Domaine La Manarine Cotes-du-Rhone 2010
A stunner for under $14 bucks!
This “petite” domaine was created by Gilles Gasq in April 2001. The vineyards are located within the commune of Travaillan, on a plateau northeast of Orange in the southern Rhone. Gilles is a talented vigneron who has honed his skills working as an assistant to Paul Jeune, the proprietor of the illustrious Domaine Monpertuis in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
Domaine La Manarine now encompasses 18 hectares of vineyards situated primarily on what is known as the “Le Plan de Dieu”. For generations, this specific terroir has been recognized as unique. Recent research has identified the particular character of the underlying soil: a deep layer consisting of more than 60% hard limestone “galets” (large smooth pebbles). The climate is typically Mediterranean: relatively hot and dry with an average rainfall of between 600 and 800 mm per year. The rains usually come in the form of thunderstorms in late August which provide the vines with the water necessary to finish the maturation process (which tends to shut down under stressful drought conditions). Grenache Noir is the main grape variety of the region. It performs particularly well on this type of soil and gives wines with more elegance and aroma than is otherwise common. Gilles has recently acquired one hectare of Syrah vines which, when they mature and are used to supplement the Grenache (probably with the 2011 vintage), will then enable the Manarine wines to bear the appellation: Cotes du Rhone Villages – Le Plan de Dieu. Domaine La Manarine practices organic viticulture.
The vineyards are principally devoted to Grenache but include several parcels planted to white grape varieties. This wine is 100% Grenache Noir, and we challenge you to put this in as a ringer in a Premier Cru Burgundy tasting, you would fool (and impress) a lot of people! The very cool start to 2010 particularly influenced the Grenache harvest, producing exceptionally smooth, silky, and seamless Cotes-du-Rhone, especially evident in this 100% varietal bottling.
Sale, $13.99, Reg. $15.99, Save $2.00!