Weekend VinopolPick 1-10-20

We’re excited to present the wines of Chateau de Rouanne for the first time.  This new project from the team at Saint Cosme is located in Vinsobres, in the northern part of the southern Rhone.  While Saint Cosme had been buying grapes from Rouanne for years, they recently bought the entire property and the 2018 is the inaugural vintage under the Chateau de Rouanne label.  We finally got to try the new wine and it’s a winner.

Saint Cosme is probably our top selling producer, year in and out.  We carry a variety of their wines, from their single vineyard, estate grown Gigondas to their excellent value negociant bottlings from the Northern Rhone.  When we heard they had purchased a historic estate in Vinsobres, we had high hopes—and the wine lives up.

Chateau de Rouanne dates back to Roman times, with limestone and sandy marl soils planted to a massale selection of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre.  Vinsobres is pretty far north for the Southern Rhone and reminds us of where Gigondas was 10-15 years ago, both in terms of pricing and climate.  In Saint Cosme’s hands, that’s a very, very good thing, as we think you’ll see.


Just Arrived, In Stock Now:

Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobres, Rhone 2018 750ML ($34.95) $28 special
Case-12 Chateau de Rouanne Vinsobres, Rhone 2018 750ML ($399.95) $299 special (that’s only $24.92/bottle—the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Importer note “Château de Rouanne is a historic estate with a 12th century medieval castle, situated on a classified Roman site located in the southern Rhône Valley.  The name of the estate comes from “Rugius”, which is said to be the name of the original Roman owner. The estate totals 177 acres (72 hectares), including 153 acres (62 hectares) of vines. Château de Rouanne was purchased by Louis Barruol, owner and winemaker of Château de Saint Cosme, in May of 2019. Barruol sees enormous potential in Château de Rouanne, having worked with the previous owners for years as a source for some of his négociant wines. ‘It reminds me a lot of Saint Cosme when I took it over in 1992. It’s an unknown sleeping beauty waiting for a vigneron to truly love it.’ The vineyard of Château de Rouanne is a unique one-block monopole, planted entirely with 50+ year old vines, which are a selection massale of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. The ancient terroir is comprised of limestone and sandy marl soils dating back to the Pliocene epoch. Barruol uses whole bunches during fermentation, as the stems absorb alcohol and help retain acidity and tannin. Indigenous yeasts are used to impart the character and the purity of the terroir into the wine. The wine is aged for 16 months in concrete vats and is bottled unfined and unfiltered in order to deliver a “straight to the ground” interpretation of this unique vineyard. Raspberry, violet, licorice, peony, black pepper and gingerbread. Greatly textured with prominent saltiness and length in the finish.”

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

Looking for other wines from Saint Cosme? Check out these highlights below or view the full list in our online store.


In Stock Now:

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas, Rhone 2017 750ML ($49.95) $39 special
Case-12 Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas, Rhone 2017 750ML ($599.95) $419 special (that’s only $34.92/bottle!)
Wine Spectator 93 points “($60)This offers a mix of dark cherry, currant and blackberry compote flavors, scored liberally with singed alder, dried sage and warm earth accents through the finish. A flash of chestnut at the very end keeps this in the old-school camp. Solid for the vintage. Best from 2022 through 2035.—J.M.”
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “The 2017 Gigondas is another terrific vintage for this cuvée, and it’s a quintessential expression of Saint Cosme. Ground herbs, graphite, gunpowder, pepper, black raspberries, and cassis all emerge from this full-bodied, ripe, polished Gigondas. With solid concentration, building yet ripe tannins, and a great finish, you’ll be thrilled to have a case in the cellar.”
Wine Advocate 92+ points “Loaded with notes of black olives and black cherries, the full-bodied 2017 Gigondas is rich and velvety in the mouth. I’m not sure it’s quite as good as the 2018, but it’s certainly no slouch, with a long, silky finish that picks up a hint of cocoa.”
Decanter 92 points “Whole-cluster fruit from limestone, marl and Miocene sand soils is fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts. It’s then aged 70% in barrel, 20% new, with the remaining 30% in concrete. It has a very oaky aromatic profile at this early stage, but it’s joined by a lovely herbal aspect from the stems. Medium to full-bodied, the fruit has a vibrant freshness and the acidity is pretty marked, while the tannins are massy but ripe and harmonious. Long finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The average listed price is $50

Saint Cosme Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone 2015 750ML ($49.95) $39 special
Wine Advocate 93 points “Sourced from three lieux-dits (including La Crau), Saint Cosme’s 2015 Chateauneuf du Pape is a blend of approximately 60% Grenache, 20-25% Mourvèdre and bits and pieces of other varieties. It’s full-bodied, rich and spicy, with hints of cumin, licorice, cinnamon and clove all swirling about on the long finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph, Rhone 2017 750ML ($37.95) $29 special
Case-12 Saint Cosme Saint-Joseph, Rhone 2017 750ML ($419.95) $299 special (that’s only $24.92/bottle!)
Jeb Dunnuck 93 points “A step up, the 2017 Saint Joseph offers another level of class and purity. Beautiful blackberry, black raspberries, cured meats, and pepper notes give way to a medium to full-bodied Saint Joseph that has subtle oak, a seamless texture, and fine tannins. It’s going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone 2017 750ML ($34.95) $26 special
Case-12 Saint Cosme Crozes-Hermitage, Rhone 2017 750ML ($359.95) $279 special (that’s only $23.25/bottle—the lowest listed price in the USA today!)
Grapelive 93 points “The beautiful and sultry 2017 Crozes from Louis Barruol at Chateau de Saint Cosme is highly entertaining, complex and remarkably easy to quaff even now in its infancy with classic terroir influences and warmly ripe dark fruits, making for a seductive 100% Serine heirloom clone Syrah. Barruol, famous for his estate Gigondas southern Rhone wines, loves his northern Rhone negotiant bottlings, especially his Crozes-Hermitage notes that Syrah at Crozes-Hermitage shows (us) what the balance of a Syrah can and should be, suffused with freshness and pretty peony aromas, and a salty palate that gives depth, but unfurls with no heaviness. I wholeheartedly agree and this vintage has it all and more showing layers of pepper laced blackberry, blueberry, black currants and damson plum fruits along with crushed violets, graphite, loamy earth and black licorice to start with a nice burst of acidity, satiny tannin, a touch of cedar and sweet smoke, all with a vinous textured elegance. Saint Cosme really allows the place and vintage to speak in its most true and best voice in its wines, and this Crozes especially proves this point and is an example of authentic and classic varietal purity… making for outrageous value for the money. For the 2017 version, Barruol and team did 100% de-stemming and fermented in vats before aging the Crozes in 20% new oak casks, with the remaining wine in once and twice used barrels for 12 months. Saint Cosme sourced this wine from extraordinary hillside vines set in granite soils around the villages of Crozes, Larnage, Gervans and Ero^me where Barruol has contracts with old vine parcels… This is irresistible stuff showing gorgeous detail and is fabulous with an array of cuisines from Korean BBQ to Zuni Chicken, in particular it is joyous with lamb kabob and or wild mushroom dishes, drink now or hold for 3 to 5 years.”
Jeb Dunnuck 91 points “Moving to the three Northern Rhônes, the 2017 Crozes Hermitage is outstanding. Loads of red and black fruits, spice, chocolate, and earthy notes flow to a ripe, sexy, medium to full-bodied Crozes that has sweet tannins and loads of upfront charm. Despite its forward style, it has plenty of mid-palate oomph and is going to evolve for over a decade.”

Saint Cosme Cote Rotie, Rhone 2017 750ML ($79.95) $59 special
Jeb Dunnuck 94 points “The 2017 Côte Rôtie is another satisfying, character-filled wine. Complex notes of blackberries, ground herbs, new leather, and violets flow to a medium to full-bodied, layered, complete, balanced Côte Rotie that’s going to shine for 10-15 years. It has some feral, wild notes as well as plenty of old-school character.”
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 93-94 points “Deep, bright-rimmed magenta. Expressive dark berry, cherry, olive, peony and smoky bacon aromas are sharpened by cracked pepper and smoky mineral flourishes. Juicy blackberry, cassis, cherry preserve and floral pastille flavors show very real energy and becomes sweeter with air. Rich, but energetic in style, showing solid finishing thrust and building tannins that add shape and youthful grip.”
Wine Advocate 92-94 points “Notes of smoked meat and cold fireplace mark the nose of Saint Cosme’s 2017 Cote Rotie. It’s medium to full-bodied, with a plush, seductive mouthfeel, supple tannins and a long finish. It should be a beauty.-JC”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Chateau de Saint Cosme Gigondas Le Claux, Rhone 2017 750ML ($119.95) $99 special
Jeb Dunnuck 94-96 points “Notes of camphor, dried soil, crushed rocks, and loads of red and black fruits define the 2017 Gigondas Le Claux, which is 100% Grenache from a site just down the road from the estate. I always find a certain Burgundian character in this cuvée and it’s certainly present in the 2017. With medium to full body, a beautiful elegance and purity, and fine tannins, give bottles a few years and enjoy over the following decade or more.”
Wine Advocate 94 points “The 2017 Gigondas le Claux features deep blue and black fruit on the nose. It’s full-bodied in the mouth, with a generous, silky mouthfeel and an expansive, voluptuous finish that folds in hints of dark chocolate and salted licorice. All Grenache, from vines planted in the 19th century, it’s a terrific Gigondas.”
Decanter 93 points “Fermented in concrete with no destemming and indigenous yeasts, then 100% matured in barriques, one-third new, one-third second use and one-third third use. The wood gives it strong clove notes, joined on the silky palate by raspberry, strawberry coulis and strawberry eau-de-vie. A fine patina of wet-clay tannins coat your lips, slightly drying the palate and leading to a long finish. The St Cosme single-vineyard wines are undoubtedly impressive and strongly oak-influenced, displaying masterful work in the cellar – but they will be too oaky for some tastes, especially in their youth.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!
The next best price is $108.95
The average listed price is $124

Delamotte is best known as the more affordable arm of Salon—the original luxury-collectible single vineyard Blanc de Blancs from Le Mesnil.  While that’s understandable, it tends to ignore the fact that Delamotte is a Champagne house of not in its own right (it’s much easier for other merchants to shout “Salon for $$” than to sell the Champagne on its own merit).  If one were making a case for Delamotte as a great producer on their own, you could look no further than their “Collection” wines.

These are the peak of the Delamotte range, held on the lees longer and disgorged late to capture the full glory of mature Champagne.  They have the racy brightness of their Cote de Blancs origins balanced against toasty, rich flavors that only come with age.  The best comparison for these wines might be Bollinger’s “RD” series, except that Bollinger always works from a place of power and Delamotte from elegance and finesse.

The only challenge with these wines is finding them—they’re extremely rare and so when we discover a parcel of them, we jump on it as quickly as we can.  We’ve managed to secure a few different vintages, arriving this week, and lovers of the finest Champagnes shouldn’t hesitate to put these on their tables ASAP.


Arriving Wednesday

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Collection Brut, Champagne 1999 750ML ($249.95) $219 pre-arrival special
Wine Advocate 94 points “From a very warm and generous year, the 1999 Blanc de Blancs Collection (disgorged in October 2015) offers a rich and intense bouquet of ripe Chardonnay and buttercup. Rich, super ripe and intense, but also precise on the palate, this is a full-bodied, complex, mineral and fresh Champagne. It is very well-defined and even finesse-full, with great tension. This is at perfect maturity. It is a simply a great vintage Champagne that has been produced only in the vintages of 1964, 1970, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1990, 1999, 2000 and 2002.”
Antonio Galloni 92 points “The 1999 Brut Vintage (Collection) is a gorgeous wine that will especially please readers who enjoy Champagnes with the nuance that develops with time in bottle. Apricot jam, orange peel, hazelnut, dried flowers and lightly honeyed notes all develop in a rich, burnished Champagne endowed with tons of nuance intermingled with the freshness that Chardonnay in the Côte des Blancs expresses so eloquently. Certainly, the 1999 is a bit rustic relative to recent vintages here, but it nevertheless offers fine drinking.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!
This is the only listing for a magnum in the USA today!

This is the only listing in the USA today!
This is the only listing for a magnum in the USA today!

Other Noteworthy Older Champagne, Arriving Wednesday:

Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne 2000 1.5L ($349.95) $299 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 94 points “A rich version, with beautiful integration and mouthwatering acidity that seems to amplify the flavors of toasted raisin bread, black currant, candied orange zest and salted almond. Fresh and focused, showing hints of oyster shell and spice on the lasting finish.”

This is the lowest listed price in the USA today!

Pommery Cuvee Louise Brut Millesime, Champagne 2002 750ML ($149.95) $128 pre-arrival special
Wine Enthusiast 95 points “This well-aged wine from a top Champagne vintage is just now ready to drink after 12 years. It has a touch of toast, but it’s the rich, complex texture and fine structure that set it apart. It’s not a dry wine, it feels soft. It is so well integrated, elegant with hints of apples, a layer of minerality and still-fresh final acidity.”
James Suckling 94 points “A beautifully seductive and creamy nose with plenty of honey and clotted cream across lemon and grapefruit. Some white peach too, really alluring. The palate’s nicely orchestrated and balanced; it builds in stages and delivers pithy lemon and grapefruit flavor amid assertive driving acidity, good depth and concentration. Another great ’02. Drink now or in five or more years.”
Wine Advocate 93 points “The 2002 Cuvée Louise Brut is dressed in an intense citrus colored robe and offers – as if it was a Pfalz Riesling – ripe yellow fruit aromas of pineapples, oranges and ripe peaches along with noble yeasty layers in the background. Full-bodied, rich and fresh on the palate, Madame Louise is a firm and almost mineral structured, persistent Champagne of complexity, finishing with a refreshing citric aroma as well as a stimulating salinity and purity. Good length and balance.”

De Venoge Louis XV de Venoge Extra Brut Rose Millesime, Champagne 2002 750ML ($219.95) $189 pre-arrival special
Wine Spectator 93 points “Harmonious, with fine intensity, offering rich notes of spice cake, toasted almond, dried cherry, grilled plum and smoky mineral. Almost velvety in texture, with juicy acidity that brings you back for another sip. Delicious. Drink now through 2022. 54 cases made.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Roumier’s Bonnes Mares is a legendary wine and to have two vintages in stock is hard to do. Three bottles available
Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits 2009 750ML ($2,499.95) $2,199 special
Antonio Galloni 98 points “Roumier’s 2009 Bonnes-Mares is without question one of the wines of the vintage. Firm yet beautifully integrated tannins provide the backdrop for the highly nuanced, expressive aromas and flavors that emerge from the glass. All the elements are in the right place in this extraordinary, moving wine. At times the Bonnes-Mares comes across as very powerful, at other times it is quite sensual. In other words, it is pure magic in the glass. Burgundy fans will flock to the Musigny because of its rarity but there is a very real possibility that the Bonnes-Mares will outshine it over time.”
Burghound 96 points “This is also remarkably fresh with very ripe but not over ripe aromas of cassis, spice, stone and raspberry liqueur. There is a palpable sense of energy running through the rich, powerful and brooding broad-shouldered flavors that benefit from a huge dollop of dry extract that pushes the very firm tannic spine to the background on the explosive and youthfully austere finish that possesses genuinely outstanding length. I very much like the balance here and this should age effortlessly for decades.”

The ’13s are looking like the Next Great Undervalued Vintage. One bottle available.
Domaine Georges & Christophe Roumier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits 2013 750ML ($1,119.95) $999 special
Burghound 95 points “This is quite floral with plenty of earth and assorted spice elements adding interest to the very fresh mix of green tea and red and dark berry fruit scents. There is outstanding power and concentration to the broad-shouldered flavors that possess a robust mouth feel and ample minerality, all wrapped in a moderately austere and hugely long finish. This is a big, indeed even opulent but balanced wine that is clearly built for longer-term cellaring.”

Keller is a master of dessert wine as well.  This is just as good as the GG’s in its own way.
Weingut Keller Monsheimer Silberberg Rieslaner Beerenauslese, Rheinhessen 2018 375ML ($319.95) $249 special

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Perfect Cabernet according to the man who knows.  One bottle available.
Pride Mountain Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, California 2013 750ML ($399.95) $349 special
Robert Parker 100 points “A real tour de force once again, and their second consecutive perfect score, is the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, which is 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Petit Verdot aged 22 months in 40% new French oak. It is a larger cuvée of 1,416 cases versus 450 for the Reserve Claret. The Cabernet is just under 15% alcohol. A fantastic wine, with great intensity, notes of graphite, forest floor, crème de cassis, white chocolate and blackberry, the wine hits the palate with a thunderous presence, has a multi-layered, skyscraper-like palate feel, a plush, intense texture, high but well-integrated tannin and acidity, and nicely disguised oak. This is a magnificent wine, with 79% of it coming from the Sonoma side of Spring Mountain and 21% from the Napa side. Drink it over the next 25-30+ years.”

Do you know how much work it takes to source magnums of SQN? Much less 15 year old bottles? One magnum available.
Sine Qua Non Into The Dark Grenache, Sta Rita Hills 2004 1.5L ($2,199.95) $1,599 special
Wine Advocate 99 points “More up-front and open-knit, the 2004 Into the Dark (Grenache) checks in as a blend of 84% Grenache, 8% Mourvedre, 7% Syrah and 1% Viognier that comes mostly from Manfred’s 11 Confessions Vineyard, yet includes small portions from Alban (10%) and Alta Mesa (9%) Vineyard. Reminding me of Clos Saint-Jean’s Sanctus Sanctorum with its incredible bouquet of sweet kirsch, licorice, dried baking spices, graphite and ground pepper, this beauty flows onto the palate with impeccable purity, perfect integration of its fruit, tannin and acidity, and blockbuster length. As is common with this estate’s wine, it’s the purity paired with serious richness that sets it apart. While still youthful and benefiting from a healthy decadence, I think it’s drinking at point and would aim to drink bottles over the coming 4-5 years. It will evolve gracefully for longer, but I see no reason to hold off.”

Flirting with perfection like Molly Hatchett. Six bottles available.
Colgin Cellars IX Estate Red, Napa Valley 2014 750ML ($699.95) $499 special
Robert Parker 98+ points “From their steep hillside vineyards on Pritchard Hill, the 2014 Proprietary Red IX Estate is an old-fashioned Médoc blend dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, but with some Cabernet Franc (rarely seen in the Médoc these years) as well as Merlot and Petit Verdot. Striking aromatics of violets, forest floor, loamy soil nuances, blueberry, black raspberry and blackberry soar from the glass of this spectacular 2014. The acidity seems reasonable but on the lower side, the texture is magnificent, and the overall purity and equilibrium flawless. This is a wine pushing, even demanding, a three-digit score once again, but I’m holding back – at least for now. This magnificent effort from Colgin should drink beautifully for 25-30 years.”

Mouton is Mouton—for when nothing less will do.  Six bottles available.
Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Pauillac 2014 750ML ($799.95) $649 special
Antonio Galloni 97 points “An exciting, beautifully layered wine, the 2014 Mouton Rothschild is one of the clear highlights of the vintage. A stunning interplay of crème de cassis, graphite, menthol, sage, mocha, dark chocolate and leather takes of all the senses. The 2014 is dark, voluptuous racy. Above all else, it speaks to a total sense of balance. The blend is 81 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 16 % Merlot and 3 % Cabernet Franc.”
Neal Martin-Wine Advocate 94-96 points “The Château Mouton-Rothschild 2014 contains more tannin than the 2010 according to winemaker Philippe Dhalluin, although he stressed that this does not imply that they were finer tannin. The blend is 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc and it will of course, be matured in 100% new oak. The alcohol level just tops 13%, the first time since 2010. It has a classic Mouton nose, the slightly higher percentage of Merlot lending a little flamboyance and flair with scents of blackberry, warm gravel and cigar box scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, armed with powerful core of quite rich black fruit interlaced with tobacco and allspice. There is very good structure here, a fine edginess towards the white pepper infused finish. There is almost a nuttiness to this wine, to wit, a fascinating maze-like Mouton in the making and perhaps a more cerebral Mouton compared to recent vintages.”
James Suckling 96-97 points “This is incredibly minerally with a maritime character as well as red iodine, algae, currants and great intensity. Some saltiness. Almost like a pearl in an oyster shell. This is a true wine of the soil for Mouton. Full body, racy tannins and lingering. Excellent. Unique. 81% cabernet sauvignon, 16% merlot and 4% cabernet franc.”