After extensive tastings of superlative Rhone wines with many winemakers at various tastings and shows up and down the East coast, the string of GREAT Rhone wines from the spectacular 2010 vintage never ceases to amaze us at Church Street Wine Cellars. Our Burlington, Vermont wine cellar at 2 Church Street, in Burlington, Vermont has always carried a variety of hard-to-get Rhones from Eric Solomon’s European Cellars and other specialty importers.
Case in point, new to the store today: Côtes-du-Rhône, Domaine D’Andezon Rhône Valley, France 2010 From the warmer, southwest part of the southern Rhone delta, this wine is a great choice if paired with the appropriate hearty foods…old vines (+60 yrs), a classic “cool-fruit” (menthol) component typical of older vines…is truly outstanding. Young & primary now, decant or lay some down for a while, this wine is the “perfect poor man’s cellar” candidate! Reminiscent of better Chateaunuf-du-Pape, I’d grab a case of this while you can and put it in the cellar and forget about it for a few years, you will be amply rewarded. Once again, this is no surprise to us, we’ve been supporting this Syrah-driven wine as a great stylistic counterpoint to (and along with) many of the other Grenache-based Rhone wines we also carry for MANY vintages now.
We say “while you can” because the bane of so many of the wines that we carry is, the higher the press score, usually, the faster they sell out, at both our retail level, as well as the supplier level…so like the 2010 Chateau Pesquie “Cuvee des Terrasses” Cotes-du-Ventoux offering (94 points, Wine Advocate, a few weeks ago) grab it before it’s gone! Not that we don’t love to see the reviews, but our discoveries usually occur BEFORE the press happens, and we often just get a good run going with something, then the big scores come out and bang, it’s GONE! This is one the most frustrating parts of our business.
Hot off the presses from Jeb Dunnuck’s, The Rhone Report, 92 points “Easily the best vintage of this to date, the 2010 Les Vignerons d’Estézargues Côtes du Rhône Domaine d’Andézon is a tank and cement aged blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. Sporting a deep purple color as well as fantastically good aromas of pure blackberry, licorice, lavender, crushed flowers, and wet stone-like minerality on the nose. Very pure and clean, with superb richness and complexity, the wine is medium to full-bodied and beautifully textured on the palate, possessing a full, rich mid-palate, excellent balance, juicy acidity, and ripe tannin on the finish that adds additional cut and edge to all the fruit. Straight up delicious and a joy to drink, this is an awesome value that should delight for 3-5 years.”
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Review by Robert Parker, Wine Advocate # 195 (Jun 2011), Rating: 91, Drink 2011 – 2015
“The classic cuvee, which has long been selected by importer Eric Solomon, is their 2010 Domaine d’Andezon, a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Grenache. While there are critics of Syrah grown in the southern Rhone, even the cynics agree that the old-vine Syrah from the Gard has a special character to it. This wine comes from 40+year-old Syrah vines and 60+year-old Grenache vines, bottled unfined and unfiltered after being aged in both tank and concrete. Dense ruby/purple, with a stunning nose of blackberry liqueur and jus de viande (beef/meat juices), its thrilling, intensely pure, full-bodied mouthfeel, good freshness, and striking floral character all combine for one of the very best bargains in dry red wine that readers are likely to find anywhere in the world. This is super and should continue to drink well for another 3-4 years. This co-op, located just south of the village of Chateauneuf du Pape in the sector known as the Gard, has been a perennial top-bargain pick in The Wine Advocate. Importer: Eric Solomon, Charlotte, NC”
Come on in, relax, un-cork and un-wine at Church Street Wine Cellars and see what other great wines we have! Join our e-mail list for notification about Winemaker Dinners, our off-site tastings, and our specialty…free in-store, eductional wine tastings on Friday nights or on Saturday days with the best and most extensive tasting notes in the business for you to take home with you (along with a few bottles).
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