, if not for its big brother, would be one of the wines of the vintage.… Read the rest

JL Chave Hermitage Rouge 2012

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge, Rhone 2012 750ML ($219.95) Buy Now: $219 special

Wine Advocate 94-97 points “Looking at the 2012 Hermitage, which is still resting in barrels and getting ready to be bottled, it’s a much more classic, easy to read Hermitage that has lots of ripe, sweet fruit in its full-bodied, concentrated, textured profile. It has copious sweet blackberry and cassis fruit, violet and serious granite-like minerality, superb mid-palate depth and a focused, structured finish. It’s a beautiful, classy 2012 that will have 20-25+ years of longevity.” WA

Josh Raynolds–Vinous 95-97 points “Presented as components from four different barrels: #1, from Beaume: Exotic scents of candied licorice, dark berries and smoky Indian spices. Fleshy and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, displaying superb depth to its bitter cherry and floral pastille flavors.… Read the rest